The Melbourne Cup was housed in Maitland and did the rounds across the city in November following the victory of Protectionist, brought to Australia and part-owned by Aberglasslyn’s Luke Murrell.

This time around, in the lead-up to the race that stops the nation, the ­official 2015 Melbourne Cup Tour will stop over in Singleton.

The reason for a visit to Singleton?

It is the final resting place of dual Melbourne Cup champion Peter Pan (1932, 1934).

The $175,000, 18-carat gold ­trophy will be in Singleton on Monday, August 24, after a weekend in Gilgandra.

Other destinations on this year’s tour include Mount Isa, Karratha, Port Pirie, Launceston, Mildura, Auckland and, for the first time, Malaysia as part of a World War II ­memorial service.

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The Diamonds have been sparkling around the region the last few days as they finalise their ­preparations for the World Cup.

The tournament opens in Sydney on Friday and the Australian netball girls have been based in Newcastle for a training camp.

Training sessions have taken place at Hunter Sports High and media interviews, with team mascot Thumper, have been shot with the Foreshore at Honeysuckle as the backdrop.

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Nulkaba Public School claimed the Bulldogs-Goanna Cup following a gala day at Cessnock on Thursday. 

Nulkaba accounted for Cessnock 20-12 in the decider at The Basin and both teams will now join Pickers 

Cup winners Rutherford at the Jarrod Mullen Cup in Newcastle on August 13.

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A few former Maitland Pickers teammates have been lining up against one another in different rugby league competitions recently.

The 2011 premiership winners Marco Delapena and Brenton Horwood played in a Queensland Cup match for Central Queensland Capras and Easts Tigers respectively.

And junior products Brock Lamb and Eli Levido came face-to-face when the Newcastle Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs clashed at ANZ Stadium in the NYC under 20s. 

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Still on rugby league and former Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon made an appearance at Green Hills on Saturday, signing his new book Unbroken.

One youngster, Riley, the nephew of Kurri Weston first grade cricket captain Tyler Power, was snapped with the injured NRL player. 

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A couple of Maitland Blacks ­juniors swapped footy boots for fancy suits on the weekend.

Nic White, who has been named in the Wallabies 31-man squad for Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand in Sydney, and girlfriend Melissa Gibb, were at their last Brumbies Ball before heading to France on a two-year deal with Montpellier. 

And Jeremy Tilse was alongside fiancée Sophie McKendry at the Waratahs awards night ahead of his Shute Shield qualification semi-final with Sydney University against Southern Districts on Sunday. 

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Maitland hockey star Simon Orchard was sporting a colourful pair of socks on the field on the weekend.

It was part of the #FairGoSport round in the Victorian Men’s Premier League and the purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red numbers were used to promote gender and sexual diversity.

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And congratulations to Cessnock shooter Dan Repacholi and wife Alex, who welcomed daughter Asha into the world last week.

The dual Glasgow Common­wealth Games medallist is now on his way to Europe for a World Cup event to begin his preparations for the Rio Olympics, which marks one year to go on Wednesday. 

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Numbers Game: 685 – the ­number of junior rugby league players at Somerset Park on Sunday for the Jayden Morrissey Memorial Gala Day, nine months after the 15-year-old Thornton Beresfield Bears player died from a lightning strike at One Mile Beach. 

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Moment That Mattered: The widespread support shown for besieged Indigenous AFL player, two-time Brownlow Medallist and 2014 Australian of the Year Adam Goodes on the weekend #istandwithadam

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Quote: “I’ve waited 35 years to get a greyhound like this,” Luskintyre trainer Brett May on newest charge Hay Fergus.