Whether you are a Holden or Falcon tragic, motor sport enthusiasts normally put a great deal of planning into their Bathurst weekend – be it a stay-at-home barbecue or the annual pilgrimage many locals make to the mountain. Then there are those of us who are once-a-year enthusiasts and have no great allegiances but who regularly tune in for the latter stages of “the race” confident we can hold our own in a conversation. Last weekend was more enthralling than normal and had many glued to the coverage as Warwick product Matt Campbell took up the co drivers spot beside Shane van Gisberg in the Red Bull Motor Racing car 97.
Mount Panorama never fails to deliver up some extraordinary twists and sometimes even fairytales. Sunday was no exception as the weather rolled in across the mountain, making conditions in the opening laps treacherous.
Matt Campbell had an early scare when he spun out at the cutting early in the day, but recovered well and showed plenty of fight and ticker.
The attrition rate at the back end of Bathurst is always high, and Sunday was no exception. Van Ginsberg and Campbell worked hard all day, and with 20 laps remaining our number 97 had the lead and a legion of local supporters dared to dream for the 23- year-old.
With conditions on the mountain and in the straight changing constantly, errors were playing a big part. After an extraordinary drive which saw Van Gisbergen clock one of the fastest laps of the day – there was heartbreak as he speared off down the escape road at a restart on lap 144, then had a massive off at the Chase trying to recover. With just laps to go, Van Gisberg drove the ears off the 97 car to get back to fifth as the team and their supporters were left like many others in pit lane to ponder on what might have been.
Hats off to winning drivers David Reynolds and Luke Youlden and Betty Klimenko and the small Erebus team – seems that the fairy godmother of Bathurst does make some dreams come true while for others it becomes another tough day at the office.
Van Gisberg and Campbell will be out to make amends at the Gold Coast this weekend, and once again Campbell will have plenty of local support.
My TV will be tuned to watch.
– Casey
REARDON ON WORLD STAGE
Stanthorpe golfer Luke Reardon had an excellent round in Saturday’s local club competition finishing with the Best Gross of 71 in the single stableford competition. For Reardon, it was a nice segue between international flights and the heady scene of International Golf.
Only four days earlier he was shaking hands with former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump. Mixing it on the world stage with the best in the golf business including Jordan Speith, Dustin Johnson, Ricky Fowler, Brooks Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen and long-time mate, Jason Day.
So how did all of this transpire. It began with Reardon’s enrolment at the Hills Golf academy as a promising young golfer and the start of a lasting friendship with his roommate Jason Day.
Recently when Day’s mentor and long-term caddy opted to cut back on the demands of tour, the former World No 1 had no hesitation in seeking out Reardon who he has often said was the better player between them, to take over the caddy role.
Since then, Reardon has carried the bag for his mate in three tournaments in the US including last week’s President’s Cup played at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City where the Statue of Liberty is the backdrop.
Twelve of the best US players compete against a 12-player International Team selected from all countries outside of Europe.
Tradition is, that the US President attends and speaks with the 24 players and their caddies, and this tradition continued this year.
Reardon reflected on what was a great moment in his life meeting the Presidents, saying it was on a par with the friendships he has established with people such as Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith. Not the footballer but another young Australia making his mark on the US PGA tour.
Because of Jason Day’s world ranking, both he and Reardon get plenty of TV exposure. Reardon’s entry into the international golf arena has been well documented on Foxtel’s Golf Channel with viewing audience of millions, and he has not missed the opportunity to plug his hometown.
Luke Reardon said of his home course, “The golf course here is more challenging than it looks, and has its own quirks and challenges and it would have been a tragedy if it was lost to the community. “I always look forward to playing here when I come home, and each time I can see the improvements that have been made around the course by the volunteers”.
Reardon said it was encouraging to find four school-aged juniors playing in Saturday’s local competition. He encourages juniors to take up any sport saying, “Look where it has taken me.”
Luke’s father Richard is captain of the Stanthorpe Golf Club and when asked if he was proud of Luke’s achievements, he answered simply “I am proud of all of my children”.
This week Reardon finds himself back on another international flight headed for China as Jason Day prepares for the Asian Golf tour.
Following the Asian competition, he will take a break and will be back in Stanthorpe enjoying a hit on the local course where he holds the club record of six under par 66 and spending quality time with his family.
