Local
In the 1st Round of the Kappa Cup, where the Premiers are away to Saints Eagles Souths in Townsville, the game was postponed again and, weather permitting, will now take place this Saturday at Aitkenvale Park at 7.00pm. Meanwhile, training continues.

Seniors
Men train on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.15 and the Ladies are in action on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5.30 to 7.00. The Fixtures start on the weekend of 20- 22 March. The Division 1 and Funkies teams play Estates at home on the Friday, and the Ladies are away to MA Olympic. On the Sunday the Premiers and Reserves are away to Rebels.

Juniors
Registrations are now open and will close on Sunday 1st March. Teams will be hopefully getting sorted out in the next few weeks. Pre-season games will Kick Off on Saturday 21st March. Please head to Facebook for registration information. If you have any questions, please email the club at burdekinfc@hotmail.com.

Masters
The Masters will be on again soon. Monday Night Magic (or Mayhem) kicks off on 23 February. All are welcome, male, and female, useful and hopeless. Be there, International Park for 6.30 Kick off.

National and International
The Matildas are only a couple of weeks away from their first match in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Fortunately, it looks as if both Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler will be fit! The Matildas are in Group A with Iran, South Korea, and the Philippines and their first match is against the Philippines in Perth on 1st March. They then meet Iran on 5th March and South Korea on 8th March. The Asian Cup is being hosted by Australia.

Socceroos fans will not know their first opponents in the 2026 FIFA World Cup until 1st April. They know that Australia will meet USA and Paraguay but will not know their third opponents until 1st April. It could be any of four countries, Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo. The play offs start on 27 March and finish four days later. In the meantime, the Socceroos have two friendlies lined up. They play Cameroon on 27 March and Curacao on 31 March.

In the A League, after sixteen rounds Newcastle are still the League leaders after winning 3-2 in Adelaide. Auckland beat Sydney FC 1-0 to move to second place with Sydney dropping to third. Macarthur stays fourth after a draw against Perth and Brisbane is now eighth after losing 1-2 at home to Central Coast. Western Sydney continue to hold up the league despite a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City.

In the A League Women, Brisbane were the only one of the top six teams to lose, going down 2-5 to leaders Melbourne City. The Roar drop to fifth place. Wellington stay in second place with a 1-0 defeat of Perth. Canberra beat Sydney to move up to third place and Adelaide is fourth after winning against Western Sydney. Sydney and Western Sydney are holding up the League. Oh Dear!

Europe

In the EPL, Arsenal beat Sunderland 3-0 and stays six points clear of Manchester City who won 2-1 at Liverpool. Aston Villa drew but is still third a further three points behind and ManU continue their good run winning again to stay in fourth place. At the foot of the table West Ham and Leeds both won and Burnley and Wolverhampton look relegation bound.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, three of the top four teams won and Bayern thumped third placed Hoffenheim 5-1 to stay six points clear of Dortmund, with Hoffenheim now a further six points behind. Leipzig has moved up to fourth place. Heidenheim lost, St Pauli won but still hold up the table and Mainz, who won again, are almost out of the relegation zone.

In Italy’s Serie A, three of the top four teams won and Inter is still eight points clear of AC Milan who have a game in hand. Napoli is a further point behind and Juventus who drew 2-2 at home to Lazio stays in fourth place a further three points behind. The three bottom teams all drew, and Pisa and Verona still look Serie B bound.

In Spain’s, La Liga both Barcelona and Real Madrid won and Barca still leads Real by one point. Third placed Atletico lost and is now twelve points off the pace. Fourth placed Villarreal is another three points behind. At the bottom of the league, Oviedo was the only team to win but along with Levante is still in deep trouble.

Finally, in France, only three of the top eight teams won and PSG still leads Lens by two points with Lyon a further seven points behind. Marseille, who lost 0-5 at PSG, is now a further three points away in fourth place. None of the bottom five teams won and Metz, Auxerre and Nantes are in severe trouble.

Quote of the Week is from ex- England Manager Sam Allardyce "I won't ever be going to a top four club because I'm not called Allardici, just Allardyce."

