Gauteng Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Provincial Finals kick-off

Months of grueling qualifiers will culminate in eight teams competing in the first round of under-19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup provincial finals taking place on Saturday, 2^nd August, at the Giant Stadium, Soshanguve, Tshwane. The action will kick-off at 9am with the winners taking home R100 000 to be spent

Saturday’s winners and runners-up will qualify to play for a whopping R1 million on offer to the ultimate winner that emerges from the national finals taking place between the 6^th and 9^th October.

The current champions, Clapham High School of Pretoria, were given quite a scare by Boksburg’s Sunward Park High in a thrilling inter-district final played last week. They finally managed to beat them 5-3 in a penalty shootout. 

As Gauteng and national champions for 2013, Clapham won R1.1 million which they will be using to build a new Life Orientation centre, a pavilion with a coaches room; and to buy white boards, desks and chairs for learners, as well as staff tables and chairs, cabinets and a boardroom table.

Johannes Petje, Clapham’s team manager, was shaken after the Sunward encounters and admitted that while they knew Sunward Park was a good team, they were taken by surprise and did not expect such a hard game. “When you are the champions it’s not easy as everyone wants to beat you and they prepare very well,” he said

“They played better than us and deserved to win, but my guys showed guts and character and when it came to penalties the boys kept a level head. We started the game well and should have wrapped it up in the first 20 minutes but failed to capitalise on the chances we got.”

Petje puts the scare down to the boys only just returning to school after a month’s holiday. “Although we gave them each a training regime to follow, it is obvious they didn’t stick to it,” he said. “We have also not been able to schedule any practise games. We were also playing without 2 of our key players who are currently with the SA under-20 national team who are touring West Africa.”

So, for the Clapham technical team, it’s back to the drawing board as they admit there is a lot of work to be done before Saturday. “We need to re-group as the team is not playing like defending champions. We have 8 new recruits and they are under a lot of pressure to repeat last year’s success,” Petje said.

The provincial finals are not going to be easy, the manager said. “Every school will be gunning for us and it’s not going to be easy to remain at the top but we are determined to fight for the title as we want to keep the trophy in our cabinet.”

The following schools have qualified for the Gauteng Provincial Finals

Clapham High School (Tshwane North)

Thaba Jabula Secondary School (Johannesburg North)

East Bank High (Johannesburg East)

Kgoroyathuto High School (Sedibeng East)

Holy Trinity High School (Tshwane South)

M.O.M Sebone Secondary School (Gauteng East)

I.R Lesolang High School (Tshwane West)

Waterstone College (Johannesburg South)

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·           The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·           The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·           The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·           The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.

Gauteng Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Inter-district Finals kick-off

The U19 Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup Gauteng inter-district football finals will be played around the province on July 24 and 25 with 15 district winners playing-off to determine the final 8 schools that will compete in the provincial finals happening at the Giant Stadium, Soshanguve on August 2.

The stakes are high with the provincial winner taking home R100 000 and booking a place, together with the provincial runner-up, in the national finals where the ultimate winner will get R1 million.

The inter-district fixtures were decided by a draw which saw one school, Kgoroyathuto High School, of district D7, drawing a bye to even the teams to 14.

Clapham High School, the 2013 national winners of the competition are in the inter-district playoffs again this year, as are regular participants in the national finals, Ekurhuleni North’s SAFA Transnet Football School of Excellence.

School of Excellence did not, by their standards, have a good Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup tournament in 2013. They went out at the provincial finals stage, and their coach, Whitey Tshowa, is determined not to let that happen again. “2013 is behind them now”, Tshowa said. “We are coming into this tournament with a clear mind and with a positive attitude. The players are motivated and believe in themselves.”

The School will be playing I.R. Lesolang High next week; “We don’t know how strong they are this year but they have had a very good team in the past, so we are definitely not taking them lightly,” Tshowa said.

The problem for all the schools playing in the inter-district playoffs is that they go into the series straight after three weeks of school holidays.

In School of Excellence’s case, the players were given a training programme to follow during the holidays, and Tshowa said he hopes they have taken it seriously. “The program requires self-discipline and the players will be tested when schools reopen to see if they have been following it,” he said. “When schools open it’s back to normal training, because our game against I.R Lesolang is on the first Friday back.  But I have faith in the boys and in my coaching abilities.  Reaching the inter districts level has not been an easy task but we managed to be victorious so far and I know that we are going to continue with the momentum,” he said.

