The Gold Coast’s star property performers revealed in national top 50 list
Across Australia, the report highlighted 44 suburbs where the change in median value was more than 10 per cent in the past 12 months. “(The) report provides you with a starting point when considering purchasing property and helps identify areas where change in median value has historically been strong,” the report read. “For sellers, it helps you to understand how your suburb has performed and provides an indication of the likely capital gain you should hope to realise upon sale.” Benowa house prices increased 12.9 per cent to a median value of $928,837, which saw it ranked 18th.Bundall came in at No. 31 thanks to a 11.4 per cent rise to a median house value of $1,042,112. They were two of four Queensland suburbs featured on the list, alongside Port Douglas and the Fraser Coast’s Glenwood. Houses in Howlong, a small country town on the border of NSW and Victoria, topped the list thanks to a median value that jumped 24.2 per cent to $305,209. REIQ Gold Coast zone chairman John Newlands. Picture: Steve HollandReal Estate Institute of Queensland Gold Coast zone chairman John Newlands said there were still a lot of affordable options to be found in Benowa and Bundall. “The affordability in those areas has been quite good and their geographic location (is a selling point),” he said. “The Coast is growing and they are very central locations with quite a large number of schools, shopping centres and not far from the beach.”Mr Newlands said the values for both suburbs, which sat near the million-dollar point, could be skewed due to a lot of sales at the top end, but said if buyers had been priced out of the areas to look to neighbouring suburbs. A property in the Royal Pines estate at 2/5018 Riverwood Grove, Benowa, is on the market for more than $880,000.Harcourts Coastal agent Grant Stephens said Benowa and Bundall were two areas that were finally “catching up” with the rest of the Gold Coast market. More from news02:37International architect Desmond Brooks selling luxury beach villa9 hours ago02:37Gold Coast property: Sovereign Islands mega mansion hits market with $16m price tag1 day ago“They have been undervalued for some time given their location,” he said. “Those suburbs have played catch up with the rest of the market and that’s why they have jumped so well.“Timing is everything, so get in before they keep rising.” Mr Stephens said Bundall had been attracting a lot of interstate buyers, while Benowa’s Royal Pines resort was drawing a lot of international attention. Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayNext playlist itemMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:29Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:29 Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedQuality Levels720p720pHD540p540p360p360p270p270pAutoA, selectedAudio Tracken (Main), selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:00 Playback Rate1xFullscreenWays to get into the property market for less00:29 Australia’s star performers for 2019 have been revealed with two Gold Coast suburbs making the top 50 list.TWO burgeoning Gold Coast suburbs have been named among the country’s star property performers. Benowa and Bundall ranked in CoreLogic’s Top Performing Suburbs report, released this month. The national best 50 list identified the suburbs across Australia that have performed strongly and consistently across an extended period of time. MORE NEWS: Industry slams QLD rental reformsMORE NEWS: Regal residence has jaw-dropping price 
One of Ensco’s jack-up rigs – Copyright SPMac/Flickr – Shared with permission from the photographerOffshore driller Ensco has been awarded a number of new contracts and extensions. While Ensco’s large fleet consists of drillships, semi-submersibles, and jack-ups, the majority of new deals went to the jack-up rig department. In its latest fleet status report issued on Thursday Ensco reported that the semi-submersible Ensco 8503 has been awarded a 100-day contract with Talos Energy in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that is expected to start in November 2018 and end in February 2019.The rig’s current contract with Deep Gulf Energy expires in August.Further according to the fleet status report, Ensco DS-12 drillship’s contract with Kosmos Energy offshore Suriname has been extended by one well with an estimated duration of 45 days, ending in September.Jack-upsIn the jack-up rig sector, Ensco 115 has been awarded a 10-month contract with Mubadala Petroleum offshore Thailand that is expected to begin in first quarter 2019 until 4Q19. The contract includes one two-month option and three 4-month options.Fieldwood has extended a contract for the Ensco 87 jack-up rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico by four P&A wells with an estimated duration of 60 days in total. The contract is expected to end in September 2018.Ensco 87 has also been awarded a two-well contract with ExxonMobil