Results from day 1 of the U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week

Border and Western Province were the most impressive teams on view on the first day of the under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week at Glenwood Boys’ High School in Durban on Monday.

Border ran in nine tries in demolishing the Blue Bulls 52-10. Centre Luwaka Bata and fullback Siposiso Java got two tries each and the Bulls had no answer to Border’s pace, and their willingness to run the ball at every opportunity.

The markedly bigger Blue Bulls team tried to keep it tight – their tries came from lineout drives close to the Border line – but they were ineffective against the inventiveness and ball skills of the Eastern Cape side.

Western Province were no less impressive in their game against the Pumas. Playing in front of the entire Sharks Super Rugby squad - who spent the afternoon at the under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week, and practiced on the Glenwood field at the end of the day’s play – they scored 10 tries in a one-sided 56-0 win.

Province dominated all phases of the game. Their forwards won just about all the possession going, allowing their backs to run amok. In the end left winger Junaid Abrahams got a hat trick of tries and fullback Kerwin Stewart and rightwing Dalvon Blood scoring two each.

On this showing you can expect at least one of those two teams to be in the prestigious final game of the week on Friday.

In the final game of the day, the hosts, KwaZulu-Natal and the Golden Lions entertained the big crowd with some all-out attacking play. The sides were evenly-matched, with both sides scoring two tries, and the Lions taking the victory 15-12 thanks to a last minute penalty.

In other action on the opening day, South Western Districts caused something of a surprise by beating Free State 10-8 and Boland played some attractive running rugby in downing the Northern Free State Griffons 43-12

Play continues on Tuesday, Wednesday is a rest day, and the teams play again on Thursday. Their final fixtures on Friday will be played at the King’s Park stadium.

Day 1 Results

Griquas 36 Zimbabwe 12, Valke 13 Namibia 0, SWD 10 Cheetahs 8, Boland 43 Griffons 12, Border 52 Blue Bulls 10, Leopards 37 Border Country 5, W Province 56 Pumas 0, Golden Lions 15 KwaZulu-Natal 12.

Day 2 Fixtures

Field A

8:30 Zimbabwe vs Border CD

9:30 Cheetahs vs Pumas

10:30 Blue bulls vs SWD

11:30 Leopards vs Griquas

12:30 EP vs Lions

13:30 Boland vs KZN

14:30 Border vs Limpopo

15:30 WP vs Valke

Field B

8:30 Namibia vs Griffons

Grey College Bloemfontein wins Coca-Cola T20 Schools 30 Minute Heroes Challenge

Grey College Bloemfontein are the winners of the 2014 Coca-Cola® T20 Schools 30 Minute Heroes Challenge and a fully installed outdoor gymnasium, valued at R200 000, after 199 boys completed the 30 minute Challenge.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools 30 Minute Heroes Challenge promotes physical activity at school and was open to schools who took part in the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge. The concept of the challenge was to get as many students as possible through a 5-exercise course within a 30 minute period.  The school that got the most students to complete the course would win a state of the art outdoor gymnasium for their school.

Andre Bester, Grey’s master in charge of cricket, says they are delighted at winning. “It was a fun activity for the boys to be involved in and I know that they had a great time just participating in the challenge, so winning the outdoor gym is a real bonus,” he said.

“Boys from all grades were allowed to take part, even if they didn’t participate in any form of sport,” he said. “The majority of the kids in the school are physically fit and I believe that their strength and stamina helped us win. They were quick and didn’t waste time in between the drills.”

Bester says, the outdoor gym will help to encourage an active healthy lifestyle at the school as the teens can exercise any time of the day.

Grey College has done exceptionally well in the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge this cricket season.  As Free State champions, Grey went on to play Noord-Kaap, the winners of the Griquas region, to determine the school that would represent the Knights franchise at the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools National Finals, which was scheduled for early March but had to be postponed to later in the year due to inclement weather in Gauteng.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets Manager congratulated Grey College on their great achievement. “The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes and through our Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge we are encouraging all scholars in the country to adopt a physically active lifestyle that will become a lifelong practice.”  

