Reunion for rugby old boys
THE Port Alfred Rugby Club, defunct since 1991, is holding a reunion of its members who managed to win a considerable number of honours during its existence and who now are all between 60 and 80 years old.
The club was officially reopened on May 8, 1972 and played on the old rugby field located where the Royal Port Alfred Marina now stands. Yet this was the second incarnation of the club that actually dates back as far as the 1960s, but closed its doors in 1969, destined not to reopen until 1972 when Frans Geldenhuys decided to reinvigorate the club and bring in new members.
“We had to use our cars’ lights to illuminate the pitch,” Geldenhuys said.
“We always had two teams that played, and we were good – always in one final or another.”
In 1975 the first team played its first final in the Eastern Cape second league, and then repeated this in 1976, 1977, 1980 and 1985.
The club played against teams such as Alexandria Rugby Club, Kingswood, Thee-Rings (Addo), Patterson, Albany and Rhodes.
The proposed get-together will be in two parts: a general reunion at the Port Alfred Country Club on Friday November 24 and a reunion lunch at the Port Alfred Ski-boat Club on Saturday November 25.
Tickets for the lunch will be R100 each, and wives of ex-players are most welcome.
“The players’ wives might have been the most important aspect of the team as, without their support, we would never have been able to field a team,” Geldenhuys said.
Payment can be made using Standard Bank, Port Alfred, in the name of J Scrivens, account number 10094946459. For more nformation, please contact Geldenhuys on 082-333-7111, Ben Kember on 082-934-0844, Tommy Scrivens on 084-588-6499 or Wally Probert on 082-406-3499.