Busy, busy….

Last weekend the club fielded mixed crews in the 41km beach changeover events around Magnetic Island.

Training continues - Shingley Beach to “Stingray Beach” (named by the club because there are lots of stingrays) at Bluff Point was the course for the clubs’ Saturday morning paddle, a mere 16.5 kms.

Both OC6’s took advantage of the gentle SW 5 to 10 knots and focused on technique, adding a race finish in the bay around from Bluff Point-there’s always a race sometime!

Contributed with thanks to Michelle Lynes.

Outrigger Whitsunday paddle session. Photo supplied

The Cannonvale Cannons hosted a very successful swimming carnival on Saturday with 140 North Queensland swimmers participating in awesome weather.  

Coaches, Ken Crittenden, and Mark Erickson were very impressed with their 38 Cannons who swam a total of 269 swims and accrued 138 PBs, 9 Club Records, 1NQ Record, some State Qualifying times and quite a few ribbons.  

Highlights include:  

Congratulations to the following swimmers who set new club records:  Holly Perrin (200m Back), Lucas Korosec (25 Fly), Jax Clayworth (100m Free, 50m Fly and 100m Fly), Ehsan Helou (50m Breast), and Jy Parkinson (100m Free, 50m Fly and 100m Fly).

Special mention to:  Ehsan Helou, Abi Maher, Millie Groom, Jacob Bell, Evie Doherty, Harris Delac, Dylan Reynolds, Alex Trefz, Zach Trefz, and Tora Delac for swimming extremely well in all their races, achieving personal best times in most of their events.  

The coaches were very surprised with team’s medley results, some of the biggest PBs were achieved in the medleys.  

In the 200m IM:  Harris Delac and Celeste Orenshaw both swam a massive 30sec PB.

Other swimmers who swam PBs in 200m IM:  Don Algie, Jacob Bell, Tora Delac, Charlie Doherty, Thomas Ganter, Millie Groom, Anisa Helou, Ehsan Helou, Matilda Nicholes and Andie Reynolds and Indi Smith.  

Liam Filewood swam a 10.83sec PB in his 100m IM.  

Congratulations to:  Jax Clayworth, Jy Parkinson, Levi Smith, Lucas Korosec, Don Algie, Holly Perrin, Isabella Pisaniello, Andie Reynolds, Isaac Pisaniello, Koa Harland, Celeste Orenshaw, Ruby Harland, Anisa Helou and Charlie Doherty swam top placings in all their events.

Connor Lee, Stevie Lee, and Lily Maher swam extremely well, achieving 3 or 4 PBs.  

They all swam super Breaststroke.  

Jasper Korosec, Roxy Groom, and Indi Harland swam hard and really enjoyed the carnival.  

Congratulations to all the Cannons!  A big thank you to all the wonderful parents and volunteers who contributed to the carnival’s success.  

Contributed with thanks to the Cannonvale Cannons.

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Cannonvale Cannons team photo Winter meet. Photo supplied

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Light winds of 10-12 knots and a cloudless sunny day made for a perfect race for the Abell Point Yacht Club’s inaugural Round the Molles yacht race which saw 11 yachts with a crew list of 63 people all competing for a place.

With Mal Robertson (Eureka II) winning the best start followed closely by Rob Davis (Treasure VIII), the fleet slowly made their way up along the coast before rounding Pioneer Point and Almora Island.

Iyas Shaheen (Smooth Criminal) and Eureka II followed by Greg Hammon (Rossgo) and Jim Finch (Giggles) sailed over to the eastern side of the channel, while Charles Wallis (Reignition), David (Chippy) Chittleborough (Gnome), Rob Davis (Treasure VIII) and Terry Stevens (Matchless) went down the western mainland side expecting to pick up a back eddy, tacking countless times trying to get down to the Beak near Shute Harbour, only to get disadvantaged by the tide.

Racing fast up from the rear were Manteca, Mon Jouet and Location all trying to catch the front runners.

Smooth Criminal and Eureka II came out well in front by going down the eastern side where Rossgo also did well and crossed in front of Matchless at Sandy Bay.

Once around Denman Island the fleet set their spinnakers for a nice run up the outside of the islands to Hanna Point.  

Treasure VIII getting away from Matchless who had overtaken Rossgo by this point.

The fleet then enjoyed a nice close reach with assistance from the tide back into Pioneer Bay and with a bit of a procession to the finish line.

