The Wollongbar Alstonville Pioneers have gone down in in a thrilling Major Semi Final against the Casuarina Beach Barbarians in Far North Coast Rugby Union.The Pioneers took the regular season Minor Premiership by 13 points and went into the Semi Finals as favourites, after the last meeting in Round 17 between the two sides resulted in a 52-19 victory to the Pioneers.The home side had the perfect start after Sam Kerry scored in the third minute, followed by a Daniel Damen try just 4 minutes later had Casuarina reeling, another try to Kerry in the 23 minute and prop Ewan McQueen diving over on the stroke of halftime gave the Pioneers a 26-17 lead at the break.A strong halftime rally by the Barbarians paid dividends in the second half as they began to chip away at the Pioneers lead.The match had plenty of passion, with both sides pushing the boundaries to secure a week off.In the end, Casuarina were able to pile on 20 points in the second half to run out 1 point winners in tense fiery final minutes 37-36. This means the Barbarians are the first team through to the FNC Rugby Union Grand Final.The Pioneers were able to comfortably account for the Barbarians in Second Grade 44-10.In another close result on Sunday, the Byron Shire Rebels edged out Ballina 39-36 to set up a replay of the 2023 Grand Final next week to decide who will meet Casuarina in this years decider.The Rebels held a 22-12 lead at halftime before Ballina fought back to close within 3 points.The Preliminary Final will be played at Quays Reserve, Ballina on Saturday at 3:15pm.FAR NORTH COAST RUGBY UNION MAJOR SEMI FINAL RESULTS 14th SEPTEMBER 2024First GradeCasuarina Beach 37(Mitch Planten 2, Kai George, Samisoni Vereniki, Pat Williams tries, Kai George 3 conversions, 2 penalty goals) d Wollongbar Alstonville 36(Sam Kerry 2, Daniel Damen, Ewen McQueen, Louis Hollman tries, Bodi Smith 4 conversions, penalty goal)Half Time: Wollongbar 26 - Casuarina 172nd GradeWollongbar Alstonville 44(Jarrod Wyllie, Cooper Love, Charlie Hollman, Blake Henderson, Zach Hyatt, Ryley Conlan, Hudson Love tries, Jarrod Wyllie 3 conversions, penalty goal) d Casuarina Beach10(Josh Harman, Drew Summers tries)Half Time: Wollongbar 24 – Casuarina 10Women’sCasino 33(Samantha Codrington 2, Felicity Peters 2, Samara Leven tries, Felicity Peters 4 conversions) d Casuarina Beach 17(Brigid Isbester, Nicola Gee, Bonnie Robinson tries, Mahli Johnson conversion)Half Time: Casino 26 – Casuarina Beach 5Under 18’sLennox Head 17(Khi Edawards, Huey Young tries, Jesse Ingram 2 conversions, penalty goal) d Casuarina Beach 7(Luca Kirkwood try, Mani Lopez conversion)Half Time: Lennox 17 – Casuarina 7

It is Semi Final time in Far North Coast Football after a dramatic end to the regular season.Just one goal separated the top sides on the Pointscore table, with Bangalow securing the title after they finished equal with South Lismore on points, but had a 1 goal advantage in Goal Difference.The Goonellabah Hornets finished in third place after a much improved season and Alstonville rounded out the top four.The semi final match ups will see Bangalow host Alstonville on Saturday at 3:00pm and on Sunday, South Lismore will host Goonellabah in a local derby at 2:30pm.Both matches could go either way and any of the 4 teams would deserve a place in the Grand Final.In Women's Premier League, both Semi Finals will be played on Sunday at 2:30pm, with Pointscore Champions Lennox Head hosting Richmond Rovers and Alstonville will host Byron Bay in the second Semi Final.Men's Championship will Semi Finals will see Bangalow host Alstonville and the Nimbin Headers will travel to Casino for their game.In Divison Grand Finals across the weekend, on Saturday Men's League 1 will see Byron Bay and Burringbar clash, Rovers will take on Goonellabah in Men's League 4 and in Men's league 5 Rovers will host Alstonville.On Sunday, the Women's League 3 decider will be fought out between Dunoon United and Alstonville and Burringbar and Casino will play in the Women's League 5 match.