in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that is expected to start in September and end in November 2018. The deal also includes one 1-well option, one 6-well option and one 3-well options.Talos Energy has extended a contract in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the Ensco 75 jack-up by 90 days to December 2018.A contract for the Ensco 122 jack-up with NAM in the Dutch North Sea has been extended by one well with an estimated duration of 90 days.INEOS has extended a contract for the Ensco 121 rig by one well with an estimated duration of 14 days. The rig is operating in the UK North Sea.Jack-up rig Ensco 140 started a three-year contract with Saudi Aramco offshore Saudi Arabia in July 2018. The rig is contracted until June 2021.Also in the status report, Ensco said that the semi-sub Ensco MS-1 completed a one-well contract with Woodside Energy offshore Australia during second quarter 2018. The semi-submersible rig is currently in Singapore available for work.Ensco 8505 semi-sub contract with Stone Energy in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico transferred to Talos Energy following its acquisition of Stone in May 2018.Finally, Ensco 6001 semi-submersible rig has been sold for scrap value and jack-up Ensco 80 has been cold stacked and classified as held for sale.Offshore Energy Today Staff
By Mike SpiekerFARGO, N.D. – What was once a high-paying, one-night, mid-summer special is now a four-race, full-blown Modified tour.It’s the Sander’s Modified Challenge Tour and it’s set to rip through the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota in August, featuring the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds.The Sander’s Modified Challenge began in 2012 at Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn. The first running of the event featured a $1,000 top prize and a total purse of just over $6,000.Since then, the event has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. The payout for the 2015 edition of the Sander’s Mod Challenge boasted an $18,700 purse, meaning last year’s sixth place finisher was able to take home a bigger check than the inaugural winner.With the larger payouts came record-breaking car counts. The first event fielded 18 cars while last year’s race attracted an impressive 44 drivers from six states and one Canadian province.2016 will be a completely different story, however. The Sander’s Mod Challenge is now a tour that will trek through four of the most prominent and historic dirt tracks in the Midwest.It all kicks off Thursday, Aug. 18 at Norman County Raceway for a $2,000 to win event. The following night, the tour will head 45 miles south to another 3/8-mile oval at the newly revived Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., for another $2,000 to win race.Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20 and 21 will offer a pair of 1/4-mile tracks with the first being Jamestown, N.D., Speedway. Located 90 miles west of Fargo and 95 miles east of Bismarck, the largest car count of the weekend could be seen Saturday night for the $1,500-to-win event.The tour wraps up Sunday evening at Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minn. The semi-banked oval will play host to the championship event, where another $1,500 will be on the line.Every lap of the 2016 Sander’s Modified Challenge Tour will be broadcast live on IMCA.TV. All four features are Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying events.Contingency awards include a nightly $100 Out-Pace Racing Products hard charger award, $100 Performance Auto of Fargo tough luck award, and a clean sweep bonus of $250 if a driver can win both his heat and feature.Sander’s Metal Products, Performance Auto, Out-Pace Racing Products and OctaneTrade.com put up the $37,000-plus total purse.For more information, log onto SandersModTour.com.
Shantou Flyer made it third time lucky over fences in the Guinness Dublin Porter Beginners Chase at Galway. Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, who won the opening race on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, teamed up once more with 2-1 favourite As De Ferbet, but although he put up a bold effort from the front, he could not shake off Shantou Flyer, who won the argument by two and a quarter lengths. Bowe said: “His hurdles form was very good and he was only touched off in a Grade Two. “I was worried that he might be a bit novicey, but Davy was very good on him and today was the plan. We’ll look for a winners’ race next. “He has run some big races but that’s only his second win.” Colin Bowe’s charge had an encouraging start to his career over fences when runner-up at Limerick in May, but let down favourite backers when pulling up at Down Royal next time. Having bounced back with a decent effort to finish third over hurdles at Tipperary a week and a half ago, he was an 11-4 chance for the opener on day four of the Festival and was always moving well in the hands of Davy Russell. 
