Sport

The Bidgee Big Bash Jackpot was held for the second time recently, running at the Narrandera Rodeo Grounds. The event is run by the Team Roping Association and attracted competitors from all over NSW as well as South Australia and Victoria.

When we wrote about how crosses with the magnificent heavy horse breed the Clydesdale were the quiet achievers in the horse world last week, we were very quickly shown just how popular and much loved they are.

The last of the foal shows are done for the year, the royal show horses have a few more weeks rest before the earnest work begins and it’s the quietest time of the year for most horse people. It’s an opportunity to catch up on some reading by the fire while the wind blows cold, or while seated on a 12-hour plane flight – do we revisit some old favorites or go and find something new to read?

Hundreds of mountain biking enthusiasts and their families gathered in Rockhampton for the recent Rocky Trail Academy Schools Competition and  the Fox Superflow ® Gravity Enduro race, two of the fastest growing mountain bike racing formats held in Rockhampton during winter ... “Mountain biking tourism is considered one of the fastest growing recreational activities globally, with AusCycle reporting a $136.9 million direct economic impact to Australia, per annum": Parks, Sport and Public Spaces Councillor Cherie Rutherford.

HM Woodhouse-Herrick. Former Nhill resident Tim Rath was heard recently on Matt Tribe’s Saturday morning show on ABC Radio. Tim was on to talk about his book: The Footy Jumper Book, which traces the history of the humble guernsey from the hessian sack days of Moonta FC in regional SA back in 1876 through to Neil Craig’s remarkable one-piece lycra invention for Norwood in 1994.

The Clydesdale horse is so often referred to in Australia as the “horse that built a nation” and it’s true. Australians have a great affection for the great horses of Scotland and the breed has graced the paddocks and show rings of Australia for more than 100 years ... They have crossed very well with other breeds and are very much the quiet achievers in the sport world.

Australian dressage riders Andrew Driffield, Sarah Sherwood and Sui Watts have won the team gold medal at the Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France. They followed their victory up the next day with two more gold medals and a silver in the individual competitions.

With some key members missing due to the Senior Championship and others being away, Donald knew that it was going have to work hard against Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers, as they had been playing so well. And work well they did.

As a committed mountain and trail runner, Maldon resident Matthew Crehan has been part of an elite Australian team competing in the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck ... Matthew has only been running for about eight years ... "Last year I was named Australian Ultra Runner of the year and was absolutely stoked”: Matthew Crehan.

Serena Kirby. Denmark Senior High School will be the first school in the Great Southern to enter a team in this year’s Australian Human Powered Vehicle Super Series. This nationwide series of races, also known as the Pedal Prix, comprises six rounds of races with five held in South Australia and one in Busselton.

Narrandera Netball Association has just wrapped up their representative season. This season Narrandera had four teams plus a team of training partners. The four teams competed in several carnivals across NSW with mixed success, but always coming away with more experience.

Now in its 11th year, the Scenic Rim Clydesdale Spectacular happens over the weekend of June 17 and 18 at Boonah. It is the richest Clydesdale Show in the Southern Hemisphere, where the grand champions of the breed are judged, the heritage of the breed is shared, and the history of the breed in Australia is toasted.

Communities across the region including about 1000 school children came together at Yamba’s Ngayundi Sports Complex last Thursday where they got to meet four South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL players as part of the 2023 Clarence Valley Close the Gap Day. Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation CEO Aneika Kapeen said the 2023 Clarence Valley Close the Gap Day was about bringing all the schools together to really recognise what Close the Gap means.

Relationships, social support, physical fitness and a sense of belonging are key elements for positive mental health, and being part of a sporting community like the Birchip-Watchem Football, Netball and Hockey Club ticks all these boxes ... Following the headspace round, the National Centre for Farmer Mental Health also jumped on board and provided funding from its flood recovery program "Building Farm Spirit" ...

In recent weeks headspace Swan Hill has actively partnered with twenty-four local sporting clubs to deliver important mental health messages and strategies in three leagues across the North Central and Mallee communities.

Nhill had the honour of having two locals bestowed with an Order of Australia medal (OAM) in the King’s birthday honours announced on Monday. Hindmarsh Shire Councillor Rob Gersch for his service to local government and to the community and Kevin Bye for his service to lawn bowls and the community.

A fishing season for a high value sea cucumber in the Torres Strait has reopened for the first time in 20 years thanks to a concerted conservation and stock restoration effort ... Torres Strait Islanders will have exclusive access rights to black teatfish, which is estimated to be worth $380,000 to the local economy.

Mountain and Moorland ponies may be native to the British Isles but there is a healthy population growing in Australia. New promotional group Mountain and Moorland (M&M) Australia has taken on the job of raising awareness of the breeds in this country and recently combined with two other breed societies to run the Victorian Winter Fair at Tatura.

Wiradjuri man Buddy Oldman is about to be immortalised in the history books. Under the guidance of the Guinness World Records, the World Champion Masters Boxer is proud to confirm that he will be punching a boxing bag for 72 hours to set a new world record to raise awareness for mental health ... Buddy answers a few questions from ARR.News.

Three Cohuna bowls players were part of a regional team that took out the championship title at the Region Sides Championships late last month ... Jarred Hammond and Harrison Keely of Cohuna Golf Bowls were part of the Murray Mallee Bowls Region side, which was victorious in the Men’s Silver Tier Championship at the 2023 Region Sides Championships in Echuca and Moama from May 26-28.

cluBarham has been announced as the home of the Over 60s State Championships and Women’s Country Carnival for the next three years. Play will take place on the club’s state-of-the-art facility opened in September 2022, including two synthetic 9 rink greens, one of which is undercover.