School of Excellence is an academy school and each year they go on road shows all over the country searching for the best players, particularly kids about to go into grade 8.  They are then invited to the school for trials and the best 20 to 25 players remain at the school.  The entire 2014 team might be new to the tournament, but Tshowa says they have been together for years, which gives them the edge and they have the fighting spirit.

Tshowas is a highly-qualified coach. He has a level 3 coaching qualification, a CAF coaching license and is a SAFA instructor. 

Gauteng Inter-District Playoffs Fixtures

24th JULY 2014

Eastbank High (D9) vs Thuto Lore Sec (D12) –Venue:   No. 3 Square, 13th Avenue, Alexander

Clapham High (D3) vs (D6) TBC 23^rd July –  Venue:  TBC 23^rd July

Horizon International High (D11) vs Altmond High (D14) – Venue:  Sporting Lisbon Field - Turfontein

Boitumelo Sec (D8) vs Thabajabula Sec (D10) Venue:  Sebokeng Hostel- Sebokeng

25th JULY 2014

(D2) TBC 23^rd July vs Sebone Sec (D5).  Venue-TBC Tuesday

Holy Trinity High (D4) vs Steve Bikoville (D1) –Venue:   Mbolekwa Stadium - Atteridgeville

I.R. Lesolang High (D15) vs School of Excellence (D17) – Venue:  TUT - Soshanguve

Bye – Kgoroyathuto (D7)

Teams from the North battle in the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week

The teams at the 2014 U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week in Middelburg have all played one game now, and already the teams from the Northern part of the country have probably all fallen out of contention for a spot in Saturday’s unofficial final.

In recent years, that honour has always gone to two unbeaten teams, and when the Blue Bulls and the Golden Lions went down to Eastern Province and the Free State on day two, they joined the Pumas, who lost to Western Province on day one, in the ranks of the also-rans.

The game of the day on day two was Eastern Province’s 26-25 win over the Blue Bulls. The Bulls led for most of the game and looked to have the win in the game when some heroics by EP fullback, Curwin Bosch, turned the tables on them.

First Bosch sold an audacious dummy and scored under the posts to out his side in touch, and then, in the final minute, converted Athi Mayinje’s try from the corner to snatch the victory.

Bosch also kicked four penalties and converted his own try, for a personal tally of 21 points.

Blue Bulls flyhalf Tinus De Beer contributed 20 points via six penalties and the conversion of their lone try, scored by Ettiene Matthys.

In the final game of the day, Free State beat a disappointing Golden Lions side 33-20. The Lions made numerous handling errors and were penalised heavily at the breakdown, never really giving themselves a chance of victory.

Victor Maruping, Shirwin Cupido and Alexander Jonker scored the Free State tries, with Lourens Steenkamp adding four penalties and three conversions.

For the Lions, Gavin Delport and Armandt Grobler scored tries. Ralton October kicked a penalty and Wikus van Biljon added a penalty and two conversions.

In earlier action on day two, Griquas scored a massive, 96-0 win over Border Country districts, the second biggest victory margin in Craven Week history. The Valke beat Boland 30-26 in an exciting encounter and the Leopards beat Namibia 53-13.

Western Province face SWD in Wednesday’s big game, with the hosts, the Pumas taking on KwaZulu-Natal in the other big game of the day.

Tuesday’s Results

Griquas 96 Border Country 0, Leopards 53 Namibia 13, Valke 30 Boland 26, Eastern Province 26 Blue Bulls 25, Free State 33 Golden Lions 20.

Wednesday’s Fixtures

Zimbabwe v Griquas Country, Limpopo Blue Bulls v Border, Griffons v Eastern Province Country, Pumas v KwaZulu-Natal, SWD v Western Province.

KFC Mini-Cricket Coach and Coordinator of the Year named at national seminar

Thulani Zideba and Nokuzola Javu have been honoured in front of their peers by being named the Coordinator of the Year and Coach of the Year respectively at a glittering gala dinner, held on the last night of the 2014/2015 KFC Mini-Cricket National Seminar.

The annual seminar, which took place from Thursday, 3 July, to Sunday, 6 July, is jointly hosted by Cricket South Africa and KFC, and is an opportunity for a few of the dedicated and talented KFC Mini-Cricket coaches and coordinators from across South Africa to come together to share best practice and plan for the season ahead.

