Sports Archives - Page 154 of 164

Professional Golf Reappears At Forbes

May 5, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

Professional golf returned to Forbes last Friday, its first appearance since the late 60s and early 70s, and it proved to be an outstanding success. Playing in the E-Z-Go Legends Pro- Am, David Merriman from Royal Pines in Queensland and formally from Boorowa, came out winner with 6-under par 66.

The professional tournament, for players aged 55 years and over, also included amateurs from across the district resulting in a full field of 120 plus with play from 8.30am to 10.30am on the 1st and 10th tees. Like all players Merriman was highly impressed with the Forbes course. “What the club here has put on is excellent, the course is a credit to the outdoor staff and volunteers who help out,” he said. “The speed of the greens which have a good cover of grass really impressed me, they were excellent and putts kept their line. I can see this tournament growing in years to come,” he added.

Runner-up with 3-under par 69 was Peter Woodward from Berwick, Victoria. Third was touring professional Glenn Joyner from Melbourne while fourth place was shared by local amateur Steve Betland and Allan May from Thornleigh, NSW. With a total purse of $11,000, Betland would have picked up a cheque of $625.24 if eligible.

Betland wasn’t the only local player to collect a trophy with several others taking home spoils in A, B and C grades plus Ladies. Forbes golfing ladies continued the trend of major events, staging their Open Tournament last weekend with Duntryleague Orange member Susan Fenwick winning the individual competition on Sunday with a score of 83 in Division 1.

Other winners were:
Division 1 – Handicap was won by Heather Davidson (Forbes) with 73 nett.
Division 2 – Scratch Cookie Dobell (Cowra) 93, Handicap Verna Lane (Forbes) 75.
Division 3 – Scratch Jean Judge (Forbes) 110, Handicap Briana Duncan (Forbes) 75.

On Saturday the Mens competition was a Stroke event. The A-division Winner was Jordan Brett with 68 nett, with Runner-up Todd Callaghan on 69 nett. The B-Division honours went to John Ridley, who scorched around in 63 nett, a long way ahead of Stuart French on 72 nett. Golf this weekend: Saturday has Men – Monthly Medals, sponsor Luke Hurford Painting. Ladies – Stableford, sponsor Haley Hurford Beauty Therapy. Sunday, Mother’s Day Medley Stableford.

Magpies Look Ahead To CYMS After Perfect Start To Season

May 5, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The Dubbo CYMS may have won the last two Group 11 competitions, but the Forbes Magpies will be confident of an upset, after smashing the Wellington Cowboys 48-10 last week. That performance followed an equally as good defeat of Dubbo Westside in round one, with the black-and-white side triumphing 52-22.

It has been an almost flawless start to the season by the Magpies, who have already scored 100 points in just two rounds, and have charged to the top of the ladder. While CYMS will be no easy-beats, having downed Narromine 64 10 last week, the Magpies forwards have been able to dominate their opposition in both matches so far this season, and Magpies Director of Coaching Cameron Greenhalgh said this would make them a tough side to beat.

“We’ve probably got one of, if not the best, forward packs in the competition,” he said. “Once they get a bit of a roll on, they’re pretty hard to pull back. We’ve probably just got to start playing off the back of what they do, and we’ll put on a little bit more.” “If they can keep that going for the full 80 minutes, Forbes will be pretty hard to beat.”

Greenhalgh said CYMS were a big and mobile side that had great line speed, and the Magpies had to match that to take the two points. “We’ve got to control the ball and keep the football off them as much as we can, and try to tire them out with our big forwards, and hopefully we can get the momentum,” he said.

“Both sides will be looking at going into the bye round with three wins under their belts, so it should be a good contest.” Kick-off will be at 4pm at Spooner Oval in Forbes.

Magpies Get Off To Blinding Start

April 28, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Magpies lead the Country Rugby League Group 11 competition after the first round, after demolishing Dubbo Westside 52-22 at Spooner Oval last Sunday afternoon. Despite potentially being without two players for this Sunday’s clash against the Wellington Cowboys in Wellington, their big win would certainly have boosted their confidence.

