The stars of the future will be on show when 774 athletes from throughout the state contest the 2022 Rum City Foods Queensland Schools' Rowing Championship Regatta at Bucca from tomorrow through to Monday.
There are a total of 1191 entries from 48 schools across the 49 events, with seven Bundaberg Regional Schools participating, including the star-studded St Luke’s Anglican School Team of 16, while Shalom College will be represented by 19 students.
There are also smaller contingents from Bundaberg Christian College, and Bundaberg, Bundaberg North, Gin Gin and Kepnock State High Schools.
All up, there are 243 races, starting at 7am each day, with 107 tomorrow, with the last race programmed for 5.10pm, a further 71 races on Sunday, running through to 4.35pm, and 69 on Monday with the last event scheduled for 3.45pm.
Spectators are welcome.
Find out more here.
Bundaberg Regional Representatives:
Bundaberg Christian College: G Plowman.
Bundaberg North: S Wake, J Wake.
Bundaberg State High: A Flynn, C Baker, A Woznitza, L Herbener, S Johnson, L Caville.
Gin Gin: B Dale, E Webster, L Simpson, N Davis.
Kepnock: C Lane-Krebs.
Shalom: M Weder, M Bielenberg, E Evans, S Card, A Burey, E Parker, T Smits, H Jansen, W Holzberger, J Britton-Wagenkrecht, Z Davis, J McMahon, C Taske, J Naude, K Pole, R Steinhardt, M Parker, L Beilenberg, J Critchlow.
St Luke’s: A Heaps, S Clark, C Craven-Hughes, M O’Connor, R Jackson, H O’Connor, C Mergard, R Nguyen, K Freeman, G Jenkins, Z Freeman, S Klotz, C Stevens, R Mayberry, A Hill, J Mortimer.
Football
Reigning Premiers and League Champions Across The Waves will be white-hot favourite when they take on arch-rivals Bingera in the Football Queensland Premier League Wide Bay Men’s Grand Final at Martens Oval at 7.30pm tomorrow.
But the Superstripes will be hungry for a famous victory ahead of their Club Centenary Dinner celebrations next month.
Waves have won 16 of their 17 games in the competition, with their only loss being to Fraser Flames back on April 23, and they thrashed Bingera 9-0 on June 11, and also beat them 2-1 two weeks later in their postponed Round 2 game.
They have also racked up 94 goals, while conceding just six, while Bingera were hot and cold for most of the season but eventually claimed third place with 11 wins, one draw and four losses with 52 goals for and 33 against.
Bingera then had a good 3-1 victory over Fraser Flames in Semi-final 2, before upsetting Kawungan Sandy Straits Jets 2-1 in the Preliminary Final.
Earlier, epic battles are also expected between Waves and United Park Eagles (UPE) in the Under-23 Men’s decider at 3pm, and United Warriors and Waves in Wide Bay Division 1 Men at 5pm.
The program will start at 12 noon with the Wide Bay Under-15 showdown between Waves and Sunbury Blues.
Tonight, in the FQPL WB Women’s Grand Final, Fraser Flames, who have won all of their 17 matches, will be attempting to put the icing on a perfect season when they take on UPE at Fraser Coast Sports Precinct at 8pm.
Cricket
Norths will start their Bundaberg Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership title defence with a first round grand final rematch with Waves at Salter Oval tomorrow at 11am.
Wide Bay representative all-rounder Hayden Pope has returned home to Waves after three good seasons with East Bundaberg Magpies, while Waves’ most notable absentee will be attacking opener Michael Loader, and Norths will field a side very similar to their premiership side but without injured captain and master-blaster opener Blyton Pendergast.
Meanwhile, there is likely to be plenty of spice in the other Division 1 match when Queensland Country all-rounder Arden Lankowski makes his debut for last year’s wooden spooners Brothers against the Magpies, whom he has championed for the past three seasons.
Rugby
Defending champions West Barbarians have named a power-packed side, including most of their grand final heroes headed by Bruce Ikamanu, for their Rugby Bundaberg Bundy Hot Gas Spring Cup first round stoush with beaten grand finalists Fraser Coast Mariners at the Waves Sports Complex tomorrow at 6.30pm.
Club President Adam Hides and Premiership player Andy Filo have taken the joint-coaching reins, and they have been happy with their preparation, and are confident that they are ready to hit the ground running.
But Mariners, who won back-to-back titles before going down 27-25 in a heart-breaker in last year’s grand finale, are determined to reclaim the crown.
Earlier at 4.30pm, last season’s wooden spooners Eastern Suburbs Pythons and Turtles Brothers, who were one of the form sides before being knocked out in the Semi-finals by Barbarians 30-25 last campaign, will raise the curtain on the season.
