The Top 10 Bathurst sporting moments in 2020

It took a while for some winter competitions to get up and running but once they did they provided us with some memorable times for Bathurst players and clubs.

We're taking a look back at the top 10 sporting moments in the city from 2020 - a list which didn't look like happening back in March!

IT'S not every day you can say 'sport happened' was a highlight of the year but we feel it's a worthwhile inclusion when looking back on the mess which was 2020.

Competitions across the Central West scrambled to see whether they could still go ahead under the ever-changing NSW government health guidelines.

Autumn was a time to not be envious of anyone on a sporting committee.

They were trying their best to give people the opportunity to play in a safe manner, not wanting to let people down but also not wanting to risk the spread of COVID-19.

But here in regional New South Wales we were lucky enough to avoid any major outbreak of the disease, and thanks to that 2020 was able to deliver some sparks of joy in the sporting community.

GOING into this year's Central West Rugby Union grand finals there were three opportunities for the Bathurst Bulldogs to come away with the victory.

However, in a change from recent years, the Bathurst sides weren't the favourites to win any of their clashes and they knew that they would need one of their best performances of the season to take the prizes.

But they were up for the fight.

The women's side got the day off to a great start when they beat Dubbo Kangaroos 17-12, and against the same opponents in the following two games the Bulldogs third grade lads claimed a 15-8 success and second grade enjoyed a 17-14 triumph.

WHAT'S better than an unbeaten premiership season for your club? How about two of them?

The Bathurst Panthers under 11s and 16s sides capped off amazing seasons with their grand final victories over the Cowra Magpies and Bloomfield Tigers respectively.

The under 11s, who are already shaping up as a dominant outfit for future seasons, won their clash 30-18 while the 16s won 34-10 over Bloomfield.

Panthers had enjoyed a run of memorable clashes with the Bloomfield squad through the junior seasons but the 2020 grand final was a dominant affair in favour of the Bathurst squad.

SENIOR rugby league was a big loser from the COVID-19 pandemic in the region, as sponsors couldn't back clubs due to business restrictions, but we did get a great Mid West Cup competition.

It culminated in a great clash between the Oberon Tigers and defending champion CSU Mungoes squad.

The trophy might not have been the Group 10 premier league trophy Oberon fans crave but the piece of silverware was a hard earned prize for a town looking to keep the spirit of rugby league burning strong.

The exciting 23-10 win over the university boys saw the Tigers claim their first senior trophy of any kind in 17 years.

THERE was exciting news for race fans in December when Supercars organisers announced that the 2021 season would be starting in February with a round at Mount Panorama.

Mount Panorama will keep the Bathurst 1000 at its usual timeslot, giving the city two events at different ends of the calendar.

It will be the first time in 25 years that the iconic circuit hosts twin rounds of the series, but unlike its last occurrence, in 2021 both will be championships rounds.

The season opener - the Mount Panorama 500 - will take place from February 26-28, while the 161-lap epic which is the Great Race has retained its traditional date and is set to run from October 7-10.

FOR the first time it was a Bathurst lockout in the senior men's AFL Central West grand final when Bushrangers and Giants took to the field on the last day of the season.

Bushrangers completed an unbeaten season with their comprehensive win but it was still a huge breakthrough day for the Giants, who added another chapter to their short and growing history.

FOOTBALL fans across the region celebrated the return of the Western Premier League competition after its short hiatus.

Bathurst's Panorama FC were the city's sole representative in the re-formed competition, and were one of the major instigators in getting the event off the ground and running.

Panorama reached the finals of the competition but missed out on an appearance in the grand final.

It was an all-Dubbo affair in the grand final where Dubbo Bulls, who bested Panorama in the semi-finals, were too good for minor premiers Macquarie United.

WHEN Collegians made their return to the Bathurst District Football men's premier league competition they felt they had a team which could be more than competitive in the top grade.

More than competitive, indeed.

Collegians went the distance as they toppled both of Abercrombie FC's first grade teams in the space of a week, winning the preliminary final 3-1 over AFC Gold before besting AFC Navy 3-2 with a last-minute goal in the decider.

COLLEGIANS Mystified truly marked themselves as being in the middle of a dynasty when they claimed their third successive Bathurst Netball Association A Grade crown.

They completed the treble with a 39-28 win over rivals Panthers.

Collegians hadn't played an A grade game in almost a month leading up to the grand final but there were no signs of rust among the minor premiers.

With their latest win Collegians have now taken out three of the four seasons they've played in the top grade, and this year's grand final win was the biggest one yet.

BATHURST cemented themselves as the team to beat in Western Zone Premier League cricket after taking down Dubbo in the final at Scots All Saints College.

The hosts chased down Dubbo's total of 156 with four wickets and eight overs in hand thanks to an unbeaten knock of 67 from Henry Shoemark.

Bathurst have become a routine feature in the WZPL grand final over the past decade, developing a great rivalry with fellow powerhouse squad Dubbo in that time.

The defending champions have made a great start to their title defence, winning their first two matches to begin the 2020-21 campaign.