Then back at the Whitsunday Sailing Club it was time for the results while each crew enjoyed the fun, laughter, and much banter from each table.

With line honours going to Gnome followed closely by only 3 seconds was Smooth Criminal.  

After adjusting handicap times, 1st place went to Greg Hammon (Rossgo), 2nd Iyas Shaheen (Smooth Criminal) and 3rd place Terry Stevens (Matchless).  Michael Butler (Mon Jouet) won the Dead Man Fingers Rum.

All in all, it was a very successful day of sailing.

Contributed with thanks to Lorraine Island.

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Winning boat Rossgo. Photo supplied

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Boom rugby league hookers Paityne Johns and Xavier Kerrisk are the toast of Mackay after earning Queensland representative jumpers.

The St Patrick’s College students created some type of record when they were both selected in the Maroons’ Schoolgirls and Schoolboys squads for the upcoming Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League Championships to be staged at Redcliffe from June 30 to July 7.

Mackay can now boast two of the best young hookers in the State with the crafty Kerrisk – an Emerging Queensland Under 18s inductee - under contract to the North Queensland Cowboys and pocket dynamo Paityne keen to join the Cowboys’ NRLW ranks.

The promising pair along with gun five eighth Jaxon Purdue are now unavailable for St Patrick’s during the Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League Confraternity Carnival that kicks-off on June 26 at St Laurence’s College in Brisbane.

But the talented number nines – who are products of the Mackay Cutters’ Development system - are two players to watch at the National titles.

Team captain Paityne was a stand out for the Capricornia region at the State Schoolgirls Championships on the Gold Coast – earning Player of the Match awards in victories over the Darling Downs.

She was joined by St Patrick’s colleagues in lock Gracie Watt, half back Keely Pitt, second rower Shaylee Hazledine and forwards Ciara Thomson and Chelsea McLeod.

The 17-year-old rake has four major goals in 2023 – to help Queensland win a national womens schoolgirls title; earn selection in the Australian Schoolgirls squad; help the Mackay Magpies clinch an A Grade Junior League premiership and to secure an NRLW contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.

She began her career with the Magpies mixed teams as a 10-year-old before entering the girls ranks and was soon a regular in the Capricornia rep sides and Cowboys Academy.

Paityne has proved a revelation during the past 12 months – impressing keen judges with her guile, vision and speed around the rucks and ability to lift teammates with her tremendous work ethic.

Her leadership qualities shone like a beacon at last year’s inaugural Confraternity Games Girls Carnival in Mackay when she steered St Patrick’s to the Shield decider against champions Marymount College at BB Print Stadium.

The talented Johns was named St Patrick’s Most Valuable Player by tournament officials and has also featured prominently in the Cutters Under 19s Harvey Norman Women’s squad.

Paityne was blooded in the Cutters’ BMD Womens Premiership squad as a Development Player this season and is sure to attract interest from talent scouts at the National Schoolgirl titles later this month.

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Rising hooker Paityne Johns will represent the Queensland Schoolgirls at this year’s National titles at Redcliffe

Last weekend, Jubilee Park was party central for a heart-warming youth event that brought together teenagers from all around the region. The free event, open to all 11-17-year-olds, featured an array of exciting activities and entertainment that kept everyone on their toes. The park buzzed with energy as live music performances from talented musicians such as Tiffany Grace, Alessandro, and Will Blume captivated the crowd. Youth-run market stalls offered a variety of unique and creative products, while food vans satisfied everyone's taste buds. The atmosphere was filled with joy as attendees engaged in giant games and other thrilling attractions. Parents were also welcome to join in on the fun, ensuring a memorable experience for the entire community.

What made this event even more special was its origin. It stemmed from the YOL1000 project, Youth Out Loud 1000 Voices, which collected 1000 conversations from young people across the Mackay Region. The project identified a lack of events and activities as a top concern among the youth. In response, the Youth and Arts Development Team organised a series of Youth Focused, Youth Led Event Workshops called "FIRECRACKER!" These workshops empowered young individuals to take charge and create their own event. The result? Picnic in the Park—a vibrant gathering where the voices of Mackay's youth resonated through music, market stalls, and joyful interactions. The event was supported by Mackay Regional Council and Co-hosted by TEEN SHED Mackay.