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The Challengers and Junior cricket games went ahead at the Nutrien Ag. Solutions Cricket Complex on Friday thanks to the mowing crew who kept at it when they could between the periods of rain during the week.  Low totals were scored though because of the thick grass and damp outfields slowing the balls, with only 2 fours hit in the three games.  In the Challengers game Cooper Amos and Oliver Richter, and Hugh Armstrong and Jai Baxter's partnerships were the highest.  Oliver was given one of the "McDonalds Sports Awards" for his batting and also for his great effort to bowl with a straight arm.  In her first game of Challengers Killara Russell won the other because of her great batting and fielding.  Jai also took 3 wickets and Olivia Patti, Dylan and Cooper took 2 each. 

Henry Cohen was the only batter to score double figures in the Blue Group this week with 10 runs, next were Mazlyn Smith and Jardii Russell on 8.  The bowlers and fielders dominated the scorebook in this low scoring game.  Royce Cohen was the best bowler with figures of 4 for 11 runs off his three overs and got a "McDonalds Sports Award" for his excellent bowling.  Flynn Levitt, 3 for 6 and Tait Parker, 3 for 10 were other notable mentions.  Flynn and Jardii also effected 2 run outs each and Mazlyn took a catch.  Mazlyn took home the other award in this game for her all-round batting, bowling and fielding.

Some great running between the wickets and the slow outfield enabled the Gold Group batters to post some reasonable scores, even though only one boundary was hit.  Marshall Parker retired not out on 19 with some well-run twos and threes when he hit into space in the outfield.  Oscar Mahoney, 12 was one ball off retiring when he was bowled by Tyler Schultz.  Ben Watkins was looking good on 7 runs until his stumps were rattled with another great ball from him, Tyler ended up with figures of 2 for 17.  Mark Wilkie, 11 was another batter to be doing it easy until Alex Cullen got him in a close runout decision.  Other bowlers to take a wicket each were Kyle Wilkie, Ben and Alex. Kaisen Petersen and Alex Cullen got the "McDonalds Sports Awards" for their overall batting, bowling and their game awareness in the field.

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Ben Watkins drives through the crease during Friday’s match.
Alex Cullen delivers with pace and precision.

Photos supplied

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Burdekin Roosters A Grade coach Steve Lansley is putting together an A Grade side that will have plenty of speed, even though short of a couple of big men up front.

Leading the way will be last season’s Player of the Year Hayde Munro, again scheduled to run at lock. Hayde's older brother Jones is favoured to be one of the centres; he is very handy there with plenty of pace and solid defence.

With the retirement of five-eighth and captain Joel Mason due to a recurring knee injury, Lansley has recruited a more than handy number six, Mitch Brown, who has played A Grade for Brothers. Local Luca Lago would love a chance at wearing the 6, a position he was above average at in his junior years.

Brown's brother Ash is trialing with the Blackhawks but could also be joining the local Roosters. Lansley said if he does, he would be a very welcome addition, as he is a big front-rower with plenty of experience.

At the moment, the club is a bit short up front, with Lachlan Shepherd, Braedyn Cotter, and Tate Brombal the only big men with experience, backed up by former Blackhawk Ethan Hagarty and possibly a couple of players from the Reggies and Under-19s.

New signing hooker Nash Beck comes with experience and looks tough and nuggety. Last season’s Ignatius Park second-rower and captain Cooper Fletcher has joined the club and, even though not large in size, is a tiger on defence.

The club is also waiting on the Blackhawks to complete their Under-19 campaign, with big front-rower Torm Rupena expected to join. With Hayde Munro leading the forwards, last season’s half and Blackhawks Under-19 captain Jye Olsen will be given that role locally. Olsen won several Man of the Match awards last season and pushed Munro for the top player award with his organising ability at half.

Adam Camer came into first grade late last year but is now one of the first picked, with his tigerish defence and expert chiming into attack from fullback.

Terry Connors could be one of the wingers given his finishing ability, with Nemia Nawave the other. The club also has a new recruit from Western Lions, Jake O’Brien, who is an excellent finisher with plenty of speed.

