Cycling

SA honours for new PE cycle team

Members make mark at national champs

African Pride are the best female cyclists to come from this area

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

PORT Elizabeth-based cycling team African Pride emerged as the most successful side at the South African Championships held recently in Wellington.

The newly formed team consists of four talented young cyclists, who clinched two gold and two bronze medals in the competition.

Kelsey van Schoor, 15, secured the first gold medal for the team in the women’s U17 time trial category, while Mischka Strydom, 14, brought home the bronze medal for the team.

Monique Gerber, 20, competing in the U23 time trial category, received a bronze medal.

Kelsey managed to beat the time set by the winner of the U19 category.

The humid weather conditions proved to be a challenge for the team on race day as road temperatures reached a high of 53°C.

Monique, who is a former African Continental champion, said: “We were fortunate enough to visit the venue to train and familiarise ourselves with the course as well as to acclimatise before the actual race began.

“I believe we were well prepared because we knew what our bodies could do to get the best performance.

“It was different from what we had been accustomed to but we made it work.”

Manager and coach Frans Gerber said: “The young women are constantly improving. They work very hard to keep a balance with their school work. African Pride are the best female cyclists to come from this area in the country.

“The team is extremely talented and we are looking to do well in all the competitions we participate in this year.

“The youngest and most improving rider on the team, Mischka, had a bit of bad luck at the start of her road race when a gear cable on her bike snapped just before the start.

“She had to start riding a full five minutes after the bunch had pulled off. She showed a lot of resilience to come back and get fifth position.”

Framesby High pupil Mischka said: “Keeping a balance with school work and training can be a challenge sometimes but I always ride in the mornings and focus on my school work during the day.”

African Pride anticipate conquering The Herald Continental Cycle Tour on Sunday.

Two weeks later they will compete in the Cape Town Cycle Tour, and later this year will tackle the Track South African Champs, also to be held in Cape Town.

The team was formed at the beginning of this year after the girls had been training together but participated as individuals. Although they race as a team, the results are recorded individually. Members of the team would sacrifice themselves for one member to win.

The team’s fourth member, Anja Gerber, who also competes in the U23 category, did not participate in the South African Championships due to a heart condition that developed in December.

LOCAL Rugga

Heartbreak as WSU claim hard-fought victory against Harlequins

By YONELA MOFU

WALTER Sisulu University (WSU) broke the hearts of Port Elizabeth Harlequins when they won their Eastern Cape Super 12 club rugby fixture 14-12 at the Adcock Stadium on Saturday.

The “All Blacks” snatched the spoils in what proved to be a nail-biting clash. Both teams displayed an eagerness to win in their first match of the tournament but in the end it was WSU who came out on top.

The first 10 minutes between the sides proved to be equally contested as both teams made good use of their chances in the rucks.

The home side showed brilliance with the ball in hand attacking whenever they could and also using the wind to their advantage.

Harlequins got the upper hand in the 20th minute when WSU lock Bongile Ntoko was yellow carded for a high tackle.

The home side sneaked in two back-to-back tries through speedy left wing Irvin Kapara and right wing Chessy Lewack.

The home side were denied their third try when flank Ricky Williams knocked on the ball five metres from the tryline.

WSU got off to a good start in the second half when skipper and lock Lelo Gamashe scored their first try from a well executed set piece by the forwards. Bongani Zwane kicked the conversion.

Frustration got the better of Harlequins when they started deviating from the form they had shown in the first half.

They were seen defending deep into their territory with their forwards working overtime.

WSU capitalised on the infringements made by the home side and Gamashe got in for his second try in the dying minutes.

A cool-headed Zwane then broke the hearts of the home side when he converted the try with just three minutes on the clock to close out the victory.

Harlequins assistant coach Sebastian Hilpert said: “It was a tight game and the opposition used the wind to their advantage. Going into the next game we will stick to our game plan and obviously adjust a few things.”

WSU head coach Andile Ndondose said: “We definitely need to go back to the drawing and fix all the problems we had in the first half. Our players just need to build on their chemistry so that everything gels on the field.”

Rugga

THE Eastern Province Rugby Union Grand Challenge Cup returns after a two-week break, with teams gearing up for the second round of fixtures at various fields in Nelson Mandela Bay tomorrow.

One of the games will feature a cracking club derby when traditional rivals Gardens and Harlequins meet at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Uitenhage.

Fireworks have often been the order of the day when these sides square up and tomorrow should be no exception.

Harlequins are second in group B, trailing Park by three points, while Gardens will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run after nine games.

Home-ground advantage should give them added confidence.

The visitors will be looking to prove themselves after losing their last encounter with Garden in the Super 12 competition.

Both sides have had impressive campaigns in the Grand Challenge, bagging 43 and 37 points respectively.

EPRU have decided to proceed with the top five teams in group A of the first round to be paired with group B’s bottom five teams.

Gardens and Parks go into the next round as the teams to look out for as they showed their ability in collecting 43 and 40 points respectively from nine games.

The matches will start at 3.30pm.

Development

Vuka U15 tournament set to identify young talent

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

THE second annual Vuka U15 rugby tournament is set to take 22 Nelson Bay Mandela Bay township schools by storm in March.

This will add significant numbers to the already passionate youngsters taking part from 50 other Eastern Cape high schools.

They will play 343 home and away games to decide a champion school.

