Sports Archives - Page 61 of 118

Bowlers Elect To Play

May 27, 2022 By Lea Orr

Tuesday is bowls day, and with the weatherperson predicting a bright sun-shiny day, decisions were made BY 22 ladies, FOR 22 ladies, to swing into gear and come and play! The labour of Ground Control is always Number 1 in our eyes! They win the Green vote!

Taking priority on today’s ticket was a semi-final of the Club Championship Triples, with Kay Craft/Merilyn Rodgers/Jan McPhee up against Chris Curteis/Lorraine Baker/Elaine Miller. Team McPhee quickly accumulated points, but Team Miller moved in, gaining the middle-aged voters’ favour and drew ahead briefly. Team McPhee united once more and climbed onto the stage to claim victory after their 25 ends. Returning Officer Liz, resplendent in her uniform, put in an energetic morning’s work; cheers, Ma’am!

The other semi-final was pre-played earlier. After a recount on the green, the team of Rose Mitchell/Rhona Went/Liz Byrne were declared winners over Marja Iffland/Betsy Johnstone/Cherie Frame.

In social bowls, ‘twas a close contest between Di Howell/Frances Charlton/Fran Dixon/Marja Iffland and their opponents Gwenda Carty/Carol Reed/Maureen Miller. The tally was very close throughout the match, and Team Miller had to wait till the very last end to claim a narrow victory.

In a 4’s game interest was high, as a Teal bowls campaigner was playing! Hilda McPherson/Lynn Ryan/Rose Mitchell/Betsy Johnstone fought on, gaining an advantage where they could (a 6 helped!), but the Teals team of Kim Evans/Valmai Westcott/Heather Harvey/Lea Orr rallied strongly to win the majority of points.

Maureen, thankfully, was manning the democracy drink stall, appreciated by us all after a warm morning.

The Final of the Club Championship Triples will be played next Tuesday, 31st May: K Craft/M Rodgers/J McPhee vs R Mitchell/R Went/L Byrne. Next month on 14th June there will be a Pink Gala Bowls Day, with all proceeds to go to vital breastcare nurses.

By Lea Orr

Sports Grants For Five Clubs

May 27, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

At the announcement of the grants were at the back (L-R) Northparkes Managing Director Jianjun Tian, Parkes Mayor Ken Keith, Northparkes Community & External Relations Advisor Gabe Albert, Marist Junior Rugby President Andrew Thomas and Parkes & District Amateur Soccer Club President Wayne Osbourne. In front are Peak Hill Bowling Club Treasurer Anne O’Leary, Peak Hill Bowling Club Secretary Anne McIntyre, Parkes Sporting Shooter Association President Brian Drabsch and Cr Louise O’Leary.

Five sports clubs were successful in the latest round of the Sports Grants Funding Program of CMOC-Northparkes Mines and Parkes Shire Council.

A total of $23,312.06 in grants were distributed to the five clubs in Parkes, Peak Hill and Trundle.

Parkes Sports Council Chairperson Alan Gersbach was pleased to see a range of projects being put forward for selection, although the total applications were down on previous rounds.

The Peak Hill Bowling Club received $4,400 to replace worn out shade clothes and plinths in the ditches around their bowling greens.

Anne McIntyre of Peak Hill Bowling Club said: “We’re very excited to be able to fix up some of the areas at our club. This money will make all the difference.”

The Trundle Amateur Swimming Club will be purchasing training equipment for members and the wider community with their grant of $925.

The Parkes Sporting Shooters Association of Australia received $4,400 to fit covers over the top of the 25m shooting frames to stop bullets going over the 8m stop butt, while the Parkes & District Amateur Soccer Club will erect a goal backstop fencing behind the current practice goals at Parker/Stone Field with their $6,200 grant.

The Parkes Marist Junior Rugby League club will be purchasing the latest training equipment using their $7,387 grant.

Cr Louise O’Leary thanked Northparkes for their continued support. “Thank you to all the community groups who applied this round. We have extra funds in the next round and strongly encourage any local sporting groups to apply in September. If you would like assistance with your application, please make use of the resources of Council’s grants officer,” said Louise.

“We recognise the importance of sport in sustaining a healthy and happy community,” said Northparkes Managing Director Jianjun Tian.

The next round will see a total of $36,688 available for sports related projects in the Parkes Shire.

Parkrun Milestones

May 27, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Hamish Orr completed his 25th parkrun on Saturday in a personal best time of 18:07 for the 5km run. (Photo: Northparkes Oval parkrun)

It was a week of milestones at the Northparkes Oval parkrun event 47 last Saturday with three runners achieving their 25 run milestones. Congratulations to Tim Keith, Hamish Orr and Jianjun Tian.