Next week, we will have a look at the Reggies, Under-19s, and the Ladies, with big plans ahead for those teams.

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Roundtwo of the Coutt’sCommercial Tavern Men’sand Women’sOpen Touch pre-season competition delivered plenty of action lastweek, with several teams staking early claims on the leaderboard.

Inthe men’sdivision, One Touch IT emerged as the team to beat, securing twoconvincing victories to climb to the top of the standings. Close ontheir heels are Baywatch, His Haas, and Teamo Supremo, all tied forsecond place just one point behind the leaders.

Thewomen’scompetition saw Eathorne’sPrincesses maintain their strong start, sitting atop the ladder aftera solid win over Chick Flicks. Salty Sirens remain hot on theirheels, with the two sides sharing a 2-2 draw in a thrillingencounter.

RoundTwo Results –Men’sOpen:

• One Touch IT 4 def Baywatch 1
• One Touch IT 3 def Renegades 0
• Teamo Supremo 5 def Touch n Go 0
• Teamo Supremo 3 def Ball Grabbers 0
• His Haas 3 def Feelers 2
• His Haas 2 def Creampuffs 0
• Slush Puppies 6 def Blue Murder 1
• Slush Puppies 5 def Tha Murries 1
• Baywatch 3 def Renegades 1
• Feelers 2 drew Creampuffs 2
• Touch n Go 1 def Ball Grabbers 0

RoundTwo Results –Women’sOpen:

• Eathorne’s Princesses 3 def Chick Flicks 0
• Salty Sirens 4 def Chick Flicks 0
• Lasers 3 def Can’t Catch 0
• Lasers 3 def First in Physio 2
• First in Physio 6 def Can’t Catch 0
• Eathorne’s Princesses 2 drew Salty Sirens 2

Thecompetition is still open for team nominations, which will beaccepted up until March 1.

Meanwhile,the Friday Junior Touch program kicks off this week, welcoming boysand girls aged 4 to 12. Sign-on is scheduled for February 13 at theclubhouse from 5.30pm, with six weeks of skills, drills, and games tofollow. Registration costs $20.

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Local
The season was supposed to kick off last Saturday with the 1st Round of the Australia Cup where the Premiers are away to Saints Eagles Souths in Townsville. However, the match was postponed and will now take place this Saturday

Seniors
Training has been well underway now for a few weeks. Men train on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.15 and the Ladies are in action on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5.30 to 7.00. The Fixtures start on the weekend of 20- 22 M arch. The Division 1 and Funkies teams play Estates at home on the Friday, and the Ladies are away to MA Olympic. On the Sunday the Premiers and Reserves are away to Rebels.

Juniors
Registrations are open and teams will be hopefully getting sorted in the next few weeks. Please head to Facebook for registration information. If you have any questions, please email the club at burdekinfc@hotmail.com.

Masters
The Masters will resume its Monday Night Magic (or Mayhem) on 23 February. All are welcome, male, and female, useful and hopeless. Be there, International Park for 6.30 Kick off.

Europe

In the EPL, Arsenal thumped Leeds 4-0 and is now six points clear of Manchester City who could only draw 2-2 at Spurs. Aston Villa lost but is still third a further one point behind and ManU continue their good run under new Manager Michael Carrick beating Fulham to stay in fourth place. At the foot of the table West Ham, Burnley and Wolverhampton are in look relegation bound.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Bayern could only manage a daw away to lowly Hamburg and is now only six points clear of Dortmund with Hoffenheim a further three points behind. Stuttgart is still in fourth place. Heidenheim and St Pauli both lost and are holding up the table and Mainz, who won again, are almost out of the relegation zone.

In Italy’s Serie A, only three one of the top eight teams won. Inter was one of them and they are now top the table eight points ahead of AC Milan. Napoli is a further point behind and Juventus who won 4-1 at Parma stays in fourth place one point behind. The bottom seven teams all lost, and Pisa and Verona look Serie B bound.

In Spain’s, La Liga Barcelona and Real Madrid both won and Barca still leads Real by one point. Third placed Atletico could only draw and is another nine points off the pace. Fourth placed Villarreal is another three points behind. At the bottom of the league, Oviedo was the only team to win but along with Levante is still in deep trouble.