EP High Schools, in partnership with the EP Rugby Union, will look to employ 72 coaches to assist with quality coaching and high-performance training.

Vuka Eastern Province coordinator Gerald Anthony said the core purpose of the tournament was to revive rugby at disadvantaged schools and to unearth hidden talent in those communities.

“We want to build a good foundation for our EP Kings that will be consistent for the future,” Anthony said.

The tournament will start with a mass participation programme: nine schools in a zone will go up against each other in home and away games.

From this competition, the best players will be selected to represent their region of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Outstanding players will compete in the Iqhawe tournament, similar to the annual Craven Week competition.

Eastern Province U18 girls’ coach Namhla Siyolo, a former women’s Springbok No8, who will coach Zwide’s Nzondelelo High School, said the tournament had a positive influence on youngsters aspiring to play top-level rugby.

“Vuka means a lot to these kids as they travel and see places and rugby legends they thought they would never see.

“The sport keeps them away from drugs and other mischief,” Siyolo said.

In addition to keeping the youngsters out of trouble, the tournament provides a platform for outstanding players to receive scholarships from more affluent schools in the region.

“A total of 32 children will be selected from the competition to play for EP U16.

“Others may receive scholarships from schools like Grey High and others in the province,” she said.

The initiative is funded by Saru in partnership with South African Rugby Legends.

Regional Vuka manager Jessie Claassen said: “It is imperative to use people from the community” – referring to the legends.

“It is better for the youngsters to learn from their local role models so that they can develop their communities.”

The fixtures are lined up to rotate every Wednesday afternoon at various schools in the province.

Afcon

Bay hopes on Zimbabwe victory in Afcon contest

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

ZIMBABWE have emerged as the favourites to clinch the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts tomorrow.

In a snap poll conducted this week, Bay residents have given the Zimbabwe Warriors an astounding thumbs up.

But many voiced their disappointment at South Africa not qualifying for tournament.

Gabon have qualified automatically as hosts of this year’s continental showpiece.

Zimbabwe have been paired with 1990 champions Algeria, 2004 champions Tunisia and Senegal in Group B.

Gabon and Guinea-Bissau play the first game at 6pm tomorrow, followed by Burkina Fasso and Cameroon at 9pm.

Charity Cup

Victoria Park in commandat Charity Cup

High school’s boys and girls dominate all divisions

Yonela Mofu mofuy@timesmedia.co.za

VICTORIA Park High School dominated all three divisions of the NMMU 15th Charity Cup  soccer  tournament at the weekend.

Under-16 boys and girls as well as U19s from various schools in Nelson Mandela Bay competed in the annual charity event on Saturday.

In an U19 girls encounter, Victoria Park High proved too strong for a spirited Linkside team.

Two goals, without reply, from the tournament’s top goal scorer, Tiffany Korkie, sealed the victory for Victoria Park for the second consecutive year.

VP also earned a well-deserved victory over old foes Chapman to clinch the U16 boys title in a tense game that had to be settled by penalty kicks.

Victoria Park goalkeeper Sakhumzi Silara was the hero, making two brilliant saves to deny Chapman and give his team the bragging rights.

In the final match, Arcadia High’s U19 boys also came up against Victoria Park. Both teams had an impressive campaign, brushing aside all competitors in the round robin stages.

On their way to the finals, Arcadia High beat five of their competitors.

In the final, Arcadia were 1-0 up after five minutes, with an excellent goal by centre back Lester Haaroff.

In the second half, VP changed to a 3-4-3 strategy – and it almost immediately proved to be a winner when striker Sinalo Gantsho was brought down in the penalty area.

Keegan Assam, the top U19 boys goal scorer at the event, stepped up and equalised from the penalty spot.

Athini Komani, one of the best players of the tournament, dribbled past two defenders before passing to midfielder Thabo Mbem, who missed the target with an open goal in sight.

The tenacious player, however, made amends two minutes later when he stole into the Arcadia box with some fancy footwork.

A second penalty kick was awarded when a dangerous tackle brought Mbem down inside the area.

Assam was again at hand to convert, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, to hand Victoria Park a 2-1 win.

The R5000 raised from the NMMU schools’ tournament will be presented to the Isithembiso Babies Home in Walmer.

Local football

THE Northern Areas Football Association (Nafa) is gearing up for the Easter tournament after the draw at the Nafa Hall, Gelvan Grounds, on Wednesday.

The 43rd annual tournament has been expanded and will include teams from the Vodacom and Castle leagues, who had been ruled out in the competition previously.

Teams from Uitenhage and Cape Town will join the lineup this year.

The renowned tournament will have 20 teams and 300-odd players in the senior event.

“Running a tournament for 43 years is not easy and that is why Nafa is constantly faced with the pressure of introducing new ideas to the tournament to keep the people interested,” committee member Vincent Heinz said.

Nafa president Clive Kilian said: “The tournament has become part of the DNA of the northern areas community and we pride ourselves with the positive outcomes it has with the youth.

“We need more knowledgeable coaches who have the skill of identifying talented players.

“This competition works hand in hand with giving youth a healthy lifestyle,” Kilian said.

“It seeks and breeds excellence, while it also deters from the bad activities in these poverty stricken communities.”

Valentine Brink, a legend of the tournament, said it had grown in leaps since its establishment.

“The young men in the Easter tournament get an incredible amount of exposure,” Brink said.

The event starts on April 14.