The Wollongbar Alstonville Pioneers will be hoping to farewell Lyle Park in the best way possible, when they contest the FNC Rugby Union Major Semi Finals on Saturday.The Pioneers have dominated both First and Second Grade competitions this season and will look to book the first spots in the Grand Final in both grades.Both sides will take on Casuarina, who will bring a big supporter base to the plateau, with the Barbarians contesting every Semi Final on the day.The U/18's match will see Minor Premiers Lennox Head play the Barbarians at 11:30am before the Second Grade encounter between Wollongbar and Casuarina.The Women's 10's match has Casuarina clashing with Minor Premiers Casino in what should be a high quality match.In First Grade, Wollongbar have named a strong side, captained by veteran No. 10 Ben Damon.It is hard to find a weakness in the Pioneers side but Casuarina will be out to match the early pressure up front before both talented backlines look to take advantage.The Pioneers will farewell Lyle Park before moving to Elvery next season.The winners from Saturday's games will move through to the Grand Finals to be held on Saturday 28 September.The losers will play the winners of Sunday's matches in First and Second Grade between Ballina and Byron Shire. The loser of Sunday's matches will look forward to an early off season.Saturday 14th Major Semi Finals at Lyle Park Wollongbar11:30am - Under 18's: Lennox Head v Casuarina Beach1:00pm - 2nd Grade : Wollongbar Alstonville v Casuarina Beach2:20pm - Women's 10's: Casino v Casuarina Beach3:15pm - 1st Grade: Wollongbar Alstonville v Casuarina BeachSunday 15th Elimination Finals at Lyle Park Wollongbar1:50pm - 2nd Grade: Byron Shire Rebels v Ballina3:15pm - 1st Grade: Byron Shire Rebels v Ballina

The Lismore Storm have continued their solid start to the Sunshine Conference season with wins against the Byron Bay Beez on Saturday.The Women had a solid start to their match, leading 13-4 at the first break, with Emily Simpson and Kiara Richardson both adding 5 points each.The side then dominated the second quarter, pushing out to a 35-17 halftime lead.A 28 point third quarter put the game beyond doubt for the Storm, before eventually running out 74-48 winners.It was a strong all around team effort from the Women's side, with nine individual scorers, led by Emily Simpson with 16 and Maggie Cottee with 13.A depleted Men's side took the court hoping that they could stay in touch with last year's Grand Finalists.The side were missing Jacob Harkin, Elwood Bird, Jye Barlow, Toby Barlow, Zac Knight and Cooper McDonald, with coach Jacob Richardson needing to put his name on the scoresheet in case of emergency.The Beez got out to an early lead at the first break, with the Storm down 20-15.Jordan Pethers and Kaleb Jeffery began to find the bottom of the net in the second quarter, which allowed the Storm to sneak to a 42-33 lead at the main break.The third quarter was a tight contest with both sides increasing their defensive intensity, the Storm remained in front in a low scoring quarter 57-47.The Beez went on a run during the final quarter to reduce the margin to just 2 points, before the Storm steadied and ran out 74-67 victors.It was a strong effort from several of the younger Storm players who stepped up with added court time.Pethers starred with 34 points, Jeffery added 16 and Maison Scheibel had 14.The Storm will have a week off before they host the Coffs Harbour Suns in Round 5 on Saturday 21 September.