“Looking back on another successful and highly active season of KFC Mini-Cricket, we are proud that not only the number of participants, but also the unique opportunities to get kids active have substantially increased. Awarding the Coach of the Year to Nokuzola and Coordinator of the Year to Thulani acknowledges how the dedicated and committed volunteers from around the country are taking this programme from strength to strength. They are the real lifeblood of the KFC Mini-Cricket programme,” commented Lauren Turnbull, CSI and Sponsorship Manager of KFC South Africa.

Thulani Zideba, winner of Coordinator of the Year, accepted his award with great humility. A fine cricketer himself and wicket keeper for the Khayelitsha Cricket Club, Thulani takes great pride in his role within the KFC Mini-Cricket programme. In 2010, he was appointed as the Western Province KFC Mini-Cricket coordinator and since then he has taken the number of participants in the programme from 3000 to an astonishing 10 000 children.

However Thulani feels that he wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own. “I would not have achieved this accolade without the support from David Mokopanela at Cricket South Africa, the support from the Western Province Cricket Association and the support of all the brilliant coaches and coordinators in the Western Cape,” he said.

When receiving her award, Nokuzola, a grade 3 teacher at the Mzamonhle Special School in Uitenhage, was also quick to acknowledge and thank all those who had supported and assisted her in organising transport, branding, fixtures and promoting KFC Mini-Cricket at their schools.

KFC Mini-Cricket gives kids of all ages and abilities the chance to get active, even those that are differently abled, physically or intellectually. Since 2010 when KFC started sponsoring the mini-cricket programme, the number of kids playing cricket has increased by over 29%, from 83,683 to 107,872 kids from 4,986 schools across South Africa.

“As we move into the new season, our shared vision remains to get more kids in South Africa to lead active lifestyles through the KFC Mini-Cricket programme, and we are looking to continue to build upon the positive momentum generated over the course of the very successful 2013/2014 season which saw more kids than ever getting active across South Africa,” said Turnbull.

“With over 107 000 kids from across the country actively involved in KFC Mini-Cricket, this number will only continue to grow thanks to the dynamic and committed coaches and coordinators like Nokuzola and Thulani,” Turnbull concluded.

Curwin Bosch from Eastern Province is the Coca-Cola Hero of the day for day 2 of the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week

Curwin Bosch from Eastern Province is the Coca-Cola Hero of the day for day 2 of the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week

Curwin Bosch won man in the match for his performance against the Blue Bulls where he scored a try and 2 coversions and 4 penalties for a total of 21 points but the reason why he won the Coca-Cola Hero of the day. The reason why he was chosen was because of a moment of brilliance where he scored his try. The Blue Bulls had dominated the game up to the 51^st minute having scored a try and kicked 4 penalties and were leading 19-9. Eastern Province had a couple of opportunities up to then through breakaway runs. Eastern Province got a penalty in the 50^th minute of the game and Rouche Nel, their scrumhalf, took it quickly and passed it to Curwin who ran through a couple of tackles to score under the post. This was the moment that changed the game and Eastern Province eventually ran out 26-25 winners.

Day 1 of the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week kicks off in Middelburg

The final match of the opening day of the 51^st Coca-Cola Craven Week in Middelburg on Monday was a humdinger, with pre-tournament favourites, Western Province, holding out in the face of a ferocious second half onslaught from the hosts, the Pumas, to win by a single point, 33-32.

Province led 30-15 at half time, but could only add a single penalty in the second half, while the Pumas scored three tries and came within whisker of causing a major upset.

The win meant that Province are still on track for a spot in Saturday’s unofficial final, after their under-13, under-16 and Academy Week teams all won the main games in the earlier Coca-Cola youth weeks.

Winger Duncan Saal scored two tries for his side, with lock Jaco Willemse getting the other one. Fullback Tiaan Swanepoel produced a flawless goal-kicking display, slotting three penalties and three conversions for an 18-point contribution.

The Pumas scored four tries, through Barend Smit, Mfundo Ndlovu, Stephan Enslin and Driaan Bester. Flyhalf, Muller Joubert kicked three penalties and two conversions.

Earlier in the day, South Western Districts shocked KwaZulu-Natal by beating them 18-13. The win meant that SWD now have a shot at the coveted main game, although one expects they will be up against Western Province next.

The visitors from Zimbabwe won a lot of friends with their never-say-die attitude. They came back from being 54-17 down against Eastern Province Country to lose 54-43 in the end.

