Author: Grocott's Mail Contributors

By CHRIS TOTOBELA This weekend, it was down to the semis of this year’s edition of the New Year’s Cup at JD Dlephu stadium. On Friday, New Brighton Academy narrowly defeated Manchester United by a late single goal. This was a very tight game which was decided by a clinical header from a set piece. On Saturday Makhanda football lovers packed Dlephu to the rafters to support the only home side left in the tournament as MARU locked horns with Peddie Legends. Both teams started cautiously looking for spaces to exploit. As expected, the midfield battle was tight, as both teams…

Rainfall in and around Makhanda: Thursday 19 to Wednesday 25 December 2019 Sunnyside 0mm Garden monochrome. Lawn turned to straw and curled succulents, burnt and shrivelling indigenous plants and bushes  hanging in there. Park Road 0.6mm and temperatures of 16C-36.5C took that little bit of moisture and more away. Grant Street 0.2mm Saw lots of foggy, foggy dew over wet side of town but none came my way. Rivendell 6.5mm Our farm dam which is usually 1ha in extent,  is the lowest it has been since it was re- built in 1989… Even the drought of 2009 was not this intense… or as…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA Local football fans were treated to a feast of football on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the 2019 edition of the New Year’s Cup. With the knockout matches concluded on Saturday, the 24 December action got under way with Manchester United taking on Bhisho Stars. This encounter proved how cruel the game of football can be: Bhisho Stars undoubtedly played the best football in this encounter, but were booted out of the NYC with two soft goals that could have been dealt with much better. Manchester United marched on to the semis with a narrow…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA All roads will lead to JD Dlephu stadium on Christmas Eve for the start of the quarter-final clashes of the 2019 edition of the New Year’s Cup. First up at 1.30pm will be Bhisho Stars against Manchester United. Next up will be Makhanda’s finest and only hope as MARU battles it out with Black Brothers for a spot in the semis. Local football lovers will as usual pack Dlephu to support the home side, who are definitely the favourites to go through. They proved their determination to win in their last-16 clash, where they dumped neighbours Eleven…

Selwyn Cannon was 10 years old when the Alexandria based Trying Stars rugby club was founded. Earlier this year, as the club celebrated its 50th anniversary, the formidable prop finally hung up his boots and celebrated his 60th birthday. Chesley Daniels reports. The Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) recently honoured the legendary rugby player Selwyn “Skallie” Cannon at their Annual Prize Giving Awards in Port Elizabeth. Cannon was honoured by EP Rugby for his 44 years’ service to Trying Stars and club rugby in the Eastern Cape. Skallie received a standing ovation at the prestigious event that was attended by…

By CHESLEY DANIELS As the Grahamstown Cricket Board (GCB) League hit pause after the first half of the season, the individual stats were impressive. Cuylerville’s aggressive left-hand opening batsman Charlie Muir is currently the leading run scorer in the GCB First League. Muir has helped his side clinch some important wins. His aggressive approach top of the order has given his side a blistering start for most of the season, ensuring competitive and solid totals. Muir is currently on 421 runs and also scored a few centuries. Just behind Muir, on 418 runs, is the consistent and in-form Carl van Niekerk…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA Makhanda’s football lovers braved today’s cold weather and made their way to JD Dlephu stadium to support the only local side left in the New Year’s Cup tournament. First up in Saturday 21 December’s round of knockout matches was Gauteng-based Manyora against the well-drilled Bhisho Stars in an entertaining encounter won by the Bhisho side with two unanswered goals. In the main game, Makhanda side MARU took on United Eleven from Bathurst. Both teams meant business from the word go and attacked hard, searching for an early advantage. United got the first real chance of the game…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA The 2019 edition of the New Year’s Cup in Makhanda has proved very difficult for our local sides. Only MARU among the six local sides that started off have managed to proceed to the last 16 of this competition. It’s been by no means plain sailing for them, as they’ve won two and lost one in their group stages. Sophia Stars were very unfortunate not to make it. They finished on six points and level with two other teams in their group, but fell off the race due to and inferior goal difference. The stage is now…

By CHRIS TOTOBELA The 2019 edition of the New Year’s Cup kicked off on the Day of Reconciliation with a double header at a packed JD Dlephu stadium. First up on 16 December was a Group B clash between Gauteng outfit Manyora and Port Elizabeth based Sophakama FC, which ended in a one-all draw. The main game of the day saw Makhanda-based Maru taking on PE side, Motherwell Academy. The game started with both teams being very cautious while trying to control the midfield, where congestion made it very difficult for either team to create clear-cut chances in the first…

By LINDA DYANI Visit the oldest museum in the Eastern Cape and get a view of extraordinary artefacts. The Natural Sciences Museum and History Museum situated in Somerset Street opposite the Old Gaol coffee shop offers visitors permanent collections of paleontological fossils, historical artefacts and educational resources as well as temporary displays of art. Natural Sciences Museum The Earth and Space, Traditional Fishing Methods in Africa, Xhosa Plants and many more exhibits. For Children The Blue Planet Gallery The Children’s Gallery History Museum The Contact and Conflict, Ukuza kukaNxele, AmaXhosa Kingdom exhibitions and many more. Observatory Museum Get a 360-degree view of town from…