DAY THREE COCA-COLA® KHAYA MAJOLA CRICKET WEEK HERO OF THE DAY ANNOUNCED

Matthew Pollard from KwaZulu Natal has been named the Coca-Cola® Hero of the day for day 3 of the 2018 Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

The prestigious Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award is presented on each day of the tournament in recognition of a game changing ‘hero’ moment.  Matthew was elected as the deserving recipient of the award by a Coca-Cola® appointed panel of cricket experts after he took 4 wickets for 11 runs of the match against the Free State at Bishops. When he started bowling Free State were 73/2 chasing 150 to win. He bowled brilliantly and by the end of his 4 overs Free State were in serious trouble at 104/7. Free State ended up only scoring 116/9 and lost to KwaZulu-Natal by 33 runs.

“When I started bowing, I saw that we were under pressure so I just tried to keep it simple and let Free State make mistakes. I was happy that my strategy worked for me and I managed to help my team win today. It is an honor to win the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day but now it’s important to keep humble and continue to bowl well. ” said Matthew.

Interesting T20 stats from past Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Weeks

• 2015, the first ever T20 century at the week was registered  by Anthony Daiken, Anthony was given the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day for his efforts.
• 2017, Jason Raubenheimer took 5/17 for Border against North West in a T20 match and that is still the best figures in T20 bowling at the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week.

COCA-COLA CRAVEN WEEK – PLATFORM FOR IDENTIFYING SOUTH AFRICA’S FUTURE HEROES

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is where South Africa’s heroes are made. The premier youth rugby tournament, which sees the u18 provincial rugby teams battle it out in an action-packed week, has seen over 260 Springbok players come through its ranks. This year, the tournament returns to Johannesburg for the first time in 11 years and will take place at St Stithians College from 17-22 July 2017.

Coca-Cola Craven week is synonymous with showcasing the best of South African up-and-coming youth rugby talent, and is the platform for both national and provincial scouts to identify South Africa’s future rugby heroes. In 2014, Coca-Cola took it one step further by introducing the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day campaign, a daily award that recognizes and rewards standout players who embody the qualities of a hero. To date, 15 players, including members of the 2017 Baby Boks team Curwin Bosch, Wandisile Simelane and Embrose Papier, have received this accolade.

Sharks flyhalf, Curwin Bosch, was discovered by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of experts and named the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day on Day 3 of the 2014 Coca-Cola Craven Week. After a brilliant heroic display at the tournament, Bosch was selected to play for the SA Schools team for the u18 International Series against France, Wales and England, where he helped his team win two of three matches.

Bosch has since represented South Africa at the Junior Commonwealth Games for the Rugby Seven’s team that won gold, and played for the Junior Springbok side in 2016 and 2017 for the World Rugby U20 Championships. Bosch took his career to the next level when he made his Super Rugby debut for the Sharks, where he produced match winning performances for his team.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Assets and Brand Experience commented, “Having been the proud sponsors of the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks for 32 years, we have witnessed some of the best talent come through its ranks. It was great to see some of our past Hero of the Day winners represent our country at the recently concluded World Rugby u20 Championship in Georgia. Coca-Cola Craven Week has the potential to jumpstart a future in rugby for all its participants and I have no doubt that the next generation of players will be uncovered at this year’s tournament.”

Look out for the future heroes of South African rugby taking part at this year’s Coca-Cola Craven Week from 17 – 22 July 2017.

Be part of the conversation on Twitter – follow @CocaCola_ZA or search #WhereHeroesAreMade

About the Coca-Cola® Craven Week

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament aimed at identifying the top school rugby players in the country. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven.  Coca-Cola became the naming rights sponsor in 1985. There are four tournaments that take place during the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, namely the Coca-Cola U/13 Craven Week, Coca-Cola U/16 Grant Khomo Week, Coca-Cola U/18 Academy Week and the Coca-Cola U/18 Craven Week.  Many of South Africa’s top rugby players have participated in the Coca-Cola Craven Weeks as a springboard to their professional careers including former World Cup winning captain’s John Smit and Francois Pienaar.

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 and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1 provider of both sparkling and still beverages.  More than 1.9 billion servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200 countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work

Celebrate Every Comrades Milestone with Coca-Cola

#MilestoneMoment

Coca-Cola, Comrades Marathon’s official race partner, is calling on all South Africans to show their support in the world’s greatest ultra-marathon by celebrating their Comrades memorable #milestonemoment. On race day, race enthusiasts who share their Comrades Marathon #milestonemoment on @CocaCola_ZA will stand a chance to win exciting Coca-Cola hampers.

Tackling the ultimate human race, runners and supporters tend to break the race up into achievable milestones to help them reach the finish line and Coca-Cola will be there to celebrate every milestone with each of the 20 000 runners as well as the supporters.

Fetsi Mbele, Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience, Coca-Cola South Africa commented, “Coca-Cola’s long standing partnership with the historic marathon is a special one that demonstrates the shared values of Coca-Cola and the Comrades Marathon - inclusiveness; closeness; optimism and authenticity. We are excited to be bringing the idea of celebrating every milestone, bringing everyone involved in the race, from runners to spectators with supporters and athletes.”

There are a number of exciting activities to get involved in, whether you are running the greatest ultra-marathon or simply supporting a loved one conquer the ultimate human race.  As part of the build up to the race, Coca-Cola invites everyone to visit the Coca-Cola Expo stand at the Comrades Marathon Expo hosted at the Durban Exhibition Centre during 1-3 June 2017, where they can stand a chance to win supporter hampers Coca-Cola hampers. Visitors will be taken on a journey of the most memorable celebratory Comrades Marathon milestone moments, featuring both runners and supporters. The stand will also highlight the popular route profile with all the Comrades Marathon milestone marks as well as the new exciting Coca-Cola Celebration Zone at the 60 kilometre (km) mark. 

This year, for the first time, Coca-Cola will be ready to help everyone push through the remaining kilometres at Camperdown with a new Coke Celebration Zone where spectators will be having the best view of the race whilst enjoying their favourite Coca- Cola drink.

The Coke Celebration Zone will also be home to an exciting addition called the Coke Supporters Lane. Here some of the lucky spectators visiting the Zone, will have an opportunity to celebrate the Coca-Cola 60km milestone and run with their runner for 60 metres encouraging them to continue powering through the last 26.73kms of the race. 

“We look forward to bringing enjoyment with every sip of Coca-Cola and celebrating big and small milestones with everyone involved in the race,” concluded Mbele.

To find out more information follow @CocaCola_za on Twitter or search #milestonemoment on Twitter.

*Terms and conditions apply to all promotions and competitions

About Coca-Cola and the Comrades Marathon

Coca-Cola South Africa has been a longstanding official race partner of the Comrades Marathon.  Coca-Cola product will once again be available to runners at all water points along the race route and they will be hosting fun, innovative activations for runners and supporters alike at both the race expo and on route.   

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 and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1 provider of both sparkling and still beverages.  More than 1.9 billion servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200 countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.