As Chippa United leave the shadow of Table Mountain behind them and settle into the Eastern Cape, another football side has made the cross-Cape migration in the opposite direction.
As Chippa United leave the shadow of Table Mountain behind them and settle into the Eastern Cape, another football side has made the cross-Cape migration in the opposite direction.
Landsdowne Rovers was first created in 2007 by four Kingswood College boys, Wesley Gush, Murray Tait, Chris Bradshaw and Nick Smuts. Gush, now a 4th year Conservation Ecology student at Stellenbosch University says they started the team in grade 10 because there was no formal soccer for the pupils.
“We started playing in 7-a-side tournaments at Kingswood," he said. "Our numbers were small but then some of the players’ brothers joined in and the team grew from there.”
As the boys left Kingswood to further their education in the Mother City, it seemed the end of the Landsdowne Rovers was nigh. The move turned out to be the team’s saving grace, however, as it was reborn in the UCT Internal football league.
“There were a few of us in the city from the original Rovers’ side and we thought we would start it back up again.” Gush happily endures the arduous commute from Stellenbosch to UCT to brandish the Rovers’ blue and white.
“Soccer is such an important part of my life, which is why I involved myself in the creation of the team in the first place. So I don’t mind trekking to Cape Town, my girl friend lives there, which is extra incentive.”
The team is excelling and the numbers have swelled since its Cape Town conception.
“A lot of guys have not played in an 11-side team, but we are doing well and have a large squad to work with, so we’re optimistic,” Gush said.
Asked what his favourite memory of the team is, Gush said, “I don’t know how they found themselves in Grahamstown, but we played a touring German side when we were still playing at Kingswood. We actually drew to them three all, which was great.”
