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Newcastle’s culture will not be complete without a healthy dose of sport. With the easing of lockdown limitations, sports fans are getting back to business.
So what is happening in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal’s world of sport lately?
Arbor Park Primary School is happy to announce that four of its students will attend The Sharks‘ New Gen High Performance camp in Durban. This will take place over the school holidays.
Siyanda Khumalo and Mthiya Mbatha made the U/12 squad, while Andile Thwala and Lwandle Mkhize were selected for the U/13 team. Arbor Park Primary’s Marcel Swartz says the selection process occurred in September after the Sharks New Gen Roadshow.
Ferrum High School students, like Arbor Park Primary students, are no strangers to sports success.
In August, Juan du Toit finished fifth in the SA Junior Open Golf. The event took place at the San Lameer Golf Estate, on the South Coast.
To add to Ferrum’s success, two of its swimmers were recently ranked among the top 20 swimmers in the country in their respective age groups.
Lara Groenewald finished 20th in the 50-metre freestyle in the U/15 category. As a result, Lara has moved up to 13th place in the U/15 100-metre division. Impressively, in the U/14 age group, Bianca du Plessis is 17th in the 50-metre butterfly.
Adding to the school’s success, Jodine Schoombe competed in a national powerlifting tournament in Pretoria recently. Jodine finished second after breaking three South African records throughout the gruelling battle.
She achieved this by accomplishing the following:
- Squat: 57.5kg
- Bench press: 30kg
- Deadlift: 80kg
In the NKZN cricket squads, the following Ferrum students have been selected:
Juvaan Wessel, Wikus Coetzee, Matthew Albertus, Eben Nortjé, Ruben Viviers, Thabiso Nkosi, and Owami Wellis are now members of the U/19 team.
Coen, Miya, and Altus Badenhorst make up the U/16 squad.
Ferrum’s Anzél van der Walt and Ntando Dlamini recently represented KZN in the All Ages National Netball Tournament in early October 2021.
Furthermore, St Dominics Newcastle‘s sport’s enjoyed the following achievements.
Paula van Zyl was made 2021 swimming captain and is a formidable force in this sporting code. Her accolades include:
- Senior National Swimming – South African Senior Aquatic National Invitational Event -Re-award Honours
- Open Water Swimming- Full Colours
- Curro Virtual Swimming Championship – 100m Freestyle Girls u19 (Bronze Certificate), 100m Backstroke Girls u19 – Bronze certificate
- Paula also participated in the Para Olympic trials in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), where she competed against some of the most expert swimmers in South Africa.
In addition to this, St Dominics Newcastle’s Zelmari Van der Walt was selected for the U/12 KZN Netball Trials.
The school further congratulates Zane Geurtse on being chosen to participate in the U/16 Grant Khomo Sharks Rugby Trials at KingsPark in Durban.
The accomplishments of local schoolchildren are matched by those of sporting clubs, achieving extraordinary results.
It’s been a challenging year for motorsport since COVID-19, says Newcastle Raceway’s, Zaakira Khan. That’s because of lockdown limitations and a rash of burglaries. This changed, however, after Shaukat Khan, the club’s chairman, met with authorities from neighbouring provinces to discuss the issue.
The 4 Province Dirt Challenge was born as a result of this. In June, the adrenaline-fueled race began with a stop in Loskop. For the second leg, participants travelled to Newcastle, and from there, they continued to Kroonstad. The second and third legs of the race took place in September.
Additionally, Zaakira is now second in the championship after Newcastle’s drivers performed well. As a result, she is looking forward to the championship round, where she hopes for exciting racing and, most importantly, for her safety and the safety of her vehicle.
Moving away from engines and over to contact sports. The local martial arts community is holding its own.
The SASKA National Karate Championships saw three Butokukan Newcastle pupils compete. The three karate pupils competed on 25 September 2021 in Pretoria against some of the country’s best karate aficionados.
As a result of their efforts, the following outcomes were achieved:
- Henko Bruin – Gold (kata)
- Dané Beamson – Silver (kumite)
- Raeesa Moola – Bronze (kumite)
In more local martial arts news, Konrad Erasmus of TNS MMA Academy notes that one of their pupils, Demi-Lee Van Zyl, was recently picked for the National squad to fight in mixed martial arts in Khazakstan, Russia.
“She is now putting in as much time and effort as possible to be ready for the event and to raise the money to take part. MMASA President Shihan Raymond Phillips visited our gym and taught us some fantastic methods as well as improving our skills.”
Erasmus mentions that TNS MMA Academy hasn’t competed much recently because of COVID-19. He does, however, make the point that they will be back in competition on November 6, 2021. “We have some fresh competition potential just ready to be unleashed. From now until the end of 2021, we want to compete for every promotion we can get our hands on while honing our talents.
Newcastle Wheelers Cycling Club is picking up speed as the martial arts world ramps up its competition. The club’s riders are taking on a series of challenges. Pieter de Bruyn and Johan Roberts finished the Trans Baviaans in 14 hours, 21 minutes, and 24 seconds in August.
For six years, this mountain bike marathon was the world’s longest single-stage team MTB race. It is one of South Africa’s finest mountain biking events. The 230 km route between Willowmore and Jeffrey’s Bay must be completed in 24 hours to be eligible for a medal.
As the sports scene gains traction, make sure to join local sports teams and clubs this summer. As a result, healthy living and supporting the local economy are aided.
If you would like to get your school or sports team into the Newcastillian’s spotlight, be sure to email us at info@newcastillian.com.
Let us know what you think about the sporting efforts in your community by leaving a comment below.
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