Finally, in France, after twenty rounds, three of the top four teams won and PSG still leads Lens by two points with Marseille, who could only draw, now a further seven points away. Lyon is in fourth place on goal difference. None of the bottom seven teams won and Metz, Auxerre and Nantes are in deep trouble.

The Quote of the Week is from ex- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger -“If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all”.

The Matildas are only a month away from their first match in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. The Matildas are in Group A with Iran, South Korea, and the Philippines and their first match is against the Philippines in Perth on 1st March. They then meet Iran on 5th March and South Korea on 8th March. The Asian Cup is being hosted by Australia. Twelve countries have qualified for the event which is also a qualifying event for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Socceroos fans planning to travel to the United States and Canada for next year’s World Cup have been hit with hefty ticket prices. The cheapest ticket on offer for an Australian fan wanting to see the Socceroos in action in a group game is $210 (US$140). That price is for a category three ticket to Australia’s opening game against a yet to be determined European qualifier in Vancouver or the Socceroos’ final group against Paraguay in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For those matches, a category two ticket will set fans back $570 (US$380), while a category one ticket to be as close to the action as possible is listed at $675 (US$450). The prices get even worse for Australia’s clash with host nation, the USA, in Seattle. The cheapest ticket going for that match is $398 (US$265). The craziest tickets have been saved for the final at New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19, The cheapest ticket on offer is $6,280 (US$4,185), Category two will set you back $8,366 (US$5,575).
In the A League, after fifteen rounds Newcastle are now the League leaders after beating Brisbane 4-1 and after Auckland lost 0-2 to Perth Glory. Sydney FC demolished

Western Sydney 4-1 to move into second place two points behind Newcastle, with Auckland dropping to third spot. Brisbane has dropped to seventh place, winning just one of their last five games. Western Sydney continue to hold up the league.

In the A League Women, after twelve rounds Melbourne City are still top despite losing 1-2 to Adelaide. Canberra beat Melbourne Victory 2-1 to move up to second place a point clear of Adelaide. Brisbane drew 2-2 at home to Central Coast and is now fifth. Sydney is bottom of the league after losing 3-2 to Western Sydney.

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The Burdekin Roosters have officially kicked off training as preparations ramp up for the 2026 Rugby League Townsville District (RLTD) season.

The club is aiming to field four teams this year, with the under 20s competition disbanded and replaced by a new under 19 grade. Alf Cantarella will again lead the under 18s, assisted by John Nash and Thomas Lammon. After guiding the side to a preliminary final last season before injuries took their toll, Cantarella said he was proud to have coached many of the players from their junior years through to the senior ranks.
Peter Horan returns as reserve grade coach, while Steve Lansley will once again mentor the A grade side.

Under a new two-year agreement, the women’s program will combine with Herbert River to form the Burdekin River team. Last season’s coach Anita Hagarty was appointed to continue in the role, although work commitments may impact her availability. The Burdekin side of the team will welcome back speedster Stephanie Monday, who reunites with her twin sister after a year away, along with forward Ali Nauque, returning from an ACL injury. Both bring representative experience to the squad.

Training is being held at Bendigo Bank Park in Ayr on Tuesday and Thursday nights for Burdekin-based players, with Townsville-based players training at Bindal on Tuesdays and Ayr on Thursdays.

A tentative RLTD draw has been released, with officials hoping for changes after the Roosters were scheduled to play seven away games in the first nine rounds.

Off the field, the club has a new executive committee, led by chairman Alex Lennox, alongside deputy John Nash, secretary and registrar Melissa Lammon, and treasurer Connie Elton.

Further details on returning and new players will be revealed in next week’s edition.

Contributed with thanks to Brian Carnes.

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Saturday 7 February (1-5pm) Group G - Carl List PC, James Kennedy PC, Shane Morgan, Ross Rickards and Ross Blakey.

Sunday, 8 February  (9am-1pm) Group B - Terry Lund PC, Kristy Wassmuth PC, Anita Giddy, Heather Scott, Briella and Emilee Wassmuth.

