IF you’re a sporting fanatic, what a weekend it was to be in Bendigo.
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The Bendigo International Madison has long been a Labour Day weekend tradition and was well supported again with a top quality mix of athletics and cycling.
The madison carnival at the Tom Flood Sports Centre is one of the marquee sporting events on the Bendigo calendar annually, but this year had to share the spotlight and battle for lead-up publicity.
Most notably with the Essendon v Geelong JLT Community Series match at the Queen Elizabeth Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Bendigo couldn’t have asked for much more in terms of the pre-season match it was fixtured by the AFL.
Not only was it a week four match – the last before the season starts – and treated by both the Bombers and Cats as a full dress rehearsal for round one, but we got two of the big Victorian clubs in our backyard.
There has been plenty of focus on the Bombers and intrigue during the pre-season given the return of the 10 still-listed players who were banned last year following the supplements saga.
The Bombers also showcased No.1 draft pick, Andrew McGrath, while on the opposition side was Geelong’s reigning Brownlow medallist, Patrick Dangerfield, plus the player who will go down as one of Bendigo’s greatest talents, Cats’ skipper Joel Selwood (pictured), who was back on the QEO for the first time in more than a decade.
The Cats won the game by 22 points
However, it wasn’t just the madison carnival and Dons-Cats clash that provided a sporting boost to Bendigo’s tourism sector.
The Bendigo Triathlon Festival – part of the new Ultimate Triathlon Series – was also in town at the weekend, the Victorian Urban Fire Brigade Championships at Weeroona Oval attracting more than 60 teams and the Victorian Pony Club Team Championships.at the Bendigo Showgrounds added to a stacked calendar.
All events that were wonderful opportunities for Bendigo to sell itself to thousands of visitors to the city.
But it was also a major weekend at grassroots level at the business end of the seasons for local cricket, lawn bowls and tennis.
Premier league tennis semi-finals Friday night, Northern United and Upper Loddon cricket grand finals on Saturday, Bendigo Bowls Division pennant preliminary finals on Saturday and Emu Valley cricket semi-finals Saturday and Sunday all added to a bumper weekend of local sport.