The other winners on day one were the Northern Free State Griffons, 47-20 over Border, and the Limpopo Blue Bulls, who beat Griquas Country 25-19.

On day two the Blue Bulls take on Eastern Province and the Golden Lions play Free State in the big games.

Monday's results

Limpopo Blue Bulls 25 Griquas Country 19, Eastern Province Country 54 Zimbabwe 43, Griffons 47 Border 20, SWD 18 KwaZulu-Natal 13, Western Province 33 Pumas 22.

Tuesday’s Fixtures

Griquas v Border Country, Namibia v Leopards, Valke v Boland, Blue Bulls v Eastern Province, Golden Lions v Free State

Pinetown school takes a step closer to winning the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup

Umqhele Secondary School of Clermont are the Pinetown District winners of the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup soccer competition and are looking to repeat the feats of the school’s 2011 team that won KwaZulu-Natal provincial title.

It has not been easy says assistant coach and team manager, Phenduka Mkhwanazi. “All games we played were extremely challenging,” he said. “We are based in a small area and play against the same schools every year so we all know each other’s weaknesses and their strengths.  But we won all five scheduled games so we are on track and will hopefully reach our goal, which is to win the KZN provincial finals.”

The team has been on an extensive training programme for the entire year, Mkhwanazi said as they need to be physically fit and are able to keep up with the other teams’ performance levels. Further, he has also introduced regular team talks.  “I am a firm believer in having team talks as this is where the players can share their thoughts and visions. We have team talks before and after every game to strategise and then to recap.”

The team has been impressive in scoring goals so far. “The most impressive game was when we beat Buhlebemfundo Secondary 7-0 which is our highest score to date in this tournament.”

Umqhele is boosted by three players that are affiliated to the Amazulu FC youth development team (Durban Warriors).  Striker, Linda Bhengu and was part of the SA under-20 national team that played against Ethiopia earlier this year.

Mkhwanazi said he is going to be a key player, going forward, as are defender Zanyiso Zungu and striker Phiwayinkosi Lukhele, the other players who are with Amazulu.

Mkhwanazi is also the football development officer in Clermont, and has been involved in soccer for a number of years. He says his main aim is to help talented soccer players from KZN reach the professional level and play for PSL teams.

The Umqhele team is coached by Sthembiso Ntuli who is not a teacher at the school. He has a level 1 qualification, and has been coaching for many years. “He has the skills to take the team to great heights,” Mkhwanazi said.

Mkhwanazi thinks it’s great to have the academy schools on board as they bring a new element to the tournament and the boys can learn a thing or two from them. “We try to run our team like an academy, our players live in the school boarding facilities, so they are together all the time, they are a unified team and work  very well together. We try our best to make sure that they get matching tracksuits and soccer boots, the school does a lot of fund raising to support them.”

There is R100 000 up for grabs for the provincial winners in the competition and, should Umqhele win it, the school will repair the classrooms that have broken windows and doors, they would like to add mobile classes as they are getting more and more students every year. “The school also needs a Mini Taxi that will be used to transport players to and from games, transportation is one of the problems that we have at the school,” he said. “We would also use some of the money to assist with the day to day running of the boarding facility.”

Ends.

About the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup:

·           The tournament is run under the auspices of the South Africa Football Association (SASFA)

   Named after prominent businessman Patrice Motsepe’s late mother, the Sanlam Kay Motsepe Schools Cup offers the biggest prize money at school level in Africa (R3.4 million in total). 

·           The sponsors are:  Sanlam, the Motsepe Foundation and the Sanlam Ubuntu-Botho Community Development Trust.

·           The primary objective of the tournament is to revive the culture of school football amongst students between the age of 16 and 19 years old.

·           The tournament also gives players the opportunity to showcase their skills to soccer scouts with the talented players being recruited into development structures to be nurtured and shaped into professional players.

Western Province crowned the unofficial champions of the U18 Coca-Cola Academy Week.

Western Province beat KwaZulu-Natal 38-7 in the final game of the U18 Coca-Cola Academy in front of a packed and very partisan crowd at HTS Drosdy in Wellington today.

 Western Province got off to a very good start and immediately put KwaZulu-Natal under pressure. It did not take long before Province’s wing Andre Manuel broke through the KZN defence to score the first try of the game.

 Province found themselves back on their opponents’ tryline directly from the kickoff, and with the defence  in tatters, Michael Meyer ran through the centre field defence and broke 4 tackles to score their second try.

