Men’s club championships are well under way, with the finals of the fours played last Saturday. This resulted in Ray McCarthy, John Stronach, Peter Miller and Doug Dungavell defeating Ian McDonald, Ron Bowers, Greg McLean and Bert Hobbs to win the fours for 2022.

There are interesting tussles coming up in the draw, so head to the club on the weekend to see great bowls played.

The annual “Tony’s Triples” fun day nominations for men and ladies closes on Sunday 17th April for play on 19th April. Nomination sheets are on both the ladies and men’s competition boards.

Social Results

Monday mixed pairs winners were Ann and Don Peet followed by Phil French and C. Hammbling. The lucky draws were won by Greg McLean and Peter Crawford.

Thursday mixed pairs was won by Barry Lehmann and Jan Little with Mick Walsh and Peter Delaney in second spot. Elaine Buckton won the Kitty toucher of $170 with the perfect bowl, resting on the kitty. Helen Goldston won the raffle.

Friday mixed pairs was taken out by Isla Comelli and Lois Deguara with the consistent Rob Evans and Peter Horsburgh winning the lucky draw from the winning teams. Runners up draw was won by Laura and Marshall Howland.

Saturday men’s pairs winners were Peter Delaney and Vic Gaudion with second place taken out by Tony Allsop and Maurie Pearson.

Contributed by Tony Allsop

Club Vice President, Wayne Trannore concentrates on his bowl

Brenda Trannore shows her style

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North Mackay Athletics (NMA) Club has had a super start to the year for its 2022 season which started in February.

The first event off the block was their annual free come try day for family and friends of all ages to have a go at throwing, jumping and running events.

The North Mackay Athletics Club committee have some innovative ideas for the season and are looking forward to sharing it with the club members - who have already started receiving awards for breaking their personal bests.

North Mackay Athletics focus on fun, family and fitness means the club has continued to support and encourage children and adults from all ages and abilities to give athletics a go.

Additionally, NMA is boasting some incredibly talented athletes this season who have worked hard on their craft to become fierce competitors and represent the Mackay community in many external events outside of the club days.

The club has proudly congratulated some of its members who attended and competed in recent State Championships both for Little Athletics QLD (LAQ) and Athletics North QLD (ANQ).

Toby Rule was one such competitor, ending his LAQ State Champs outing with the gold medal in U15yrs 1500 metre, and Hayley Colless who brought home medals at both state events placing  2nd (ANQ) and 3rd (LAQ) in 80 metre hurdles.

If you are aged between 3yrs - 103+yrs and would like to give Athletics a go, NMA offers two $5 trials per athlete at any of their club days held on Sunday's at Pioneer High School (Russell St entry) at 8:45am.

For more info 'like' North Mackay Athletics on facebook or visit www.northmackayathletics.com.au

This article was contributed by Kayla Porter of North Mackay Athletics Club

Hayley Colless hurdling

Toby Rule at the start of one of his LAQ State Championship races

Club awards have already been handed out to fledgling athletes this season

Hayley and Toby at the LAQ State Championships

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What started out as a part of footy training has turned into an obsession, a state title, and national records for a Mackay school student.

Ryan Chatteris, a year 11 student at Whitsunday Anglican School, has taken out the Queensland State Titles in powerlifting and set four new national records in the process.

Ryan started going to the gym and lifting weights to get bigger for footy.

Powerlifting then came when he realised he was good at lifting heavy things.

He enjoys the body building style of training and has since foregone football.

“I kind of just followed this,” he said.

Ryan met Kahn Stephenson at Zero Weakness Mackay who guided him on his journey and continues to coach him today.

Ryan started entering federation-sanctioned competitions with stricter guidelines, which led him to States and now Nationals on the Gold Coast in June.

Powerlifting consists of three maximal effort lifts: a squat, a bench press, and a deadlift which all combine to a total score.

At the recent Queensland State Titles, Ryan broke records in all three, smashing the total record in the process.

While scores are based on the weight you lift, technique is vital as well.

Ryan says training is key to his success, starting off with building foundational strength and eventually dialling it back to one rep at a time, replicating the specific lifts he is going to attempt in competition.

“Power lifting’s a sport where you pretty much know what you’re going to do on the day,” he said.

“If you’ve hit this number in training you know you’re probably going to hit it on competition day.”