Tim completed all 25 of his parkruns at his home run of Northparkes Oval since he joined at event 4.

Hamish completed 24 of his 25 runs at Northparkes Oval, and one at the Orange parkrun. Hamish also ran a personal best time for his 25th event clocking 18:07 for the 5km run.

Jianjun completed 12 parkruns at Northparkes Oval, seven at Rock Riverside, four at Southbank, and one each at St Peters and St Lucia.

Henry Wins Two ACT State Titles

May 27, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Henry Kross won two ACT State titles in Canberra last weekend claiming the Boys Under 14 and Boys Under 15 divisions.

He might have a national title under his belt, but a young Parkes squash player keeps on shocking his parents with his wins.

Last weekend Year 7 student Henry Kross was keen to build on his success of winning the Under 13 Boys ACT State title last year. He managed a second consecutive win at the 2022 ACT Junior Championships becoming the Under 14 champion, and then decided to go one up and also enter the Under 15 Boys division.

He had a slow start in the semi-final, but persevered to win his second title at the championship. “He really shocked us,” said his proud mum Judy Kross.

Building on his success Henry will be representing Western with fellow Parkes High student Harry Bligh at the Combined High Schools (CHS) State Championships in Sydney from 7th June.

The following week is the Green Shield competition in Dapto, Wollongong with 12 Parkes in the 24 players Western team, while the next major event is the NSW State titles in Coffs Harbour. Henry will play for the Under 13 title and is hopeful of making the NSW team to head to Perth in September.

Parkes Hockey Shines At State Champs

May 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

STATE CHAMPS… The Parkes U18 hockey team won all their games at the State Champions in Sydney last week and came home with gold and a spot in Division 1 next year. They are at the back (L-R) NSW Hockey representative, Jack Westcott, Flynn Thompson, Nath Marshall, Ollie Brown, Jordan Grosvenor (manager), Zanda Johnstone, Joseph Tanswell, Jakob Chambers and Archie Rix. In front are (L-R) Will Searl (coach) Ryan Dunford, Jack Skinner, Tom Searl (captain), Cody Kirk, Toby Collins (captain) Ted Murray, Kane Macfarlane and Jack Rice.

The hockey season in Parkes got off to a great start with the Under 18 team coming home with gold from the state championships last weekend.

The Parkes U18 team won Division 2 of the 2022 Junior State Championship in Moorebank, Sydney. The grand final was an all Central West affair with Parkes beating Bathurst 3 – 1.

First time coach for the U18 team, and former Australian player, Will Searl said: “It is a great feeling, there is nothing better. The boys played out of their skins, and to go undefeated in the championship was a big effort.”

The Parkes team played four round games on Friday and Saturday beating Manning Valley 5 – 0, Northern Sydney Beaches 4 – 0, Bathurst 4 – 2 and Port Macquarie 3 – 0 finishing first in their pool. In the semi-final at 8:30am on Sunday morning they beat Far North Coast 4 – 1 for a place in the grand final at 12:15pm when they beat Bathurst again to become the State U18 champions.

The win also means that the team moves up to Division 1, which is where every hockey player would like to be according to Will. As most of the players, except three, are still 16 or 17 years old, the team would be able to compete again in next year’s championship.

Will said three months of hard work and preparation paid off for an amazing result. He paid tribute to first time manager Jordan Grosvenor for ‘managing a tight ship and keeping the boys in line”, and gave a shout out to the parents for their contribution to get the boys to training and travelling with them.

Will thanked the team’s sponsors: Dean Uptin’s Water Services, Railway Hotel, Kitson Manufacturing, Geoff Rice and TSG.

By Maggi Barnard

Celebrate With Endeavour Dragons This Sunday

May 13, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Dragon Boat Club is celebrating their fourth anniversary on Sunday and is inviting the Parkes community to enjoy the day with them.

The day’s program will officially start at 9:30am with Welcome to Country and the fun will continue until the great raffle draw around 2pm.

In between there will be an all-day sausage sizzle, coffee van, some great on-water novelty events which will be fun to watch, and a 6km race. There will also be a free come-and-try for anyone over 12 interested in hopping in the dragon boat to learn what paddling is all about.

If you want to support the club purchasing raffle tickets, or food and drink, be sure to take cash on the day as there is no eft-pos service at the lake.

It promises to be a breat family day out at Lake Endeavour. For more information about the day call Bill Thomas on 0418 616 500.

Women’s Bowls Notes

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The semi-final of the club pairs and two social triple matches were played on Tuesday.

Cherie Frame and Betsy Johnstone out played Maureen Miller and Chris Curteis in the club pairs game.

There was a blizzard of bowls put down by team Byrne and team Grant. It took four before Liz Byrne and Rhona Went had a final storm surge to overcome Maree Grant and Jan McPhee.