He will return to the USA in 2018 for the nationwide PGA tour circuit which includes the Masters at Augusta and the US Open at Shinnecock Hills where he will be working with his former roomie to recapture that sought-after and lucrative No 1 world ranking.
MATURE TEAM SHOW THE WAY
The final of the Tannymorel club selected bowls pairs was played on Saturday 30/09. Joel Farmer and Darren Rabbit took on Gordie Assay and Grumpy.
After completing 21 ends of great bowls the 2017 winner were the more mature pairing of Assay and Grumpy. They gave their younger opponents a few lessons on the green winning 21-12.
The first round of the new Tanny Classic competition got underway. If you did not get to play in the opening round, you can still join the fun – nominate by 6pm this Friday night or call Thommo (0458 016 539) or Gordie (0427 289 680). Bowlers and non bowlers are welcome, with organisers, declaring the more the merrier.
PREPARING FOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Single Action shoot held at Inglewood saw Ross Jackson claim a win. Minor placings were claimed by Ray Dudgeon and Stephanie Dudgeon. While the competition blazed away, two of the locals, Tom Donald and Scruffy Morgan took the opportunity to brush up Qld Muzzle Loading State championships. Preparations are well underway for the State Championships which the Inglewood Club will host next weekend. S.S.A.A. Muzzleloaders use all types of original and replica muzzle loading rifles, shotguns, pistols and cap and ball percussion revolvers. Most of the excellent replicas available are made in Italy, with others coming from the USA, Spain, Japan, England and other European countries.
The Championships get underway from Friday when the range on Bosjnaks Road will be open for practice.
The official program gets underway on Saturday with the championships running over two days.
Admission to the event is free and spectators are welcome, however, nominated shooters must be members of the SSAA.
Camping is available at the site. Further information is available on the Inglewood Club’s Facebook page.
CLOSE FINISHES IN GATEBALL
There was plenty of activity on the Stanthorpe croquet court on Friday morning as the gateball crew organised themselves into teams for the morning’s play. Team One, Andrea Denkewitz, Sharyn Roser and Les Williams took on Margaret Dickenson, Jenny Tunbridge, Joy Newman and Val Fancourt, Team Two.
The first game was a closely fought affair until Team Two scored late points in the final minutes of the game and came away with a 12-8 win.
The second game could not have been closer with the game finishing in an 11-all tie. On cutback, both teams had the same number of one and two point scores. A ’shoot-out’ was necessary to break the deadlock, and it was Team One who won with a 4-3 score.
After the break, Bill Golding joined Team One and in another very close game it was Team One who snuck home with a 12-9 win at the end of the 30 minutes.
Team One went on to win the final game of the day scoring a run away 17-8 win. A reminder that there will be no gateball or croquet sports over the next couple of weeks as the court undergoes some running repairs.
Two of our Stanthorpe’s regular gateballers, Andrea Denkewitz and Margaret Dickenson, are heading off to Bateau Bay (NSW) to play in the Australian Gateball Team Championships, and will join the Toowoomba team. Twenty-four teams from around the country and six international teams play in the Championships this weekend.
RAWLINGS ON THE PODIUM
On a busy Bathurst Sunday, Phil Zikan got the chequered flag ahead of runner-up John Rawlings. Figuring in the run downs were Jim Mitchell and Terry Roser who also scored the Best Gross but missed out on a podium finish. Wattsy was on song on the 12th and 17th picking up both pin shots. Paul Armstrong claimed the Pro Pin.
Angelo Tee off this Sunday is at the normal time of 8am, however, a reminder to Sporters to mark Sunday 28 October in their diaries as a day off as there will be no Sporters due to the Stanthorpe Golf Carnival.
BUSY WEEKEND FOR LOCAL GOLFERS
A busy weekend for Stanthorpe golfers culminated with the mixed foursomes championships on Sunday. The championship event is played over 27 holes and the alternate shot format saw the trophy going to team Waterworth, Matt and Nikki. Things were tight at the top of the leader board, with just one and two shots between the top three finishers. Lyle Bryant and Edith Stewart used their combined handicaps well to earn the best nett score on the day.
Saturday’s competition sponsored by 4 Waters Supplies was for the October monthly medal and putting competition.
David Burgess returned nett 69 to claim the medal, and is the last qualifier for the Medal of Medallists event which will be decided next month. Bob Watts, managed to take out the runner-up spot despite playing under some duress with a badly swollen hand.