Pump-up tunes are also a part of the process.

“I love listening to music.

“I listen to all kinds of different stuff.”

Ryan says that while his family have no background in powerlifting, they are endlessly supportive.

“I don’t think my mum still knows what I’m doing,” he laughs.

“She supports me, she knows that I like it.”

Ryan’s passion for sport and fitness is something he hopes to turn into a career, looking to work in the field of exercise science.

He wants to compete for as long as possible as well.

“I definitely want to see it as far as I can go,” he said.

“As long as I’m training, I’m probably going to be competing.”

Ryan is a student at Whitsunday Anglican School and hopes to turn his passion for fitness into a career in exercise science. Photo: Sam Gillespie

Ryan will compete at the APL Nationals on the Gold Coast in June. Photo: supplied

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Super Saturday saw a plethora of grand finals take place at the Mackay Multisport Stadium last weekend, where hundreds of kids bounced their way through the day. From bobcats and gators to magpies and sharks, there was no shortage of ferocity when it came to claiming victory, however the winners on the day were certainly fun and friendship, based on the beaming smiles.

RESULTS

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 14 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 39 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 27

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 14 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 31 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 20

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 14 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 36 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 31

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 14 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 30 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘴 24

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 12 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 43 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 23

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 12 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴 29 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘋𝘰𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘴 16

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 12 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 43 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 22

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 12 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘥 30 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 23

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 10 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 38 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 26

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 10 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 1 - 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 14 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘣𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘥 12

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 10 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 9 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 6

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 10 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2 - 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 9 𝘥𝘦𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 5

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A season’s worth of hard work and hot afternoons in the sun culminated in grand finals last weekend for eight passionate cricket teams.

Mackay Cricket’s men’s one-day grand finals were played on Saturday afternoon across four grades.

FIRST GRADE

Norths took out the 1st Grade DBCT POOLE Cup final, narrowly defeating top-of-the-table Walkerston in a nail-biting finish on the main field at Harrup Park.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Norths were off to a shaky start at 3/45 before Lane Kohler and Wesley Dyer steadied the ship, creating a solid fourth wicket partnership and scoring 79 and 53 respectively.

Other contributions came from Chris Day with 22 and Joel Bruun with 19, helping Norths to a total of 204 all out after 44 overs.

The Walkerston bowling attack shared the accolades, with Nicholas Lotarski, Liam Newbery, Chris McEldowney, and Riley Jackson all taking two wickets each.

Walkerston were on their toes and quick in the field, with runouts accounting for the other two wickets.

With a target of 205 runs to win, Walkerston also made a slow start to the run chase, losing their first three wickets for 40 runs.

Another fourth-wicket partnership between Peter Blaik and Luke Jackson got things back on track, with the pair scoring 32 and 74 respectively.

Solid contributions further down the order came from Riley Jackson with 29 and Neil Gustavson with 22, but it wasn’t enough.

Walkerston batted out their 50 overs finishing on 8/200, frustratingly shy of the total set by Norths.

Kerrod Tortora was the pick of the bowlers for Norths finishing with 3/33 from 9 overs.

Mason Kohler and Joel Bruun took two wickets each and Michael Preston finished with one scalp.

“The win – bloody hell, that was pretty good,” said Norths’ captain Darryn Dyer.

“There was a core group of guys that kept showing up and putting in the hard yards.

“It was the first season for me as a captain, so it means a lot to me.”

SECOND GRADE

In another excitingly even match-up, the 2nd Grade DBCT Cup final between Pioneer Valley and Brothers ended in the most unlikely of draws.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Pioneer Valley were off to a flying start thanks to opener and captain Troy Thompson’s 67 runs off 93 balls.

Lachlan Altmann’s 46, Sam Casey’s 29, and Benjamin Schembri’s 24 all helped Pioneer Valley to their total of 6/207 from their allocated 40 overs.

Taylor Everson took two of the six wickets with Sam DiFrancesco, Matthew Tomerini, Adam Vanderlinde, and Nicholas Beardmore all pitching in with a wicket each for Brothers.

Brothers responded with consistent performances throughout their batting line-up, runs coming from Brett Simpson with 49, Taylor Everson with 41, Andrew Herbert with 27, Adam Vanderlinde with 24, and Matthew Tomerini and Luke Podosky each with 23.

Brothers finished their 40 overs also on 207 runs, losing nine wickets in the process.