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Grey College Represent Knights In Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge National Finals

The first school to qualify for the 2014 Coca-Cola® Schools T20 Challenge national finals is Bloemfontein’s Grey College, who beat their own 2^nd team in the Free State provincial final and then overcame the Griquas provincial champions, Hoërskool Noord-Kaap, in the Knights franchise final.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is a national T20 knockout competition which began back in October last year, involving 650 schools.  The schools played in provincial competitions initially, with the eventual provincial winners meeting their counterparts in the various franchises – The Cobras, Warriors, Dolphins, Knights, Lions and Titans.

The tournament is fairly new, but it is already playing its part in Cricket South Africa’s talent identification pipeline. Quinton de Kock is the first Protea player to have played in the national finals – for King Edward II School and the Lions in 2010 and 2010 – and a number of players have gone on from here to play for the South African Schools and  Coca-Cola®  under-19 teams. They include the star of the 2014 ICC under-19 World Cup, Kagiso Rabada, who represented St Stithians College and the Lions in 2013.

The Free State final was an unusual affair – the first time that two teams from the same school have met in a final in this competition, which is testament to the depth of cricketing talent at the Bloemfontein school.

According to Andre Bester, master in charge of cricket at Grey and 1^st team coach, the boys thoroughly enjoyed playing against each other. “In fact, they were even more competitive knowing that they were playing against their school mates,” he said. “The atmosphere was great for the boys, the school and all those that attended the final.”

“However, for me as the 1^st team coach and the master in charge of cricket, it was very difficult because naturally I could not choose sides and wanted both to win. There was a lot of chirping on the field, and a great overall Grey College spirit,” said Bester. “Although it was inevitable that one of the teams had to win, it is still fantastic to know that both our 1^st and 2^nd teams are the best cricket sides in the Free State “

As Free State champions, Grey then went on to play Noord-Kaap, the winners of the Griquas region, to determine who the representative of the Knights franchise at the national finals would be.

The Bloemfontein side won quite comfortably (by 9 wickets) and is set to challenge their counterparts from around the country at the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge national finals in Pretoria next month.

As franchise champions, Grey College win R66 000 in prize money and, according to Bester, they are going to use it for cricket maintenance purposes: fixing the cricket nets, and buying some new equipment. This prize money could increase to R110 000 if the school emerges as the ultimate tournament winner.

Scores:

Provincial final – Grey I 167/2 (Frik de Beer 85 runs off 50 balls). Grey II 129/4. Grey I won by 38 runs.

Franchise final - Noord-Kaap 81 all out. Grey College 82/1. Grey won by 9 wickets.

Coca-Cola T20 challenge playoffs underway around the country

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools cricket challenge enters its franchise playoff stage this week and when the process ends on 5^th March, the 6 schools that will represent their Cricket South Africa franchises at the national finals of the competition will be known. The national finals tournament will take place at the University of Pretoria’s LC De Villiers complex from 14^th to 16^th March.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is a mass participation tournament. The process began in October last year when over 10 000 players from over 650 schools started their journey to become the school to represent their franchise and ultimately be crowned the 2014 winner of the competition.

Some clarity has emerged as to who the contenders are, although rain has affected the finals in some provinces.

In the Dolphin Franchise, Hilton College are the KwaZulu-Natal Inland champions, having beaten Michaelhouse in the final, their opponents in the franchise final on 5^th March will be Westville Boys’ High who beat Northwood in the KZN Coastal final.

The Titans franchise is a challenging one, involving four provinces: Northern, Easterns, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. It has emerged that last year’s franchise champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof are the Northerns champions and have beaten the Limpopo Champions, Pietersburg Hoërskool to get to the Titans franchise finals.  Hoërskool Waterkloof will now face EG Jansen, the winners of Easterns province, who beat the Mpumalanga champions Uplands College, to get to the Titans Franchise. This Final will take place on March 5^th.