Zack Merritt was unlucky in the 75th minute of the Westside clash, picking up
a groin injury in the dying stages of the match, and he will unlikely be available to face Wellington. The other injury was picked up by centre Mike Mitchell, who injured his ankle. It is unknown as to whether he will be able to take the field this Sunday.

Magpies President Greg Grogan said the injuries was the only low point for the Forbes team, which came out guns blazing in round one. “They scored some really good tries and came up with some good set plays, and they were able to run away with the game,” he said. “They were a bit scrappy in the first half, but they fixed that up and really got going in the second half, which is a great sign moving forward.”

Grogan said it would be important for the Magpies to stick to captain/coach Jake Grace’s game plans moving forward throughout the season. “We may be off to a good start and on top of the ladder already, but it’s only round one,” he said. “The players showed last weekend that when they stick to Grace’s game plans, they play much better. There was a period where they seemed to just follow the opposition a bit, but when they went back to the game plan, they played much better.”

Wellington was beaten convincingly by the Parkes Spacemen 38-18 last weekend, and this would hold Forbes as favourites for their match. Meanwhile, the Forbes Magpies womens league tag side also came away with a win last Sunday. The reserve grade side went down to
Westside in their clash, and the under 18s side fell short of their first win as well.

In first grade, other results saw the Narromine Jets edge out the Nyngan Tigers 36-32, while Dubbo CYMS just beat local rivals Dubbo Macquarie 24 22. Besides the Magpies’ fixture against Wellington, next Sunday will see Dubbo CYMS ake on Narromine, Dubbo Westside locking horns with neighbours Dubbo Macquarie, and the Parkes Spacemen hosting the Nyngan Tigers.

Wickets Fall For Toby On Bradman Oval

April 21, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

Budding cricketer, Toby Hurford, had the great opportunity to play on the oval named after cricket legend, Don Bradman, at the beginning of the school holidays as part of the Lachlan U/14’s Representative team. The Lachlan side comprises of players selected from Cowra, Parkes, Young, West Wyalong and Forbes with Toby honoured as the only Forbes player selected.

The recent success of the Lachlan team earned them an invitation alongside teams from Hornsby, Southern Highlands, Dubbo, Wagga and Bathurst to play a round robin competition held at Mittagong and Bowral. Toby claimed
a total of nine wickets over the six games played and was rewarded by being awarded with a Don Bradman Commemoratory Coin for most wickets for the Lachlan side. The Don Bradman Museum donated the coins, which were awarded to the player who claimed the most wickets and the most runs in each team.

Toby and his family along with other Lachlan team members visited the Don Bradman museum during their time in Bowral and were in the right spot at the right time meeting cricket star, Nathan Lyon. Toby’s father, Troy, was very impressed with Nathan who was only too willing to talk to the boys and sign memorabilia and pose for photos. Nathan was originally from Young and current Lachlan coach, Dean Schoefield, also from Young, was well known to Nathan. The cricket season has now finished and Toby will now turn his sporting talents to the football field with the Forbes Junior Magpies and will return to the cricket pitch next season.

Forbes Bowls Update

April 21, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

Our Four’s Pennants teams had a win by ten points against Parkes Town last Sunday. The games were played at Forbes and the home advantage paid off. Team 1 Viv Russell, Brian Asimus, Dale Barker and Graham Rutherford had a 29:9 win over Mudie, Ryan, Henry and Hornery of Parkes. Team 2 Robert Bayley, Glen Kearney, Russell Dietrich and Bruce Williams had a 23:16 win from Hodge, Wright, Searl and O’Malley of Parkes. Team 3 Scott Andrews,
Greg Gunn, Don Drabsch and Jarrod Andrews won by 29:14 from Valentine,
Carr, Ward and Corcoran of Parkes. Well done fours.

