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Jaguars embrace a new chance of victory CARLI-ANN FURNO On the weekend of 8 May UP hosted the opening matches of the highly anticipated Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League, which is one of South Africa’s most prestigious netball events. This series involves ten teams from nine provinces competing for the esteemed “Brutal Fruit Cup” title, ranking them as the best netball team in the country. The Jaguars, one of two teams representing Gauteng, consists of 15 registered UP students. In the final match of last year’s league, the Jaguars were sent home with heavy hearts after falling short by one point in the last few minutes of the game. On Friday night, however, they stepped more firmly back onto the court stronger in their first match against the Gauteng Golden Fireballs. A very clear message was sent about their determination to take the title this time around, with a victory of 65 goals to 29. Immense pressure still rested on their shoulders for Saturday night’s game, where they would once again face defending champions the Free State Crinums. The match was just as exciting as everyone expected it to be, and the crowd was kept on the edge of their seat
as the one-point lead changed hands by the minute. Dedicated defence from the Crinums allowed for several intercepts, but it was the Jaguars who managed to clutch each narrow lead by seconds in the first three quarters of the match. The final quarter had onlookers on their feet, with a three-minute countdown and a one-point Jaguar lead. The Jaguars anxiously took their positions to face the next Crinum centre pass, surprising the crowd with crucial turnovers that led them to a 45-40 victory. Melissa Myburgh, vicecaptain and player of the match, said she does not believe that victory in the matches ahead is now guaranteed. “Each team The Jaguars consist of 15 UP students and represent Gauteng. Photo: Stefan Stander has analysed our game and will try to counter this in any way that they fantastic, but ultimately everything rests on the of our players are leaving to play for the Protea can. We hope to improve on basics from here,” final match [of the Premier League]. We have a team in Ireland. We are excited to see whether said Myburgh. Jaguar coach Jenny van Dyk totally new combination next weekend as five our young talent can cope or not.” commented on the game saying, “The victory is
Tuks reach semi-finals of TuksCycling chase third USSA title varsity hockey TAY LETHULOE
The Tuks cycling squad are hoping to claim victory for an unprecedented third time as they head to the USSA cycling championships in Stellenbosch. The competition takes place from 29 June to 3 July and is hosted by the University of Stellenbosch. TuksCycling, who are the current USSA champions, will be counting on the experience of their squad as they have won this annual tournament twice before, as well as the experience of hosting last year’s event. It will not be easy, as they will face a number of gruelling stages in road and mountain biking for both male and female participants as they not only compete as a team for the championship, but for individual accolades such as the yellow
DANIËL BASSON This year was the ladies’ opportunity to compete in the Varsity Hockey tournament, which was held over two weekends at three competing universities. Tuks started the tournament as one of the favourites and did not disappoint, as they were placed second on the combined log after their respective rounds of fixtures. However, they fell short of the title as they were knocked out in the semi-finals. The opening weekend of the competition was hosted by North West University (Pukke) in Potchefstroom. Tuks faced the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in their opening round and came out on top in a high scoring affair with a 4-3 scoreline. Tuks overcame Image: Saspa their early nerves and beat the University of Cape Town 8-0. Next, Tuks had a match up with hosts Pukke. The home ground advantage did not pay dividends as Tuks managed to defeat their opposition 2-1 in what turned out to be a very tense match. Their winning streak continued in the last match as Tuks beat Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University 4-1 to round off the first weekend of Varsity Hockey fixtures. Rounds five, six and seven were to be played at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). UJ and the top finishers after these rounds would qualify for a semi-final position and ultimately the opportunity to become the Women’s Varsity Hockey champions. Tuks’ unbeaten streak came to an end in round five against eventual table topping side University of the Free State as they
suffered a 2-1 defeat. Tuks found their winning form again in the next game as they beat Wits 4-1 on home soil, but unfortunately only managed a 1-1 draw in their final group stage encounter against University of Stellenbosch. Unfortunately Tuks were beaten 2-0 in the semi-final by a spirited UJ side. UJ dominated the first half of play and managed to score twice while they had Tuks pinned down in their own half. In the second half Tuks gave a much better performance and had the majority of the possession and chances, but could not capitalise on them. The finals of the Women’s Varsity Hockey will take place on 18 May.
and green jerseys. The team will also have to be wary of competing teams which include Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, the University of Cape Town and hosts the University of Johannesburg. With the majority of the TuksCycling team being part of professional teams, preparation for the championship is already underway, which will help Tuks as they face unfamiliar coastal weather conditions and strengthened opposition teams determined to derail Tuks’ successes in the highlight of the student cycling calendar. When asked about the chance of them claiming the championship, chairperson and cyclist Jacques Horn said, “We are capable of winning it for a third time, which is something not very many teams get to achieve. We have a very good team.”