Progress (Uitenhage) successfully defended their title in the annual Trying Stars Sevens rugby tournament in Alexandria on Saturday. They beat Despatch Titans narrowly 15-14 in an epic final. They were also crowned the EPRU Super league champs and will represent Eastern Province at the National Gold Cup Competition next year. Thousands of rugby enthusiasts attended this prestigious event and the atmosphere was electrifying. Any team on the day could have won the tournament, but it was Progress whose experience in the format counted, along with big names that played provincial and national Sevens during their careers. Progress beat PE Harlequins…
Author: Chesley Daniels
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Rhodes University 1st XI cricket side pulled off a fantastic 81-run win bonus point win over arch rivals Willows in their GCB 1st League match at Prospect Field on Saturday. Rhodes also conquered Port Alfred on Sunday and extended their lead at the top of the log with 27 points after eight games. With a clinical performance, Rhodes took sweet revenge against Willows, who beat them with a bonus point a fortnight ago. In a high-scoring game, the students batted first and totalled a mammoth 387/4 (50). Rhodes batsmen were aggressive from the outset with the openers laying a good…
Japan’s Kotaro Matsushima started his rugby career as an eighthman as a schoolboy at Graeme College in Makhanda. The Japanese winger is now the joint top try scorer and front runner with the most tries (five) at this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan. He will, however, come up against his birth country South Africa, in the quarter final of the World Cup this Sunday. Ian Suttie, retired teacher and coach at Graeme College, recalls how quiet and shy Matsushima was as a young boy at school in the school’s under-13A rugby side. “He spent one year at Graeme while…
The Salem first XI got the better of Willows last Saturday at Rhodes Great Field, clinching a comprehensive nine-wicket win in their Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB) First League encounter. Willows were flat-footed against a spirited Salem side who won the toss and sent Willows in to bat, taking full advantage with their swing and slower bowlers. Salem openers James Mullins and Chris van der Meulen put the Willows batsmen under pressure, bowling excellent line and length. Scoring was not easy on an uncertain pitch. Chesley Daniels top scored with 50 not out (36 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes) and…
Willows Cricket Club recorded an impressive 76-run bonus point win against the high flying Rhodes 1st XI in their Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB) First League encounter at Prospect Field on Sunday. Willows ended Rhodes’s unbeaten run of three games in the process. Willows won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny morning that later became overcast with drizzle. Rhodes got off to a good start with their bowlers containing Willows batsmen and bowled excellent areas. Willows batsmen struggled to score freely and lost wickets at regular intervals, due to disciplined bowling by the home side. Abner Accom…
Seviano Jasson is back as captain to lead the Willows Cricket Club this season in its 30th Anniversary Celebrations. He was captain of the side a couple of years ago and under his leadership the club did extremely well, finishing runner-up in the GCB 1st League as well as winning the GCB Central Albany 1st League. He was again entrusted with the captaincy at the club’s recent AGM. His vice captains will be Marquin Loutz and Tando Ngcete. The Club also elected its Office Bearers who will serve for two years: President – Jannie Coltman Vice President – Xanephan May…
A 29-17 bonus point win against Missionvale (PE), saw Makhanda’s top rugby side The Grahamstown Brumbies book their spot in the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) Super League Bottom 12 semifinals. Brumbies were 19-10 in front at halftime. The all-important last round of games was played out in front of a large crowd at the Oval last Saturday with winning a do-or-die to reach the semi finals. It was Brumbies who achieved this with a commanding performance that served as a stern warning to their opponents this coming weekend in the semi finals. The visitors got off to a perfect…
Despite playing with a 14-man side for 72 minutes, Makhanda’s top rugby club The Brumbies still managed to hammer Hankey Villagers 52-10 in their EPRU Super League Bottom 12 encounter at the Oval on Saturday. Brumbies also clinched an all important bonus point win. A large crowd came out in their numbers and with strong support, it was the home side who didn’t disappoint. The Oval ground is known by fans as ‘Brumbies Park’ and most teams find it very difficult to beat the home side there. On Saturday, it was no different. The weather conditions were perfect as was…
Trying Stars 1st XV recorded an impressive 33-27 bonus point win against the struggling NMU side from PE. The EPRU Super League Top 12 encounter took place at the Wentzel Park Sports Ground in Alexandria last Saturday. This bonus point win put Stars in 6th position on the log with 23 league points. The home side went in to the game full of confidence having beaten United Barbarians away the previous week. The students of NMU were 27-19 at one stage, putting the home side under pressure with their bigger forwards. Stars hit back with their speedy back line. Their…
The Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) Sedru Regional League is set for an exciting and dramatic finish this weekend when the competition draws to an end. This will be a tense weekend for both Old Collegians (OC) and Lily White (Blues), who are currently the front runners and log leaders. OC are back on top of the log after Lily White and Eastern played to a 17-17 draw last week at the Miki Yili Stadium. The last round of matches this coming weekend will determine who will be crowned champs and be declared as the Sedru league winners. Lily White…