Graeme to host premier cricket event
Mid-December in Makhanda is usually on the quiet side, what with Rhodes University staff and students on vacation, private and public schools on holiday, and numerous residents headed for their annual break.
However, it will be a different scenario this year with an ‘injection’ of hundreds of players, officials, parents and supporters involved in the staging of the 2023 Khaya Majola U19 Cricket Week over five days from December 16 to 20.
Hosting the 16 provincial teams will be EP Cricket, while Graeme College, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, will serve as the tournament headquarters and host the main match of each day’s play.
An added bonus for Graeme is that the daily match played on its main cricket ground will be televised live on DStv SuperSport channel 216.
Matches will be contested at Graeme, Kingswood College, St Andrew’s College, Salem, Cuylerville and Manley Flats, while Kingswood and St Andrew’s will accommodate players and staff.
Graeme deputy headmaster Gregg van Molendorff said: “It is incredible for our town to have a big event coming to Makhanda.
“Many B&Bs, hotels and restaurants will be busy in a period which is normally quiet in Makhanda. We look forward to celebrating the flagship schoolboy cricket tournament in our town and working together with EP Cricket to make this event a huge success.”
SHIELD AND MEDALS FOR DANCER
Earlier this month, Kingswood College pupil Amber Isaacs competed in the SA Highland Dancing championships and interprovincial challenge in Johannesburg with great success.
On the first day of the event, Isaacs competed in the intermediate all-ages section for highland dance where she was awarded four fifth places and was the second-placed South African in the section. Several British dancers had travelled to SA to compete at the event.
Isaacs was also placed fifth in the highland laddie challenge.
The second day saw the Makhanda pupil competing in the intermediate allages national section where she was awarded four silver medals. This resulted in her winning the Barrowman Shield as runner-up.
Isaacs was also part of the choreography teams that placed third and fourth in their divisions, as well as being part of the Piderit Highland Dance Studio team that won the Red, Red Rose Bowl as the second-placed studio.
KUDOS FOR CONTRACTOR
While residents are bemoaning the fact that the asbestos water pipe replacement contract in many Makhanda streets is taking “forever” to complete, at least one aspect is receiving the thumbs-up. Once the old pipes have been replaced, trenches filled in and tarred over, the contractors, IMVU Construction, have repaired potholes in those streets, using asphalt. Well done and thank you!
SERIOUS SWOTTING STARTS
Pretty soon now, Rhodes University undergraduate students will be knuckling down to some serious swotting for the crucial end-of-year examinations. Social events on and off campus will be taking a back seat when undergraduate lectures end on October 13, and the swot period runs from Saturday, October 14 to the following Thursday. Exams begin on October 20 and end on November 17.
CHECKMATE
The Makhanda Schools’ Chess
Championships — the first in what is set to become an annual event — are due to take place at Kingswood College from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, September 30. The format of play will be 15/15 over six rounds, in three sections - A, B and C. For more info contact Jerry on 063 889 5990. The event is being held under the auspices of Sewelo Chess Academy.
SUNSET SPECTACULAR
The Rhodes University music department, in partnership with the Makana Community Orchestra, the Rhodes Concert Choir and the Nelson Mandela University Orchestra, stages the Symphony Spectacular in the Monument on October 14.
Being held in the Guy Butler Theatre, the concert begins at 6pm and tickets are R100 (concessions and block bookings R60). Book tickets at www.quicket.co.za.
Johan Pretorius will conduct the concert which features soprano Tshegofatso Makube, pianist Garreth Robertson and tenor Sibusiso Mkhize.
SCHOOLS’ ART ON SHOW
Local art lovers have until 3pm this afternoon to view the annual schools ’ art exhibition at Carinus Art Centre at 84 Beaufort Street.
Schools whose pupils have works on show are Fikizolo Primary School, Graeme College, Nombulelo High School, Ntsika Senior Secondary School, PJ Olivier High School, Victoria Girls’ High School and Victoria Primary School.
RURAL MARKET
Fusion Speciality Food hosts a farmers’ market at its premises in Rautenbach Road from 9am to 1.30pm on Saturday September 30. Stalls will offer fresh produce, baked goods, plants and more.
BROTHERTONS WIN AT SALEM
The Brothertons retained their title at the Salem family six-a-side cricket tournament at the village field on Saturday, reports Neale Emslie.
The Brothertons team comprised Nic, Buster, Jaden, Trevor, Peter and Jason, while Edgar filled in during the final when Trevor was injured.
The competing family teams were the Amms, Brothertons, Biggses, Emslies, Fords, Kings and Wilmots.
The biennial tournament, sponsored by Kelston Motor Group, had a shortened format as a light drizzle settled in during the early afternoon.
Winners for the first time in 2021, on this occasion the Brothertons came up against the Biggs family in the final and managed the win with five balls remaining.
In an earlier game, the Brothertons outplayed the Amms, who had won their first two matches, in the section-deciding encounter, while the Biggs family was also on song in their pool, winning all their matches.
