FENSOM A SHARK
Former Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys lock Shaun Fensom has signed with the Belconnen United Sharks for the 2020 season. Fensom, who retired from professional rugby league at the conclusion of the 2019 season, joins former Raiders teammate Glen Buttriss at the Sharks, who has confirmed he will play again next year. Also joining the club for 2020 are Nukurua Ngere (Queanbeyan Kangaroos), Samual Bramich (Gungahlin Bulls) and Seth Going (Royals Rugby).
RECORD ATTEMPTS ON TARGET
Local archer Joseph McGrail-Bateup has broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to shoot 10 arrows. McGrail-Bateup, who joined the Tuggeranong Archery Club (TAC) a little over a year ago, made his official record attempt on Sunday 17 November at the TAC Indoor Range. The previous record was held by Hamish Murray (UK), who successfully shot 10 (scoring) arrows into a target at 18m in 1 minute 0.5 seconds. The target face size was 40cm and the record was set in the UK in September 2015. McGrail-Bateup successfully managed to shoot 10 scoring arrows into a 40cm target at 18m in a time of 59.84 seconds. The new time is still unofficial until accepted by Guinness World Records, which may take up to three months.
ABL ACTION
Canberra Cavalry start their Australian Baseball League campaign tonight, Thursday 21 November, with a home series at Narrabundah Ballpark against the Melbourne Aces.
CANBERRA KART RACING
The Canberra Kart Racing Club will hold its final race meeting of the year at Circuit Mark Webber, Fairbairn Park on 23-24 November. The main race is The Canberra Cup, which will attract competitors from all over Australia. Admission is free.
COME AND TRY DRAGON BOATING
The Diamond Phoenix dragon boat club is holding a come and try day on Saturday 30 November 11am-1pm. Women from teenagers to 50+ are invited to join in a paddle on Lake Burley Griffin. Visit diamondphoenix.com.au for a map and information of what to wear. All paddle equipment is provided.
BLACKBALL POOL VICTORY
Local pool player Rony Sood has helped Australia to its first ever blackball pool title at international level. Competing as part of the Men’s B team, they snuck into the top six before defeating England B in the elimination final. In the semi-finals, they defeated Malta B before defeating Wales B1 to become Champions of the Nations Cup.
WORLD CUP CRICKET
Monday 18 November marked 100 days until Canberra hosts the first of five ICC Women’s T20 World Cup matches at Manuka Oval. A three-day festival of cricket will run from 26 to 28 February, which will feature seven of the world’s best women’s cricket teams. The Australian team will take on Bangladesh in a night game on Thursday 27 February.
ROLLER DERBY GRAND FINAL
Canberra Roller Derby League’s (CRDL) 2019 home season comes to an end with a Grand Final triple header on Saturday 30 November. CRDL’s four home teams will be battling for the honour of the Bronze Final (Brindabelters v Black ‘n’ Blue Bells) and the Darby Derby Cup (Red Bellied Black Hearts v Surly Griffins). The finals start with a Junior Roller Derby bout featuring CRDL’s own Prime Sinisters. The event is on Saturday 30 November at Southern Cross Stadium, Tuggeranong. Doors open 2pm with the junior bout at 2.15pm, bronze final 4pm and grand final 6.30pm. Tickets: $20 adult, $12 children; available from Moshtix.
RISING STARS RECOGNISED
Two local young cricketers have been honoured with Graham Wilkinson Memorial Junior Taverners Awards to help further their careers. The winners of this year’s awards are Clare Levings of the Weston Creek Molonglo Cricket Club and Ethan Fitzpatrick of the Ginninderra Cricket Club, who have each received $1,500 and a Kookaburra cricket kit.
PIRATES CLAIM SILVE
The Canberra Pirates, ACT’s premier women’s ice hockey team, have finished their 2019 season with a silver medal in the Australian Women’s Tier 2 Showcase Series (AWT2) going down to the Melbourne Chargers in the grand final. The Tier 2 series is the second highest level of women’s ice hockey in Australia and is played across three rounds over the course of the year, featuring teams from NSW, SA, VIC and WA. The Pirates now head into their off-season and will be returning to the ice for the first round of the 2020 AWT2 series, expected to be held in March/April.
NETBALL CONFERENCE
Netball NSW announced a partnership with Goulburn Mulwaree Council on Friday 15 November that will see the 2020 Biennial Conference and NSW Swifts v Giants pre-season match held in Goulburn at Veolia Arena on Saturday 22 February 2020. The Conference – themed as ‘Our Sport, Our Way’ – will focus on netball’s next development phase through leadership, building capacity, culture and a deeper understanding of the rise of female sport. An early-bird ticket offer for the conference including the pre-season match, is available now until 15 December via www.stickytickets.com.au
WNBL TURNS ORANGE
Basketball Australia and the WNBL are supporting UN Women Australia with ‘Orange the World’ themed WNBL Rounds as a part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Over the course of Rounds 7 and 8, the WNBL and its clubs will be championing the initiative through donation collections and a number of other game day activities. Donations will go towards funding UN Women Australia’s grassroots programs that work to create safe spaces for women and girls, free from violence, as well as supporting those who have been affected by violence firsthand. Basketball Australia and the WNBL encourage fans to show their support by texting ‘LIGHT’ to 0497 222 444, to donate $5 directly to UN Women Australia.
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