The Lismore Rugby Club's Colts and Women's teams have progressed through to Preliminary Finals after victories on Saturday.Both sides contested Minor Semi Finals in Ballina, with the Women taking on Byron Shire and the Colts tackling Yamba.The Colts match started out a very even contest, with both sides working hard to find an advantage.Lismore held a slight 14-10 advantage at the halftime break, but fitness and experience allowed Lismore to score 3 second half tries to run away 31-17 victors.The Women had a similar story, leading by just 3 points at halftime, 10-7, but a strong second half, which resulted in 2 converted tries allowed the Green's to run away with the match 24-14.Both sides will travel to Ballina in two weeks time to contest the Preliminary Finals.FAR NORTH COAST RUGBY UNION MINOR SEMI FINAL RESULTS 7th SEPTEMBER 2024First GradeCasuarina Beach 31(Lachlan Stacey 2, Levi Dangerfield tries, Kai George 2 conversions, Kai Gerorge 3, Webb Lillis penalty goals) d Byron Shire 27(Angus Wilbourn, Olivers Shakeshaft, Ben Mitchell, Angus Wilbourn tries, Will Hawkins 2 conversions, penalty goal)Half Time: Casuarina 25 – Byron Shire 202nd GradeCasuarina Beach 17(Ben Kahika, Mariusz Werstak tries, Jacob Beck 2 conversions, penalty goal) d Byron Shire 15(Scott Gamble, Robin Trappe tries, Dave Eastwell conversion, Archie Snedden penalty goal)Half Time: Casuarina 10 – Byron Shire 5Women’sLismore 24(Laura Parsons, Kiara Jeffery, Lara De Jong, Jamie-Lee Farnham-Fry tries, Madison Coppola 2 conversions) d Byron Shire 14(Kari Massey, Sophie Massey tries, Kari Massey 2 conversions)Half Time: Lismore 10 – Byron Shire 7Under 18’sLismore 31(Hayden Sivewright 2, Harry Gillett, Jett Elmore, Lachlan Conlan tries, Flynn Lawrence-Daly 2, Eli McKie conversions) d Yamba 17(Zephyr Trotman, Beau Edwards tries, Maison Simmons 2 conversions, penalty goal)Half Time: Lismore 14 – Yamba 10MINOR SEMI FINALS Sunday 8th September 2024Albert Park, Casino1st GradeBallina: 1. Brett Johnston, 2. Nathan Groves, 3. Sam Pearce, 4. Gerald McLarnon, 5. Harry Bungate, 6. Reece Noble, 7. Andrew Burke, 8. Stan Lolohea, 9. Stephen Paskins, 10. Elliott Bryers, 11. Emori Rairailevu, 18. Anthony Lolohea, 13. Reuben Saric, 14. Tupou Lolohea, 15. Jack KindredCoach: Michial GreenhalghManager: Josh MagnusVCasino: 1. Angus Langfield, 2. Anthony Butta, 3. Nathan Davy, 4. Cory Townesend, 5. Cameron Davis (c), 6. Connor Frame, 7. Joseph Brooks, 8. Justin Zaiko, 9. Ben Collison, 10. Stephen Murchie, 11. Hakeem Torrens, 12. Bryce Spencer, 13. Sililo Stavenow, 14. Gaunavou Drugatanalevu, 15. Jayden TorrensCoach: Doug MurrayManager: Andrew GulliverReferee: Graham Cook Assistant Referees: Rob Walker & Matthew Clayton2nd GradeBallina: 1. Jai Harris, 2. Rory Bowen, 3. Jacob Carr, 4. Charlie Paskins, 5. Ihaka Savage, 6. Luke Kliese, 7. Bronson Purcell, 8. Jack Reynolds, 9. Andy Grono, 10. Nick Brydon, 11. Nathaniel Hooper, 12. Joel Staude, 13. Lachlan Johnson, 14. Cody Campbell, 15. Ben Robinson, 16. Paul Lynch, 17. Adam Thomas, 18. Lachlan Webb, 19. Kieran Patch, 20. Brad Grono, 21. Jai Armstrong, 22. Jacob BuckleyCoach: Ben MacDougall  Manager: Josh MagnusVKyogle: 1. Chris Doolan, 2. James Wilson, 3. Dylan Hill, 4. Ethan Skinner, 5. Corey Pearce, 24. Travis Hoffman, 7. Trent McNamara, 8. Lance McQueen (c), 9. Thomas Serone, 10. Blake Skinner, 11. James Smith, 12. Shaun Hoffman, 13. William Hannant, 25. Lacchlan Keyte, 15. Sam Nicholson, 16. Clayton Williams, 18. Jack Nicholson, 19. David Stephenson (vc), 20. TBA, 21. Billy Bugden, 22. Kale Nicholson, 23. Lachlan CrawterCoach: Mathew DuleyManager: Joe AllenReferee: Peter CampbellAssistant Referees: Rod McPhillips & Will Barnes

