Racing & Sport
Legacy projects
Total support for Matthew’s legacy
The remarkable achievements of 2024 Paris Olympian bronze medallist Matthew Denny will be celebrated with two significant legacy projects in Allora. The local community was invited to vote on two proposals. Naming the Allora Cricket Grounds discus ring after Matthew Denny, creating a walking path in Dalrymple Park, featuring markers that highlight the distance of the various records achieved by Matthew Denny.
Memorial match
Memorial cricket match for Jason
Lucindale hosted a Twenty20 cricket match at the Cricket Club in honour of police officer, Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig on November 17. Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig was killed in the line of duty at Senior, outside Bordertown last year. According to SAPOL, the club hosted the event, beginning with a brief ceremony acknowledging Jason's service, sacrifice and his deep connection to the Lucindale community.
Endurance
It’s a very Goode thing – Donald trike team holds its own
Karen Medlyn. That’s a wrap! The 2024 Donald High School Energy Breakthrough Team and “It’s a Goode Thing!”, completed an impressive 485 laps, covering a total distance of 766.3 kilometres. The 24-hour endurance has students pedalling over a specific circuit, through the streets of Maryborough.The debut of the new trike was thrilling ...
Tennis
Wirrim strengthens top tennis position
Wirrim solidified its position at the top of the ladder in Round 8 of the North Central Lawn Tennis Association, securing all ten points against Wycheproof. Meanwhile, Nullawil climbed to fourth place with a close victory over Birchip ... Nullawil’s top men – David Watts, Simone Fawcett and Tony Bartram – were in classy form ...
Equestrian
Barrelling along
Erika Quinn has celebrated success at Equitana Melbourne 2024, which was held on November 14-17. Erika took out fifth place in a field of 30 competitors from across the country in the prestigious barrel racing event held over two days.
Billy carts
Greenmount has wheely good time
Greenmount was the place to be last Saturday as those magnificent billy cart drivers and their rolling machines took on the Ramsay Street downhill course in front of a packed crowd who enjoyed every moment of juniors and seniors races. Drivers and their carts came from as far away as Byron Bay and the Gold Coast to participate in the Greenmount Billy Cart Challenge in a sure sign that this event is a winner for the town.
Fishing
Bumper cod season opens this weekend
Some of Victoria’s most popular inland fishing spots will be drawcards for anglers this weekend when the annual Murray cod fishing season opens on Sunday. Cod opening is Christmas come early for many freshwater fishers and follows the annual three-month closed season – applicable to most waters north of the Great Dividing Range – which gives the iconic native species a chance to breed in peace.
Racing
Hay Races: Decker takes Hay Cup honours
Decker, the eight-year-old bay gelding trained by Jerilderie’s Ross Purcell took out the Elders Hay Cup at the annual spring race day ... Decker passed the post ahead of Nathan Hobson trained King and King, in the 1400 metre race.
Running
Harry strides for a cause
Wilson McShane. Six-year-old Harry Rendell, from Moonta, is following in the footsteps of his running idols. Supported by his parents Kara and Nick, he is training for a five-kilometre event in Melbourne ... Throughout November, he and his running team RUNNEZ have been participating in Stride 4 Stroke, a fundraiser for the Stroke Foundation.
Motorsport
Kadina boys light up Adelaide 500
Kadina’s Alex Larwood and Tate Cowie etched their names in Supercross and wingless sprint car history, after the duo competed for the first time at the VAILO Adelaide 500, held November 14 to 16. Larwood competed in the SX2 class (motocross), while Cowie was in his wingless spring car.
Bowling
Bowls leaders consolidate
Completing the first full round of North Central Playing Area’s 2024-’25 pennant fixture, Division 1 leaders, Wedderburn and Donald Golf, confirmed their rankings with comfortable wins over St. Arnaud Country Club and Boort respectively … St. Arnaud Country Club remains outside of the top four, while cross town rival, St. Arnaud, which demolished Donald by 68 shots, strengthened its grip on third place.
Motorsport
Brown wins Supercars Championship
Toowoomba’s Will Brown has taken out the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship with a win at the Adelaide 500. Brown said he couldn’t have been happier to finish off the year with a win. "I was pretty stoked to finish off the year with a win to be honest," Brown said.
Running
One step closer
47 people helped the Cohuna Lions Club add to the national tally of kilometres for Lap the Map on Saturday when they participated in Cohuna parkrun ... Funds raised go to the Lions Australia Medical Alert Dog Program that provides Diabetic Alert Dogs to people with type 1 diabetes, free of charge.
Aquatics
Tchum Lake Aquatic Club: New leadership
The Tchum Lake Aquatic Club has ushered in a new era of leadership, with Alex Noonan taking the helm as president following Andrew Lee’s dedicated eight-year tenure ... One of the first challenges facing the new executive team is tackling the lake’s significant weed problem.
