Rhodes University hosted the FNB Eastern Cape Inter-Varsity sports tournament over the past weekend, with the new formula of Tri-Varsity integrating Walter Sisulu University providing extra competition and fanfare on and off the fields.
Rhodes University hosted the FNB Eastern Cape Inter-Varsity sports tournament over the past weekend, with the new formula of Tri-Varsity integrating Walter Sisulu University providing extra competition and fanfare on and off the fields.
GALLERY: Sport
GALLERY: All sorts
Inter-varsity crime report
Download the full 2009 Inter-varsity results table.
Over two days, the four universities – Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, University of Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu – fought it out on the fields, and Roger Adams, head of sport at Rhodes, believed it to be “a good sporting experience for our clubs and students”.
According to Adams the weekend was successful: “The team competed with a good spirit, and Rhodes managed to bring back some good results,” he said despite the victory of NMMU in the overall results. The weekend ended on Saturday afternoon with two Rhodes victories, in men’s rugby (48-10 against Walter Sisulu University) and men’s soccer (1-0 against NMMU).
Dressed in different coloured painted overalls, a vuvuzela in one hand and a drink in the other, Grahamstown was painted purple, yellow, black and blue this weekend. Some came for the social scene, others for the sport. But most students agreed that you could not differentiate between the two.
“Inter-Varsity is not really about the competition,” said University of Fort Hare first team soccer player, Henry Matthews. “It’s a better opportunity to get to know other students.” Ncgcali Mathimba, a second year student at Walter Sisulu University, said she came to watch her friends play rugby and volleyball, but added that she was also excited to meet new people. Excitement, mounting pressure on the sports field and fun were on the cards for the weekend.
Even though the games started in the morning, Inter-Varsity parties were only just heating up on Friday afternoon. Though at first the audiences were small in number and quiet, soon people started pouring in the venues, bringing alcohol, songs and shouting with them. A constant noise blared from the pool area, where condom balloons had been strewn around. Soon the condoms were blown up and filled with purple paint, and then thrown into peoples faces.
As if the purple attire and purple paint-filled condoms weren’t enough, the excited supporters added more hype with their hairstlyes. A white and purple mohawk made out of gelatine topped most of the hairstyles in the stadium. The basketball match seemed more like a disco than a sports event, with cheering students competing with neverending R&B music.
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) didn’t give the home team any chance when they beat Rhodes 2-0 at the Astro and despite the bad words shouted at them, won the men’s double tennis final beautifully. However,Rhodes supporters were not deterred and turned out in numbers to witness Rhodes’ victory in soccer, rugby and women’s hockey.
Once the sport was over, the Great Field was transformed into a big party as bands such as Prime Circle, Flash Republic and Craig de Sousa took to the stage. Leigh Dwyer, a first year student at NMMU, said her main reason for coming to Inter-Varsity was to see Prime Circle.
One might have expected Rhodes Vice Chancellor, Dr Saleem Badat, to be nervous about the ruckus the students were causing. But he could also be seen on the fields, joining in the Rhodes spirit by signing overalls with: “VC for real”. To underline his sentiments he said, “If my students are happy, I’m happy.”