Viva Racing’s talented galloper Tribeca Star is in great order as he presses for a spot in this year’s Kosciuszko, the world’s richest race for country trained horses with $2 million in prizemoney.Tribeca Star won comprehensively first up at the Sunshine Coast last week with 60kgs on his back and ran home in 33.22, quickest last 600 meters of the day off a slow tempo. He also had plenty of fitness improvement to come and will peak for the Kosciusko at Randwick on Saturday 19 October. Tribeca Star has a terrific record of 4 wins from only 14 starts with 11 top 3 finishes. He was a strong winner of the Northern Rivers Country Championship heat earlier this year and is a horse on the up.The Matthew Dunn team have Tribeca Star in the best shape of his career and he looks really well placed in a Kosciusko. He will only carry 56kgs, excels in the 1200 -1300 meter distance range and handles rain affected tracks. Leading riders Nash Rawiller and Blake Shinn are candidates for the ride on Tribeca Star in the Kosciuszko. Horses for the race are decided by a Kosciuszko sweepstake with 14 ticket holders drawn on 11 September. Each winner then selects a NSW country horse to race in their ‘slot’ with prizemoney split between slot holder and owners. Tickets close on 9 September at a cost of $5 per ticket. Open for NSW residents only www.thekosciuszko.com.auThe Northern Rivers has it's largest contingent of key chances in this years race than ever before.In addition to Tribeca Star (Viva Racing -Matt Dunn, Murwillumbah), the region also had leading contenders Boom Torque (Matt Dunn, Murwillumbah), Tectonic Plate (Dan Bowen, Lismore), At Witz End (Dan Bowen, Lismore) and Far Too Easy (D McColm, Murwillumbah).Locally, Lismore Turf Club will host the Lismore Cup Prelude on Thursday 12 September before the biggest day on the local racing calendar, The Lismore Cup, which will be run on Friday 27 September, the first Friday Cup in history.

The Marist Brothers Rams and Northern United Dirawongs will both contest women's NRRRL Grand Finals on Sunday.The Marist Brothers Rams Ladies League Tag side will take on the Tweed Heads Seagulls at Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina at 9:00am on Sunday.The Ramettes defeated the Seagulls in the Major Semi Final two weeks ago 10-4 and will look to repeat the result and lift the Premiership Trophy again.The two sides were the two best sides all year, with Tweed taking the Minor Premiership by just two points over the Ramettes.The teams played each other once in the regular season, with a comprehensive 26-4 win to the Seagulls.The match promises to be an epic clash and well worth the price of admission!Northern United will contest the Women's Tackle Grand Final immediately after the Ladies League Tag match, when they clash with Bilambil in the decider.The Dirawongs defeated Bilambil in the Major Semi Final two weeks ago 28-20 and will look the repeat the effort.Northern United hold a 2-1 advantage over the Jets in their regular season clashes and will hope to make it a double for the Lismore Women and bring home the Premiership Trophy.The Women's Tackle Grand Final will kick off at 10:20am.

The Lismore Storm Men's and Women's team have notched a trifecta of wins in the Sunshine Conference in Round 2.The Storm Women took to the court for the first time against the Ballina Breakers and it was a tight contest for the entire match.The Ballina side were short on personnel, but it didn't stop them putting it to the experienced Storm side.The Storm led 18-10 at quarter time and extended the lead to 25-18 at the main break, before eventually running away with the match after Breakers foul trouble, 68-50.Emily Simpson top scored for the home side with 16, Makayla Greensill had 11 points and Eloise Bashforth finished with 10.The Men then took to the court, and again, the Breakers took it to the athletic Storm side, but the Homeside led 27-13 at quarter time.An ankle injury to Centre Zak Knight did not deter the Storm who continued to pile on the points, dominating the second quarter to lead 54-19 at the halftime break.A Breakers revival and experimentation with various combinations in the third quarter allowed the margin to narrow to 73-50 at the third quarter break before the Storm ran out winners 99-63.Jye Barlow lead the scoring with 25, Toby Barlow added 19 and Jordon Pethers and Kaleb Jeffery both scored 13.The Men then backed up on Sunday morning in Yamba to take on the young Trawlers.In a scrappy opening half, the Storm led narrowly 17-13 at quarter time and then 45-17 at the break.Too many scoring options for the Storm pushed the final score out to a 99-44 victory.Jye Barlow again top scored with 22, Kaleb Jeffery and Toby Barlow added 16 and Jordon Pethers (13pts) and Elwood Bird (12pts) also reached double figures in the big win.The Storm will host the Byron Bay Beez this Saturday afternoon, with the Women starting at 3:00pm and the Men at 5:00pm.Both sides will be looking for another win, with the Men being with a number of key players for the clash with 2023 Grand Finalists.

