Players of yesteryear bring back memories
THE newly formed Legends Social Volleyball (LSV) hosted its second glitzy masters tournament at the Curries Fountain ground on Sunday.
Sponsored by Charles Electrical, the event attracted 13 men’s and three women’s teams from eThekwini.
For the fans who rocked up at the iconic Curries Fountain, watching the players of yesteryear in action brought back pleasant memories of titanic battles fought on outdoor volleyball courts in Chatsworth and oThongathi during apartheid. The mere mention of teams like Delfos, Avoca, Club Meadow, Liberte and Apollo participating in a tournament would see hordes of fans make their way to the playing venue to be entertained by their heroes.
The Charles Electrical Masters Tournament was no different as the fun-filled family day provided entertainment for the fans, who applauded their heroes every step of the way, despite the unbearable heat.
In the men’s category, Liberte from oThongathi, the tournament favourites, overcame challenges from Chatsworth’s Sporting Club Meadow led by Balan Govender by a 15-6; 15-13 score line in the semi-final match to square up against Arena Park in the final. Arena Park defeated fellow Chatsworth team Wolves by a 15-10; 15-8 margin.
The star-studded oThongathi outfit, featuring former national and provincial team players, oozed with confidence ahead of their clash against the less fancied Arena Park.
Liberte’s Naidoo siblings, Pramesh, Pravesh, Kaven and Seelan, were joined by Prenalen Govender as they piled on the pressure.
Fighting back from being caught napping in picking up clever dumps in Arena Park’s open spaces by the high riding Liberte lads, the former went on to level the scores at 10-10, which spurred them on to close proceedings in the quickest possible time.
Credit goes to attackers Imtiaz “Horse” Cassoo, Rakesh Chokay and Morgan Naidoo, who combined well to post points on the board that kept their hopes alive for an upset victory.
Led by untiring efforts by playmaker Kevin Pillay, arguably their best player, Arena Park’s fortunes changed when they took a 14-11 lead in a set played to 15 points. With Liberte’s big hitters picking up three points in a row, the set was poised to go either way. Libetre lost the set (15-14) when a spike clipped the antenna and floated out of bounds.
The “do or die” second set was an all Liberte affair as their attackers, led by Seelan Naidoo, silenced the Arena Park supporters when they cruised to a 13-4 lead in double-quick time.
Picking up five points in a row (13-9) gave the Chatsworth lads hope of going for the “jugular” and becoming the tournament’s gold medallists. However, Liberte stepped up a few gears to take the set by a 15-9 score.
The hard-fought third set was won by Arena Park by a 15-10 scoreline. Mangosuthu University of Technology emerged winners in the women’s section.