Photos supplied: Mackay Regional Council

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Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday night fixtures June 6, 2023:

Division 1:

BMW (Ivan Perkins, Emma Widdup, Ian McKay) d Mercedes (Geoff Denman, Mark Sleeman, Graham Drury) 6-5. Graham d Ian -6, 8, -9, 8, 9.

Jaguar (Barry Patterson, Tony Bowman, Tim Sheehan) d Audi (Duncan Treloar, Neil Brown, Janice Kent) 8-3. Duncan d Barry 11, -5, 9, -8, 13.

Division 2:

Isuzu (Steve Mathieson, Andrea Nicholson, Donna Abbott) d Nissan (Graeme Walker, Will VanDeKaa, Matthew West) 7-4. Andrea d Matthew -9, 7, -7, 7, 7.

Mazda (Rymer Tabulo, Peter Goodson, Lily Boland) d Honda (George Camilleri, Daniel Warfield, Ishan Rana) 8-3. Rymer d Daniel 9, -5, 6, -7, 6.

Division 3:

Holden (Tiffany Camilleri, Trent Day, John McGee) d Kia (Craig VanDeKaa, Alok Rana, Virginia Clayton) 11-0. Tiffany d Alok 7, 6, -12, 8.

Hyundai (Ollie Hamelink, Noreen Fredericksen) d Ford (Steve Crocker, Val Austin) 5-4. Val d Ollie 6, -9, -7, 3, 10.

Mackay Table Tennis Tuesday morning fixtures June 6, 2023:

Division 1:

Blue (George Camilleri, John McGee, Don Boettcher) d Yellow (Donna Abbott, Peter Goodson, Bryan Marshall) 7-5. George/John d Donna/Peter 6, 9, -10, -3, 7.

Green (Charlie Payne, Pam Joyce, Noreen Fredericksen) drew Red (Branko Vucurovic, Steve Mathieson, Kevin Abbott) 6-all. Steve d Pam -6, 6, 9, -8, 4.

Division 2:

Orange (Helen Ware, Louise Gould, Gloria Vella) drew Purple (Iris Grasso, Ken Best, Judi Hicks) 6-all. Ken d Helen  -6, 6, 4, -10, 8.

Pink (Robyn Bushell, John Hamelink, Fred Saliba) d White (Kim Challender, Charles Hamlett, Kim Daffy) 8-4.  Fred d Kim 7, -9, 8, 9.

Division 3:

Lime (Frank Caruana, Glenda Brookes, Myles Dutton) d Tan (Cheryl Aprato, Madge Saunders, Trish Zamparuti) 8-4. Glenda d Cheryl -9, 9, -9, 9, 5.

Grey (Sharon Muller, Ian Dodds, Allison Day) drew Aqua (Pam Keune, Robyn Giles, Glenda Dutton) 6-all. Glenda d Allison 6, -6, 6, -10, 3.

Contributed by Charlie Payne

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Olympic bronze medal-winning Boomers guard Nathan Sobey and Illawarra Hawks forward Deng Deng proved the architects of Ipswich Force’s 119-114 overtime win over Mackay Meteors in NBL1 North action last Saturday night at Mackey Basketball Stadium.

The gallant Meteors pushed the third placed Force all the way in a gripping contest before Sobey combined with Deng and Kyrin Galloway to give Ipswich the edge after Mackay struck first in extra time and led by five after a triple from guard Isaiah Lee.

All eyes were on the fascinating duel between Sobey and Mackay magician Isaac White – who will team up at the Brisbane Bullets in NBL 2024.

Ipswich led 67-48 at the main break before the sixth placed Meteors stormed home with top games from White (33 points -15 assists, five rebounds and two steals); Lee (19 points, six rebounds and five assists); Christian Maran (15 points, six boards and four assists) and Tyler Williams (11 points, six rebounds and three steals).

Sobey finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks for Ipswich with support from Deng (29 points, five rebounds and three assists); Kyrin Galloway (21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks); Jaylin Galloway (10 points and five boards) and Cameron Goldfinch (16 points and four assists).

IPSWICH forward Maria Blazejewski engineered an 89-67 victory over the Mackay Meteorettes in the early game.

Blazejewski led the way with 30 points and five rebounds in a stand out performance.

Other Force players to impress were Alison Gorrell (25 points, five steals, three assists and two rebounds), Grace George (12 points, 13 boards, three blocks, two steals and two assists) and Georgia Ralph (eight points, five rebounds and four assists).

