Makhanda with SID PENNEY festival city
The city is renowned for its educational institutions, for being the national seat of the judiciary and for its cultural events
NEXT MOVE: PJ Olivier junior netball captain Mieke Gouws contemplates her next move to resume play during the Frans Erasmus U13 netball and rugby festival in Makhanda at the weekend. PJ Olivier’s opponents in this game on Saturday morning were Hangklip Primary from Komani (Queenstown). The twoday event attracted 22 schools from across the Eastern Cape.
THREE DAYS OF FESTIVAL RUGBY
The first XV match between hosts Graeme College and long-standing rivals Selborne College from East London on Saturday afternoon will bring the curtain down on three days of schools’ rugby at first XV, U16, U15, U14 and U13 levels at the GBS Graeme Rugby Festival featuring schools from across the Eastern Cape.
A total of 50 matches will be contested, 13 today (Thursday), 18 tomorrow (Friday) and 19 on Saturday on Somerset, Marais A and Marais B fields.
Previously played as a rugby day on a Saturday in March, the event became the Graeme College Rugby Festival over three days last year, with the school celebrating its 150th anniversary.
If past figures are anything to go by, in the region of 10,000 people will pass through Graeme’s gates over the three days. Matches start at 9am on each day.
Friday’s fixtures on Somerset field are:
9am Graeme seconds v Port Alfred High firsts
10.30am Port Rex Technical High firsts v Mary Waters High firsts 11.45am Union High firsts v Daniel Pienaar Technical High firsts
1pm Kingswood College firsts v Marlow Agricultural High firsts 2.15pm Dale College firsts v Nico Malan High firsts
3.30pm Grey High firsts v Hudson Park High firsts
Saturday’s fixtures on Somerset field are:
10.30am Cambridge High firsts v Muir College firsts
11.45am Stirling High firsts v Framesby High firsts
1pm Queen’s College firsts v Pearson High firsts
2.15pm St Andrew’s College firsts v Brandwag High firsts
3.30pm Graeme firsts v Selborne firsts.
FAST ON TRACK
Kingswood College athlete Kwakho Mzizi put in impressive performances when he competed in the 100m sprint events at the 2024 EP Athletics Championships.
He ran a personal best time (PB) of 10,15 seconds in the U17 division finals, improving his 10,32 seconds (also a PB) recorded in the semifinal.
Mzizi’s 10,15 seconds is a time that will enable him to go through to the national championships.
Incidentally, the fastest senior at the event ran 10,10 seconds and the secondfastest 10,13 seconds.
FAST FEET ON MOONLIT STREETS
A field of about 300 took to Makhanda’s streets on Wednesday evening last week when Graeme College hosted its 8km Nite Race, and each finisher had a broad smile upon being handed a pineapple as reward for completing the event. The starter, once again, was local legend Basil Mills and his booming swivel gun.
The race winner was Port Alfred High School’s Lithetha Gcume in 27 minutes 6 seconds, while Lubabalo Bokuva was runner-up in 29 mins 30 sec and Cee-Jay Porthen third in 30 mins 20 sec.
First in the ladies’ division was Lauren Ranger (33 mins 5 sec), second was Cassie Maclachlan (35 mins 20 sec) and third Katherine Stickells (40 mins 1 se).
The first three finishers in each category received cash prizes.
The proceeds have gone the way of Graeme’s hockey fraternity, and they thank Makana Brick (continued support of the event and prize money); Paul Beyleveld (donation of pineapples); Graeme College staff and pupils (assistance with registration, marshalling, water tables and preparing and selling burgers); municipal traffic department for their assistance on the streets; and the community for supporting the event.
A STREET NAMED MILES
The first street that runners and walkers came across in last week’s 8km Nite Race was Miles Street, running alongside the school campus. According to the official listing of local streets compiled in the 1960s, Miles Street was named after one Lewis Miles (Monument mason) and mayor from 1932 to 1937.
CHEESE, WINE AND MUSIC
Kingswood College’s music trivia evening in the school’s high performance centre on Saturday, March 16 (7pm) will take the form of a cheese and wine function, with the Kingswood concert band.
The Kingswood music school has supported Hospice (now PalCare) over the years, and funds raised from this event will go to the organisation.
Tickets are priced at R150 each or R1,500 for a table of 10, and can be obtained by e-mailing Alke Bradfield at a.bradfield@kingswoodcollege.com.
RUN WITH COLOUR
Oatlands Prep School’s 3,8km colour run takes to local streets from 5.30pm (registration from 4.30pm) on Monday March 18. The start is on Stanton’s field below the school, and adults will pay R10 and children R5.
WALKING IN THE PINK
The annual Pick n Pay ‘Pink Walk for CANSA’ takes to Makhanda streets from 5.30pm on Tuesday March 19 from
Somerset field at Graeme College.
Entry fee for the 3,7km walk is a minimum donation of R20, and luckydraw prizes will be handed out. Proceeds will go to CANSA.
