Thirteen
on the trot for
Queen’s Seen celebrating their 13th consecutive win of the Hirsch Shield are from left, James Roberts, Bongo Mankayi, Siya Gqeba (team captain), Jerry Danquah and Avela Jubase. Picture: Supplied
By KAMVA SOMDYALA
12
Queen's College remains the top athletics school in the region which was confirmed when the school won the Hirsch Shield for 13 years on the trot. Once again the Queenians proved why Queen’s College athletics are so respected in the Eastern Cape as they also won the SF Edwards as well as the Hirsch Shield competitions. The Sammy Gunn Shield (U14) proved to be a tough competition with Queen’s unable to secure the win. Some notable performances though were Matt Dewar’s first place in the 800m, Joshua Green’s first place in the pole vault and Othandwayo Nogqala’s first place in the discus. In the SF Edwards competition, Queen’s U16s pulled out all the stops to secure a good win. The Queen’s team in the Hirsch Shield (U19) was led brilliantly by Siya Gqeba and Bongo Mankayi who led from the front. Excellent wins on the day went to Siya in the 400m, Viwe Peter in the 800m, Jerry Danquah in the discus,
Bongo Mankayi in the high jump and long jump. Bongo ended second in the triple jump which meant he won 17 of a possible 18 points for Queen’s for the three events he competed in. The 4x100m relay team, consisting of Gabriel Makuta, Yaw Penxe, Avela Jubase and Siya Gqeba, also won the relay in style. At the prizegiving, Avela Jubase collected the Mosenthal Cup for sprints, Jerry Danquah the Badcock Cup for field events, Mankayi the O’Hare Cup for jumps, James Roberts the Olivier Cup for throws. The inspirational Siya Gqeba collected the Hirsch Shield on behalf of the Queen’s team. An excellent effort. The competitive nature of the Queenians was brilliantly illustrated and the lads are commended on an excellent performance. Gqeba, Mankayi, Roberts, Jubase and Danquah leave behind a legacy and hope the next group of athletes can make it 14 wins on the trot next year. For now though, Queen's will tick this box as another job well done.