 Up to this point KwaZulu-Natal had only touched the ball to restart the game. Province’s dominance was complete.

 Once again the Cape side broke easily through the KwaZulu-Natal defence with a quick backline move that finished close to the right hand corner. Province lock, Sybrand Du Toit, was in close support of his backs, and he dug the ball out and went over for his team’s 3^rd try.

 The Sharks finally got some possession and took the game into the Western Province half. This brought about a slight pause in the scoring. WP regrouped and seemed to take a breather. This did not last long and they scored again in the 30^th minute through Calvin Nel. This was the last try of the first half and Province went into the break 24-0 up.

 The second half started the same as the first, with KwaZulu-Natal missing tackles and Western Province easily breaking through to score through yet another try this time through their prop Edward Marais.

 Hayden Tharratt scored a consolation try for KwaZulu-Natal in the 46^th minute.

 Province brought on most of their bench for the rest of the game and it did not stop the scoring Taigh Schoor ran in their last try in the 66^th minute to round off a game of complete dominance.

 The other unbeaten teams this week were the Gauteng Lions, Boland XV and Blue Valke.

 Boland  23 Golden Lions 31, Pumas 26 Griffons  23,  SWD 44 EP CD 26, Free State 57 Namibia 34,  Blue Bulls 7 Eastern Province 7, Boland XV 23 Red Valke 8, Griffons CD 15 Golden Lions XV 53, Griquas 23 Blue Valke 44, KwaZulu-Natal CD 5 Pumas CD 17, Border CD 0 Leopards 76,  Border 41 Limpopo Blue Bulls 10, SA LSEN 27 Griquas CD 41.

Ends.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

Western Province wins the 'unofficial final' of the 2014 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week

For the second year in succession Western Province (WP) beat the Blue Bulls 24 – 11 in the Under 16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo ‘unofficial’ final rugby match that took place at the Tshwane University of Technology today.

“We are all very excited with the win, but I have to say it has been a stressful two days,” said manager, Frikkie Coetzer.  “Our game against the Golden Lions was perhaps the hardest game of the tournament as they are physically strong and came at us with no respite.  But we managed to beat them.  Today’s game was perhaps not as physically challenging, but the Blue Bulls play a good tactical game.  We had to change our game plan to introduce a combination of both strength and tactics, which worked in our favour in the end.”

This win means that Western Province has completed a Coca-Cola Youth Rugby Week treble following the Western Province U13’s successfully defended their Under 13          Coca-Cola Craven Week title last week and the Under 18 Coca-Cola Academy Week that has just finished in Worcester, Western Cape.

WP was first to get on the score sheet as flyhalf Damian Willemse scored a try in the 17^th minute. Gianni Lombard converted to bring the lead to the 2013 Grant Khomo title holders 7 – 0.

Western Province wing Benjamin Momberg scored another try for Western Province two minutes later that Gianni Lombard converted and the score moved to 14 – 0 to Western Province.

The Blue Bulls got on the score sheet through a penalty from Ruan de Swardt and at the break WP led 14 – 3.

It looked like Blue Bulls were coming back into the game when Western Province conceded a penalty that Ruan De Swardt slotted to bring Western Province’s lead down to 8.

However Western Province was tight on defense and countered well off the Blue Bulls kicks. Gianni Lombard and the Western Province backline were slick and fluid in their play. WP constantly kept the ball in their possession making it difficult for the Bulls to attack.

Western Province 8^th man delivered a try for his team in the 37^th minute to extend his teams lead to 15 followed by Gianni Lombard’s conversion.

Western Province continued to press on relentlessly and were awarded with a try as Jade Fortune dotted down. The match heated up as the Bulls’ Gerald Lowe was sin binned, and Damian Willemse for WP followed him. The Bulls were finally awarded a try as Luke Fortuin scored with one minute left on the clock.

Western Province proved too strong for the Bulls team to win the U16 Grant Khomo Unofficial final 26 -11.

RESULTS:

Boland 10 vs EP 24

Zimbabwe 22  vs Namibia 34

Griquas 41 vs Border 0

KZN 34 vs Griffons 24

Blue Bulls XV 20  vs Valke  15

Border 27 vs Leopards 22

Golden Lions 22  vs Free State 27

Pumas 14  vs SWD 31

Griquas CD 12 vs Limpopo Blue Bulls 21

WP 24 vs Blue Bulls 11.