The Rep 6 April 2018

INSIDE: BIG CONTINGENT OF HARRIERS AT THE TWO OCEANS – PAGE 15
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Marais wins
big at Border
Cricket event
CHUX FOURIE
FORMER Hoërskool Hangklip
cricketer Marco Marais was well
and truly recognised at the
glittering Border Cricket 2018
gala awards dinner held at
Buffalo Park in East London last
week.
Batting sensation Marais really
exploded into the international
spotlight in November when he
broke a 96-year-old world record
by smashing the fastest-ever firstclass
triple century in a three-day
match, incidentally against
Eastern Province.
At the dinner the prolific
batsman, who first played for the
Border before making his debut
for the Warriors, walked away
with the coveted Player of the
Season award and Batsman of
the season awards.
There could have been no
doubt regarding the recipient of
either, with Marais following up
on his record-breaking innings by
amassing runs every time he
went to the crease. He ended the
season with an impressive 1 140
runs to his credit.
For the player of the season
award Marais was up against
Border captain Gionne Koopman
and bowler Phaphama Fojela,
while he beat Koopman and
Kabelo Sekhukhune to the
batting award.
His coach at Hangklip, Byps
Kitching, said Marais was an
exceptionally talented player who
was included in the first cricket
team when he was still under 13.
And Border Cricket CEO
BRILLIANCE ON THE PITCH:
Marco Marais, a former
Hangklip pupil, is a rising
cricket star
Picture: STEPHANIE LLOYD
Thando Booi was also full of
praise. “There has been a lot of
interest in Marco and it is good
to see him being recognised. I
think he fully deserved the
awards he collected as he had a
really good season,” he said.
Marco, who matriculated from
Hangklip in 2011, is the son of
Rico and Esmarie Marais, who
farm in the Stutterheim district.
He credits Kitching and Ralph
Cullinan, who gave him extra
lessons, as having the most
influence over his early cricketing
c a r e e r.
Warriors win at
Easter tourney
Centuries
pave way
ANDISA BONANI
THE Northern Region
Warriors were victorious
in the Old Buck T20
cricket tournament that
took place at the Easter
weekend at the Dumpy Adams
st a d i u m .
The Warriors beat four other
teams to claim top honours.
The tournament began on
Good Friday with the Spartans
taking on the Rebellious
Chargers (RC). The RC made
light work of the Spartans
bowling attack and scored a
daunting 180 in 15 overs and, in
turn, restricted the Spartans to
61 all out. The second game
was between Bangladesh XI
and Vintage Invitational XI.
Bangladesh won the match
and progressed to the
semifinals. In the first day of
the tournament, overs were
restricted to 15 due to bad
weather conditions.
On day two, the Spartans
faced the Warriors and were
beaten by a huge margin.
Since there were five teams
in the tournament and RC,
TRY TIME: Sinethemba Tshunungwa
dives over the tryline during the match
against Durban High School
Picture: TRACEY VAN DEN AARDWEG
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The Northern Region Warriors after winning the Old Buck T20 cricket
tourney Picture: SUPPLIED
Warriors and Bangladesh XI
had already cemented their
places in the semifinals with
Spartans and Vintage set to
face off. Unfortunately, Vintage
could not field a team and
Spartans, by default, filled the
last spot in the semifinals.
On day three, Bangladesh
played against the RC with RC
proving too strong for their
opposition and earning
themselves a place in the final.
Spartans faced off against
the Warriors and again were
beaten, with the Warriors
scoring the biggest total of the
tournament, 231 without loss.
Both openers Nathan Roux
(113*) and Iviwe Gwana (108*)
reached centuries. On the last
day, the Warriors faced RC in
the final game of the
tournament. RC needed 20 runs
to win in the last over, but lost
the game by 10 runs.
Nathan Roux was recognised
as the top batsman and top
player of the tournament award
as he scored 136, 113* and 63 in
three games. Tournament
organising committee member
Viwe Yawa said the event
showed how competitive all
teams were and hoped that in
next year's tournament more
teams would be involved.
“The tournament showcased
various players' skills with
some of them reaching two
centuries. I am thankful to the
teams that participated.”
Feast of exciting rugby at festival
A SUCCESSFUL 11th Standard
Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby
Festival wrapped up on
Monday with three teams
ending the festival unbeaten
and the announcement of four
players who each received
bursaries to the Sharks
Academy for 2019.
Two KZN teams, Durban
High School and Glenwood, as
well as Hoërskool Framesby
from Port Elizabeth, were
unbeaten at the festival.
The bursary recipients are
HTS Drostdy centre Christie
Grobbelaar, Glenwood flank
Lindokuthle Luthuli, and two
Kearsney players, flank
Sibusiso Sangweni and
fullback Jacques Odendaal.
The bursaries, each valued at
more than R100000, include a
contract with the Academy
next year, accommodation and
a tuition bursary.
Sharks Academy managing
director Etienne Fynn said
spectators had been treated to
some outstanding rugby at the
w e e ke n d .
DHS beat Selborne College
from East London 16-13,
Queen’s College from Komani
24-7 and Dale College 39-0.
Glenwood’s victories were
against DHS Drostdy (29-26),
Dale College (39-0) and
Welkom Gimnasium (24-10).
The third unbeaten team,
Hoerskool Framesby beat Dale
College 15-5, Pretoria Boys’
High 13-10 and Hoerskool
Noord-Kaap 30-8.
In a cracker final game of
the festival, Kearsney
dominated the match against
Pretoria Boys’ High. With a
half-time 19-7 score in the
h o st s ’ favour, they won 40-33
after Pretoria scored a
converted try after full-time.
Day 1: March 29:
Kearsney College 25 – 26
HTS Middelburg; Queen’s
College 10 – 14 Pretoria Boys’
High; Glenwood 29 – 26 HTS
Drostdy; Dale College 5 – 15
Hoërskool Framesby; Selborne
13 – 16 DHS; Welkom
Gimnasium 28 – 3 Hoërskool
Noord-Kaap.
Day 2 March 31:
Hoërskool Framesby 13 – 10
Pretoria Boys High; DHS 24 –
7 Queen’s College; Kearsney
College 20 – 11 Hoërskool
Noord-Kaap; Glenwood 39-0
Dale College; HTS Drostdy 22
– 14 Welkom Gimnasium;
Selborne 33 – 19 HTS
Middelburg
Day 3: April 2:
Glenwood 24 – 10 Welkom
Gimnasium; Hoërskool
Noord-Kaap 8-30 Hoërskool
Framesby; HTS Middelburg
35-17 Queen’s College; DHS
39-0 Dale College; HTS
Drostdy 29-26 Selborne;
Kearsney College 40-33
Pretoria Boys’ High.