Press Association
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday reported two positive COVID-19 tests among national team players who were due to participate in a squad camp taking place this week.CSA tested 50 players and officials prior to the camp, which began on Tuesday and runs to Saturday, and confirmed two positive cases among the group, without naming those infected.The camp is focused on team bonding and was arranged after CSA came under heavy criticism from some former players who claimed there was a culture of racism within the side.“There were no replacements made for the two players who tested positive. All those unable to attend the camp will join the proceedings virtually,” CSA said in a statement on Thursday.Another absentee is former captain Faf du Plessis, due to the imminent birth of his second child.Former captain Graeme Smith, now CSA Director of Cricket, has denied the accusations of racism and says he was unaware of any such incidents during his 11 years in charge of the side.South Africa have this year missed a mix of test and limited overs series against India, Sri Lanka and West Indies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of their leading players are contracted to play in the Indian Premier League, which is due to start next month.
This past season for USC men’s basketball was full of moments. There was the stunning overtime victory at UCLA in late January, and the long-awaited Galen Center court storming that followed the Trojans’ upset over No. 11 Arizona in the season’s final homestand.Bittersweet · Senior point guard Jio Fontan’s return was a bright spot this season, but his presence was not enough to propel USC to a .500 record. — Ralf Cheung | Daily Trojan In the end though, such moments proved to be fleeting. Those impressive wins turned out to be isolated bursts of stellar play that could never result in a consistently good basketball team.This has been a team plagued by inconsistencies throughout the season. A team that started the season with Kevin O’Neill as its head coach and finished with longtime assistant Bob Cantu at the helm. The squad that couldn’t buy a basket during its nonconference struggles and ended up being jettisoned out of the Pac-12 tournament in the first round thanks to a series of defensive lapses.The Trojans’ goal was to return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence, but this squad fell flat early and then fizzled out to finish the season. USC’s 14-18 record was miles ahead of 2011-12’s 6-26 debacle, but ultimately will (and should) be viewed as a disappointment.It was evident from early-season practices that the Trojans were rife with talent. According to Cantu, any shot within half court was “pretty much in range” for junior shooting guard J.T. Terrell. Redshirt junior forward Dewayne Dedmon drew NBA scouts to the Galen Center with his 7-foot size and athleticism, while the 7-foot-2 junior center Omar Oraby’s post skills kept the scouts’ eyes on the court when Dedmon headed to the bench. The 6-foot-6 senior forward Eric Wise could muscle down low, while senior point guard Jio Fontan’s return after missing all of 2011-12 with a torn ACL was a comeback to pay attention to.In college basketball, though, there are two factors that almost always trump talent: coaching and consistency. In both categories the Trojans were fatally deficient.Curse-laden rants and benching players to make a point were staples of the O’Neill era. A fiery approach to coaching works to perfection when a team is winning, but it backfired during the Trojans’ five-game losing streak early in the season. The nadir was when O’Neill benched Terrell, arguably his most talented player, for all but the final minute of the Trojans’ 70-26 romp over UC Riverside. One month later, though, O’Neill was ousted.So, in came the up-tempo style of Cantu, promoted to the leading role after 11.5 years as an assistant under four different USC head coaches. After scoring more than 70 points only four times in the first 17 games under O’Neill, the run-and-gun Trojans put up 74 in their first game in the Cantu era, nearly pulling off the upset over No. 10 Oregon. The team as a whole embraced the new playing style under Cantu, averaging more than 71 points per game while going 5-3 in Cantu’s first eight games.All of a sudden, the team was performing up to its talent level. Then, that insidious bug of inconsistency unleashed its bite. After racing out to a 15-point second-half lead in Berkeley against the conference’s hottest team in Cal, the Trojans fell apart and lost 76-68 to the Golden Bears. A week later, UCLA unleashed its revenge at the Galen Center, clobbering the Trojans 75-59 in front of USC’s largest home crowd all season.The pendulum inexplicably