Our Sixes also played last Sunday at Narromine. They won one match and lost two. Team 1 Scott McKellar, Ron Thurlow, John Kennedy and Al Phillips went down 11:34 against Daley, McNair, Carnevale and Daley of Narromine. Team 2 Ray Montgomery, Clive Herbert, John Stringer and Brian Tisdell went down by 9:26 against Clark, Maher, Buttsworth and Sillivan of Narromine. Team 3 had a win, they were John Williams, Russell Hodge, Graham West and Lyall Strudwick who won by 21:12 against Price, Harding, Gillespie and Payne of Narromine.

Join us on ANZAC Day, Monday 25th April at 1pm, for a triples competition. Nominate yourself with the club staff or committee and you will be placed in a team. There will be plenty of good meat trays to be won.

Magpies Beat Wellington To Cap Off Solid Pre-Season

April 14, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Magpies ran away with their final trial match of 2016 to send a strong message to the Group 11 competition this year. Despite some lazy period in the first half, the Magpies destroyed the Wellington Cowboys 56-22 in Wellington last Saturday.

The win came after they comfortably put away neighbours the Parkes Spacemen 38-16, while they also put on strong displays in their wins against Bathurst St Patricks, and the sides they beat on their way to the West Wyalong knock-out semi-final.

They were also one of the better sides in the recent Parkes Nines competition. Magpies President Greg Grogan said with a Group 11 round one bye this weekend, the Magpies were feeling confident heading into round two against the Cowboys in Wellington.

“It was over 30 degrees up in Wellington last Saturday, and the players did well to play like they did in the heat,” he said. “It was a really strong outing from our forwards, and they’re looking good for this season. But the whole side put on a really good attacking performance. They scored five or six tries in the second half alone.”

After scoring early in the first half, Grogan said the Magpies got lazy in defence, allowing Wellington back into the contest. But he said a half time lecture by captain/ coach Jake Grace brought the best out of them in the second stanza. The under 18s side also played in Wellington, but put in an effort Grogan said was well below their capabilities, coming home with a 28-10 loss.

Meanwhile the Magpies will officially launch their season at the Forbes Sport and Recreation Club tonight (Friday April 15). The launch will include dinner as well as music, drinks, and an auctioning of the first grade players’ jerseys to raise money for the club. The launch will start at 6.30pm, and Grogan said anyone is welcome to attend.

Women’s Basketball In Search Of More Players

April 14, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Women’s Basketball Association is looking for more players to register, ahead of the start of its season on May 5. This year’s competition will be played on Thursday nights from 6.15pm at the Red Bend College undercover courts.

But with the start of the season soon approaching, Association President Candice Morrison said anyone interested in playing should register as soon as they can. “We have registration packs available at News on Rankin on Rankin Street, and they’re also downloadable from our Facebook page,” she said.

“The first two weeks of the competition will be training, getting to know each other, and finalising the teams, which we hope to have about seven of.” Morrison said any women from Parkes interested in playing basketball were also encouraged to make the short drive down to Forbes. “Parkes doesn’t currently have a basketball competition, so women from there are more than welcome to come down to Forbes to play,” she said.

The Association managed to put together seven teams last year, and is hoping to build on that in 2016. Morrison said girls aged 16 in the Forbes Basketball Association could also step up toplay seniors.

Meanwhile, the Association has elected a new committee, with Candice Morrisonas President, Samantha Rath as Secretary, Debbie Hearn as Treasurer, and Julie Crimp as Publicity Officer.

Magpies Ready For Final Preseason Hit-Out

April 7, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Magpies will welcome back some injured players this weekend as they prepare to take on the Wellington Orcas in Wellington on Saturday. The Magpies will come off a solid 38-16 win over the Parkes Spacemen last week a match where they flexed their muscles and piled on the points.

It was part of a blockbuster evening at Spooner Oval last Friday night, with the under 18s getting up 18-6, while the league tag girls went down 12-0. One junior and senior side will travel to Wellington on Saturday, with the league tag girls unable to make the trip. Magpies President Greg Grogan said the senior players showed great strength last Friday, and would be confident heading into their final preseason hit-out.