In the meantime, pink event T-shirts will be on sale at Pepper Grove Pick n Pay at R130 each.
GOOD RUGBY WIN FOR KC
Kingswood College defeated Volkskool High School from Graaff-Reinet 31-7 in their first XV rugby encounter on City Lords in Makhanda on Saturday.
Other results between the two schools: Seconds Kingswood won 28-27; U16A Kingswood won 22-18; U15A match drawn 12-12; U14A Volkskool won 27-14.
Meanwhile, Kingswood Junior School’s first rugby team, the U13As, won both their matches at the Frans Erasmus U13 rugby and netball festival at PJ Olivier at the weekend. The Kingswood ‘barefoot brigade’ defeated Good Shepherd Primary School 15-0 and PJ Olivier 20-5.
CLOSE CALL ON LOWER
The first teams of St Andrew’s College and Nico Malan High School from Humansdorp dished up some exciting rugby fare on Lower field in Makhanda on Saturday, with the home side eventually edging out the visitors by 24-21.
Other results between the schools: seconds Match drawn 12-12; thirds Nico Malan won 7-0; fourths St Andrew’s won 24-5. U16A Nico Malan won 41-33; U15A St Andrew’s won 15-7; U14A Nico Malan won 58-14; U14B Nico Malan won 63-0.
GOING IS TOUGH IN KARIEGA
Daniel Pienaar Technical High School beat Graeme College 29-19 in their first XV rugby encounter in Kariega (Uitenhage) last Saturday.
Other results between the two schools: seconds Daniel Pienaar won 33-15; thirds match drawn 24-24; U16A Graeme won 38-10; U16B Graeme won 12-7; U15A Daniel Pienaar won 15-14; U15B Daniel Pienaar won 7-0; U14A Daniel Pienaar won 38-14; U14B Daniel Pienaar won 73-0.
GOOD TIMES IN THE GARDENS
Natasha Agnew enjoyed an outing of note on Saturday when she completed her 200th parkrun in Makana botanical gardens, while Liz Gowans recorded parkrun number 100 and Ayanda Mtyapi his 50th.
Exactly 100 runners, joggers and walkers took to the road and pathways in glorious weather conditions in the gardens for their weekly parkrun outing.
Meanwhile, Helen McCallum and Phemelo ‘PJ’ Hellemann each have just one parkrun to go to their 150th, while Stavie van Aardt (397) and Peter Stockwell (395) are closing in on their 400th runs.
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
NOT TOO FAR
At 40km, the Bathurst Showgrounds are
pretty close to Makhanda via the recentlycompleted and refurbished R67 road heading towards the coast. So, the Bathurst Agricultural Society committee encourages Makhandans to make the short hop to the 2024 Bathurst Show from Friday to Sunday, March 22, 23 and 24 when there will be plenty to experience.
APPOINTED COACH
Former PJ Oliver High School pupil and present Kingswood College teacher, Renaldo Gombert, has been selected as head coach for the EP U12 Elephants rugby squad.
IN THE WATER
Mullins has won the St Andrew’s College interhouse swimming gala with 859 points, followed by Armstrong (second on 737), Merriman third, Upper fourth, Graham fifth and Espin sixth.
The Doug Lawson trophy for best junior swimmer was awarded to James Barber, while the Adderley prize for best open swimmer was won jointly by Nick Franklin and Adam Nurse, each swimmer winning five events.
BOWLER OF NOTE
This column writer meandered around the clubhouse at Grahamstown Bowling Club recently, waiting for play to commence during the Pepper Grove Pick n Pay intercompany night bowls league.
Phil McDougall was not one of the players involved in the tournament he had ‘domestic duties’ to attend to in the kitchen of the clubhouse, but the honours noticeboards certainly spoke of the
illustrious career he enjoyed as a bowler.
It started off in 1988/89 when he was the club’s novice champion, He followed it up with club champion titles on 11 occasions between 1994 and 2021.
He was also veterans’ champion in 2018 and 2022.
But that’s not all McDougall was also the club’s men’s pairs champion along with various partners on nine occasions between 2006 and 2023.
IN THE SQUAD
Six Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) players have been selected for the Nelson Mandela Bay U18 schools’ squad to take part in the Currie Cup water polo tournament in East London from March 14-16. They are Amelia Brown, Avu Dyaphu, Amie Jenner, Kimberly Kabiri, Anna Pinto and Lucy Rutherfoord.
SPORTY FAMILY
A local publication in 1996 carried an advertisement placed by Albany Sports Shop at 29 Bathurst Street in which it was stated the business was run by “The Sports People”. The business was owned and run by the Peterson family of Brian, Lynne, Mike and Gerald who were specialists in sports equipment, and had extensive knowledge in the world of angling.
NEWS AND RESULTS
Send your club and school news and results for publication in this weekly column. A reminder, though, that the deadline for submission of community news snippets, sports results and details of forthcoming events is 1pm on Sundays.