THISTLES RUGBY TEAM
THISTLES RUGBY TEAM – U18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival
Thistles, a team consisting of non-first team rugby players in Grades 10 and 11 was established in 1981.
The St Andrew’s College Thistles team took part in the U18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival held by St Alban’s College in Tshwane between 28 June and 3 July. The Thistles played 3 matches against St Alban’s, St Charles, and Cornwall Hill. The opposition offered varying levels of competition. The purpose of the Thistles “tour” is to connect, learn, and enjoy being part of a special College tradition.
Against St Alban’s the Thistles played high-tempo exciting rugby, however, the lack of preparation was clear, and we struggled to convert our opportunities. St Alban’s who were more organized and had more experienced players in their team came out on top, we lost the game 5-10.
The match against St Charles was tough, they were a 1st XV without 4 of their provincial players. It was a wonderful opportunity for our boys to play against a quality side with some very good athletes. The Thistles played out of their boots against a physically bigger team, we lost 7-19.
The final match was against Cornwall Hill 1st XV from Tshwane. The players were eager to build on the first two games and express themselves, unfortunately, it was a very stop-start game, and the officials controlled the tempo instead of the boys in both teams. There were very good moments in the game, and we managed to win 19-7.
Overall, we managed to achieve our goals of connecting and developing on and off the field and I would like to commend the boys on being wonderful ambassadors on and off the field. I would also like to thank Mr Dewey and Mr Hlongwane who coached the side, their passion and commitment did not go unnoticed.
– Mr Jonny Mallett
Thank you to St Andrew’s College parent, Zintle Mjali, for the wonderful photos!
U18 National Basketball Championship
Congratulations to Owen Kanyemba and Ndalo Tetyana for representing the Eastern Cape at the U18 National Basketball Championship held from 1 – 5 July. Their performances contributed to the Eastern Cape Team’s success, culminating in a commendable 4th place finish in the tournament. We are immensely proud of their dedication, skill, and sportsmanship, showcasing the talent and spirit of St Andrew’s College on the provincial stage.
Mr Matthew-Adam Bloem
CRICKET:
CSA CAMP – RHYS WIBLIN
Congratulations to Rhys Wiblin who has been invited to the Cricket South Africa (CSA) U17 Cricket Camp in Durban from 9 – 11 August.
We wish him all the best!
2024 UK CRICKET TOUR
On 18 June, just a few days after the dust had settled on a busy and exciting K-Week, the College 1st XI cricket side left for England to play 11 fixtures in a very short space of time. Whilst some pre-tour preparation in indoor and outdoor facilities was possible, it was fantastic to finally be able to play on turf wickets again, and to get straight into tough, competitive fixtures.
The school grounds that we were very fortunate to play at were immaculate, and the wickets, despite a poor English summer, played far better than expected. Scores were higher than usual compared to what has been achieved on past tours to similar schools, which highlighted the fact that the English teams were playing far more aggressively than before and were prepared to take more risks. This placed pressure on the College bowlers to better execute their skills and the need for variations.
New schools that the College 1st XI faced on this trip were Clifton College in Bristol, Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and Cranleigh in Surrey. All had the most magnificent grounds and settings to play at and were great additions to the roster of schools that we played against.
One of the major highlights of the tour was the match against the OAs, in a T20 fixture. Chris Benjamin, a 2017 OA, who currently plays professionally for Warwickshire in Birmingham, saw the OAs home on the last ball of the game. Simon Taylor, who finished in 2016, was named man of the match after his initial spell of 2/7 in 3 immaculate overs of leg spin bowling. The energy and enjoyment of all who attended this fixture was clear to see.
For many of the College boys, a tour of this nature was a very new and unique experience. 11 games in such a short space of time were not easy. Our thanks go out to all those old boys who sent through information prior to the tour as part of our pre-tour preparation. Our thanks also go to OA, Adrian Birrell, who coaches one of the English County franchises, Hampshire, for the hour-long Zoom session he had with the boys. This was an informative and important session. Our thanks also to the parents for making this tour a possibility. The players learned a lot, both from a cricketing perspective, from a touring perspective, and in how better to deal with pressure moments.
Well done to Murray Wilson and his team for the manner in which they conducted themselves throughout the tour, both on and off the field. The positive comments from opposition coaches, parents and even strangers in airports and other public spaces showed what being on such a tour meant to the players. They were wonderful ambassadors both for their school, and the country.
Mr Scott Jackson