Sunday 8 February (1pm-5pm) Group A - Chris Wicks PC, Richard Dale PC, Jane Olsen, Zachary Dale, Stephanie Dale, Warne McShane, Nico Ortner and Wil Holt.

Contributed with thanks to Kristy Wassmuth.

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The Coutt’s Commercial Tavern Open Men’s and Women’s Touch pre-season competition got off to a flying start last week, with an impressive 120 touchdowns recorded.

After two games, Baywatch and Renegades remain unbeaten in the men’s competition, while Eathorne’s Princesses are the only undefeated team in the women’s draw. Even with shortened matches, the humid conditions proved challenging for many players.
So far, 12 men’s teams and six women’s teams have nominated, with further nominations expected in the coming weeks.

The four-week pre-season competition will conclude with finals on 11 February, before Round 1 of the Open competition begins the following week. Team nominations remain open until 28 February and can be completed via the burdekintouch.com.au website.

Sign-ons for the Under 14 and Under 12 Junior Touch competitions were held on Wednesday, 4 February, with those divisions set to begin next Wednesday.

Pre-season Round 1 results:
Men:
Baywatch 5 def Ball Grabbers 0
Baywatch 5 def His Haas 1
Renegades 7 def Touch n Go 0
Renegades 4 def Creampuffs 1
Creampuffs 4 def Touch n Go 2
His Haas 3 def Ball Grabbers 0
Teamo Supremo 3 def Feelers 2
One Touch IT 3 def Teamo Supremo 1
One Touch IT 0 drew Feelers 0

Women:
Eathorne’s Princesses 6 def Chick Flicks 0
Eathorne’s Princesses 2 def First in Physio 0
Salty Sirens 3 def Can’t Catch 0
First in Physio 1 def Salty Sirens 0
Can’t Catch 2 drew Chick Flicks 2

With strong numbers, competitive matches and junior divisions returning, the Burdekin Touch Football season is shaping up to be a big one.

Touch in the region is building momentum following the Coutt’s Commercial Tavern Open Men’s and Women’s Touch pre-season competition. Photo supplied

Contributed with thanks to Peter Knapton.

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The Home Hill Third Grade side went down narrowly in a close contest at home on Sunday morning, falling eight runs short against Brothers. Batting first, Brothers posted 8/130, with Leo Olditch leading the charge for Home Hill with an outstanding spell of 4/14 from six overs. He was well supported by Jaiden Rice (2/24) and Travis Butler (2/6).

In reply, Home Hill fought hard but finished on 9/122 from their 30 overs. Andrew Wallwork anchored the innings with a composed 37 not out from 44 balls, including two sixes, while Luke Mottin added a steady 23 not out from 52 deliveries. However, the run chase was ultimately undone by five costly run-outs.

In the afternoon match, the Home Hill Second Grade side posted a modest total of 96. Al Wilkins top-scored with a quickfire 33 off 23 balls, striking three fours and two sixes, while Kris Wright contributed 21 from 17. Consistent pressure from the Wests bowling attack kept the scoring rate in check throughout the innings.

Despite disciplined bowling efforts, Home Hill was unable to contain Beau McCarron, whose unbeaten 69 steered Wests to 1/99 and a convincing nine-wicket victory. Alex Stillhard claimed the only wicket with a sharp caught-and-bowled effort, but the visitors proved too strong in the chase.

Contributed with thanks to Tiffany Olditch.

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Leo Olditch (Third Grade) - bowled 4/14. Photo supplied

Wicket! Photo supplied

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The Ayr Golf Club was buzzing with energy as a record field of 121players teed off for the Mini Masters, proudly sponsored by DrummondGolf.

Withthe course presented in immaculate condition, blue skies overhead anda light breeze keeping conditions comfortable, it was a near-perfectday for golf. The strong turnout saw competitors travel from acrossthe Burdekin region, as well as Proserpine, Rowes Bay and even NorthLakes in Brisbane, highlighting the growing appeal of the event.

Congratulationsgo to all the winners and to every player who took part and helpedmake the day such a success. A special thank you also goes to Jamesfrom Drummond Golf, who made the trip to Ayr to set up a pop-up proshop and ensure golfers had everything they needed on the day.