Luke Reardon returned from his golf duties overseas and after brushing shoulders with the biggest names in the game. He returned the best gross score of the day, 71, had the least putts for the round (24), and added the pin shot at three and a ball in the run down. He may have to pay excess luggage fee when he next leaves for overseas.
Matt Waterworth and Max Hunter held the remaining pin shots at 12 and 17.
Pro-pins went to Chris Fittock at 1/10, Rod Werner at 5/14 and John Spiller at 9/18.
The ladies event was won by Lyn Ludlow with nett 75. Lyn also had best gross score of 93. Margie Locke’s score of nett 76 saw her take the runner’s-up spot. Helen Jones had the least number of putts, 29 for her round and Madeline Jarman held best approach at 17 for the ladies.
In the run down, it was a ball to all with scores of 71 and better. Special award given to Neta Thouard who was unable to complete the round due to an injury to one of her nails. Hope you get better soon.
This Saturday is ‘Tee off for Breast Cancer Research.’ Funds raised during this special event will be donated to this charity. The single stableford event is sponsored every year by Heritage Bank. Prizes are awarded for the Best Dressed Golfer and Best Dressed Buggy. The event is a single stableford with a shot gun start at 11.45 am. Registration should be completed by 11.15am, allowing adequate time for judging the fashions and best decorated buggy. This is always a popular and fun event – there is a time sheet on the board at the club house if you wish to nominate.
TACTICS PLAY THEIR PART
Two games of golf croquet were decided last week. Both were shortened nine because of time constraints. As players become more adept at the game, they are becoming far more tactical in their games which has the domino effect of making each game longer, however, it adds to the challenge and intrigue of the games.
Dianne Wren, though not fully recovered from recent illness, was back in action and in good form and finished with the best two game score of 10 hoops.
In the opening game, Dianne Wren, Bev Sullivan and Justin Liddy had a one-point win over Marian Castles, Elaine Brown and Shirley Page in a tight game. The final score 9-8.
In the second game, Dianne Wren teamed with Bev Sullivan and Elaine Brown and defeated Justin Liddy, Shirley Page and Marian Castles 9-7 in another close encounter.
Work has begun this week on improvements to the court surface and arrangements have been made with the bowls club for the use of one of their greens for the golf croquet games. Special thanks to Justin Liddy and the bowls club for arranging this interim solution which means players will not miss three weeks of play while the work on the court is completed.
DIAMONDS SPARKLE
The Samsung Diamonds have bounced after their recent loss to the New Zealand Silver Ferns to claim a three-goal win in the opening game of the trans-Tasman clash, Constellation Cup
After losing the Netball Quad Series trophy against the Ferns in September, the Diamonds played with renewed vigour and passion leading by eight goals in the second quarter. The Diamonds led 29 – 25 into the main break.
A nail-biting final term saw the Silver Ferns hit back, but the Australians came away with a three-goal victory.
Captain Caitlin Bassett was full of praise for the Diamonds’ midcourt players, saying their efforts were fantastic and make the job of getting the ball moving much easier. The final quarter developed into a real arm wrestle, both sides putting everything on the line. The Diamonds were able to maintain their composure under pressure to hold onto a three-goal final margin.
The team travel to Christchurch on Friday, before the second Constellation Cup test on Sunday 8 October at 2pm local time.
AT THE STARTING GATES FOR WARWICK CUP MEETING
Excitement is building as the committee of the Warwick Turf Club gear up for a bumper crowd at the seven-race Warwick Cup meeting on Saturday.
Nominations for the meeting have been outstanding. One of the top fancies for the $25,000 2017 Warwick Cup is sure to be the well credentialed Grafton Galloper Belflyer. The six-year-old gelding who has a win on the track to his credit recently won the 1400 metre Comm Cup at Ballina.
Prior to that he won the Moree Cup and was second in the Casino Cup.
Twenty-four runners have nominated for the Cup, so a full field is all but assured.
The Frasers Transport Newmarket is also another popular race on the club’s signature weekends meeting. Toowoomba-based Ben Currie, Queensland leading trainer in 2016 has Captain’s Angel nominated for the Newmarket and several other runners in supporting races.
The meeting has also attracted interest from several Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast-based trainers as well as regular country Queensland and NSW trainers.
While there are plenty of racegoers (men and women) putting together their race day outfits for the Fashions on the Field competition, race club officials are putting the final touches on the course which after recent rain should be in top condition for the meeting.
