City set for super sporting weekend
A BUMPER sporting weekend lies ahead for the Diamond City and residents will be spoilt for choice with an array of options on offer in the area.
Due to the change of season, the last weekend of October has traditionally resulted in a plethora of sporting activities being on the go, as this period sees the culmination of the winter sport season while various tournaments in the summer codes begin to gain momentum.
This transition means sports fans can pick and choose how to occupy their time this weekend with cricket, rugby, mountain biking and golf among the options in the days to come.
This weekend has something in store for young and old alike and the action starts just before sunset tonight when hundreds of aspiring young Proteas are expected to converge on the Diamond Oval for the annual Northern Cape KFC Mini-Cricket Provincial Festival from 5pm.
Launched during the 1982/83 cricket season to encourage the growth and development of cricket among boys and girls, mini-cricket has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, exposing children from all walks of life to the game.
Over 2.5 million children have participated in this programme, which has been instrumental in producing players for the various national teams – South Africa U/19, Momentum Proteas, South Africa ‘A’ and the Standard Bank Proteas.
Tonight will also see a fight for survival at Tafel Lager Park as a loss to the Griffons tonight will mean that 2018 will be a lean year for the Tafel Lager Griquas and Kimberley’s rugby fans.
Having won only a third of their outings in this year’s Absa Currie Cup, the pressure is on Griquas ON PAR: The 28th annual Barney Barnato Festival currently being played at the Kimberley Golf Club. Picture: Danie van der Lith
when they battle to retain their place in the top tier of one of the most prestigious inter-provincial competitions in the world.
Securing their place in the Currie Cup Premier Division for next season is going to be easier said than done as the Kimberley-based team will be at home to a Griffons unit who will be out to take the next step up in 2018, having proved their worth by winning the latest instalment of the First Division.
Tonight’s promotion/relegation fixture at Tafel Lager Park kicks off at 6.30pm.
The action continues bright and early tomorrow morning with the focus on cycling enthusiasts in the Province, when the local MTB season ends on a high note.
Along with the Tour de Ghaap, tomorrow’s annual Kelrn MTB Classic is one of the sport’s most anticipated events in the Province, with a route that challenges novice and expert riders alike.
The men’s 60km event in particular is likely to be a hotly contested affair after Pieter Seyffert pipped local rider Bennie Coetzer
to the finish line in 2016.
Following last year’s result and after Coetzer had to be satisfied with a second place finish in the 2017 Tour de Ghaap, behind top Free State rider Pieter Korkie, the DFA-sponsored cyclist will have added incentive to give his all tomorrow.
Prizes worth R30 000 will be up for grabs, while the event organisers have set their sights on raising R500 000 for Childcare as they are hoping to enjoy a record number of entrants, exceeding the 400 mark for the first time.
While pre-entries closed at midnight last night, late comers will still be able to register at the starting line, just outside Barkly West, from 6am tomorrow morning.
In order to accommodate riders of all skill levels, the event has been divided into distances of 12km, 30km and
60km, with the first group getting under way at 8am.
For more information, contact Koos Badenhorst on 083 451 1003 or JP Naude on 082 440 3396. Enquires can also be e-mailed to jp@kelrn. net.
These events will enjoy plenty of support but local and visiting golfers will have other priorities this weekend, with the Order of Merit at the Barney Barnato Festival still up for the taking.
This year has seen eight days of action packed into four days for the 28th edition of this annual competition hosted by the Kimberley Golf Club (KGC).
This compacted version of the golf festival will leave no margin for error, as every putt will count, with this year’s overall winner to be determined over a mere 72 holes.
At the conclusion of tomorrow’s final outing, roughly 300 players, from as far afield as Australia and Tanzania, would have completed some 900 rounds of golf to determine the 2017 champions in the overall and ladies Order of Merits.
However, before the Barney winners can be announced, the Currie Cup champions will have to be crowned and all the excitement will shift to the 19th hole at the KGC, where the highly-anticipated outing between Western Province and the Sharks will be televised, ensuring for a festive atmosphere and wrapping up a jam-packed sporting weekend.