Theclub also extends its sincere thanks to the volunteers who preparedthe course, staffed the clubhouse and worked behind the scenes to setup and run the competition. Their time and dedication continue tomake events like this possible and ensure the Ayr Golf Club remains awelcoming place to enjoy great golf and even better company.

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Photos and article courtsey of the Ayr Golf Club.

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Twenty-two players took to the greens on Thursday afternoon, with three games of triples and one pairs match played.

On Rink 4, Les Hoey and Joe Linton edged out Bob Young and Hugh Montgomery in a very close contest. Rink 5 saw Margaret Chapman, Sandra Darwin and Alex Bojack record a strong win over Norm Bethell, Cisco and Tony Eadie. On Rink 6, Paul Vass, Ron Smith and Steve Doig led from start to finish for a comfortable victory against Scott Taylor, Michael Young and Mick McClosky. Rink 7 featured a dominant performance from Robert ?, Elaine Young and Wayne Newton, who defeated Trevor Elton, Bruce McCallum and Glen “Bones” Berryman.

The overall winners for Thursday were Paul Vass, Ron Smith and Steve Doig.

Saturday afternoon again attracted 22 players, despite very hot conditions. Sweet FM, the sound of the Burdekin, kept players and spectators entertained throughout the afternoon. A welcome is extended to Glenis Johns, who played her first game at the club.

Three triples and one pairs match were played. On Rink 4, Austin, Elaine and Ron defeated Yogi, Michael Young and Alex. Rink 5 saw Judy, Margaret Chapman and Mick McClosky finish strongly to overcome Paul, Bob Pickard and Trevor. A close contest on Rink 6 ended with Bernice, Katrina and Glen edging out Janet Arthur, Mick Olsen and Bob Young. Rink 7 produced a last-end thriller, with Glenis Johns and Hugh Montgomery narrowly defeating Laura Webber and Harold Rummeny.

Thursday’s raffle winners were Bob Young, who claimed a breakfast meat tray with ticket No. 11, and Ron Smith, who won a bottle of wine with ticket No. 41.

Monday morning fitness sessions continue, along with Tuesday Trimmers and Tuesday Funday, which is open to anyone wanting to learn the game of bowls and starts at 10am. Wednesday morning Kraft group maintains its usual strong attendance, while Wednesday night barefoot bowls and sausage sizzles remain popular. Thursday morning bingo is well patronised, and with summer drawing to a close, afternoon social bowls are expected to continue growing through the cooler autumn and winter months. Saturday afternoon social bowls also continue to attract strong numbers.

Until next week, good bowling.

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Thursday’s winning team: Paul Vass, Ron Smith and Steve Doig

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Local swimmers have made a splash at the 2026 Townsville Tourist LongCourse Transition Meet, with the Torpedoes Swim Club delivering astandout performance across a big weekend of racing.

Theteam walked away with an impressive haul of place medals, upgrademedals, personal best times, state qualifying times and ribbons, butcoaches and parents alike say the results went far beyond whatappeared on the podium. For many swimmers, the meet provided valuablerace experience, the chance to overcome competition nerves and theopportunity to step outside their comfort zones by taking on newevents.

Aspecial mention goes to Mahli, Gabriella and Warne, who all qualifiedfor the highly competitive Eliminator event. The trio capped offtheir strong performances by securing wins and taking home cashprizes, adding an exciting highlight to the weekend.

Theclub also took time to acknowledge the strong support network behindthe swimmers’ success. Parents were thanked for volunteering theirtime as timekeepers, while the Dale family received specialrecognition for transporting the team tent and helping keep the grouporganised across the meet.

CoachesKim and Mick were praised for their guidance and encouragementthroughout the competition, helping swimmers stay focused andconfident across both days of racing. The Torpedoes also extendedtheir thanks to the Townsville Tourist Amateur Swimming Club forhosting what was described as a well-run and enjoyable event.

Withday one “done and dusted” and plenty of momentum heading into daytwo, the Torpedoes team showed strong spirit, determination andteamwork — proving once again that hard work in the pool pays off.