At the prize-giving function the following awards were made: champions:
Brothertons; runners-up: Biggs family; Ian Long trophy for best bowler: Nick Biggs; batting award: Nic Brotherton; fielding award: Nick Wilmot; Gary Emslie award for commitment and support of the event: Trevor Brotherton.
REMEMBER THE DAYS?
When dozens of local athletes would head for the coast early on a Saturday morning in October each year for the Kowie Striders-organised 27km coastal road race, held mostly from the Fish River Bridge to Port Alfred?
The race attracted hundreds of entries from East London and the then Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown and Uitenhage.
There was a prize the one year of a couple of cases of beer to the club having the most entrants, and Albany Road Runners were winners with 32 entrants.
This race was the forerunner to the 27km Pineapple Run between Bathurst and the country club at Port Alfred.
The 2023 edition, still organised by Kowie Striders, will be held on Saturday, October 7.
To enter, visit
www.entrytime.com. MARKET ON THE FIELD
Albany Sports Club at the lower end of Florence Street holds its monthly market from 10am-3pm on Saturday September 30, when the usual market stalls will be selling a variety of food and goods.
COACHING SEVENS SIDE
St Andrew’s College director of athletic performance and master-in-charge of rugby, Laurence Christie, has been appointed head coach of the EP Sevens team for the upcoming national sevens rugby tournament. This will be hosted by the Free State Rugby Union at Grey College in Bloemfontein on October 2 and 3. EP takes on the Golden Lions and Namibia in the pool stages on October 2.
EASY WIN FOR GRAEME
Scoring 230 points, Graeme College won the local junior triangular athletics competition at Graeme last week, with St Andrew’s Prep second on 106 points and Kingswood Junior School third on 44.
Graeme also made a clean sweep of the relay races, winning the U13, U12, U11, U10 and U9 age groups.
Events included 100m and 200m sprints; 600m, 800m and 1,500m middle distance races; and the long jump, high jump, shot put and cricket ball throw in the field events category.
PILING ON THE PARKRUNS
Nine of the 60 runners, joggers and walkers taking to Makana botanical gardens at last Saturday’s parkrun have each completed in excess of 100 parkruns. In fact, between them they have completed a whopping 1,794 parkruns.
Of course, there are many more participants who have less than 100 parkruns to their credit but who are well on their way to the century-mark.
Last Saturday’s 100-plus parkrunners were Siviwe Moyake 126, Francois Hendrikz 144, Lynn Quinn 144, Suzanne Wille 144, Patrick Pringle 148, Paul Caiger 154, Natasha Agnew 190, Peter Stockwell 371 and Stavie van Aardt 373.
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
PAST MAYOR
These days Rautenbach Road in the industrial area is a very busy thoroughfare along its almost 3km stretch, and is an access road to the local prison, cemetery, the SPCA, plus roadworthy centre, police vehicle and stock theft units, as well as a number of lifestyle centres and shops, plus a courier collection point and a bakery warehouse.
To think that, back in the early 1980s, Rautenbach Road was gravel.
Who, residents may well ask, was it named after?
Mr AK ‘Mike’ Rautenbach was mayor of Grahamstown from 1959-1961, he was owner of Kingsley Tyre Services at 41 High Street (remember the pavement petrol pumps?), and he had a keen interest in industrial development which led to the naming of the road after him.
Rautenbach was also chair of the Grahamstown Club in Hill Street.
REMEMBER THE DAYS?
Back in the 1980s and ‘90s when the Spoornet Great Train Race was contested between the narrow gauge Apple Express locomotive and teams of runners?
The race, which ran for more than 20 years, was held from the then Port Elizabeth’s Humewood train bridge to the town of Loerie in the heart of citrus country.
The then Grahamstown was wellrepresented at this 60km relay event with teams entered by primary and high schools, university students and staff, athletics clubs, social groups and service clubs.
How many readers, it is wondered, took part in one or more Great Train Race?
FOUR FIXTURES FOR FESTIVAL
The Graeme College first team will be in the Western Cape over the next four days taking part in the Cape Schools’ Cricket Festival, being hosted by Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch. Graeme plays Paul Roos on September 30, SACS the following day, Rondebosch Boys’ High on October 2, and Somerset College on October 3.
COURTING WITH TWO STYLES
The magistrate’s court in upper High Street appears to be a tad behind the times, it would seem. According to the sign on its street-facing façade it is still known as “Grahamstown Magistrate Office”.
Many sidewalk pedestrians on the northern side of the street might well be impressed with the fancy Victorian-style architecture of the façade, thinking that the rest of the expansive building is of the same style. Not so, as the entrance hall, offices, courts and other areas are ultramodern almost all the way down to New Street.
DELICIOUS DICKS DOUGHNUTS
A Garden Route reader has written about Dicks Bakery, famous for its Dixie bullseye sweets, and mentioned in this column earlier this year.
He writes about another popular Dicks Bakery product.
“Your mention of Dicks Bakery bullseyes evoked tummy-rumbling memories of the Kingswood College tuckshop in the late 1950s, and the Dicks Bakery ring doughnuts, cream doughnuts and ‘baked flies’ (pastry-encased minced fruit squares), always available at morning break if one had enough pocket money.
“No-one could make doughnuts like Dicks Bakery!”