Contributing with the ball for Pioneer Valley was Bennet Reginato with three wickets, Harry Kirkwood with two, and Benjamin Schembri, Lachlan Altmann, and Ranju Somanathan taking a wicket each.

In the event of a draw, the team that finished the season with the most ladder points are successful, meaning top-of-the-table Pioneer Valley walked away with the cup.

THIRD GRADE

In the 3rd Grade One Day Shield, Pioneer Valley Green came out as victors against Pinnacle in a close match coming down to the last few overs.

Pioneer Valley won the toss and sent Pinnacle in to bat, with 61 runs from Matthew Boyd, 28 from Joel Bennington, and 20 from Brodie Lyon helping Pinnacle to a total of 9/176 off their allocated 35 overs.

Many contributed with the ball for Pioneer Valley with Glen Maclean taking three wickets, Cody and Jade Filewood each taking two, and Dean Zeller and Karl Zarb taking one wicket each.

A rocky start from Pioneer Valley had them at 3/32 before grand final-winning knocks of 65 from Cody Filewood and 46 not out from Karl Zarb got them over the line with four wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.

Great bowling from Justin Teys with three wickets and James Cross, Matt Woodland, and Damien Russell with one wicket each gave Pinnacle a chance at defending their total, but it wasn’t quite enough.

FOURTH GRADE

Across the road at Abbott Park, Souths Sharks defeated Pinnacle Gold in the 4th Grade One Day Shield final.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Souths gradually built a solid total of 139 all out from 34.4 overs.

Contributions came from Kishan Bist with 35 runs not out, Sarajpal Singh with 29, and Gursimran Singh with 28.

Dhani Ram, Gurpreet Singh, Paramjeet Singh, and Tas So all took two wickets each for Pinnacle, with Ashley Fry taking one.

Pinnacle were off to a flying start with their top three Ashley Fry, Gurpreet Singh, and Jaswant Sandhu making 27, 31, and 19 runs respectively.

Souths then proceeded to tear through the rest of Pinnacle’s batting order, bowling them out for 106 in 32.1 overs.

Muhammad Wahab starred with the ball for Souths, finishing with figures of 4/15 off seven overs.

Kamal Giri took 3/19 off seven overs with Iqbal Singh, Ashish Rana, and Gursimran Singh taking one wicket each.

Congratulations to all teams on their successful 2021/22 seasons.

Norths defeated Walkerston in the 1st Grade final

Pioneer Valley and Brothers played out a draw in the 2nd grade final, with Pioneer Valley winning on ladder points. Photos: Kimberley Cahill

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The Mackay Road Runners embarked on their first trail run of the year on Sunday, traversing the stunning surrounds of the Eungella National Park.

Nearly sixty runners took on the trail, choosing between 5km and 18km distances, as well as a 2km kids race for junior Road Runners.

After meeting members of the Lost Bunyips Trail Enthusiasts at the beautiful Eungella Chalet, runners left the lush Chalet lawns and scenic vistas, headed for the hills.

The sky above alternated between threatening grey and clear blue, with misty clouds and intermittent rain bringing damp and tricky conditions to the trails underfoot.

Runners were tested by the unpredictable terrain, with some runners hitting the dirt before getting themselves back up and rallying home to show off their battle scars.

Kaylene Gardner had a spectacular day on the track, finishing first in the female 18km after setting a steady pace throughout her race and finishing strong.

While Alex Couldrey was looking sure to cross the line first in the male 18km, a slight wrong turn saw Joe Grech overtake him around halfway with Joe taking the gold medal position.

Excellent performances from the rest of the 18km field included Thomas Wendt, Paul Mackenzie, Emily Dalglish, Carmel Grech, Matt Graves, Leon Ryan, Ryan Evetts, Mitchell Evetts, Robin Stinson, Graeme Harris, Raymond Borg, Tas Webber, Pam Houston, Emily Wicks, Greg Dawes, Shane Edwards, June Bradley, and Scott Todd.

5km runners were off and racing as well with Derek Woods bolting from the gun with Matt Mapes, Carolyn Mapes, Carole Dawes, Mel Harris, John Allen, Leanne Connor, Ross Connor, Tahnee Malagueno, Sammy Woods, John Couldrey, and Carol Brown all showing their skills and smashing out the run.

