Sport in the Boys' Prep
Sport plays a very important part in the life of a Boys' Prep student, and he is encouraged to attempt as many activities as possible, until he finds that one sport that he loves. We have had such a stop/start sports season over the past year, but we would still like to celebrate a few ways in which our boys have been keeping active over the past few months.
Tennis
ProKennex Soweto Tennis Tournament
We would like to congratulate Jagger Curtis-Maharaj (Grade 4A) on his commendable performance at the ProKennex Soweto Tennis Tournament. Even though he was the youngest at the tournament, he won 3 of his 4 matches, with scores of 6-0, 6-0, and 6-2; a remarkable achievement. He also qualified for the doubles final and he and his partner were leading 4-1 when the rain came down. Well done Jagger, we are very proud of you! This was Jagger's first under 12 National Tournament with Tennis South Africa.
BNP Rising Stars
Our Boys’ Prep 1st team, consisting of Declan Halsey, James Handley, Adam Peer and Michael Botha, made us all proud by winning Gauteng Central regional qualification in the BNP Rising Stars Tennis Tournament recently. This is a fantastic achievement for our 1st team. The next step to this nation wide tournament was the Gauteng play-offs in June.
Gauteng Central U13A
We are proud to announce that two St Stithians Boys’ Prep tennis players have been selected to represent the Gauteng Central Under 13A team, at the SA Schools Inter-Provincial Tournament, to be held in Bloemfontein later in the year. We would like to congratulate Declan Halsey and James Handley on this outstanding achievement. We would also like to congratulate all boys who played against Pridwin and KEPS at the start of the term. St Stithians Boys’ Prep won both matches convincingly. Well done to all of you.
Cricket
Interschool Cricket Performances
We congratulated the following boys on their commendable achievements in the interschool cricket fixtures against The Ridge and Pridwin, held in March.
Michael Botha (2nd XI)
70 and 5 wickets vs The Ridge
56 vs Pridwin
Warren Hemer (2nd XI)
88* vs Pridwin
Jack Wilson (U11A)
79* vs The Ridge
Matthew Carshagen (U11A)
54* vs The Ridge
James van Tonder (U11A)
74* vs Pridwin
Alexi Theocharides (U11A)
57* vs Pridwin
Luke Calvert (U11B)
87* vs Pridwin
Finn O’Flaherty (U9A)
4/2 vs Pridwin
DJ T20 Tournament
In May and June, a few U9 St Stithians cricket boys (Saints Strikers) participated in the DJ T20 Tournament. This was wonderful exposure for those who were able to take part in competitive matches over a 5 week period, enhancing their skills whilst keeping it fun. The boys acquitted themselves well with some good performances and team work. Two ‘Player of the Match’ performances went to Finn O’ Flaherty and Luke Wilson. Finn also scored the highest runs for the U9’s in the tournament - 185 runs in 5 games. Well done boys!
Team: Caleb Fontaine, Callum Moss, Carl Schroeder, Dean Schoeman, Finn O’ Flaherty , Josh Dumaresq, Kevin Armstrong, Luke Williams, Luke Wilson, Rupert Sowry, Sebastian Iles, Thomas Douglas, and Thomas Penny. Congratulations to all the boys who participated.
Equestrian
Kobus Nel represented St Stithians at Qualifier 1 at Sanesa earlier in the year. He competed in show jumping 60cm on Mia Bella and placed 7/21, going on to place second in the Class. Congratulations Kobus - we are so proud of your accomplishments in the saddle.
Kobus also represented St Stithians on 22 May at the SANESA Q2 Gauteng League Show. He completed two beautiful clear rounds. His mount Mia Bella was jumping amazingly well and performed to expectation. This was their first ever show competing in the magnificent arenas such as Peter Minnie and May Foxcroft which were in top show condition. Thanks was expressed to the ground keepers, course builders, organisers, sponsors, parents and fellow equestrians. Congratulations again to you Kobus!
Squash
Congratulations to the following boys who played in the Standard Bank Closed Junior Gauteng Squash Tournament and have been selected to represent Central Gauteng Squash at the Interprovincial tournament in July:
Under 13: Michael de Waal, James Alkema, Liam Botha, Thomas Becker and Simon Meiring (non-travelling reserve).
Under 11: Andrew Alkema and Callum Botha
We are extremely proud of these boys who have trained hard and dedicated time and effort to Squash.
Hiking the Wild Coast
Shaun Thompson in Grade Six, took part in a 6 day hike on the Wild Coast during the April holiday. His mom wrote: “As a family we decided to do the Pondo Drifters hike. The hike covered 72km from Port St John’s to Msikaba. We hiked along cattle tracks up and down many, many hills, along vast stretches of beach and across river mouths. The hiking days consisted of the following distances - 17km, 9km, 9km, 17km, 10km, 10km - making up 72km in total. Unfortunately Shaun missed Day 3 of the hike because of an allergic reaction but showed true Saints spirit in his persistence to get going again the following day which was a 17km hike. We hiked to 2 waterfalls that flow directly into the ocean - apparently there are only 7 in the world that flow into the ocean so we felt very blessed to see 2 of them. Shaun has some bruised toenails to show for his efforts but despite the discomfort he persevered and had a real sense of accomplishment on completing the hike. I am happy to say that he is hoping we do more hikes in the future!” Well done Shaun and family - a wonderful accomplishment indeed! Even though this is not a recognised school sport, it shows how inventive families are being in keeping fit during difficult times.