Mackay ace Davida Dale posted 21 points, nine steals, eight assists and seven rebounds with Brittany Reeves (12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks) and Ellie Collins eight points and four boards.

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Charli Bliss readies herself in defence. Photo credit: Keiron Place Photography

Wynnum-Manly Seagulls showed they are a force to be reckoned with in the Hostplus Cup this season after trouncing the Mackay Cutters 62-0 at BB Print Stadium last weekend.

Seven days after celebrating their first win of the season on the Sunshine Coast, the Cutters came crashing back to earth with a mighty thud – conceding eleven tries against an enterprising and experienced Seagulls lineup.

Wynnum ran amok with former Broncos centre Delouise Hoeter nabbing a hat trick of tries and interchange forward Kalolo Saitaua and hooker Oliver Pascoe collecting doubles with five eighth Josh Rogers scoring a personal tally of 22 points from a try and nine goals.

It was the Seagulls eighth win of the season and has the club entrenched in the top five on 18 points after 12 matches.

The Cutters host the eighth placed Tweed Head Seagulls this Saturday at BB Print Stadium at 6pm.

Wynnum Manly slammed the Cutters 56-6 in the Under 21 Colts fixture with wingers Blake Anders (4) and Elijah Mikaio (2) grabbing six of the Seagulls eleven tries.

Seagulls playmaker Jordan Davies posted 14 points from a try and five goals.

Promising centre Corey Shepherd was Mackay’s lone try scorer with pivot Henri Stocks potting a conversion.

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Mackay Road Runners Blacks Beach Bush Bash 5km, 9km was done and dusted in very cool, but perfectly sunny running conditions.  

Thanks heaps to Andrew Short who was very unwell, but still arrived early to set up the technical course for nearly seventy runners, give or take twenty or so.  

Mackay Road Runners’ athletes backed up well from BMA Mackay Marina Run to race the 5k & 9k Blacks Beach Bush Bash with front runners Luke Leven and Mick Vivian taking charge from the outset in the 9km.  

Luke and Mick were very successful in the BMA Mackay Marina Run events where Luke collected the coveted Frank Marchetti ‘first to the roundabout’ trophy in the 21km and finished his first ever 21km in 1hr 28 minutes…..sensational effort!  

First male and female in the 5km Craig McGahey and Jo Skinner were ecstatic with their efforts after a 20km training run the previous day in preparation for their next marathon event.  

Millie Bishop comfortably completed the 5km in a very commendable time backing up well after she and first female in the 9km, Lily Leven had very successful results in the BMA Mackay Marina Run and secondary school cross country titles throughout the week.  

Meanwhile the Blacks Beach Bush Bash competitors challenged themselves in their respective events, stopping the clock in very respectable times.

Excellent speed and stamina were shown by Mel Rich, Shane Donnellan, Grant Holmstrom, Michael Feenaghty, Alan Zamparutti, Heli Talinurm, Tahnie Malagueno, Carolyn Mapes, Shane Barben, Darrin Pullen, Joe Grech, Mick Scholer, Andrew Wallace, Natalie Lorraway, Leanne Connor, Al Lorraway, Geeta Ariana, Steve Oberg, Robin Stinson, John Couldrey, Emma Johnson and Jenny White.

This Sunday’s 30km Club Championship starts from the Northview Park playground, Schaper’s Road from 6am with the 5km and 15km options commencing 6.15am.  

Contributed by Janelle Tilse

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Front runners in the Blacks Beach Bush Bash 9km, Luke Leven and Mick Vivian go stride for stride throughout the entire event

Mel Rich, Carmel Mahon, Andrew Wallace and Steve Oberg loving the perfect running conditions in the 9km Blacks Beach Bush Bash

Mackay Road Runners Vice-President, Brendan Bishop with wife Julie, son Hughie and daughter Millie enjoy the cool sunny conditions at the Blacks Beach Bush Bash. Photo credit: Janelle Tilse

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Mackay Area Fishing Stocking Association hosted another great family friendly fishing tournament at Eungella Dam over the May Day long weekend, putting the region on the national fishing stage once again.

The 18th World Sooty Championship has been a popular fishing tournament for many anglers who are keen to target the vast quantity of stocked Sooty Grunter. This tournament is as unique as it is fun.

If you haven’t heard about the 2023 INDT World Sooty Championship, it is the only fishing tournament for Sooty Grunter, hence the tournament’s name. It is also the main fundraiser for MAFSA to operate and maintain the Rob Symons Hatchery in Rural View as well as promote the Stocked Impoundment Permit fishery at Eungella Dam.