The Lismore Colts and Women's Rugby teams will contest Semi Finals this weekend on the quest for a major premiership.The Colts finished third on the FNC Rugby Union ladder and will take on Yamba in the Minor Semi Final at Quays Reserve on Saturday.Win and they move through to the Preliminary Final next weekend, lose and their season is over.The side has had plenty of experience this year, playing not only their Colts matches, but backing up most weekends to help the senior grades.The match will kick off at 11:30am.The Women's side also finished third, just one point out of second place and a second chance.They will clash with the Byron Shire Rebels, also in a sudden death Minor Semi Final.The winner will play the loser of the Major Semi Final between Casino and Casuarina next Saturday.The Women's match will also be played in Ballina and will kick off at 2:20pm.

Marist Brothers Junior Rugby League Club will host a huge day of Junior Grand Finals on Saturday.The big day will be held at Crozier Field from 9am and the host club will play a large part in four of the matches.The Rams will kick start the day in the U/15 Girls Tackle Grand Final at 9:00am when they play the Casino RSM Cougars.This will be followed by the U/12's playing the Clarence Coast Magpies in their decider at 11:00am. The 12's are looking to go back to back premiers after taking the title last year.The U/13's will play the South Grafton Rebels straight after at 12:00pm and the U/15's will round out the Rams playing commitments at 2:00pm when they look to finish the day on a positive for the Rams when they clash with the Ballina Seagulls.Other Grand Finals to be played on the day include the U/17 Girls at 10am between the Casino RSM Cougars and South Grafton, the U/14 at 1:00pm will see Casino RSM Cougars take on the Grafton Ghosts and the U/16 will finish off the day at 3pm between the Kyogle Turkeys and Casino RSM Cougars.It is also a massive day for the club's volunteers and committee, hosting over 300 players, coaches and officials over 7 hours of competition time.The club would love plenty of supporters to make their way to Crozier Field and cheer on the local hopes.

UPDATEThe Lismore Thistles u13 Girls are Premiers for 2024 after a 4-0 win over Bangalow.The Lismore Thistles u13 Girls team have come back stronger in the 2024 season.Lismore App sports readers, may remember a feel-good story in August last year, when Lismore's only girls football team was motivated by the Matilda's achievements at the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia.After making the Grand Final, they missed out on the title in a close game, losing 1:0 against Byron (Matildas inspire Lismore Thistles Grade 12 Girls to reach Grand Final (lismoreapp.com.au)). Last year the Lismore Thistles u12's was the only competitive girls' soccer team in Lismore. This year, they are just 1 of 2 competitive girls soccer teams in Lismore. (In action this year. Photo: supplied)The Lismore Thistles Girls came back for the 2024 season determined to go one better, and have not lost a game, with 11 wins and 3 draws.Throughout the regular season, they scored 62 goals and have only had 3 goals scored against them.On Sunday, in unseasonably warm weather, the girls played Byron in the semi-final and had something to prove after last year's grand final loss.To get through to the grand final, the girls needed a draw or win.Byron took an early opportunity and scored in the first half. The girls played hard, fought back, and equalised before full-time.Needing a result and with a 1 all-draw score, the game went to extra time, 2 x 10-minute halves.In extra time, Lismore Thistles u13s scored 2 more goals! The final score was 3:1, a convincing win.(Lismore Thistles u13 Girl's celebrating a goal. Photo: supplied)The Thistles Girls u13s will play Bangalow in the 2024 Grand Final tonight (Friday, 6th Sept) at 6:30pm at Thistles home ground at 191 Military Road, East Lismore.Go down and support the girls and the Lismore Thistles!

