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…
Author: Chesley Daniels
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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…
By Chesley Daniels The Annual Coastal Rugby Derby between Kowie United and Klipfontein United took place at the Station Hill Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon, 16 March 2024. The hosts, Kowie, got the first punch in on Saturday and ran out 22-10 winners whilst also earning the bragging rights tag before the two teams headed for the return fixture in Klipfontein on Saturday. Kowie were in front at halftime, leading narrowly 12-5 after 40 minutes of competitive and intense rugby. This friendly fixture is in preparation for both teams ahead of the EPRU-Sedru Regional League that will kick off after…
By Chesley Daniels Sedru champs Swallows locked horns with EPRU Grand Challenge outfit Lily White in a pre-season friendly encounter on Saturday, 9 March, at the Albany Sports Club, ending in a 10-10 draw. Lily White took a narrow 5-3 lead at halftime. This was the first official game for both clubs for 2024 as they prepared for the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) 2024 season, which will see both clubs competing in their respective league competitions. In hot and humid weather conditions on Saturday, a decent crowd from both teams came to support their boys as the rugby season…
By Chesley Daniels The Eastern Province (EP) Rural Cricket Team returned from a highly successful tournament in the Western Cape, where they were declared the Rural Cricket South Africa (RCSA) Coastal winners and were deservedly crowned the champions of 2024. EP took a solid, balanced team down to the tournament and returned with the prestigious prize, making the Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB) and Eastern Province Cricket (EPC) proud. They played excellent cricket, were consistent throughout the week, and put in profound and entertaining performances. The teams that participated in the tournament were Boland, Border Villages, Border Country, Border Aloes, Kei,…
By Chesley Daniels On Saturday, both Salem 1st and 2nd were crowned as the new Grahamstown Cricket Board’s (GCB ) 1st and 2nd League champions for the 2023/2024 season, respectively. Both teams won their respective last-round fixtures and ended on top of the log with a clear margin ahead of the second-placed teams. Salem 1st also won the GCB 1st League back in 2022. The champions deserved to be crowned overall winners as they played brilliant cricket throughout the season. Nick Wilmot was the star performer for the Salem 1st XI with the bat and scored many runs, including three…
By Chesley Daniels Wicket Keeper Batsman of Salem 1st XI Nick Wilmot continues his splendid form in the Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB) with yet another superb century against Rhodes on Saturday at Salem. He helped his side to a comfortable 7-wicket bonus point win and registered a back-to-back century in the space of a week. The bonus point win put Salem firmly on top of the GCB 1st League Overall Log, with Cuylerville occupying the second. Salem 2nd XI also extended their lead on top of the GCB 2nd League Log. Summarised scores: Willows vs Cuylerville – Rhodes Prospect Cuylerville…
By Chesley Daniels All-Rounder Cariston Haarhof of Willows Cricket Club has been selected as Captain of the Eastern Province Rural Grahamstown Team that will take part in the Annual Rural Cricket South Africa (RCSA) Coastal Tournament in Boland from 18-22 February 2024. The team will be leaving on Sunday morning. The contingent consists of 13 players, a Coach and a Team Manager. Haarhof will also make history by being the first Coloured to Captain the team, whilst Tando Ngcete became the first Black African captain of the team in 2022. The team is mixed with youth and experience and a…