GoTeam Torpedoes!

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Burdekin’s Torpedoes Swim Club made a splash at the 2026 TownsvilleTourist Long Course Transition Meet. Photo supplied

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Junior cricket returned to the Nutrien Ag Solutions Cricket Complex in Home Hill last week, with strong numbers of new and returning players taking to the field after the Christmas break.

Blast Cricket Challengers showcased plenty of young talent, with two exciting games played by the 8–10 year olds. In game one, Nate Ryder and Noah Tanner combined for a match-winning 12 runs, while Reuben Armstrong starred with the ball, taking three wickets to earn Player of the Match. Emily Patti also impressed with her early bowling.

In the second game, Jai Baxter delivered a standout all-round performance and was named Player of the Match after teaming up with Jaxon Watkins to score 29 runs from two overs. Aria Bryant claimed an impressive four wickets, while Olivia Patti showed excellent line and length.

In the Blue Group hardball match, bowlers dominated. Henry Cohen top-scored with eight runs, while Mazlyn Smith took 2 for 7. Jardi Russell and Flynn Levitt received the McDonald’s Sports Awards for an outstanding first week in hardball cricket.

The Gold Group saw Logan Pickup take 3 for 7 to earn the McDonald’s Sports Award, while Alex Cullen (19*) and Oliver Calligaro (18*) led the batting.

It was a strong and encouraging start to the junior cricket season, with plenty of promise on display.

Contributed with thanks to Scott and Joanne Heidke.

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Alex Cullen led the batting in the Gold Group last week. Photo supplied

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By Jacob Casha

Home Hill's own Adam Walton teamed up with Rockhampton's Patrick Harper in the opening round of the Australian Open Men's Doubles, facing Townsville local John Patrick Smith and Czech international Adam Pavlasek in what was a strong attestation of Queensland's tennis talent pipeline.

Walton and Harper showed strong teamwork—a synergy that helped them win the NCAA Doubles National Championship during their Tennessee Tech days—but ultimately fell in straight sets to Smith and Pavlasek, 7-6, 6-3.

Fellow Queenslander and Tennessee Tech alumnus Smith put in a solid performance on the other side of the net, advancing to the second round alongside Pavlasek, where they will face the ninth-seeded duo of Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler.

The opening set was tightly contested, with both pairs holding serve throughout, leading to a tense tiebreak that Smith and Pavlasek narrowly edged 11-9. In the second set, the Czech Australian duo secured an early break and maintained their lead, closing out 6-3 to take the straight-sets victory.

Home Hill Tennis Association Secretary, Kate Casswell, said the match-up proved a strong advertisement for Queensland tennis, noting a clear influx of interest in the tennis club following both Walton's duel with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and the triple-Queensland doubles showdown.

"The Facebook post on Adam [Walton's] match got 9,300 views—more than three times the population of Home Hill," she said.

Regional Queenslanders are no strangers to success in the sport, with Casswell pointing to a determination forced upon young athletes in remote areas as a potential reason.

"You look at Pat Rafter from Mount Isa, Rocket Rod Laver from Rockhampton… Historically, people from regional Queensland have done really well," she said.

"When you have to drive seven hours to get to tournaments… it definitely makes you more determined."

Although Casswell hopes regional towns can continue to nurture talent, she said the sport is for everyone to enjoy.

"It doesn't matter whether you're going to become the next Adam Walton," she said.

"It helps to develop hand-eye coordination, pick up social skills. It's a really fun sport to play."

Casswell encouraged anyone interested in trying tennis to inquire about the Home Hill Tennis Association’s coaching sessions, 24/7 court hire, or to join the Monday night fixtures starting 2nd February, or the Friday social sessions beginning at the end of March.

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Adam Walton began playing tennis in Home Hill at five-years-old and is currently ranked 81st in the world. Photo source: Tennis Australia

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Local

The 2026 season is fast approaching. The various teams have been in training for a few weeks and on Saturday there were a couple of practice matches at International Park. The season starts this Saturday with the 1st Round of the Australian Cup where the Premiers are away to Saints Eagles Souths in Townsville.