Post-run pleasantries were shared at the Chalet alongside food and drink, where Kaylene and Joe received their first-place prizes donated by Porters Mitre 10 Mackay.

The Road Runners will meet again on Sunday for the annual Tilse Toddle, an afternoon 5km/10km run commencing from 24 Johnson Street at 4.30pm.

First female and male in the 18km, Kaylene Gardner and Joe Grech

Lovely ladies ready to test the Eungella trails – L-R Carmel Grech, Carol Brown, Carole Dawes, Jo Hughes, and Vicki Ford

Mountain men, Raymond Borg, Greg Dawes, Matt Bampton, and Shane Edwards.

5km runners burst out of the gates for their trek through to Sky Window. Pictures supplied: Janelle Tilse

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Last Saturday, our four representative teams headed out to Gargett to play Pioneer Valley in the first of the games for the Marian Mill Shield. This is an annual event, played at both Pioneer Valley and Marian. Unfortunately, at this knock out event only Chris Banney’s team won, so Pioneer Valley went on to play Sunday at Marian.

Nomination forms are now up for the $600 “Tony’s Triples” fun competition to be held on 19th April for all members of North Mackay Bowls club. Entries close on Sunday 17th April.

Social Results Week Ending March 27

Monday pairs winners were Carmel Bell and Greg McLean with Sheryl Cuttriss, Helen Fleming and Cherry Leotta in second spot. Lucky draws went to Tony Allsop, Ray McCarthy and Rob Evans.

Thursday pairs was won by Maryann Bartolo and Brian Perrin. Runners up were Tony Allsop and Warren Corbett. Greens vouchers went to Carmel Bell and Greg McLean. Margaret Fogg won the raffle, and the kitty toucher jackpots.

Friday pairs was taken out by Vern and Wayne Mietzel. Winners lucky draw was Eric Galletly and new member, Col Caley.  Loser's lucky draw went to Kees Struik and Marie Bragg. Kitty toucher remains at $500.

Saturday men’s pairs winners went to Vic Gaudion and Maurie Pearson, with the triple of Trevor Laurens, John Chester-Master and Ian McDonald coming second.

Contributed by Tony Allsop

Ladies News

North Mackay Ladies were the host club for the District Master Pairs. 22 teams competed, with each team playing three games each of 15 ends.  Teams were split into five sections with the winner from each section going on to play in the next playoff. Four teams played off on Thursday morning to join those already through to the semi- finals, to be played on Wednesday March 30 and the final on Thursday March 31.

The teams in the play offs are:

J. Schmidtke and C. Bell (NM)

L. Lemke and L. Silman (NM)

B. Nicole and M. Stanley (AB)

V. DePinto and L. Bowers (NM)

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Mackay SLSC Nippers recently held their break up on Sunday March 13, in a culmination of their seven month season.  

The morning celebrated the development of young lifesavers which began with training in July, season start in September, attendance at Alma Bay, Townsville, Forrest Beach, Ingham, Sarina and Yeppoon surf carnivals, as well as the North Australian Titles and an interclub Tri-Series between Eimeo, Sarina and Mackay, both held at Mackay’s Harbour Beach.

Mackay Surf Lifesaving Club Director of Surf Sports Joshua Grant said the club was so proud of the achievements of their nippers this season, with success coming in many forms.  

Seeing how our young lifesavers develop from the start of the season, where some can be a little nervous about hitting the surf, to where they are now at the end of the season, where you can hardly get them out of the water, is very pleasing,” Mr Grant said.

“We have had nippers training hard and taking out big surf sports events, but on the other hand have nippers - particularly our ‘Green Caps’ U6/7’s - that just have a really fun time with their friends at our Sunday morning nippers’ program.”

Mr. Grant also made the point of thanking the Nipper Family, especially parents, for their contribution to the club throughout the season.  

“Whether that be helping with beach set up, repairing boards, running the canteen, helping with activities, cooking the BBQ and getting nippers to training and Sunday mornings, all of this time and effort does not go unnoticed,” he said.

“Before we started presentations of awards, the nippers all gave their mum, dad, grandma or granddad a big hug to say thank you!”

The Nippers will be joining the senior members for a ‘Back to the Beach’ afternoon on 14 May, which will see members take each other on in the club championships followed by formal presentations and social drinks.