The SCU Gold Rats have finished the season in the heat, going down to Lennox Head at Maurie Ryan Oval on Saturday.The Gold Rats were playing their third match in seven days and they came out firing, running hard, dominating early possession and breaking the line at will.The home sides attack was on song, but it was the defence that, at times, let the them down.Lennox crossed twice after weathering the storm of SCU attack to lead 12-0, before club stalwart Matt Anderson barged over beside the posts, which was converted for a 12-5 scoreline.The Rats continued to dominate possession, but 3 tries prior to halftime after defensive misses, saw Lennox Head go the the break up 31-7.Another Lennox Head converted try 5 minutes after halftime put the result out of the Gold Rats reach, but they never shirked the task.A late try to Hezekiah Wayne saw the final score 48-14 to round out the home sides season.The Gold Rats will be very happy with the positive end to the season, with consistent player numbers and committed efforts across the field.Defensive work in the preseason will see a more competitive SCU side run out in 2025.In other final round matches, the Casino Bulls dominated Lismore 60-7 and Casuarina did the same against Evans River 80-22.Richmond Range forfeited to Byron Shire and Wollongbar Alstonville celebrated playing at their new home ground and their Minor Premiership with a come from behind victory over Ballina 35-24.The Final Series is now set, with Byron Shire and Casuarina meeting in the Minor Semi Final next Saturday in Ballina and Ballina and Casino clashing on Sunday in the Elimination Final in Casino.The Lismore Women's side will play Byron on Saturday in the Minor Semi Final and the Lismore Colts will clash with Yamba, also on Saturday in the Minor Semi Final.

Far North Coast Rugby Union referee Graeme Cook has reached 1000 games as a match official this week.Cook has been a stalwart in FNC Rugby Union for many many years and notches the milestone across a number of divisions in the sport.The refereeing legend's career has spanned five decades, officiating his first match in 1989, a trial match between the SCU Gold Rats and Ballina.His career has included over 400 FNC First Grade matches and he will bring up his 1000 match at Bangalow when the Byron Shire Rebels host Richmond Range.In other matches, Lismore will travel to Casino to play the Bulls in their final match of the season.The Greens will look to put together back to back wins after narrowly defeating the SCU Gold Rats last weekend.The SCU Gold Rats will play their third match in 7 days after a mid week catch up match with Richmond Range.The match went down to the wire, with the Rats gaining their second competition point in a week, with a narrow 38-36 loss.The clubs leading try scorer Xavier Salapo crossed for a double in the six try loss.The Rats will host Lennox Head in both teams last match of the year at Maurie Ryan Oval East Lismore, with First Grade kicking off at 3:15pm.Wollongbar Alstonville will host Ballina and Evans River will head north to take on Casuarina to round out the regular season on Saturday.

The Lismore Storm will be at home in Round 2 of the 2024 Sunshine Conference on Saturday.The Storm Women will open their season against the Ballina Breakers at 3pm and the Men will follow at 5pm when they play their second match of the year against the Breakers at the Lismore Basketball Stadium.The Men won their opening match against the Casino Kings 137-31 last weekend and will look to add a second win against Ballina, who also defeated Casino last weekend 101-45.Both Storm teams will need to dig deep on Saturday afternoon as the Breakers will provide plenty of opposition in both divisions.A number of players from both women's sides combined earlier in the season to play in the NSW Waratah League in a combined "Far North Coast" team, with players and coaches being familiar with each other.The Men will then back up on Sunday, when they travel to Yamba to play the Trawlers at the Raymond Laurie Sports Centre at 11am.Coach Jacob Richardson has plenty of firepower in his lineup for the double header, with 6 players last week in double figures in scoring.One interesting battle to watch out for is in the paint, where returning big man Zac Knight will be up against Ballina's Riley Gollan, who has moved across from Byron Bay in the offseason.Ballina Guard Steven Cray will also clash with ex-Beez teammates Toby and Jye Barlow.A big crowd is expected on Saturday from 3pm.

