Sports Update 8 September 2022

Thank you to parents and players for all your support, enthusiasm and energy that has gone into the end-of-season tournaments.

This weekend we will enjoy the culmination of the Hockey season as our U14A, U16A and U19A teams participate in the PGSGU tournaments, being hosted by Wynberg Girls’ High School on 9 and 10 September. Good luck to all our players and coaches.

We also wish our water polo players good luck as they attend WP water polo trials between 9 and 11 September.

There are some date changes in the table below – please diarise these.

END OF TERM 3 / WINTER SPORTS PROGRAMME
SPORT	Description	DATE
Football	Last match – vs Beaulieu HS (Johannesburg)	Tuesday 30 August
	Last Team practice (no Wednesday practices in September)	Tuesday 20 September
	Last Social practice	Thursday 22 September
Hockey	All practices end week of …	Friday 16 September
	Stayers Tournament	Saturday 17 September
	Outreach Clinic	23 & 24 September
On-the-Move	Last session	Thursday 22 September

Cross Country

On a beautifully warm winter afternoon, Rustenburg hosted the Interschools cross country event. Over true Cross Country terrain, we included the RGHS trail route and extended it onto the Rygersdal fields, we set up a challenging 2km route. This route was completed twice with the runners entering the main RGHS fields and passing through the start-finish area to collect an elastic band on the completion of lap 1 and to head off on the second loop.

The trophy was contested by Herschel, Rustenburg, Springfield and St Cyprians with Wynberg, unfortunately, being a ‘no show’. Each and every finisher was a winner on the day. The parents and supporters were so encouraging to all, the fast and not-so-fast were cheered on as champions.

Five age groups were contested with the top three in each age-group scoring points for their school.

The fastest time for the 4km route was set by Alice Kuhn of Herschel in a time of 16:32. Second fastest on the day was our own Skye Micklethwaite in 16:45. Both of these athletes contested the U16 category.

A short prize-giving was enjoyed by all with certificates and prizes supplied by ASICS and The SWEATSHOP handed over to our top 3 in each age group.

Detailed results are as follows:

AGE GROUPS:

• U14 and U15 sections were won by St Cyprians
• U16 was won by Herschel
• U17 and U19 sections were won by Rustenburg.

INDIVIDUAL RGHS results (top 10):

• U14 – Georgia Altbeker placed 3rd; Sofia Fiasconara 10^th
• U15 – Ally Goulding placed 3rd; Ashleigh Briers-Danks 7^th; Tatum Malherbe 8^th
• U16 – Skye Micklethwaite placed 2nd; Rachel Kane 5^th; Biancha Witbooi 6^th; Mila Cheary 9^th
• U17 – Annie Malherbe placed 3^rd; Robyn Biccard 5^th; Amy Forbes 7^th
• U19 – Kayla Ross placed 2^nd; Hannah Lavery placed 3^rd; Kensani Hlatswayo 7^th.

OVERALL RESULTS:

• 1^st – RUSTENBURG (30 points)
• Tied 2^nd – HERSCHEL and St CYPRIANS (20 points)
• 4^th – SPRINGFIELD (16 points)

I would personally like to thank our very dedicated and encouraging teacher-in-charge, Mrs Behne, for her enthusiasm shown throughout the year. She never misses a session and attends all races with a real interest shown towards each individual.

Also, a huge thank you to our, forever professional, cross country coach, Mrs Viv Williams. The runners come away from each practice session better for having attended. Fitter and more knowledgeable about why they are put through certain warm-ups, drills, challenges and cooldowns.

Lastly, thank you to our captain, Kensani, and vice-captain, Kayla, for attending the races and practices in what for them is a very busy and challenging year. Thank you for leading the team in the manner which you did.

All this hard work really paid off and we won the trophy that we were aiming for.

Congratulations and thank you to all marshalls, staff and runners for making the event the success it was.

Hockey

Fairmont Hockey Report

Friday 2 September saw us playing our final fixture of what has been a full league season for the first time since 2019. The stage was set for a grand finale in the U19A game, as the winners of the game would clinch 3rd spot in a league that was narrowly won by Herschel. The atmosphere was great throughout the afternoon, and some unbelievable hockey was played by all teams on the day.

A tightly contested U19A match ended 0-0, with the Fairmont goalkeeper putting on a masterclass to deny Rustenburg a win in the final match of the league season. Despite this, however, Rustenburg who began the afternoon in 4th place clinched a point from the encounter, which was good enough to see them leapfrog Stellenberg into 3rd place in the final standings. The 0-0 draw also meant that Rustenburg was able to complete the season without defeat at home.