Participation Awards for Consistent Nippers over the season:

Green Caps Bella Bradley, Esme Conroy, Harper Cowan, Hugh Johnson, Isabelle Linke,

Lincoln Amos, Tayla McGuiness, Evan Grant, Harry Cown, Lachlan Griffiths

U8’s Karas Faith, Finn Hudspith, Jakob Djukic, Milla Read, Talon Close, Evie McCarthy

U9’s Ash Smith, Harry Madden, Jake Hudspith, Johnathon Grant, Kellan McLean, Kody Amos

U10’s Ash Johnson, Felix Boeck, Jermaine Burley, Logan Ivory, Magenta Newland, Zavier Virgona

U11’s Isabella Grant, Joseph Madden, William McCarthy

U12’s Cooper Jayo, Meliana Craig, Xaver Boeck, Zac Johnson

U13’s Molly Madden, Bodie Mau

Contributed by Director of Surf Sports Josh Grant

Mackay SLSC Nippers showing how proud they are to participate in the “Fun, Friends & Family” atmosphere that comes with being a lifesaver

MSLSC little champions & future of our club – the “Green Caps” U6 & U7 nippers enjoy being at nippers

U13’s Molly Madden (Junior Club Captain) and Bodie Mau receiving their surf award certificates.  Next season they will be able to complete their Surf Rescue Certificate and start patrolling our beaches alongside experienced Lifesavers who will further mentor and train them.

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A season’s worth of hard work and hot afternoons in the sun culminated in grand finals last weekend for eight passionate cricket teams.

Mackay Cricket’s men’s one-day grand finals were played on Saturday afternoon across four grades.

FIRST GRADE

Norths took out the 1st Grade DBCT POOLE Cup final, narrowly defeating top-of-the-table Walkerston in a nail-biting finish on the main field at Harrup Park.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Norths were off to a shaky start at 3/45 before Lane Kohler and Wesley Dyer steadied the ship, creating a solid fourth wicket partnership and scoring 79 and 53 respectively.

Other contributions came from Chris Day with 22 and Joel Bruun with 19, helping Norths to a total of 204 all out after 44 overs.

The Walkerston bowling attack shared the accolades, with Nicholas Lotarski, Liam Newbery, Chris McEldowney, and Riley Jackson all taking two wickets each.

Walkerston were on their toes and quick in the field, with runouts accounting for the other two wickets.

With a target of 205 runs to win, Walkerston also made a slow start to the run chase, losing their first three wickets for 40 runs.

Another fourth-wicket partnership between Peter Blaik and Luke Jackson got things back on track, with the pair scoring 32 and 74 respectively.

Solid contributions further down the order came from Riley Jackson with 29 and Neil Gustavson with 22, but it wasn’t enough.

Walkerston batted out their 50 overs finishing on 8/200, frustratingly shy of the total set by Norths.

Kerrod Tortora was the pick of the bowlers for Norths finishing with 3/33 from 9 overs.

Mason Kohler and Joel Bruun took two wickets each and Michael Preston finished with one scalp.

“The win – bloody hell, that was pretty good,” said Norths’ captain Darryn Dyer.

“There was a core group of guys that kept showing up and putting in the hard yards.

“It was the first season for me as a captain, so it means a lot to me.”

SECOND GRADE

In another excitingly even match-up, the 2nd Grade DBCT Cup final between Pioneer Valley and Brothers ended in the most unlikely of draws.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Pioneer Valley were off to a flying start thanks to opener and captain Troy Thompson’s 67 runs off 93 balls.

Lachlan Altmann’s 46, Sam Casey’s 29, and Benjamin Schembri’s 24 all helped Pioneer Valley to their total of 6/207 from their allocated 40 overs.

Taylor Everson took two of the six wickets with Sam DiFrancesco, Matthew Tomerini, Adam Vanderlinde, and Nicholas Beardmore all pitching in with a wicket each for Brothers.

Brothers responded with consistent performances throughout their batting line-up, runs coming from Brett Simpson with 49, Taylor Everson with 41, Andrew Herbert with 27, Adam Vanderlinde with 24, and Matthew Tomerini and Luke Podosky each with 23.

Brothers finished their 40 overs also on 207 runs, losing nine wickets in the process.

Contributing with the ball for Pioneer Valley was Bennet Reginato with three wickets, Harry Kirkwood with two, and Benjamin Schembri, Lachlan Altmann, and Ranju Somanathan taking a wicket each.

