Narrabri Polocrosse Club hosted their 2024 carnival and Junior Challenge at the Narrabri Racecourse across the weekend, and again the prestigious event attracted a mixture of national and international interest.
Players travelled from all over the country to compete and a team of New Zealand youngsters took part in the Junior Challenge. The club confirmed on Sunday night that this year’s Junior Challenge was the largest they have ever held, with 20 teams totalling 120 players lining up across the two days.
Those teams are made up of three male and three female players each, who must come from at least three different clubs, and whose individual rankings must not exceed a certain number, which this year was 24.
There were 41 more club teams in action across the weekend that played in the sub-junior, open and women’s divisions.
The carnival was in doubt earlier in the week following an abundance of rain in Narrabri on Monday night and Tuesday morning, but the club confirmed on Tuesday that it would go ahead as planned and it did so in spectacular fashion.
Narrabri Polocrosse Club president Trent Mortimer told The Courier that it was an enjoyable weekend, and he thanked all club members, sponsors and travelling players who contributed to making it a huge success.
“We had a few hurdles to jump over across the weekend but we got over them and it was a good carnival,” Mortimer said.
“We ended up having 61 teams all up. That’d be on par with our biggest carnivals. We had 20 in the Junior Challenge. I think that’s our biggest one ever. It’s the biggest one yet while I’ve been president, anyway.
“Our carnival is getting bigger and bigger every year. The word is getting around that it’s a good carnival here, and we had a lot of responses after the carnival saying how well it was run.”
Narrabri Polocrosse Club enjoyed team and individual success across the weekend.
In the Junior Challenge, Ella Hunt was a member of the winning A-grade team, JH Stockhorses, Blake Fielder and Darcy Dickinson played for the B-grade runners-up, Gold Diggers, and Pippa Cullen was named best number one in D-grade after helping her team, REMT, finish as runners-up in the division.
In the club carnival, Narrabri Two were the runners-up in the F open division. That team included Carah Koekemoer, Jack Dickinson, Josie Galagher, Dylan Dixon, Emily Giffin and Emily Lambert.
Galloping Gully Polocrosse Club were also well-represented and they too enjoyed a successful weekend.
In the Narrabri Junior Challenge, Max Hunter was a member of the winning A-grade side, JH Stockhorses, Campbell Williams played for the runners-up in B-grade, Gold Diggers, and Tom Lilliebridge was part of the C-grade runners-up team, REMT.
In the club carnival, Gully took out the B women division with the team of Jessie Melbourne, Clare Campbell, Emma Gersch, Daisy Duncan, Steffi Allison and Sally Hunter. Allison was also named best number two in that division.
Gully also won the E open division with the team of Brett Allison, Kohl Weir, Fletcher Williams, and Hugh, Geoff and Fergus Hunter. Williams was named best number one in the division and Hugh Hunter was named best number two.
Cubbaroo Polocrosse Club players also lined up across the weekend. Two in particular made their mark, with Edwina Keft and John Brodigan lining up for the D-grade runners-up, REMT, in the Junior Challenge.
A results list from the 2024 Narrabri Polocrosse Club carnival, held at the Narrabri Racecourse, is as follows:
Club Carnival:
A subbies:
Runners-up – Merriwa One, winners – Foothills, best number one – Jasper Thomas (South Midlands), best number two – Kelsie Mulligan (Gulgong), best number three – Hayden Tarlington (Burradoo), Dimity Harris memorial sub-junior encouragement award – Isabelle Pryor (Merriwa).
C women:
Runners-up – Quirindi Two, winners – Muswellbrook, best number one – Olivia Bolingbroke (Foothills), best number two – Vicki Hawthorne (Bunnan), best number three – Amanda Smith (Quirindi).
B women:
Runners-up – Gulgong, winners – Gully One, best number one – Tess May (Jugiong), best number two – Steffi Allison (Gully), best number three – Lauren Sibley (Albury/Holbrook).
A women:
Runners-up – Guyra, winners – Pink Ladies, best number one – Kyle Dowling (Foothills), best number two – Sally Galvin (Foothills), best number three – Marijke Thomas (South Midlands).
F open:
Runners-up – Narrabri Two, winners – Cassillis Two, best number one – Caleb Cook (Cassilis), best number two – Aaron Galvin (Cassilis), best number three – Craig Klinger (Guyra).
E open:
Runners-up – Walcha, winners – Gully, best number one – Fletcher Williams (Gully), best number two – Hugh Hunter (Gully), best number three – Simon Wall (Walcha).
D open:
Runners-up – Inverell One, winners – Tansey, best number one – Emily Gentry (Inverell), best number two – James Green (Tansey), best number three – Alex Wrobel (Inverell).
C open:
Runners-up – Lake George, winners – Chinchilla, best number one – Lilly Bredhaurer (Chinchilla), best number two – Murray Thomas (Lake George), best number three – Kyron Sturgess (Chinchilla).
B open:
Runners-up – Quirindi, winners – Muswellbrook, best number one – Brandon Parkinson (Muswellbrook), best number two – David Carvana (Muswellbrook), best number three – Ben Tunnicliff (Muswellbrook).
A open:
Runners-up – Bunnan, winners – Travellers, best number one – Abbott Grills (Guyra), best number two – Stuart Bolingbroke (Foothills), best number three – Islay Young (Albury/Holbrook).
Major awards:
Gilbert Harris memorial champion intermediate player of the carnival – Bridget McKemey (Guyra), champion lady player of the carnival – Kylie Dowling (Foothills), champion male player of the carnival – Abbott Grills (Guyra), champion overall horse and rider combination – Abbott Grills (Guyra).
Narrabri Junior Challenge:
F-grade:
Runners-up – Biamble, winners – Street, best number one – Max Green (Midland Spurs), best number two – Will Waugh (Guyra), best number three – Charlotte Green (Midland Spurs).
E-grade:
Runners-up – High Voltage, winners – Tassy Two Heads, best number one – Jett Palmer (Capella), best number two – Madeline Cosgrove (Canberra), best number three – Charlie Spillane (Central Coast).
D-grade:
Runners-up – REMT, winners – TWP Angus, best number one – Pippa Cullen (Narrabri), best number two – Liam Baxter (Tansey), best number three – Aidee Thomas (Lake George).
C-grade:
Runners-up – Mach Energy, winners – Silverhills, best number one – Georgie Cardile (Albury), best number two – Ruby Turnbull (Quirindi), best number three – Sid Weston (Jugiong).
B-grade:
Runners-up – Gold Diggers, winners – Dartbrook, best number one – Maddy Russell (Tansey), best number two – Korbin Hamilton (New Zealand), best number three – Tenaisha Thomas (South Midlands).
A-grade:
Runners-up – Rebels, winners – JH Stockhorses, best number one – Colm Galvin (Foothills), best number two – Walter Greentree (Quirindi), best number three – Maggie Fuller (Burradoo).
Major awards:
Champion junior girl of the carnival – Maggie Fuller (Burradoo), champion junior boy of the carnival – Jake Wamsley (Bunnan), champion junior horse of the carnival – Jake Wamsley (Bunnan), champion overall junior of the carnival – Jake Wamsley (Bunnan).