Premiers

The Ayr Anzac Club Premier League side played Cairns team Southside Comets on Saturday evening. In hot, sultry conditions the Premiers won 4-3 after leading 4-1 with seven minutes left! The Panthers opened the scoring after only eight minutes with a goal from Matthew Kolb, but the Comets equalised sixteen minutes later. Jeremy Dal Santo restored the Panthers lead after forty three minutes and Sean Young quickly made it 3-1. With twenty minutes left Matthew Kolb added another goal and the Panthers looked to be cruising to a good win but two late goals from the Comets made the final score 4-3.

Reserves

Burdekin Tyre Service Reserves and the Astute Financial Colts had a practice match. The Reserves won 2-0 with second half goals from Mason Matthews and Seaton Ivory.

Juniors

Registrations are now open for Juniors for the 2026 season. Please head to Facebook for registration information. If you have any questions, please email the club at burdekinfc@hotmail.com.

Our committee needs you! Due to some long serving committee members now moving on within the club, we need parents to put their hands up to take over these crucial roles in order to help run the club and continue to make it thrive. Positions available are Junior Secretary, Junior Registrar, Grants Officer and Junior Canteen Co-ordinator.

These are all vital roles within our club, and we thank and congratulate those who have helped been in these positions both last year and previous years. They have established a great platform for a smooth transition for incoming committee members.

Masters

The Masters will resume its Monday Night Magic (or Mayhem) on 23 February. All are welcome, male, and female, useful and hopeless. Be there, International Park for 6.30 Kick off.

National and International

The Matildas will be hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup which kicks off in March. The Matildas are in Group A with Iran, South Korea, and the Philippines and their first match is against the Philippines in Perth on 1st March. They then meet Iran on 5th March and South Korea on 8th March.

The Socceroos have a couple of games lined up in March as they get ready for the World Cup which starts in June in America, Canada and Mexico. On 27th March they play Cameroon in Sydney and on 31st March meet Curacao in Melbourne.

In the A League, after fourteen rounds Auckland are one point clear of Newcastle after only managing a 2-2 draw at home to Central Coast. Macarthur thumped Melbourne City 6-2 and move up to third place. Brisbane Roar lost at home to Adelaide and drop to sixth place. Western Sydney continue to hold up the league.

In the A League Women, after eleven rounds Melbourne City are five points clear of Wellington after winning 2-0 in Perth. Canberra is in third place after losing 3-1 to Brisbane who are now fourth. Western Sydney are bottom of the league, two points adrift of Sydney.

Europe

In the EPL, Arsenal was the only one of the top five teams to lose, 2-3 at home to ManU. The Gunners are still top of the table four points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa. ManU is fourth and Chelsea fifth. At the foot of the table West Ham and Nottingham Forest both won but Burnley and Wolverhampton are in deep trouble.

In Germany’s Bundesliga, Bayern lost for the first time this season, 1-2 at home, to fifteenth placed Augsburg! They are now only eight points clear of Dortmund with

Hoffenheim and Stuttgart another six points adrift. Heidenheim and St Pauli are holding up the table and Mainz, who won again, is still in trouble.

In Italy’s Serie A, Inter was the only one of the top four teams to win, They are now five points clear of AC Milan, and third placed Roma is another four points behind, together with Napoli who lost to Juventus who move up to fifth spot. None of the bottom seven teams won and Pisa and Verona look doomed.

In Spain’s, La Liga the top three teams all won and Barcelona leads Real Madrid by one point. Third placed Atletico is a further seven points behind and Villarreal another three points adrift. At the bottom of the League Levante was the only team to win but along with Oviedo is still in deep trouble.

Finally, in France, after nineteen rounds, PSG leads Lens by two points with Marseille a further five points away and fourth placed Lyon another two points behind. None of the bottom five teams won and Metz, Auxerre and Nantes have severe problems.

The Quote of the Week is from Alex Ferguson, on José Mourinho "He was certainly full of it, calling me boss and big man when we had our post-match drink after the first leg. But it would help if his greetings were accompanied by a decent glass of wine. What he gave me was paint-stripper.

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