In the event of a draw, the team that finished the season with the most ladder points are successful, meaning top-of-the-table Pioneer Valley walked away with the cup.

THIRD GRADE

In the 3rd Grade One Day Shield, Pioneer Valley Green came out as victors against Pinnacle in a close match coming down to the last few overs.

Pioneer Valley won the toss and sent Pinnacle in to bat, with 61 runs from Matthew Boyd, 28 from Joel Bennington, and 20 from Brodie Lyon helping Pinnacle to a total of 9/176 off their allocated 35 overs.

Many contributed with the ball for Pioneer Valley with Glen Maclean taking three wickets, Cody and Jade Filewood each taking two, and Dean Zeller and Karl Zarb taking one wicket each.

A rocky start from Pioneer Valley had them at 3/32 before grand final-winning knocks of 65 from Cody Filewood and 46 not out from Karl Zarb got them over the line with four wickets in hand and nine balls to spare.

Great bowling from Justin Teys with three wickets and James Cross, Matt Woodland, and Damien Russell with one wicket each gave Pinnacle a chance at defending their total, but it wasn’t quite enough.

FOURTH GRADE

Across the road at Abbott Park, Souths Sharks defeated Pinnacle Gold in the 4th Grade One Day Shield final.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Souths gradually built a solid total of 139 all out from 34.4 overs.

Contributions came from Kishan Bist with 35 runs not out, Sarajpal Singh with 29, and Gursimran Singh with 28.

Dhani Ram, Gurpreet Singh, Paramjeet Singh, and Tas So all took two wickets each for Pinnacle, with Ashley Fry taking one.

Pinnacle were off to a flying start with their top three Ashley Fry, Gurpreet Singh, and Jaswant Sandhu making 27, 31, and 19 runs respectively.

Souths then proceeded to tear through the rest of Pinnacle’s batting order, bowling them out for 106 in 32.1 overs.

Muhammad Wahab starred with the ball for Souths, finishing with figures of 4/15 off seven overs.

Kamal Giri took 3/19 off seven overs with Iqbal Singh, Ashish Rana, and Gursimran Singh taking one wicket each.

Congratulations to all teams on their successful 2021/22 seasons.

Norths defeated Walkerston in the 1st Grade final

Pioneer Valley and Brothers played out a draw in the 2nd grade final, with Pioneer Valley winning on ladder points. Photos: Kimberley Cahill

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Club night this week was a little quieter than normal with five Cannons representing North Queensland at the Queensland School Swimming Championships in Brisbane.  

Congratulations to Remy Hedges, Holly Perrin, Jy Parkinson, Jacob Bell, and Nelson Malady for being selected for the NQ team.

The Cannons would also like to commend Andrew Bell for being selected as an official for the championships.  

The Cannons presented Chocolate Awards to Don Algie and Koa Harland for their top PBs, and  congratulations to all the swimmers who were presented with Upgrade Certificates: Daniel Saunders, Celeste Orenshaw, Tiana Bell, Anisa and Ehsan Helou, Taj Murray, Jax Clayworth, and Lochlan Jamieson.  

Club Night Awards also extended its congratulations to Jax Clayworth on his latest Club Record.

Swimming highlights for the week were from star performers on Wednesday night Eloise Chegwidden, Ehsan Helou and Millah Walker.  

All three swam extremely well, swimming PBs in most of the events.

Millah Walker, 4, swam a massive 9.32 second PB in her 12 metre Butterfly, while Charlotte Trevaskis swam a super 50 metre Freestyle in a time of 48.69 seconds, a 2.75 second PB.  

Piper Walker swam an upgrade time for her 12 metre Butterfly in 15.99 seconds, and Matilda Dennison swam an excellent 50 metre Butterfly in 39.21 seconds.

Harris Delac and Maeve Dichiera swam really well in their backstroke events and achieved upgrade times.  

Declan Dichiera swam a super 50 metre Butterfly in a time of 57.41 seconds, a 3.62 second PB.  

Congratulations to all the other swimmers who swam personal best times on Wednesday, and well done to all the swimmers who participated on Wednesday night and big thank you to all the parents for their support - especially to the Algie family for the delicious curry!  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen

Lochlan J Upgrade

Koa Harland Chocolate Award

Nelson Malady representing NQ

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On Saturday, in great conditions, 76 motivated people ran, jogged and walked the 5km waterfront course.