MAFSA Chairman Tim Swann explains, “this year for the World Sooty Championship, on top of record numbers of anglers and boats, we have been able to work with Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Isaac Tourism, Mackay Airport and Reef Marine in attracting and hosting Mark Berg to fish our tournament.

“This highlights the attraction of Mackay’s stocked impoundment fisheries to national angling celebrities as well as other travelling anglers looking for world class fishery and is proof that MAFSA continues to work towards a better fishing future for the Mackay region.”

The event saw nearly 70 boats registered to compete with 107 anglers looking to score as many points for the bag of six Sooties over the three sessions from Saturday morning to Sunday lunch time.

“This three session format has proven to be popular over the years with allowing the public and the spectators, mainly kids, an opportunity to see these big brutes up close in the holding tank at the end of each session,” explains Mr Swann.

“These fish are then released by an army of helpers to be returned to the water to be hopefully caught again next year.”

This break in the sessions on Saturday also allows everyone to gather for a release of juvenile Sooty fingerlings from Bass, Barra and Barcoo who have been a regular supplier to MAFSA of quality Sooties to restock Eungella Dam with funds from the SIP scheme.

Even if you find the fish in big numbers, you still need the biggest overall length and the best bag of six fish with each millimetre worth one point to win. Around 180 Sooties being caught was attributed to an action-packed weekend.

The first session saw our regular bridesmaid in Mick Slade hold the lead on Saturday lunch with 2163mm to Peter Behrens with 2119mm with a few ex-WSC champions, Daniel Grech, Keegan Hayden and Ricky Wetherall, just a couple of fish behind.

Junior angler Darcy McFarlane was out to good lead on Saturday morning with 1168mm with only one fish to previous junior world champ in Balin Tweddle and last year’s biggest Sooty Winner Cohen Olsen.

Session two saw some regular WSC anglers change their plan and some persevere and with some good numbers returned we saw the lead change at the close of the day with Daniel Grech on 2379mm in the lead over Mick Slade by a mere 6mm sitting on 2373mm. Keegan finished strong in 3rd on 2244mm and a few others nipping at the heels of the leader.

Juniors did manage a few more fish this session but no one managed the numbers to give Darcy a concern with Michael Paton in 2nd on 830mm and Finn Gee in 3rd on 716 and all juniors looking to the Sunday session for a few more fish.

Session three saw an uninterrupted day with a slightly earlier start to last year and we like to keep the scoreboard covered until the presentation so no one could keep track of anyone else which means you just have to find the Sooties and upgrade your bag if possible.

Everyone in the top 20 found fish on Sunday which was promising and some found more Sooties or bigger Sooties which made for an exciting last session.

Mick Slade was lucky enough to hold onto the lead with 2517mm over Trent Power with 2508mm to crown Mick the 18th World Champion. Congratulations Mick!

Nick Moore was a very close 3rd place with 2497mm which is only 20mm behind Mick, just one more upgrade in his bag of 7 Sooties could have been the game changer for Nick but not this year unfortunately. Daniel Grech finished 4th on 2460mm which proves he can still find fish with a bag of 8 and his boating partner Daniel Curry finished in 8th with a bag of 8 as well, these two anglers did well to find that many.  

Keegan finished in 5th with a bag of 10 Sooties and a late upgrade on Sunday with last year’s World Champion Ricky in 6th with a bag of 6 just in time on Sunday. Peter Behrens found the most Sooties with a bag of 12 and a few small upgrades. Damien Casey found some good Sooties on Sunday for a late dash but only managed a bag of five and Ivan Baulch rounded out the top 10 with a bag of five, this made for an exciting finish.

We also saw a senior angler take out the largest overall Sooty over the juniors in recent years with a solid 496mm Sooty from Robbie Brook who fished surface lures for the majority of the last session on Sunday and he was fishing his 16th World Sooty Championship.

Juniors managed to find a few Sooties on Sunday too and the McFarlane boys gave each other a run for their money with Isaac landing the largest junior Sooty at 492mm over Darcy’s 491mm fish. Isaac managed to claw back into 3rd place with 1200mm with a bag of three behind Finn Gee with a bag of five Sooties for 1794mm. Darcy McFarlane rounded out the tournament with a bag of six Sooties and a total of 2377mm and was now crowned the junior champion! Congratulations Darcy!