Our final league standings saw the U14A team finish in 7th place, the U16A team in 5th place, and the U19A team finished in 3rd place. Congratulations to all of our teams.

See all results below:

TEAM	OPPONENT	RESULT	SCORERS
U14A	Fairmont	RGHS lost 0-1
U14B	Fairmont	RGHS lost 0-5
U16A	Fairmont	RGHS drew 1-1	Bella Murray
U16B	Fairmont	RGHS won 1-0	Caitlyn Walter
U16C	Fairmont	RGHS won 4-0	Gabriella Sanya, Robin Day, Taylor Staniland and Catherine Bisset
U19A	Fairmont	RGHS drew 0-0
U19B	Fairmont	RGHS won 1-0	Ashleigh Rix

It was also a day where our matric learners played the final match of their school careers on the RGHS Astro. A massive thank you to Micaela Ceruti (Captain), Nina von der Heyden (Vice-Captain), Catalina Ross and Hannah Lavery who have served Rustenburg Hockey with distinction over the years. You will all be sorely missed.

Outreach Clinic

On 23 and 24 September, we will be running an Outreach Hockey Clinic. The aim of the clinic is to provide coaching to children from disadvantaged areas, who are not exposed to quality coaching. 

We are looking for any assistance with old sticks, shin pads, hockey shoes, as well as food and refreshment packages. If you are able to offer any assistance, please contact Olu Ncukana at ncukanao@rghs.org.za.

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed. We are looking to target mostly learners between the ages of 10 and 14.

Netball

NETBALL REPORT – Thursday 25 AUGUST & Thursday 1 SEPTEMBER 

PGSGU – U19B AND U15A

Rustenburg Girls’ High School hosted the Peninsula Girls Schools Games Union (PSGSU) Interschools Netball Tournament on Thursday 25 August and 1 September. On Thursday, it looked like a grim and miserable day but turned out to be the day we needed for some Netball. On a stunning afternoon after a cold and wet morning, we were ready to welcome our guests to compete for an inter-schools title.

As our first team were in the playoffs, it meant that our U19B’s had the opportunity to step up to the challenge. What seemed a difficult task taking on every other first team, proved to be nothing more than an opportunity to make a statement on the depth and quality of our Netball and our players. It was a testament to each player of the hard work they have put into their conditioning and their skills. The U19B’s walked away having beaten Springfield’s First Team and Wynberg’s Second Team and coming so close to earning a win against Herschel. 

The U15A’s, coming off from a tough end to the league was looking to regain their confidence and push for a better finish. They fell short of that goal managing only one victory. The end of their season came with tough losses, but many lessons were learnt; they are an extremely talented group of players who will find their form again next season. 

Results U19 B at PGSGU were as follows:

Opponent	Result	Scores
HERSCHEL	Lost	6 – 10
SPRINGFIELD	Won	8 – 7
ST. CYPRIANS	Lost	4 – 13
WYNBERG	Won	9 – 5

Results U15A at PGSGU were as follows:

Opponent	Result	Scores
HERSCHEL	Lost	3 – 9
SPRINGFIELD	Won	5 – 4
ST. CYPRIANS	Lost	4 – 8
WYNBERG	Lost	6 – 7

PGSGU – U16A AND U14A 

On 1 September, we welcomed back our guests for the U16A and U14A PGSGU, where we had hoped to achieve first place in one of the two age groups. On a dominant run of form, the U16A’s looked to take the momentum from the league into PGSGU to achieve the bragging rights of the season, having just missed out on the CTHSN finals. Unfortunately, having only managed two victories from four, with the tough opposition from Herschel, who ended second in the CTHSN league, it was just not meant to be for our U16As. 

Credit to the team for turning around their season after a tough restart in Term 3. They managed to pull off four consecutive wins towards the end of the league, with third place achieved in both the CTHSN First League and PGSGU.  

The U14A’s were outstanding at the PGSGU walking away with two wins, a draw and a loss. They missed out on a second place by a goal difference of only one point. They fought hard to earn something out of their games against Springfield to secure a third win but had to settle for a stalemate. A truly admirable and inspiring group of young Netball players; the future looks bright for RGHS Netball, with our U14s having the natural skills and talent to make RGHS a huge success. 

