By Chesley Daniels The opening of the Eastern Province Rugby Union (Epru) SCORE Grand Challenge Top 12 Competition eventually took place with hosts Trying Stars 1st XV registering a hard-fought 29-20 bonus-point win over Makhanda’s side, Grahamstown Brumbies, at the Wentzel Park Sports Ground in Alexandria on Saturday, 27 April. The home side led 14-5 at halftime. A fully packed Wentzel Park was the fortress venue for the two top sides who locked horns in a much anticipated Sedru derby, competing in the Premier Top 12 “Strength vs Strength” competition in front of thousands of rugby enthusiasts from both Ndlambe…
Author: Chesley Daniels
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By Chesley Daniels The opening round of the SCORE EPRU Grand Challenge Bottom 12 Competition saw home side Lily White of Makhanda record an impressive 22-17 win over Aberdeen, in front of a large local crowd at the Lavender Valley Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon. The Blues (Lily White) were in front at halftime leading by 8-0. Hundreds of rugby followers and lovers came out to support their local Grand Challenge team, the Blues, who entertained them with some exciting and spectacular running rugby. Both teams scored three tries as the fixture was played in a very good spirit and…
By Chesley Daniels Alicedale United Women’s Rugby Club thanks BKT Tyres, one of TyreMart’s suppliers in Makhanda, for their generous donation of World Cup rugby balls this Thursday. Speaking to Grocott’s Mail, Tyremart manager Robert Van Der Merwe expressed the importance of sports in “promoting teamwork and enthusiasm on the field and off.” “Our Tyremart [Makhanda] and Port Alfred team are family-oriented, with children involved in sport on a school level as well,” he said. He adds that the company strives to support community initiatives. Expressing immense gratitude for the rugby balls, team coach Danwyn Jewell says that it is…
By Chesley Daniels Two friendly rugby fixtures took place last week Saturday involving Sedru Clubs in the Ndlambe Coastal as Trying Stars and Kowie United recorded impressive dominant wins over arch-rivals and hosts Klipfontein United and Ndlambe Tigers, respectively. Klipfontein United Vs Trying Stars – Never Quit Stadium Klipfontein played host to the number one side in SEDRU Trying Stars, who also competed in the Epru Top 12 Competition. This was also one of the Coastal Derbies that took place over the weekend, which saw the visitors rightfully claim the bragging rights and claim a dominant 40-3 win in front…
By Chesley Daniels Alicedale United Women Rugby Club put in a sterling performance with an impressive and dominant 29-0 over hosts Rhodes Women in a friendly rugby encounter played at Rhodes University Great Field on Saturday, 20 April 2024. In other Club Friendly fixtures, Rhodes 1st XV lost 10-40 against Sol Plaatje University, while Klipfontein narrowly defeated Ndlambe Tigers 27-24. Rhodes Women vs Alicedale United Women – Rhodes Great Field The two sides played in the main curtain-raiser for the Rhodes vs Sol Plaatje on Saturday in front of a large crowd at the Great Field. Alicedale United once again…
By Chesley Daniels St. Marks Alicedale 1st XV caused a major upset this past weekend when they produced a clinical 23-19 win over powerhouse Grahamstown Brumbies 1st XV in a preseason-friendly rugby encounter at the Alicedale Sports Ground. The home side’s first-half dominance saw them heading 13-7 in front at halftime. What makes this win extra special and memorable for the Alicedale side is that they managed to beat Brumbies for the first time in its Club’s history since their first meeting way back in 2000. Brumbies recently beat St Marks twice this year; their first friendly at Lavender Valley…
By Chesley Daniels Rosebuds 1st XV continued their unbeaten run in 2024 with a hard-fought 22-10 win over visitors Algoa Park in a friendly rugby encounter at the Alicedale Sports Ground on Saturday 6 April. The home side went into the break with a healthy 17-5 lead. The preseason friendly win over a very competitive Algoa Park side handed Rosebuds their fifth win for the season, and they remain unbeaten in 2024. This bodes well for their preparations and confidence heading into the Epru-Sedru Regional League Competition that will kick off after the Epru AGM on 20 April. A decent…
By Chesley Daniels After the conclusion of the Rural Cricket South Africa (RCSA) Coastal Tournament in Saldanha Bay, almost a month ago, the SA Rural Coastal team was finally selected and released. They are Brian Upman, Joshua Van Rensburg, Jurie Norval, James Norval, Jongile Kilani and Melville Daniels (Manager). The Eastern Province (EP) Rural dominated the SA Rural Coastal team with the inclusion of six of its members that will form part of the squad that will compete against the SA Rural Inland side later in September/October 2024. A team will be selected from the two squads to play further…
By Chesley Daniels Various preseason-friendly derby encounters took place in the Sedru Region over the past weekend of 23 March 2024 in preparation for the upcoming EPRU Competitions that will kick off after Easter. There were wins by Kowie United, Trying Stars, Lily White and Rosebuds, with all the venues receiving fantastic support from the rugby fraternity and enthusiasts who came in their numbers to support their respective clubs. Trying Stars vs Brumbies – Wentzel Park, Alexandria The Ndlambe outfit hosted arch-rivals Brumbies from Makhanda in a packed Wentzel Park Sports Ground on Saturday. This much-anticipated derby never disappointed, and…
By Chesley Daniels The friendly rugby encounter between hosts Trying Stars and Swallows took place at the Wentzel Park Sports Ground in Alexandria on Saturday. The closely contested contest ended 19-13 in favour of Stars, who also enjoyed a narrow 7-5 lead at the break. It was the top club in the SEDRU Sub Union Area Trying Stars, which also competed in the EPRU Grand Challenge and the Eastern Cape Super 14 Competition. They came up against the SEDRU Swallows, which dominated the Regional League last season. Stars came from a disappointing Super 14 campaign and were unlucky not to…