swung the other way just three days after the UCLA loss, as the Trojans knocked off Pac-12 leader Arizona by scoring 89 points on 61 percent shooting. But, just like the four-game winning streak earlier in the conference slate, this scoring explosion was not a stepping stone, but an outlier.The Trojans didn’t score more than 57 points in any of their final three games, losing twice. They upped it to 66 points in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament but were bounced by Utah. Exactly two weeks after stunning the Wildcats, the Trojans were one-and-done in Vegas.Calling this year a train wreck would be going too far. That implies that the squad had high expectations to go along with its high aspirations. The Trojans were picked ninth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. The parade of transfers — Wise, Terrell, Oraby, Ari Stewart and Renaldo Woolridge — made USC intriguing, but the Trojans were a Pac-12 sleeper at best.Sadly, we’re human. We get caught up in the victories. We get excited, and we think of what could be. This squad performed at an elite level for a short window, but when it mattered most, the ‘Cantus’ were the ‘could-nots’.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team is more than halfway through its season, and in pursuit of its second straight appearance in the Final Four. The seventh-ranked Badgers’ (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten) season thus far has been marked by a loss to then-No. 4 Duke at the Kohl Center, a championship in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and a stunning upset loss to Rutgers. Now, Wisconsin is without its starting point guard Traevon Jackson until March, and have some remaining questions that need to be answered if they hope to get back to the Final Four in Indianapolis this April.1. Can Bronson Koenig take over and be effective as the starting point guard after Traevon Jackson’s injury?Jackson’s injury could be the defining moment of Wisconsin’s Big Ten season. Jackson has been very effective in his time at point guard with his passing and ability to attack the basket. But he’ll be out until the beginning of March at the earliest, so the Badgers will need Koenig to step up and fill Jackson’s role.Koenig, a highly recruited player out of high school, no doubt has potential and right now could be just as good of a point guard as Jackson. Wisconsin will need Koenig to facilitate the basketball, which is his best trait. While he can’t quite attack the basket like Jackson can, Koenig has improved his pull-up jumper this season, which has made him a somewhat more reliable threat to score. But it’s Koenig’s ability to see the floor and find the open guy that has made him look so impressive in his first two seasons at UW.Jackson’s injury may be a blessing in disguise as it gives the sophomore Koenig a chance to take over an important role and gives him some valuable experience, which could pay off come March and April as UW advances through postseason play. In a year where Wisconsin is a heavy favorite to win the Big Ten, if Koenig can run the offense effectively and the likes of Dekker, Kaminsky and Hayes continue to dominate the frontcourt, Wisconsin should find themselves atop the Big Ten once Jackson returns.2. What can the Badgers expect to see out of Sam Dekker the rest of the season?The junior forward came into this season with high expectations after an impressive summer showcase. However, Sam Dekker has had an up-and-down season thus far. Dekker started out playing well, averaging 17.3 points per game in Wisconsin’s first three games, but then dropped off a bit after his ankle, which he injured in practice before the season began, started to bother him again. As a result, Dekker scored five or fewer points in four of his next six games, which included a 5-point performance against Duke at the Kohl Center.Now Dekker looks to be healthy again and is averaging 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in Wisconsin’s last eight games. Dekker has shown flashes of being an NBA talent with his ability to get to the basket, improved strength when finishing at the rim and improved shooting stroke. And if Dekker can become even more aggressive as Big Ten play continues, he can be Frank Kaminsky’s right-hand man as the other star we all expected him to be before the season kicked off.3. Can the UW offense find a way to get Josh Gasser more involved?As of right now, Josh Gasser is looking at a drop in points, assists and rebounds when comparing last year’s statistics to this year’s. There are many possible explanations for that, most of them focusing on the fact that Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and especially Nigel Hayes are taking on bigger offensive