Highlights from Hedland’s sporting year

Reporter Ben Leahy takes a look back at Hedland’s sports clubs and athletes in 2015 as they competed against each other and the best from the State and helped bring the community together week-in and week-out.

One of the first sports to draw a big crowd in 2015 was the local cricket league as it held its 50-over grand final in February.

Heavy favourites Port Hedland Cricket Club took on 2014’s easy-beats, the Wanderers in the one-day final with the Port club eventually running out winners by five wickets with 20 overs to spare.

Yet following on from a tough 2014, the Wanderers did a superb job in reaching the grand final.

In March, the Hedland Sharks swim club shined.

They returned with a bag of gold medals after 11 local swimmers travelled to Exmouth to compete against 30 teams from across WA at the 2015 Country Pennants swimming championships.

It was the local club’s first trip to the championships in many years, and out of 54 events, the team powered home for 32 gold, 15 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Also in March, the Port Hedland baseball season came to a close as the Pirates beat the Swans in the A-grade finals.

Hedland judo lovers threw their opponents into a spin in the same month as they collected a bag of medals at the State titles in Perth.

Sang-Rok Hedland Judo Club treasurer Rebecca Zammit said more than 20 Pilbara martial artists travelled to the titles at the University of Western Australia’s Claremont campus on March 29.

In July it was the Port Hedland Netball Association that showcased Hedland’s sporting talent on a regional stage.

The local association won two out of six divisions at the North West Netball Region Championships against teams from Kununurra, Derby, Broome, Newman, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Karratha.

Over in Newman, one of the town’s most popular sporting events took place when the Bush Turkeys took on the Dingoes in the annual Newman Vets Celebrity Australian Rules Football match recently.

Newman’s veteran over-35 footy players joined players from the Hedland AFL Masters team as well as celebrities Brad Hogg, Richard Champion, EJ Whitten Jr, Paul Hasleby, Antoni Grover, Adrian Barich and local female footy star Chelsea Randall.

Also in July, the race horse Flirtatious was too strong for her rivals in the $30,000 Newcrest Telfer Marble Bar Cup at Marble Bar.

In a stirring finish with Just Hoping, who was game running second, Flirtatious’ apprentice jockey Kate Fitzgerald timed her run home beautifully.

Pilbara BMX racers also celebrated the re-opening of a new track when volunteers held the first North West Super Series event in Newman in more than a decade on the new course.

The day was a celebration of the thousands of volunteer hours that Newman mums and dads had put into rebuilding the track after it laid dormant for about 11 years.

September was a big month for local sport as the

The South Hedland Swans ended one of the North Pilbara Football League’s longest premiership droughts by beating the Dampier Sharks by 25-points in the grand final.

Clutching a nine-point lead midway into the last term, Swans coach Troy Melville admitted to sweating on the final siren as his club closed in on its first premiership in 19 years with a 13.19 (97) to 10.12 (72) victory.

“I had someone keeping the time behind me and it was the longest five minutes I’ve ever experienced in my life,” he said.

Yet once the siren sounded and the huge home crowd erupted with joy Melville described the experience as humbling.

In the reserves grand final the Karratha Kats kept the South Hedland Swans goalless in the first half to easily run away with the NPFL reserves premiership.

Hedland and Marble Bar primary students also had the chance to dazzle Perth sport’s lovers with their footy skills after playing little league on Domain Stadium in the same month.

South Hedland Primary School principal Daryl Mansfield said the students couldn’t contain their excitement when taking the field at half-time in the August 30 Fremantle Dockers and Melbourne Demons AFL match.

From the young to the old, Hedland’s over-35 Masters Flatback Turtles AFL footballers also wrapped up a successful year in September by travelling to Broome to take on the Pearlers team.

The team had also played against Karratha and Newman as well as the local Gaelic football club.

Softballers took the field for their grand final in September as Pirates beat Raiders by 16 runs to four and the Raiders beat Cougars by 20 runs to five in the A-reserve competition.

The Port Hedland Softball Association also celebrated its 40th Year Anniversary Ball at the Walkabout Hotel in September.

Later in the month, the Port Hedland players then put on a clinical display to defeat rivals Karratha 8-1 in the 40th ruby anniversary of the North West Women’s Softball Championships.

Golfers were busy during the same month as the 2015 Port Hedland Open attracted a large field of 70 golfers from Port Hedland, Karratha and Roebourne.

Lincoln Tavo won the men’s A-grade title with Karratha’s Marie Nottle taking the ladies’ competition.

Kellie Williams led home all comers under sunny skies in the opening triathlon of the new Hedland Tri Sports season.

One of the Pilbara’s most unusual sports roared to life in August as the V8 sprint boats dashed through a manmade course in Newman in August.

Following a short break for Christmas, the triathlon season kicks off again later this month.

Pilbara motorbike riders churned the dust and soared into the sky for their final motocross race meet in October.

More than 70 riders, including juniors as young as four and over-40s veterans hit the track on high-powered bikes.

A strong New Zealand side also fell to the Australians in October during Newman’s annual Bloody Slow Cup match, with only one point in it as the Kiwis went down 15-16.

The teams took to the field in front of a packed crowd at Capricorn Oval as the Australian side had looked to make it the second win in a row, while the New Zealand side knew bragging rights were on the line.

In the Western Desert sports lovers from remote Aboriginal communities played the third and final round of the Western Desert League at Warralong.

Once the dust settled, Warralong capped off their consistent effort across the three tournaments to be crowned the 2015 Western Desert League champions in Aussie Rules, while Parnpajinya walked away with the softball title.

The tournament included players from Nullagine, Punmu, Parnpajinya, Jigalong, Parnngurr, Kunawaritji and Kiwirrkurra.

Fishermen and women descended on Hedland’s choppy waters in November for the annual Pil Barra Fishing Tournament.

The tournament allowed juniors and seniors to vie for awards, such as champion angler and the highly coveted biggest barra prize.

Female footballers also took part in the inaugural VSwans Pilbara Women’s AFL Twilight Carnival Shield in November.

The Hedland Reds took the tournament victory by beating the highly touted Newman Dragons in the grand final at Colin Matheson Oval.

To round out the year, Hedland’s water polo players took part in men’s and women’s grand finals.

The women’s game was super viewing, with the Seafollies just falling short in their comeback to lose to the Pointers, 13-11.

In the men’s game, the Pointers beat the Blackstars by 12-6.