Twelve of those were first timers and eight recorded new Personal Bests: Nyrie, Jaxson, Genevieve, Kirsty, Amanda, Geoff, Darelle, and Lynne.

The event was made possible by 16 dedicated volunteers: Kara Olver, Andrea Farley (Photographer), Chris Hands, Daniel Braddock, Leigh Donkers, Megan Drennan, Greg Olver, Suzi Bellert (Run Director), Christopher Harvey, Craig Boxer, Wendy McCall, Susanne Willmott, Ronald McCall, Aiden (Photographer), Laura Oates and Lynne Oates.

The full results and a complete event history can be found at https://www.parkrun.com.au/airliebeach/results/latestresults/

The volunteer roster is already full for April 2, but no volunteer will be turned away, so send a message to airliebeach@parkrun.com if you’d like to join the team of volunteers.

Every Saturday Airlie Beach parkrun meets at 6:50am for a briefing at area D, Coral Sea Marina (adjacent to the top carpark). Parking is free in the lower carpark till 9:30am if a parkrun barcode is placed on the dashboard.

The best-kept secret about parkrun is that it’s not about running - it’s about bringing people together in public parks and open spaces across the world to have some fun in a friendly, social and supportive environment.

You can walk or run the 5k course (pushing a pram or with one dog on a short lead if you want to!), lend a helping hand as a volunteer in a wide range of super-easy roles, or simply spectate and socialise on the sidelines.

There are no winners at parkrun and nobody comes last – the Tail walkers do. Regular participation is rewarded rather than performance, with ‘parkrun milestone shirts’ available to people to recognise their achievements in coming along.

The full results and a complete event history can be found at https://www.parkrun.com.au/airliebeach/results/latestresults/

Further photos and details about registering can be found on the Airlie Beach parkrun Facebook page.

Contributed with thanks to Airlie Beach Parkrun

Photographer Andrea and Marshal Craig

Tailwalkers Chris and Lynne

The team of volunteers

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The Cowboys absolutely walloped the Raiders in their mid-March fixture in Townsville, but the game dominated by Valentine Holmes had a very special meaning for a few young Bowen rugby league fans.

Sixteen Bowen Seagulls Under 8 Junior players headed to Townsville to play on the professional level pitch in front of a massive crowd before the Cowboys did the very same.

They were facing up against the James Cook University Saints thanks to the Cowboys, who had given the club the opportunity to play pregame.

Kelly Telford, who attended on the night, said that the experience was one they would never forget.

The Seagulls, dressed in their red home kits, first met a special member of the team in the tunnel - the North Queensland side’s mascot, Bluey the Cattle Dog.

They streamed out on the field through a tiny Toyota banner and under the guidance of club volunteers, who were probably just as excited as the young ones to be in the centre of the pitch.

“The kids were nervous and excited and after they played, they thought they were very special,” Kelly Telford said.

“Some had never been to a cowboy’s game before.”

As they headed on their “lap of honour” the young Seagulls were met by Kyle Feldt, who was nice enough to stop mid warm-up and have a chat to some of the kids as they were leaving the grounds.

After the game a few of them were also able to get photos with Tom Reardon, Griffin Neme, and Tom Gilbert.

Following their pregame game, the Under 8s were treated to a tight first half and then a second half blowout in the Cowboys favour, which fans said was “the best [they’ve] seen for the last four years”.

It might just be coincidence, but the Seagulls may just be the Cowboys’ lucky charm, and there may very well be a future Cowboy in that Seagull line-up.

The Under 8s Bowen Seagulls who attended the Cowboys-Raiders game

The Seagulls were eager to head out on the field

The young ones faced up against James Cook University on the professional pitch

Seagulls meeting with Cowboys player Kyle Feldt

A brave Seagull crashing through the JCU offensive line in front of the Townsville crowd

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Living an island life has meant twin brothers Russell and Connor Harris have always been in or around boats, and the young pair’s hard yards on the waves are paying dividends as they head to the 2022 Queensland Open Skiff Championships this weekend.

They’ve been skiff sailing for just two years, but with their father a skipper and being a part of a sailing adventure as a family from Greece to Australia over a couple of years, the boys seemed destined to take up their own mast and hit the seas.