roles after showing improvements. Nevertheless, Wisconsin needs finds a way to get Josh Gasser more involved in the offense, as this year he’s been nothing more than a three-point specialist at best.Where UW can take advantage of Gasser most is at the free throw line, where the redshirt senior has only missed five times all year and is currently shooting 86.5 percent (32-37). This means when Gasser is at the line, it’s almost guaranteed points for the Badgers. In Bo Ryan’s swing offense, it’s easy for guards to find themselves in the post near the basket. If Wisconsin can make more of a point to get Gasser on the block, where he has found success in years past, they can look for him to score or draw a foul. Drawing a foul puts Gasser at the line and allows Wisconsin to take advantage of his high free throw shooting percentage.4. Can Frank Kaminsky continue to play as one of, if not the, best player in the nation?Kaminsky certainly came into the season with lofty expectations and thus far has lived up to them. Through 16 games this season, the seven-footer is averaging team-highs in points (16.9) and rebounds (8.2) and is second on the team in assists (2.3) while attacking opponents from both the inside and outside. The supporting cast of Hayes and Dekker definitely helps Kaminsky thrive, but his ball handling and self-control is phenomenal for a man of his size, which is why he is one of the best players in all of college basketball. If UW hopes to return to the Final Four it’ll need Kaminsky to continue to play at an elite level. His performance in the NCAA Tournament last season was one of the main reasons the second-seeded Badgers advanced to the Final Four. While Kaminsky, Dekker and Hayes are three of the best players in the Big Ten, Wisconsin will need an elite player like Kaminsky to guide the team through a season that hopefully ends once again at the Final Four.5. Is Wisconsin the clear-cut favorite in the Big Ten, and what team poses the biggest threat to the Badgers?Everybody was shocked when Rutgers toppled Wisconsin on Jan. 11., but Wisconsin still remains the favorite to win the Big Ten. It was unlikely that UW was going to run through conference play undefeated, so as long as the Badgers bounce back from that Rutgers loss, they should be just fine.Perhaps this year more than ever the Big Ten doesn’t have a clear-cut second best team behind UW. Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa all can make a legitimate case to be the second best team in the conference. Ohio State and Michigan State are always going to be tough tests for the Badgers, and it’s hard to imagine they won’t finish toward the top of the conference. Maryland — ranked 14th as of Jan. 13 — has been a bit of a surprise team in college basketball this season. Its lone losses this season have come against now-No.2 Virginia and at Illinois Jan. 7. If the Terrapins continue to play at this level, they could very easily finish second behind the Badgers. Freshman Melo Trimble has had a phenomenal first season for the Terrapins, averaging a team-high 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Maryland and Wisconsin meet for the only time in the regular season on Feb. 24 in Maryland.
Today the riders face a 155 kilometre flat stage but open roads and possible crosswinds could lead to echelons and splits in the bunch. Yesterdays stage from Tipp Town to Bearna was won by Italian Matteo Malucelli of Team IDEA in a thrilling bunch sprint.Tipperary’s Simon Ryan was 31st on the stage with Nenagh’s Michael Butler coming home 148th.Not a great day for Carrick on Suir’s Sean Hahessy who got caught up in a crash involving around 40 riders which resulted in him leaving a few teeth on the road to Galway and was forced to abandon the race due to his injuries.
United were beaten by their hosts PSV Eindhoven in a match that was overshadowed by an injury to United full-back Luke Shaw, who suffered a double leg fracture.City failed to convert their early league form into Europe as Juventus recovered from 1-0 behind to claim a smash-and-grab victory at Eastlands.Later tonight, Arsenal, Chelsea and defending champions Barcelona will all be in action. Arsenal begin their Group F campaign away to Dinamo Zagreb while Chelsea will be hoping to kick-start their season when they host Maccabi Tel Aviv at Stamford Bridge.Barca’s title defence begins with a trip to Italy to face their Group E rivals, AS Roma.All of those matches will kick-off at 19:45.
The Greyhounds – who were playing their second match in as many days – booked their place in the decider by beating Carrick Swans 0-19 to 1-5 in Golden.Toome will face Thurles Sarsfields in the final, which is due to be played next weekend.
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