The Lismore Storm have opened the 2024 Sunshine Conference season with a massive win over the Casino Kings on Saturday night.The Storm had been training well in the pre-season and it showed in the opening match of the season against the newcomers from Casino.Casino and Yamba have been added to the Sunshine Conference Men's competition which is a great sign for the sport in the area.The Storm Men's side came away with a 137-31 win, with plenty of strong contributions in the 106 point win.Toby Barlow top scored with 34 points, Jordon Pethers added 25 and Kaleb Jeffery hit four 3 pointers in his tally of 21 points.Zac Knight (19), Jye Barlow (16) and Maison Scheibel (14) all scored in double figures in the win.The Storm side will be boosted in coming matches with the return of Hezekiah McKenzie and Cooper McDonald, who were unavailable for the season opener.The Men will next weekend host the Ballina Breakers on Saturday evening at 5:00pm, before travelling to Yamba on Sunday to play the Trawlers at 11am.In other matches across the opening weekend, Valley Braves took down the Byron Bay Beez in a replay of last years Grand Final 65-42, Coffs Harbour defeated Yamba 99-46, Ballina took down Casino 101-45 and Grafton went down to Coffs Harbour 90-77.The Lismore Storm Women open their season on Saturday afternoon against the Ballina Breakers at 3:00pm at the Albert Park Stadium.

Winners were grinners at the 2024 Darrel Chapman Fun Run on Sunday in the streets of Lismore.Over 1000 participants ran, jogged and walked their way over courses from 4kms to the 21km Half Marathon distance.The 10km event saw nearly 200 people entered, with the Tony Johnstone taking out the event in a time of 36.50mins.Garth Rafferty finished in second place, less than a minute behind, with Joel Organ just 12 seconds behind Rafferty.Thomas Menger finished in fifth place to take out the Teen Male category.Sienna Rooney finished eighth overall and first in the Female category in a time of 41.57mins.Serina Smith finished second and Rue Heffernan finished as the third female, also taking the win in the Teen Female category.The 21km event saw over 100 people take on the Half Marathon distance and it was Joshua Gillett take out the overall title in a quick time of 1:13.50mins.Finn Crethar finished in second place and Andy Beswick was third.In the Female Division, Chloe Russell took the win in a time of 1:42.18, from Claire Pople and Madeleine McDonall in third.The event raise money for Our Kids and saw a record number of participants enjoy the event this year.

Lismore women’s golf will be heralding the arrival of spring by hosting their annual 2-day Spring Tournament tomorrow and Tuesday (26th and 27th August) at the Lismore Golf Club.This event is very proudly sponsored by the Lismore Workers Club, which is on schedule to re-open its doors post the 2022 floods, on September 23.The Spring Tournament has attracted more than 160 local and visiting players, with players travelling from Wynnum to the north, Glen Innes and Tenterfield to the west and Sawtell and South West Rocks to the south.Dianne Cahill, Captain of Lismore Women's Golf said, "Our course is in wonderful condition. The greens are slick thanks to the efforts of Course Manager Sam Stefanaras and his hardworking staff. "Players will be competing for a generous prize rundown on both days, but it will not all be about the golf! Our local players will be wining and dining our visitors in the local restaurants at night, making this event as much about fun, friendship and hospitality as it is about playing and enjoying good golf!"

