By BRYSON LUFF

Coonamble Bears v Baradine Magpies

Despite their position on the 2021 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League competition ladder, the traditional rivalry between the Coonamble and Baradine clubs once again produced a thrilling encounter which was enjoyed by the good crowd in attendance at the Coonamble Sportsground last Saturday.

Earlier in the year the two had fought out a 10 all draw, but this time round there was a two-point margin between them when the fulltime siren sounded.

Going into the game the two teams were locked together on seven competition points at the bottom of the ladder which meant that the game took on extra importance in terms of avoiding the wooden spoon come the season end.

It was well into the first half before the scoreboard attendant was called upon, with the visiting Magpies crossing for a try to go to a 4 points to nil lead, but by the break the Bears had responded with a converted try and they went to the sheds as 6 to 4 leaders.

The home side went on with it after the resumption of play and rattled up another 16 unanswered points to shoot out to what looked like a comfortable winning lead, with the scoreboard reading 22 to 4 in their favour.

However if they thought that the Maggies were going to lie down they were badly mistaken, and slowly but surely the Black and Whites edged closer to the what would have been a remarkable comeback victory, however they fell agonisingly short, with the Bears just hanging on for a memorable 22 to 20 win after a hard fought encounter.

Dunedoo Swans vs Gulgong Terriers

At Dunedoo, the Swans just managed to retain their unbeaten status when they edged out the Gulgong Terriers in another exciting game, a solitary goal being the final difference in a 10 points to 8 result.

However the Swans will now face a nervous wait before their blockbuster clash against the Cobar Roosters at Cobar this Saturday, with their captain coach Ben Thompson set to face the Judiciary after being sent from the field with ten minutes remaining in the intensely fought out match.

Other Round 12 games

In other games both the Roosters and the Gilgandra Panthers racked up big scores as they downed Coonabarabran and Trangie respectively, with Cobar winning 58 to 24, and Gilgandra 50 to 18.

Undoubtedly the match of the round this Saturday will be played out at Cobar, with the second placed Roosters hosting the undefeated competition front runners, the Dunedoo Swans.

The Swans have faced strong examinations over the past two weeks, winning narrowly against both Coonabarabran and then Gulgong, but this round 13 clash will be their sternest test to date, this being particularly so if Thompson does not receive a favourable outcome from the Judiciary.

The Roosters are always a difficult proposition at Tom Knight Oval, and they will be keen on their chances of securing a share of the competition lead irrespective of whoever does, or doesn’t, take the field for the Swans.

Christie and Hood Castlereagh League Round 12 Scores

League Tag

Baradine 22 (Madison Masman 2, Savannah Carey, Maria Nagy tries, Nagy 3 goals) defeated Coonamble 10 (Holly Arndell, Erin Tym tries, Emily Ryan goal)

Dunedoo 48 (Gemma Mitchell 3, Hayley Cox 3, Meg Christensen, Alexis Gallagher, Ceara Smith, Logan McKenna-Maidens, Annie Christensen tries, Smith 5, Annie Christensen goals) defeated Gulgong 6 (Dayna Manley try, Melanie Robinson goal)

Coonabarabran 12 (Meg Walton, Armani Whipper tries, Teaghan Barron 2 goals) defeated Cobar 10 (Kayla Hassan, Tyler Chiswick tries, Zoe Egan goal)

Gilgandra 48 (Emily Fardell 3, Shian Chatfield 2, Rani Diggs, Samantha Hazelton, Stevie Smith, Tori Canham tries, Canham 6 goals) defeated Trangie 0.

Binnaway bye.

Competition ladder

Dunedoo 22, Baradine 22, Coonabarabran 16, Gilgandra 16, Coonamble 14, Cobar 12, Binnaway 8, Gulgong 6, Trangie 2.

First Grade

Coonamble 22 (Neville Nixon, Liam Fernando, Jake Fernando, Daniel Sangster tries, Liam Fernando 3 goals) defeated Baradine 20 (Billy Carey 3, Andrew Wallace, Brandon Worrell tries, Wallace 2 goals)

Dunedoo 10 ( Camden Sutton, Ben Thompson tries, Dan Lane goal) defeated Gulgong 8 (Brendan Carter, Duncan O’Leary tries)

Cobar 58 (Thomas Plater 3, Ashley Davies 2, Gerald Mackay 2, Nathan McAndrew, David Watson, Tim Hillam tries, Watson 8 goals) defeated Coonabarabran 24 (Brad Fuller, Evan Sulter, Dean Lewin, Anthony Harris, Ben Baker tries, Baker, Jai Cain goals)

Gilgandra 50 (Curtis Carr 3, Cameron Bamblett 2, Kyzah Louie, Chris Holland, George Alchin, Mitch Bamblett tries, Brandon Hammond 6, Luke Ritchie goals) defeated Trangie 18 (Donald Kennedy 3, Richard tries, Alex Sutherland goal)

Competition Ladder

Dunedoo 24, Cobar 22, Gilgandra 20, Gulgong 14, Coonabarabran 12, Coonamble 9, Trangie 8, Baradine 7,

Round 13 Next Saturday, July 10

Gilgandra V Baradine, Coonamble V Coonabarabran, Binnaway V Trangie,

Cobar V Dunedoo, Gulgong bye