The Gauteng champions are Johannesburg’s St Stithians College who recently beat St John’s in the Johnny Waite Knockout (the Gauteng final). St Stithians met the Northwest champions, Potchefstroom Gymnasium, in the Lions franchise finals this weekend and emerged victorious. St Stithians will now be representing the Lions in the national finals at the University of Pretoria in two weeks time.

Last year’s Knights champions, St Andrew’s School have been eliminated and Grey College have emerged as this franchise winner.

The Cobras franchise final will feature Paul Roos Gymnasium, the Boland winners, against the Western Cape winners, Wynberg Boys’ High, who contest their final this week.

Still in the running to be crowned Warriors champions are East London’s Selborne College, the Border provincial champions, who will meet the Eastern province winners, Kingswood College, on the 4^th March.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge has produced its first full international player in Quinton De Kock, who was selected for the Proteas Test team against Australia last week. De Kock played for King Edward VII School in the 2010 and 2011 Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenges.

Capricorn High School competes for outside gym

Capricorn High School, Polokwane, Limpopo was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools Cricket Challenge and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge.  The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

“What a fantastic set-up! The Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge intrigued many learners who originally were not interested in getting involved,” said Kobus De Meyer, Head of Sport.  “The activities were so challenging and enjoyable that the cricket boys asked me if they could use them as pre-season fitness drills.” 

“Our aim was to create a fun and exciting atmosphere and encourage all learners to participate.  The camaraderie was excellent with everyone encouraging and supporting one another.  Many of them flew through the drills and even managed to go again whereas others struggled a bit with the target throwing,” said De Meyer.

Capricorn High School has been knocked out of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge by Pietersburg High School. “We have a new team on board this year and we are currently in a building process. I am sure we will return stronger next season.  This tournament is such an excellent initiative which every cricketer wants to play in.”

The five drills in the Coca-Cola 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes,” explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

“Through our Coca-Cola® T20 30 Minute Hero Challenge we are encouraging all scholars in the country to adopt a physically active lifestyle that will become a lifelong practice,” said Mbele. 

King Edward School competes for outside gym

King Edward School, Gauteng was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools Cricket Challenge and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge. The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

Christopher Hammond, a teacher and sports coach at KES was pleased with the fantastic turnout on the day with 300 boys eager to take part in the challenge. “Most of the pupils that participated came from our boarding school and we invited every sports team to come along as well. The cricket that participated in the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge went first. The biggest surprise of the day was to see the basketball boys breezing through the skipping station, which most of the others struggled with.”

Hammond summed up the day, “The Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge is not just a fun event, it is a well thought out and excellent set-up, even the music suited the age group of the boys.”

King Edwards is out of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge after losing to St Stithians in the Gauteng semi-finals. “Most of our top players finished school last year so we have a new team on board. They are young talented players and we are sure to be back in the finals of the tournament next season.”

The five drills in the Coca-Cola 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes,” explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

“Through our Coca-Cola® T20 30 Minute Hero Challenge we are encouraging all scholars in the country to adopt a physically active lifestyle that will become a lifelong practice,” said Mbele. 

Stanford Lake College competes for outside gym

Stanford Lake College, Haenertsburg, Limpopo, was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools Cricket challenge and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge.  The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

Pupils from Grade 8 to 11 participated in the event. “We encouraged the Grade 8 and 9 students to join in as a bonding exercise as they are new at the school and are shy,” said Shane Friedrichs, Director of Sport and 1^st team cricket Coach.  “The Coca-Cola® 30 minute Heroes challenge was the perfect opportunity to get the junior kids involved and active in a fun activity that generated great school spirit.”

