JANUARY
January 6: Van Veen ready to star with Bush Blues. Lithgow’s Roxsanne Van Veen joined the NSW side in its campaign to take out the Australian Cricket Championships.
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January 13: Ethan crowned King. Lithgow’s Ethan Corney claimed the under 17s King of the Mountain title in the Cannonball Mountain Bike Festival held in Thredbo.
FEBRUARY
February 3: Five gold for Clues at NSW Country Champs. Lithgow’s Angus Clues took home medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump, discus and shot put.
February 10: Singh keeps shining. Lithgow’s Tanvir Singh has achieved another cricketing milestone with his selection to the NSW All Schools Under 15s cricket squad.
MARCH
March 7: This one’s for Jez. From an almost unwinnable position, Lithgow Lightning produced the most remarkable of comebacks to claim an emotional Royal Hotel Cup win just weeks after losing teammate Jeremy Fittler.
March 14: Watts thrilled with 19s podium finish. Emily Watts came home with a silver medal from her first appearance at the Australian Elite and Under 19s Track Championships.
March 14: Portland Running Fest. The ‘Born to Run’ Festival was the first long-distance running race to be held in the area.
March 21: Sara Lane to take on the nation. The Wallerawang baseball player was selected to take part in the NSW Country Youth Women’s team in the national championships.
March 24: Western champions. Lithgow High School’s open girls basketball team won big.
March 28: Gold crown triumph. Lithgow trainer-driver Geoff Simpson took out the Bathurst Harness Racing Club’s Gold Crown series.
APRIL
April 4: One and only Master Blaster Viv Richards comes to town. Cricketing royalty came to town, with cricketer Viv Richards speaking at the Lithgow Workies.
April 4: Lithgow’s sports stars honoured. Lithgow’s finest sportspeople were recognised for their contributions to local, national and international sport at the annual LJ Hooker Reg Cowden awards.
April 11: Western Rams secure spectacular double win. Western region sealed their place on top of the Country Rugby League, taking home the under 16s and under 18s Country Championship crowns.
April 18: Kable on top of the world. Rydal’s Nigel Kable was crowned campdraft world champion for the third year in a row after the Royal Easter Show final.
April 25: Kandos brothers national boxing champs. Kevin and Thomas Large won medals at the National Boxing Championships in Adelaide in April.
MAY
May 2: Home win breaks drought. The Lithgow Workies Wolves claimed their first win since September 6, 2015 against the Blayney Bears, celebrating with their home crowd.
May 9: Lithgow High School students win state basketball championship. Three Lithgow High School students have been crowned NSW Combined High Schools Boys Basketball Champions as part of the victorious Western Region side.
May 9: Black Diamond held on new greens. President of the Workmen's Club Howard Fisher had the honour of opening the Lithgow Workmen’s Club’s new greens in time for the prestigious Black Diamond tournament.
May 12: Fists fly at PCYC fight night. A crowd turned out for Lithgow PCYC’s first event, which organisers hope will be the first of many.
May 16: Lithgow's Gerard Roebuck signs to play for St Mary's University in Texas. The 18-year-old goalkeeper accepted a scholarship for the next four years.
May 19: A China challenge. Holly Beecroft prepared for an Asian futsal adventure.
May 23: On top of the world. Lithgow's Brad De Losa claimed his third timbersports World Champions Trophy.
May 26: Australian gold. Wallerawang’s Wil Stockton became a national champion at the Downhill National Championships at Mt Joyce.
May 30: Tournament success. Lithgow’s Haktari Academy played host to the 26th annual Blue Mountains Taekwondo Championships.
JUNE
June 2: Mitch’s silver punch. Mitch Vanderhaar brought home the silver medal from the Australian Kung Fu Wushu Sanda Championships.
June 16: State champions. Lithgow’s open women’s hockey team topped the Division 1 State Championships.
June 23: Netherlands call up. Cheryl Rutherford was called up to the national over 50s hockey side to tour the Netherlands.
June 27: World Masters gold. Lithgow’s June Kelly claimed three gold medals at the World Masters Games.
June 27: Lithgow claims major midseason shields. Lithgow Storm claimed three midseason shields in the Under 10s, Under 11s and Under 12s competitions.
June 30: Sixty super seasons. Over the past sixty years Lithgow Workies have shown their class in Group 10 with 23 grand final appearances and four premiership wins.
JULY
July 18: Call-up to Nationals. Lithgow hockey umpire Alysha Anderson was selected to umpire at the Under 13s national championships in Perth.
July 11: Kandos claims second Nathan Boundy Shield. The game between the Lithgow Bears and Kandos Waratahs was held in memory of Nathan Boundy, a former player who lost his life in 2017.
July 14: Hansen striving to be the best. Hampton’s Carl Hansen was named in the under 15s NSW Country rugby union team and raised funds for his sporting endeavours by selling eggs.