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Pic: Mick and Darcy

Mick Slade and Darcy McFarlane

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When Bridget Franettovich was conceptualising how to honour her close friend Finley Smith, who tragically passed away from an epileptic seizure last year, she knew it had to consist of “cold drinks, cricket and great company.”

The Finley Smith Memorial Cup was the result, bringing six teams against each other for a day of social cricket while raising funds for Epilepsy Action Australia.

Finley was known as an ‘ambassador’ and ‘future leader’ within the Mackay Community.

“He meant a lot to a lot of people,” said Ms Franettovich.

“Everyone was super keen to get onboard; it’s a testament to the lives he impacted.”

‘The Marlins’ were the inaugural Finley Smith Memorial Cup winners on Saturday, with ‘Got the Runs’ finishing in second place.

Ms Franettovich hopes to raise $50,000 for Epilepsy Action Australia, Australia’s leading provider of epilepsy support and information.

“Fin will always be very missed by so many people but this way he’ll never be forgotten,” she said.

“It’s a good cause so other people don’t have to go through what his family and friends went through.”

To donate and find out more, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/finley-smith-memorial-cup.

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A day of “cold drinks, cricket and great company” was enjoyed by all in memory of Finley Smith last Saturday. Photo credit: Sam Gillespie

Monday 5 June 2023 – NWP Week 11 of 23 - 5 Table Mitchell

N/S E/W

1st Monica Darley / Nancy Martin 1st Frances Brown / Geoff Taylor

2nd Janelle Conroy / Terrence Sheedy 2nd Thelma Caruana / Joy Robinson

Tuesday 6 June 2023 Evening 4 Table One Winner Thursday 8 June 2023 Evening 3 Table One Winner

1st Sandra Morris / Vicki Howard 1st Janelle Conroy / Terrence Sheedy

2nd Janelle Conroy / Eric Leivesley 2nd Ken Seaniger / Robert Carless

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Ted Cullinan 3rd Peter Cowling / Ann Whitmore

4th Eric Goodchild / Marylin Wilson-Nichol 4th Annie Lynch / Geoff Taylor

Wednesday 7 June 2023 –8 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Ted Cullinan / Geoff Taylor 1st Monica Darley / Kath Poole

2nd Max Holewa / Diane Holewa 2nd Terrence Sheedy / Eric Leivesley

3rd Joy Robinson / Victor Mason 3rd Jan Harris / Sandra Morris

4th Joy Brunette / Don Poole 4th Sandy Patterson / Geoff Patterson

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Friday 9 June 2023 – Mackay Club Pairs Championship 2023 – Week 1 of 3

N/S E/W

1st Max Holewa / Diane Holewa 1st Monica Darley / Gwen Liddell

2nd Joy Robinson / Geoff Taylor 2nd Christine Nice / Diane Cox

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Janelle Conroy 3rd Victor Mason / Josie Crowley

4th Anne Lutz / Diane Stokes 4th Susan Wright / Geoffrey Patterson

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Saturday 10 June 2023 – 8 Table Green Points

N/S E/W

1st Frances Brown / Alan Brown 1st David Ting / Ming Ting

2nd Joy Robinson / Geoffrey Patterson 2nd Janelle Conroy / Robert Carless

3rd Susan Wright / Lorna Shuttlewood 3rd Monica Darley / Kath Poole

4th Sandra Morris / Ann Whitmore 4th Mick King / Jan Harris

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St Patrick's College Triumphs In Aaron Payne Cup Clash

Schoolboy rugby league heavyweights St Patrick’s College Mackay and Ignatius Park College Townsville have opened their 2023 Aaron Payne Cup campaigns with a first-round epic battle at Leprechaun Park.

Ian Schifilliti’s powerful St Patrick’s line up earned bragging rights when they recorded an impressive 20-12 victory over the Townsville giants in the lead into this year’s Confraternity Rugby League Carnival in Brisbane.

Queensland Schoolboys representative five eighth Jaxon Purdue shone for St Patrick’s along with back rower Jake Bryan, fullback Will Shears and talented hooker Zac Keating.

Flying winger Bailey Anderson grabbed a hat-trick of tries as St Patrick’s thumped Cairns school Trinity Bay State High 42-10 in a second round Cup fixture at Townsville’s Brothers Leagues Club grounds.

Purdue, Shears and rampaging Capricornia representative prop Tyler Shandiman also played strongly.