Youth golf
Young golfer’s motivation leads to continued success
Sean Cunningham. Narrandera Public School pupil Braxton Ivanoff was part of the winning New South Wales golf team which was crowned this year’s Team Stroke Champions of the School Sport Australia (SSA) 12 years and under National Golf Championship. Braxton qualified for the NSW team when he previously finished eighth in the NSW School Sports Association Championship in the Hunter Valley..
Special Olympics
YP’s rockstar helps run special opening ceremony
Wilson McShane. Port Turton’s Hugo “Rockstar” Taheny introduced the 2024 Special Olympics South Australian State Games in style earlier this month when he walked in the opening parade and made a speech to the athletes ... “I want to encourage people to be the best person they can be. I encourage athletes to enjoy their life, to meet other athletes and to make friends,” Taheny said.
Racing
Chartres wins Donald Cup
Peter Hibberd. Chartres won comfortably in what turned out to be a very fast run for the Bet365 Donald Cup. The trainer Matt Laurie from Mornington completed a rare double with this horse, having won the Mornington Cup with jockey Harry Coffey and the Donald Cup with Tom Madden...
Racing
Prancing with Fire lights up Port Macquarie on Thursday
In a spirited finish that had the large crowd on the edge of their seats, Prancing with Fire was able to withstand all challengers to claim the Flower Hotels Cup at Port Macquarie ... Luke Rolls was seen to advantage as he settled the daughter of Sir Prancelot in a perfect position just off the speed before driving through the gap…
Hiking
Clear weather provides enjoyable treks
Peter Moyle. What a great month – at last consistent clear weather on our scheduled walks. We revisited the secluded and difficult to access 38/38 Chasm, a wonderland of ferns, waterfalls ... Our annual pilgrimage to The Gibraltar Ranges National Park finished the month.
BMX
Marshalling the next generation of BMX stars to championship heights
She is already an inspiration to many throughout the Clarence Valley, and after coaching the Australian Mighty 11s BMX team to victory at the 2024 BMX NZ North Island Titles at the Cambridge BMX Club ... Tahlia Marsh’s knowledge, exuberance, and passion for the sport has been passed on to the next generation of accomplished athletes.
Motorsport
Come on Cowie
Wilson McShane. Kadina’s Tate Cowie will join an elite cohort of drivers ... when he races in front of a crowd of close to 10,000 people at the VAILO Adelaide 500. Cowie will compete in his wingless sprint car ... “Because we’re more of a budget sort of class, your average joe could sort of look at it and go ‘oh yeah I can afford to race one of these’ and hopefully grow the class from there.”
Racing
A Race Day triumph!
The Wycheproof community can stand tall after completing a trifecta of large-scale events over recent months concluding with the presentation of the Elders Mt. Wycheproof Cup Day ... which drew an attendance of over 3,000 people ... Fashions on the Field entrants again provided a high point of the day, with elegant outfits and ensembles capturing a relaxed “country style”.
Swimming
Splash, splash!
An ever-popular drawcard for locals and visitors alike, the iconic Naracoorte Swimming Lake will open to the public for the summer season ... According to the council, staff have cleaned the floor of the lake, painted the walls and were on track to paint part of the lake floor and walkway/concourse around the lake prior to the opening.
Basketball
Get ready, basketball stars, young and old!
Australian basketball legend Aaron Bruce has relocated to Birchip to manage his Uncle Des Ryan’s Hotel, and he is eager to share his skills, knowledge, and passion for the game with people of all ages. Aaron, who starred in college basketball at Baylor University before making his mark in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Adelaide 36ers and the Sydney Kings…
Motorsport
Incredible year of off-road dirt bikie racing for Max Midwinter
Kelly Midwinter. The 2024 off-road dirt bike racing season has been nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing remarkable achievements and thrilling competition for Max Midwinter. As the season draws to a close, racers and fans alike reflect on an unforgettable year filled with adrenaline-fueled moments and personal victories.
Racing
Bannerton wins Elders Mt. Wycheproof Cup
Quill McQuilty. A huge crowd turned out for Derby Day in the Country and the running of the Elder’s Mt Wycheproof Cup on Saturday, at Wycheproof … The prestigious feature race was won by Bannerton, trained by Austy Coffey and ridden by Nathan Punch a head and neck ahead of Samurai Star, ridden by Cian MacRedmond for Mitchell Freedman.
Cricket
Doc captures five
...Barham Koondrook A Grade cricket won the toss and elected to bat as they faced Ultima TUF at Koondrook. Warren Lolicato was the highest scoring batsman with 35 runs. After 30.1 overs, the Raiders were all out for 120.