Lismore have edged out the SCU Gold Rats in a tight contest at Maurie Ryan Oval on Saturday.It was the first time to two local sides had clashed since Round 1 and it was always going to be a tight contest.Both teams started well with just one try separating the two sides at the break, with Lismore leading 17-12.In the second half, it was Lismore that eventually got the upper hand and ran in two more tries to take the win 29-12.Damon Caldwell and James Olivieri crossed for the Gold Rats, with Gus Leju staring for the Greens, with 3 tries.Centre Braeden Williams and backrower Max Smith also scored for the Lismore side.The Lismore Women's side had a convincing 40-12 win over Casuarina.Next week the SCU Gold Rats will take on Lennox Head at SCU and Lismore will travel to Casino to play the Bulls in the last round of the regular season.FAR NORTH COAST RUGBY UNION Round 17 Results 24th August 2024First GradeBallina 45(Tupou Lolohea 2, Elliott Bryers, Jack Kindred, Reece Noble, Jacob Buckley, Emori Rairailevu tries, Elliott Bryers 5 conversions) d Richmond Range 7(Alex Gibbon try, Bradon Gumbleton conversion)Half Time: Ballina 31 – Range 0Wollongbar Alstonville 52(Hamish Mould 2, Sam Kerry, Rory Collings, Jaidyn Larrescy, Ben Shelley, Louis Hollman, Hudson Love tries, Sam Kerry 6 conversions) d Casuarina Beach 19(Dan Raye 2, Jem MacDonald tries, Kai George 2 conversions)Half Time: Wollongbar 33 – Casuarina 5Lennox Head 51(Hayden Blair 3, Atzin Jacobson 2, Ron Streater-Mason 2, Rory Kershaw, Jack Moyle, tries, Martin McNamara 3 conversions) d Evans River 28(Tama Williamson, Matt Cleaver, Agustin Aversa, Ryan Duncan tries, Michael Miskle 3, Adam Armistead conversions)Half Time: Lennox 24 – Evans 14Byron Shire Rebels 34(Ben Mitchell, Jordan Elliott, Valentin Tachaout, Benji Clarke, Angus Wilbourn tries, Will Hawkins 2, Will Latham conversions, Will Hawkins penalty goal) d Casino 31(Guanavou Drugutanalevu 2, Cameron Davis, Pochon Agovaua tries, Jayden Torrens 4 conversions, penalty goal)Half Time: Casino 24 – Byron Shire 12Lismore 29(Gus Leju 3, Braeden Williams, Max Smith tries, Braeden Williams 2 conversions) d SCU Gold Rats 12(Damon Caldwell, James Olivieri tries, Iona Ale-Afamasaga conversion)Half Time: Lismore 17 – SCU 12Point Score – Wollongbar 81, Byron Shire 68, Ballina 66, Casuarina 62, Casino 37, Richmond Range 34, Lennox 27, Evans 27, Lismore 11, SCU 02nd GradeMullumbimby 36 d Lismore 12Lennox Head 31 d Evans River 27Yamba 24 d Casuarina Beach 14Casino 33 d Byron Shire 27Kyogle 35 d Ballina 19Point Score – Wollongbar 74, Byron Shire 54, Ballina 48, Casuarina 47, Lennox 32, Kyogle 32, Casino 29, Lismore 28, Mullumbimby 27, Yamba 26, Evans River 22Women’sLismore 40 d Casuarina Beach 12Casino 19 d Byron Shire 5Point Score – Casino 50, Casuarina 24, Lismore 23, Byron 15Under 18’sCasuarina Beach 12 drew Yamba 12Point Score – Lennox 31, Casuarina 20, Lismore 16, Yamba 13Next Week’s Round 18 Matches, Saturday 24th August1st GradeByron Shire Rebels v Richmond Range at Byron BayCasino v LismoreWollongbar Alstonville v BallinaSCU Gold Rats v Lennox HeadCasuarina Beach v Evans River2nd GradeByron Shire Rebels v KyogleCasino v Lismore Wollongbar Alstonville v Ballina Casuarina Beach v Evans RiverMullumbimby v YambaLennox Head - ByeWomen’s 10’sCasino v LismoreUnder 18’sLennox Head v Yamba at SCU

The 2024 Sunshine Conference Basketball competition tips off this weekend.The new season will be the biggest yet, with 8 men's teams and 4 women's teams competing in the home and away competition, with Finals scheduled in December.New men's teams from Casino and Yamba have entered the competition that stretches from Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in the south to Byron Bay in the north.The Lismore Storm will field a Men's and Women's team, with both teams looking to raise the premiership banner in the newly renovated Albert Park stadium.The Men's team will open their season on Saturday night when they travel Casino to take on the Kings at 5:00pm.The team is coached this season by Jacob Richardson and has recruited well, with former Byron Bay players Toby and Jye Barlow being added to the talented roster.The brothers will look to spark a Storm side that have also added returning "veteran" Zac Knight.The talented Jordan Pethers, Elwood Bird and Kaleb Jeffery will continue to be solid contributors for the Storm.In other opening round matches, the Bellingen Valley Braves host Byron Bay in a replay of the 2023 Grand Final and Coffs Harbour will travel to Yamba for their match on Saturday night.On Sunday, Coffs will play Grafton and Ballina will host Casino.The Women's competition will play their first round next weekend.