In the Cowboys Challenge Year 10 series, St Patrick’s have posted stirring 26-6 victories over Ignatius Park and Trinity Bay State High with top performances from Queensland Under 15s forward Sam Anderson, Capricornia rep five eighth and skipper Adam McSherry, Canberra bound forward Mark Morrow, Caleb O’Brien and Hamish Donohoe.

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Under 13 Div 1 played their best game of the season on Saturday with a fantastic display of positive forward play and pressing to get the ball back at every opportunity.

Goals went to Oli, Lockie, and Caleb. Caleb’s second goal from just over half way was an absolute ripper against the run of play and sealed the win.

This 4-0 win was against a Lions side that had previously beaten us.

The U13 prem team took the lead against Wanderers after a sublime pass from Shannon Matthews sent Matthew onto goal and although his shot was well saved, Sam kept the pressure up and was rewarded with the goal.

A well taken penalty by Wanderers evened the score with the game finishing 1-1.

15 Div 1 lost against Wanderers 2-1. Some great passing and movement we just lacked the killer shot on goal. Special thanks to the U13 boys who stepped up to help us out - Cohen, Will, and Matt.

The Paddy's Shenanigans Div 1 and 2 teams faced off against Lions.

Unfortunately, WUFC struggled to create many chances, falling 2-0 behind at the break to scrappy goals. The second half, with the wind behind the team, was a different affair, but the equaliser never came, going down 2-1.

Our Div 1 team faced up to Lions expecting another tough match up.

However, the opposition had a number backing up with many injuries in the squad.

Lions went up 1-0 early on, but WUFC took control, hitting 3 unanswered goals, including a 40-yard screamer from veteran Richard Draper.

A comfortable 6-2 win makes it 4 wins in a row at home.

The Reserve women got some valuable points on the board this week with a 4-2 win over Country.

Kiki opened the scoring early for the ladies and continued to work tirelessly the entire game to put pressure on the Country defence.

Upfront Maddy put away two nice goals to keep Whitsundays in front the entire game and from the middle Steph’s runs paid off with the fourth goal of the game.

The Premier ladies continued to dominate with a 14-0 win over Country.

Despite dominating possession, and having many opportunities, the final touch lacked finesse and they went into half-time break only 4-0 up.

The second half Whitsunday ran away with the game with the attacking group working together to keep the pressure firmly on Country Final tally of scorers was Willow(4), Lena(3),Laura(3),Steph(2),Bre and Eva one each.

Whitsunday Men Ressies were unfortunate to come away without any points against Brothers.

The team started well with Andrew Johnstone scoring a cracker within 5 minutes.

The lads pressed to try rescue the game but ended up losing 4-2 after chasing the game.

It was a different story for the Premier Men against City Brothers.

The lads applied relentless pressure going into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead with another from Sherro and two from Smithy.

The second half saw the team playing the best football they have played all season carving apart a helpless Brothers.

The second half saw Sherro complete his first hat trick for the club and Delors finishing off a phenomenal team goal in fantastic fashion.

The full-time whistle blew with Whitsundays finishing 6-0 winners.

Contributed with thanks to Allan Milostic.

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Luke Swift never an easy man to tackle. Photo supplied

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Last Saturday saw the top of the table Whitsunday Raiders travel to Lions Sports Park Mackay to take on the 6th place Kuttabul Camelboks.

It was going to be a challenging match for the number one placed Raiders side as they were without eight of their regular run-on players due to injury or work commitments. This meant that the Raiders would have to play uncontested scrums, and as a result field one less player meaning it would be 15 against 14 for the full 80 minutes.

Kuttabul are renowned for their physicality and their ability to rise to the occasion, especially at home, which is exactly what they did.

Scoring 5 tries to the Raiders 1 in the first half, leaving the Raiders in the unusual position of being behind 31 - 5 at half time.

Second half saw the true spirit of the Raiders shine through, with an inspirational comeback scoring two tries in the second half and keeping Kuttabul scoreless. Final score Kuttabul 31 Raiders 17.

Best on field for the Raiders were new man David Aspil with 3 points, Tom Humphries with 2 points and Darragh Lynch with 1 point.

Raiders head to Mackay this Saturday in a bid to maintain their Number One position on the ladder, taking on Slade Point at 3.30pm at the Cathy Freeman Oval.

Contributed with thanks to Steve Ward

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