A LARGE crowd turned out for plenty of thrills and spills as the Wagga Pro Rodeo made a triumphant return to the city's sporting calendar on Saturday.An estimated crowd of 4000 turned out and they did not leave disappointed as they were treated to some of Australia's finest cowboys in action.Top Australian cowboy Brad Pierce, from Tooma, won the open bull and bronc riding competition and was the only rider on the night to stay on for the full eight seconds.Akubra Homicidal made its debut and remains unridden after the designated rider scratched from the competition.Rodeo organiser John Gill hailed the event as a resounding success."It went very well," Gill said."It's a credit to Wagga with people's attitude and how well behaved the people were."We haven't had the final count yet but someone said about 5000 people were there."Realistically, it was probably around 4000."Overall the night was very successful."The rodeo had been postponed on two previous occasions after wet weather meant the event was unable to be held.It tested the patience of Gill and his wife Margaret but the success of Saturday's event has given them the confidence to push ahead with a Wagga rodeo after a stunning return from a five-year absence."I think it has been shown by the amount of people that turned up," Gill said."It just proves what a mixed sporting town Wagga is."Everything about the night was good and we're very satisfied."The amount of time we spent organising it and with the cancellations, it's amazing how a few hours of rodeo can make it all better."Gill praised the sponsors and Wagga City Council for all the help in making the event such a success.