The wind was certainly behind Elaine, Heather and Sue, with a good win over Marja, Kay and Frances. Hilda battled water over the roads on her way to play bowls and playing with Lorraine and Merilyn continued to steam ahead of Rose, Carol and Fran.

Parkes Teacher Heads To World Cup

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Meaghan Kempson(back row, 3rd from the right) with the Young Matildas squad and coaching staff. Meaghan was named Coach, Trainer or Manager of the year at the Australia Day Awards in 2021.

Parkes High School PE teacher and Parkes Cobras coach Meaghan Kempson will be going with the Young Matildas to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 in Costa Rica.

Meaghan recently attended the Young Matildas preparation camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for the Under 20’s Women’s World Cup as Equipment Manager. She will be attending more preparation camps in the lead up to the World Cup in Costa Rica from 10th to 28th August.

The Young Matildas coach Leah Blayney, who represented Australia and played in the US, invited Meaghan to join the coaching team at a Young Matildas camp last year. Meaghan is now a valuable member of the coaching staff.

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup takes place biennially and sees 16 nations compete against each other for the prize. The competition has seen four past champions; USA, Germany, Japan and Korea DPR.

The tournament was originally planned for 2020 and intended to have Panama as co-host, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID pandemic. Costa Rica were then named sole host.

Four Matches Of Major Pairs

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Elvis has departed the club and the exodus of fans brings our population back to par. Four matches of Major Pairs filled Tuesday’s program. Betsy Johnstone hitched up with Cherie Frame and powered away to a strong lead over Carol Reed and Maria Willcockson. Not to be outdone, seasoned campers, Team Will, tightened the guy ropes and drew level. However, their reprieve was temporary and Team Frame went on to win on Site 2.

A corker of a match kept the onlookers on the edge of their camp chairs on Site 3. The two teams, Lorraine Baker/Elaine Miller and Maureen Miller/Joan Simpson had to dig in and push for every point. Team Simpson began strongly, took a siesta mid-game, but came home with the wind behind them to claim victory by just one point!

Lea Orr/Lynn Ryan de-camped early due to illness in their match against the in-form pairing of Liz Byrne/Rhona Went on Site 4. Liz and Rhona have recently returned from State Pairs Play-offs and are at the top of their game!

On Site 5, Jan McPhee/Maree Grant found themselves wanting more power from the fuse box in order to pull ahead of Merilyn Rodgers/Marja Iffland, who played their little bowls socks off!

Many thanks to our umpire, Tony Riordan, who was kept running like a caretaker from site to site!

The draw for next week’s Major Pairs semi-finals: R Went/L Byrne vs J McPhee/M Grant, and M Miller/J Simpson vs B Johnstone/C Frame. Maureen, Joan, Gwenda, Carol and Lea won their green fees back, ready for the next trip!

Next Sunday, 1st May is our big Prostate Cancer Charity Bowls Day from 11am, 2-bowl triples, mixed teams, $15 pp includes lunch. All welcome, single players catered for. Entry forms at the bar.

By Lea Orr

Run Elvis Run

April 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

How many Elvii can the Northparkes Oval parkrun attract? Be there on Saturday for the 5km challenge at 8am. (Photo: Hartford Courant)

If you are a regular parkrun participant, then you should be at the Northparkes Oval on Saturday, 23rd April at 8am for the first ever Elvis-themed parkrun!

Put on your blue suede running shoes for this brand-new Elvis Festival event as the Northparkes Oval parkrun celebrated its first birthday only last month.

While the whole town will be filled with people dressed in Elvis jumpsuits and Speedway-themes costumes, there is no way parkrun participants should miss out on such a golden opportunity to rock ‘n roll an Elvis parkrun!

Dressing up for a parkrun is not something new, but only in Parkes will you get the opportunity to do an Elvis parkrun.

“The volunteers will join in too, and there will be Elvis music to cheer everyone on,” said parkrun organiser Ronel van Wyk.

With so many visitors to town during the Elvis Festival, the parkrun organisers are eager to get a good turnout for the weekly 5km event.

Elvis might not have done running as a sport, but he would probably have been proud of this effort as he was a big sports participant and fan. When he wasn’t on stage, in a studio or on the big screen, there’s a good chance you could find Elvis Presley playing football, or watching his favourite teams compete on TV. He played football on the grounds at Graceland.

So come along on Saturday, 23rd April and be part of this historic first Elvis parkrun. Parkruns are free, weekly, community events all around the world on a Saturday morning at 8am. It usually takes place in parks and open spaces over 5km. The event is open to everyone whether you are running, jogging or walking. There is no time limit and no one finishes last.

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