July 18: NSW takes gold. Five of Lithgow’s hockey talents were part of NSW squads that took out the Under 21 Hockey Australia Outdoor Championships women’s and men’s titles.
July 21: Lithgow Storm takes out Under 14s league tag comp.
July 25: Lazers round out 2017 season with big victory. The Lithgow Lazers basketball team finished their season with a 110-71 victory over the Springwood Scorchers.
AUGUST
August 1: New Era Cup round called off. The 13th round of the rugby league comp was completely abandoned after a number of fighting incidents and a lack of crowd control.
August 4: A goalball gold first. Alice Kingston created history with the Australian under 19s women’s goalball team as the first Australian team to win a gold medal at any level of international competition at the Youth Goalball World Championships.
August 8. Massive underdog triumph. The wolf pack pulled off a seemingly impossible win on Saturday, giving premier league heavyweights Orange CYMS their first defeat of the season.
August 8. Netball girls get Diamond-studded training session. Australian international netballer, Susan Pettitt (nee Pratley) travelled to the Wallerawang for a star-studded training session with the Lithgow Netball Association.
August 15. Panthers take final home. The Lithgow Panthers men's hockey team beat St Pat’s the bring the grand final match to Lithgow.
August 15. Workies women’s team claims victory at zone comp. The bowlers defeated the strong Windsor team to claim the title at Penrith.
August 18. A Russian challenge. Joey Noon travelled to Russia to compete at the Kung Fu Wushu Sanda World Championships in September.
August 22: Lithgow home to champions of country hockey nationals. Lithgow hockey players had a blinder at the 2017 Country Championships, with Amelia Leard scoring the most goals in the competition.
August 29: Panthers victorious. Lithgow Panthers won an 11th premiership, making an exciting comeback led by Nic Milne. Lithgow won in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, 3-1.
SEPTEMBER
September 1: Double grand final. Wallerawang Warriors qualified for both New Era Cup grand finals, in rugby league and league tag.
September 5: Warriors bring home the cup. The Wallerawang Warriors broke their 16-year premiership drought, securing the New Era Cup over the CSU Mungoes.
September 5: Lithgow’s Kable leading the battle of the fittest. Lithgow’s Chris Kable qualified to represent NSW and Australia at the CrossFit State of Origin event.
September 8: Storm under 12s secure back-to-back-crowns. Lithgow Storms under 12s team beat Bathurst Panthers in the grand final.
September 12: Grand final triumph. Lithgow Workies first division side took home the Group 10 title with a win over Bathurst at Wade Park.
September 15: Wally to go on tour. Lithgow hockey coach Wayne ‘Wally’ Gaynor was selected to coach the Hockey Australia women’s country hockey side.
September 15: Lithgow derby in final. Lithgow Thistle and Lithgow City rangers qualified to meet in the grand final of the Bathurst third grade soccer competition. Lithgow City Rangers went on to take the title.
OCTOBER
October 10: De Losa best in the nation. Timbersports star Brad De Losa took out the Australian Championship crown.
October 13: Stars fight to the top. Alexis Reid and Jorja Pender claimed their first national taekwondo titles.
October 13: Picman muscles up to claim state title victory. Aaron Picman claimed the overall men’s physique class crown at the ICN NSW bodybuilding championships.
October 17: Hometown hero bolts to victory. Former Lithgow boy Joel Willis was crowned the champion of the statewide RedAss Downhill series.
October 27: Jimmy’s coming up. Geoff Simpson took out two prestigious accolades at the Harness Racing NSW Awards, NSW two-year-old of the year and NSW colt/gelding pacer of the year.
NOVEMBER
November 3: Chris Kable on top. He led NSW and Australia to victory at the CrossFit Masters League State of Origin on the Gold Coast.
November 3: Wildfire’s first state title. The Western Wildfire senior cricket team claimed its first over 50s title.
November 7: Girls win state title. Lithgow High School won the NSW Combined High Schools Association basketball title.
November 24: International debut. Lithgow hockey player Lachi Sharp was selected to represent the Kookaburras in India.
November 28: St Pat’s silver finish. St Patrick’s primary school finished second at the NSW Catholic Primary Schools Basketball challenge.
DECEMBER
December 12: Silver star. Lithgow athletes were part of a NSW under 16s team that won a hockey silver medals at the Pacific School Games.
December 15: Games medal haul. Angus Clues won three medals at the Pacific School Games athletic competition.
December 19: Kookas Lachi and loaded. After his debut with the competition winning Kookaburras squad in India, Lachi Sharp was invited to join the 2018 national hockey team in 2018, to be based in Perth.
December 22: Farewell to football. Brothers Jono and Brendon Van-Veen called an end to their glittering Group 10 career. Both leave big boots to fill for the Workies.