Proving to be the region’s emerging athletes, they have had recent success in the Under 13 division at the Open Skiff National Championships in January at Mannering Park Sailing Club, NSW - Russell placing 2nd and Connor 3rd.

The prodigal sons, who recently started high school at Whitsunday Christian College, split their training time between the Hamilton Island and Port Denison Sailing clubs.

This weekend, they will be competing at the 2022 Queensland Open Skiff Championships at Southport Yacht Club, and in mid-April in the Sail Airlie.

But it’s not just the weekend that these highly motivated twins have in their sights – their ultimate goal is competing at the ISAF Open Skiff World Championships in Carcans, France in July.

Their mum, Jeanette Harris, said that the French event represents an important regatta in their sporting development.

“They are excited and a little bit nervous - typical eleven-year-old boys so it’s a little bit hard to judge,” Jeanette laughed.

“I don’t know if it’s the twin factor that is the reason that they don’t over celebrate their wins, because you never know you if your twin brother will beat you next time!”

Alongside the Australian Sports Foundation, the family have launched funding campaigns to raise $5,600 each before the 1 May to cover regatta entry fees, boat charters and overseas travel and accommodation – they’ve raised $2,160 each so far.

You can donate to them each at the individual pages, with donations tax deductible: https://bit.ly/3DaqNC6 and https://bit.ly/3qwVCeT

Russell and Connor Harris on their Skiffs

(L-R) Russell and Connor at the Open Skiff National competition last year

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Tuesday Ladies Club singles, pairs and triples continue results to be published when concluded.

Mervyn Stewart’s Wednesday afternoon bowls is becoming very popular and the big winners this week were ably led by skipper Tony Whitehorn, with Mark Mawson at lead and Lu Rogan at second.

Wednesday night’s Business House Bowls penultimate round winners were Whitsunday Gold Coffees A team, Hadlow Racing, and Whitsunday Gold Coffees B team getting home on the last bowl of the night.

The big winners of the night coming from major club sponsors PRD with John Morris, Darryl Brewer and Matt Francis playing exceptionally well and donating their prize money back to the club – a wonderful gesture.

Saturday morning Scroungers first round winners were Margo Stanley, Neil Moore and John Askew with John Askew the major winner of the day.

Finally, Sunday afternoon Social Bowls big winners of the day were skippered again by in form Tony Whitehorn with lead Bill Gordon and Karen Jensen second over skipper Alan Pershouse, lead Lu Rogan and second Jill Spencer.

Contributed with thanks to Mark Mawson

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On Wednesday Social Bowls Alen Sanderson, Jim Bownds, Sandy Daffara and Bruce Uhe defeated John Anderson, Pat Bownds, Arthur Griffith and Philip Brown 27-15.

Men's competition is progressing well, with Club Championship Singles Scott Hamilton defeating Warren Wilson 25 – 17 and Garry Alexander defeating Philip Brown 25 - 9.  

In B Grade Singles Nathaniel Watts defeated Gavin Noonan 25 – 14 and Vince Olsen defeated Kendal Watts 25 – 6, and Bruce Uhe defeated Harry Craig 25 - 10.

On Sunday Social, Peter Lawton brought his grandson along to enjoy a game.  

Stanley played lead for both teams.  Stanley Lawton, Alen Sanderson, Peter Lawton, Arthur Griffith and Philip Brown defeated Stanley, John Anderson, John Lahney, Sandy Daffara and Bruce Uhe 24 - 10.

Best Wishes to the Mackay District Men's Side who will be playing in the Challenge Cup at Atherton this weekend.  

B Singles Saturday April 2, 9.30am start

Vince Olsen v Bruce Uhe, markers to be advised

Club Championship Singles

Gavin Milne v Michael Kinnear. marker to be advised

2 Bowl Triples Saturday April 2, 1.30pm start

Todd Leys, Jonathan Bye and Gavin Milne v Harry Craig, Warren Wilson and Barry Saroglia

Club Championship Pairs

Nathan Dodds and Scott Hamilton v Michael Kinnear and Grahame Kinnear

Contributed with thanks to Heather Brown

L-R Sunday's Social players Bruce Uhe, John Lahney, Sandy Daffara, Peter Lawton and grandson Stanley, John Anderson, Alen Sanderson, Philip Brown and Arthur Griffith.

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