Stanford Lake College has been knocked out of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge.  Friedrichs explains, “We are a small school of only 120 boys and out of those boys there are only a handful that play cricket. I am therefore very proud of our boys as they thoroughly enjoyed playing against top cricketing schools like Merensky. They have gained invaluable experience and have really grown as a team thanks to the Coca-Cola®.”

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes, explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

The five drills in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

Heroes made at Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Cricket Challenge

Grey College, Bloemfontein, batsmen, Reinhard Bezuidenhoud and Wian van Zyl were recognised as outstanding achievers in the Coca-Cola® T20 School Challenge.  Reinhard managed an impressive 115 not out against Richardtpark Sekondêre Skool and Wian scored 75 not out against the Centre of Excellence.

Coca-Cola® South Africa and Cricket South Africa (CSA) grant this honour to players who excel in the competition and they are awarded a special commemorative cap and a certificate marking the occasion.

Both pupils are now in Grade 12 and both see themselves playing cricket next year, although not professionally.  “Both are dedicated hard working players which is why they achieved this great honour from Coca-Cola®,” said Andre Bester, Master of Cricket.  “Besides their hard work they both have great attitudes on and off the field.  They have made Grey College proud.”

Reinhard was selected to attend the 2013 Free State Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week trials but fell ill and could not attend.  “He was extremely disappointed as it is every cricketers dream to play in the tournament, but receiving this award has made up for it,” said Bester

Both Grey A and B teams are still in the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge with one more match to play before the finals. “Both teams have tough matches ahead of them,” said Bester.  “The A team will play against Voortrekker Bethlehem and the B team will meet Goudveld. Interestingly, if they both win their matches they will play against each other in the final on 21 February.”

Preparations are coming on well for the Bloemfontein School.  “We have knocked out Welkom and St Andrews, both very good cricket playing schools and we practice most days so we are ready for the next phase of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge.”

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes, explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

Heroes made at Coco-Cola T20 Schools Cricket Challenge

Middle order batsman and spin bowler, Jean Cloete from Fairbairn College in Cape Town was recognised as an outstanding achiever in the Coca-Cola(r) T20 School Cricket Challenge.  Cloete took 5 wickets for 4 runs against Elsies River High School.

Coca-Cola(r) South Africa and Cricket South Africa (CSA) grant this honour to players who excel in the competition and they are awarded a special commemorative cap and a certificate marking the occasion.

Cloete excels in both rugby and cricket, but does not see himself as a professional player in either sport.  "Jean's dream is to become a rugby referee," said Andries Brink, head of Cricket.  "But who knows, as his cricket game improves perhaps he will change his mind.  Just getting this award has given him inspiration to do better."

Fairbairn lost to Brakenfell High School by 20 runs in their Coca-Cola(r)

T20 Schools Challenge match last week and are therefore out of the competition.  "We might have lost but I am happy with the way the boys played.  We are still building cricket in the school and we have seen a vast improvement from last season.  I believe we will soon give the other traditional cricket playing schools a run for their money in a year or two."

The Coca-Cola(r) T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes, explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. "This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola(r) Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over

200 Proteas players."

Eastbury Secondary School competes for outside gym

Eastbury Secondary School, Phoenix, Durban, was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools Cricket Challenge and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge.  The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

The five drills in the Coca-Cola 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes,” explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

“Through our Coca-Cola® T20 30 Minute Hero Challenge we are encouraging all scholars in the country to adopt a physically active lifestyle that will become a lifelong practice,” said Mbele. 

For full competition terms and conditions please visit http://www.cocacola.co.za/".

Penryn College competes for outside gym

Penryn College, Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools Cricket challenge and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge.  The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

Pupils from Grade 9 to 11 participated in the event. “Our approach on the day was 60% fun and 40% competitive with our top sportsmen going first,” said Graeme Stewart, Teacher and head of Rugby.  “The Coca-Cola® team was fantastic and really energized the kids and got them enthusiastic, especially the ones that do not normally participate in sport.”