Results U16A at PGSGU were as follows:

Opponent	Result	Scores
HERSCHEL	Lost	2 – 9
SPRINGFIELD	Lost	4 – 8
ST. CYPRIANS	Won	9 – 4
WYNBERG	Won	9 – 6

Results U14A at PGSGU were as follows:

Opponent	Result	Scores
HERSCHEL	Won	8 – 6
SPRINGFIELD	Drew	8 – 8
ST. CYPRIANS	Lost	3 – 7
WYNBERG	Won	9 – 6

NETBALL REPORT – Saturday 3 SEPTEMBER

CAPE TOWN HIGH SCHOOLS NETBALL (CTHSN) – U16B, U14B & U14D FINALS AT DE KUILEN HIGH, KUILSRIVER

Our U16B, U14B and U14D teams reached the finals of the Cape Town High Schools Netball First league after finishing within the top 2 of the South First League. The U16Bs and U14Ds ended first, which meant they played the second top team in U16B and U14D in the Northern zone. Our U14Bs ended second where they played the top U14B team in the Northern zone. All teams competed at De Kuilen High school on Saturday in a semi-final play-off, where whoever wins, will have a chance in playing in the gold medal match that will determine who will reign as the best team in the province for that age group.  

Teams travelled to De Kuilen High school in Kuilsriver on Saturday 3 September and were extremely excited about the opportunity and were hopeful to reach for gold. 

All three teams played incredibly well in the semi-finals and comfortably reached the gold medal match, where the U14Ds and U16Bs had the chance of meeting old opponents once again. The U14Bs had to contest against a strong U14B Melkbosstrand, but all teams proving to be way more clinical and effective on court, both in defence and attack.  

Results CTHSN SEMI-FINALS [SOUTH VS NORTH]:

Opponent	Result	Scores
SF: U16B vs The Settlers High	Won	12 – 6
SF: U14B vs Milnerton High	Won	8 – 5
SF: U14D vs Melkbosstrand High	Won	5 – 3
U16C vs Herschel	NO RESULT	Hershel withdrew, U16C Wins Gold
U19B vs Melkbosstrand	NO RESULT	RGHS withdrew

Results CTHSN FINAL [FIRST & SECOND PLACE]:

Opponent	Result	Scores
F: U16B vs Herschel	Won	16 – 2
F: U14B vs Melkbosstrand High	Won	9 – 7
F: U14D vs Fish Hoek High	Won	6 – 3

Squash

Results of the last league matches of the season, played on Monday 5 September:

A Team at Villagers vs Westerford B
5 September 2022	Result	Games	Points
1. Tara Neville-Smyly	Won	3-0	1
2. Amy Basson	Won	3-0	1
3. Isla Barbour	Won	3-0	1
4. Morgan Hunter	Won	3-0	1
+2 bonus points for a win		12-0	Won 14-0
B Team at Villagers vs Herschel A
5 September 2022	Result	Games	Points
3. Debra Rossouw	Lost	0-3	0
4. Hannah van Rensburg	Lost	0-3	0
3. Shannon McDiarmid	Lost	1-3	0
4. Megan Hoard	Won	3-2	0
+2 bonus points for a win		4-11	Lost 4-13

Tennis

Maggie Krieg (Grade 9) was invited to play in the CT Junior Masters (Mini’s) last week-end. She was up against tough competition but she did get a medal for all her efforts. Well done Maggie!

Water Polo

The PPL (Polo Premier league) tournament took place this past weekend, 2 – 4 September, in Stellenbosch.

There were 9 players from Rustenburg representing various franchises.

Our players did us proud with the results as follows –

U15 results:

• 1^st Leopards – Tatum Malherbe; 2^nd Dragons – Olivia Figaji; 3^rd Panthers – Bella Murray, Ashleigh Briers-Danks, Emily Readhead, Jade Jarvis, Olivia Nejthardt (Coach Oliver de Sousa); 4^th Reefs; 5^th Shwe
• 6^th Kings – Aamina Francis-Ismail

U17 results:

• 1^st Kings; 2^nd Leopards; 3^rd – Reefs – Sarah Figaji

Very exciting news is that Bella Murray (Grade 9) was chosen as a Marquee player. A marquee player is one that the coach selects to remain in their franchise for 2023. The marquee player has shown the greatest commitment, enthusiasm and potential in the team. This player will not be available for drafting to other franchises for 2023. Congratulations, Bella.