“We’ve got a really strong forward pack this year plus we’ve picked up some good young backs, who played really well,” he said. “We’ll still have a couple players resting for Wellington, but some others will be back from their injuries which will be good.” “We dropped a few balls against Parkes, so the players will be working on that moving forward.”

Grogan said the club was lacking players for their reserve grade team this year, and with depth being important, he encouraged any player interested in playing to attend team training at Spooner Oval at 6pm on a Tuesday night. “We would love to see more players registering for our reserve grade side, so if anyone is thinking about it or would be interested in playing, they are more than welcome to come to training and join up,” he said.

The Magpies have a bye in round one of the Group 11 competition following the Wellington trial.

Kenny Happy With Forbes’ State League Performance

April 7, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes Netball Association State League division two coach Robyn Kenny said her players put in an outstanding performance in this year’s State League, finishing fourth overall. The finals were staged in Orange last Sunday, with Forbes facing Bathurst and Orange.

They went down in a very tight match for the second time against Bathurst, after losing to them in round one of the competition, and played for third place against Orange. Unfortunately for the yellow and blue side, they again went down in a tight tussle, and settled for fourth place overall. But having come so close to reaching the grand final, and having recorded some good wins in their State League campaign, Kenny said there were a lot of positives for the FNA to take from this year’s State League.

“We had some very unlucky games, and when luck isn’t on your side, there isn’t a great deal you can do about it,” she said. “There were minor things we weren’t getting right, such as turnovers, and they were the difference in winning and losing games.”

Forbes lead most of their matches against Bathurst and Orange, but turnovers in the last stages of each match lead both sides back into the contest, which they would ultimately win. Bathurst went on to finish the competition undefeated and win the title, but Kenny said when you compare how long her team has played together with how long the Bathurst players have been together for, her team’s results were very impressive.

“I couldn’t be happier with how the players played, considering that Bathurst have been together for quite a few years now, and we haven’t been able to train as much as we’d like to either,” she said. “The games we lost were still very close. We just lacked the structure to finish them off and maintain our leads to get back in front.” “We’ve had a great time over the last few weeks for State League, and the players have shown great sportsmanship.”

The players will now focus on the FNA’s local Saturday competition, and will start preparing for the Forbes Carnival on May 1, before deciding whether or not to enter into any other regional carnivals.

Magpies To Host Derby Trial Night

March 31, 2016 by Maggi Barnard

The first local derby of 2016 will be staged tonight at Spooner Oval when the Forbes Magpies take on the Parkes Spacemen in one of their final hit-outs before the season-proper. Three grades will feature from 6pm, including the women’s league tag, under 18s, and a senior side made up of reserve grade and first grade players.

With the Spacemen being the closest rival to the Magpies the game should still be a tight affair despite it only being a trial match. The games will be played in 40-minute halves. For the senior players, it will be their second-last trial before next weekend’s match against Wellington in Wellington, before
their Group 11 round one bye.

Their first game will be against Dubbo Macquarie at Spooner Oval on April 23. Ahead of tonight’s trial, Magpies President Greg Grogan said his men were still carrying some minor injuries, but with some players sitting out, it would still be a good hit-out against Parkes. “We’ve got the first grade and reserve grade squads combining for the senior team, so it will be a good chance to see what sort of depth we have,” he said.

The Magpies made the semi-final at the Parkes Nines event two weeks ago, beating Wellington and Dubbo West Side before falling to Dubbo CYMS, and Grogan said this confidence would hold them in good stead moving forward. “Nines is completely different, but it was still a good showing of fitness from the players,” he said.

“From here it’s just a matter of avoiding more injuries. The best teams in the competition normally have the least injuries.” The Magpies will hold their season launch on Friday April 15 at the Sport and Recreation Club, and will combine their juniors and seniors at the launch for the first time.

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