“During assembly the next day we showed the video we took and the kids loved it.  There was a lot of laughter!  The drills were short and sweet but high impact and the trick was to get them completed as quickly as possible,” said Stewart.

“It was interesting to note that we do the same drills at cricket practise,” said Cricket coach, Eric Gimaldi, who also coaches the SA Indoor Cricket team.

Penryn College has been knocked out of the Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge.  “We are in a building process at the moment as all our top players left the school last season.  This competition is excellent and gives the kids the opportunity to play against other schools that are very competitive.  The games are short and we are finding that the entire school is interested in following our progress so we will be back next season.”

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes, explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

The five drills in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

For full competition terms and conditions please visit http://www.cocacola.co.za/".

Players from Kimberley Technical High School get recognized for their achievements at the Coca-Cola T20 Challenge

Batsman and wicket keeper, Mohamed Roseburg as well as bowler and batsman, Brandon Gertze, both from Kimberley Technical High School were recognised as outstanding achievers in the Coca-Cola® T20 School Challenge.  Roseburg for his 100 and Gertze for taking 4 wickets for 3 runs against Floor High School. 

Coca-Cola® South Africa and Cricket South Africa (CSA) grant this honour to players who excel in the competition and they are awarded a special commemorative cap and a certificate marking the occasion.

Cricket and Hockey coach, Mrs Lene Geyer, is hoping that this recognition will encourage more scholars to take up cricket.  “These awards are a morale boost for the boys and getting their prize in assembly in front of the entire school made it that much more special.  The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is now the top school cricket tournament in our province and I need to get more scholars interested in the sport so that we can reach the national finals within the next year or two.” Kimberley Technical High School was knocked out of the competition at the district semi-finals against Hoérskool Diamantvelt.  

Mohamed Roseburg captains the team.  “He is a great leader,” said Geyer.  “He is an exceptional cricketer and I hope that he will make the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week at the end of the year.”

Brandon Gertze is a talented sportsman, playing provincial hockey, and an academic.  “He is a remarkable youngster,” said Geyer.  “I see him as a professional within the next few years.  He is still young (17 years old) and I believe he will play in the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week this year.”  

The Coca-Cola® T20 Schools Challenge is about making heroes, explains Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager. “This grass roots tournament is where heroes are unearthed and then progress through to the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week, an annual tournament, sponsored by Coca-Cola South Africa for over 30 years. It has to date produced over 200 Proteas players.”

St Andrews competes for outside gym

St Andrews High School, Bloemfontein, Free State, was one of the schools that competed in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge, a competition introduced to schools participating in the Coca-Cola® T20 schools challenge (cricket) and aimed at getting learners to participate in physical activity. 

The concept encourages as many learners as possible to complete a five drill circuit within a 30 minute period. The scores will only be made public once all schools have completed their challenge.  The school that completes the most circuits in the allotted time frame stands a chance to win a prize of an outdoor gym to the value of two hundred thousand rand, which will be installed at the winning school.

The school cricket coach, Greg Hopson, invited Grade 8, 9, 10 and 11 pupils to participate.  “The boys had such fun, although they struggled with the skipping exercise.”

St Andrews won R66 000 as Free State Coca-Cola® T20 champions in the 2012/13 cricket season and represented the Knights franchise at the National finals.  “So far we are doing well again this year, but we still have many games to play, one against Grey College, which has a very strong cricket team this year,” said Hopson.

Hopson believes they can reach the national finals again this year.  “We have introduced five new players into our team this season and they are proving to be as good, if not better than those they replaced.  I believe we could well defend our title.”

The five drills in the Coca-Cola® 30 Minute Heroes Challenge include:

1.    Shuttle runs between 6 beacons, moving a cricket ball from one   beacon to the next.

2.    Target Throwing at a set of wickets.

3.    Skipping with a skipping rope.

4.    Catching balls off a rebound board.

5.    Weaving in and out of 10 slalom poles.

For full competition terms and conditions please visit http://www.cocacola.co.za/".