Athletics Report 2010

Our season started with the normal pilgrimage out to Paarl. The evening once again produced athletics of a very high standard with most of our athletes coming up against some of the best athletes in the country. Cameron Wright scored our only win and in doing so set a new meeting record of 61,61m in the open javelin event . An indication of the high standard of athletics was that 20 of our athletes produced scores of above 600 points, but many of them failed to make the top three placings!
Sports day saw two records tumble. Cameron Wright broke the long standing U19 javelin record with a throw of 59,8m, the Canigou U15 relay team set a new record of 48,4s and the Ramage relay team equalled the U19 record of 44,8s. Other highlights of the day included Giovanni Hofmeyer winning the U19 100m after he had struggled in the prelims.  Cameron Wright continued to show his versatility by winning the javelin, discus, and high jump. Luke Erasmus won the U16 3000m in a time which put all the U19 athletes in the shade!
The 75th Triangular Athletics Meeting, which was held at SACS, was a truly memorable day with no few than seven records being broken. From a Rondebosch perspective Dale Cornell produced our best result when he broke the U15 javelin record with a throw of 51, 74 m. Other athletes that obtained first places were Nic Le Roux (U15 100m and 200m) Chris Duckitt (U16 javelin), Barry Box (U16 long jump), Chad Muller (U14 shot put), Keaton Saunders (U15 1500m), Cameron Wright (U19 javelin), Khanyo Ngcukana (U15 400m), Samuel Carstens (U 16 400m) Wasim Surve (U19 400m), BJ van der Watt (U19 high jump), and Luke Erasmus (U16 1500m)
We entered ten boys into the WP Athletic Championship of which eight made it to the second round and six made it to the finals that were held at the Bellville stadium. The highlights included the following performances: Wasim Surve was placed 4th (U18 400m), Dale Cornell 4th (U15 javelin), Nic le Roux 5th (U15 100m), Myles Tucker 3rd (U18 discus) and Cameron Wright 2nd (U20 javelin and discus). Giovanni Hofmeyer was unfortunately injured in the semi-finals after running a Rondebosch best ever for the 100m of 10,7s. Cameron was then selected to represent WP at the National Athletic Championships held in Sasolburg. Here he was placed second in the country and achieved another Rondebosch best ever with a massive throw of over 66m.
Grant Paarman

Basketball Reports 2010

U19 As expected, the first term was focused on rebuilding after losing the entire starting team from last year.  Only two players, captain Bengimen Teng and vice-captain Bryce Goate, had any significant playing time last year with a third matric, Alex Gregory, adding some experience off the bench.  Nevertheless, expectations were high as last year’s U16 team finished undefeated and were expected to bolster the 2010 U19 roster.  Unfortunately, only one of the starting five, Garth Sampson, continued with basketball in 2010.  As a result, the U19 team had a small roster of players with three Grade 11s in addition to the matrics.  One player, Jia-Wei Yao, was promoted from the U16 squad to provide depth.  As the term progressed, the team began to grow in confidence.  Early in the season, however, the team faced a serious blow with an injury to the leading scorer and captain, Ben.  While we did not win any games in the first term, several outstanding performances were witnessed including Bryce’s 10 points and 4 assists against SACS, and Garth’s 11 points against Heideveld.
The team was once again invited to participate in the St John’s invitational tournament in Johannesburg. Owing to the injury to Ben, Adriaan Louw joined the squad for the tournament as did U16 player Keegan Smith.  Unfortunately, Adriaan suffered an injury in the first game.  Nevertheless, the team played hard and ended with a bronze medal.
The fourth term showed great promise as the team had grown in confidence over the year.  Although we lost the service of most of the matrics we added a few new players, most notably Joshua Hichens.  We also experienced improved play by Mpho Moletsane who took over the role of point guard.  Over the first three games, the team increased their scoring. They won their first game of the season 23-22 over Fish Hoek, led by Joshua’s 17 points.  During the game, however, we suffered two injuries (Ben and Jia-Wei, both of whom would miss the remaining games), but U16 player Daniel Akokpari stepped in and made the winning shot with a great assist by Neo Moletsane.  Due to the injuries, we found ourselves down to only 4 U19 players for the final two games. We added two U16 players, Daniel and Keegan, to finish the season.  While we won only 1 game, the players showed unbelievable heart and determination in the face of numerous setbacks.                                                                R Davis and S Zandstra
P 12 W 3 L 9
COACHES:  R Davis, S Zandstra
TEAM:  B Teng (c), B  Goaté, A Gregor, J Hichens, M Moletsane, N Moletsane, G Sampson, J Yao,
J Opperman (scorer)

U14A 2010 has been an amazing year of growth for the U14A side. New to the sport but enthusiastic to learn and develop, the members of the U14A basketball team showed great commitment and character, resulting in a tremendous display of spirit and determination by each player.
Led by a dynamic duo - captain Benji Grant and vice-captain PJ Kobbie - and faithfully backed up by the side’s ‘Most Improved Player for 2010’ Max Chin, who gave their all to the side in each and every practice and match, the side went from strength to strength throughout the season.

As coach of the U14A side, I am truly proud of each and every player. It has been a pleasure coaching the young men of this team - they have done their school proud and have kept the school’s banner flying high. I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for this dynamic side.
G Kairuz
COACH: G Kairuz
TEAM: B Grant (c); M Chin, E Jacobs, L Kgomo, PJ Kobbie, K Mukasa, J Scheepers, J Sonday, S Swanson, E Turan

Rowing 2010

SENIOR ROWING
2010 has seen the sport of rowing at Rondebosch grow tremendously.  With a record number of boys, across all age groups, attending local regattas, Bosch is making its presence felt in the Western Cape rowing community.  This growth in participation is a good reflection of the development that has occurred in the sport over the past year.  The junior age groups welcomed Jonathan Cox, a previous Bosch rower, as their new coach.  He has already made his agenda clear by getting the new boys up and running and enjoying their sport.
The Open (U19) first eight set new standards for themselves as they dominated Parktown in their final at the 2009 Schools’ Boat Race in Port Alfred, to see them finish 13th overall.  Although dropping down a few places from the 2008 rankings, the win in their final gave the boys a taste of victory and left them high spirited and aiming to train harder and go faster.  An ongoing trend in the Open age group has been the increasing number of oarsmen making themselves available for first eight selection, and we are fast approaching the point where we can select a second eight.  This has been in the vision of the coaches and masters for quite some time and bodes well for the future of the sport at the school.  In March, Rondebosch sent the largest number of boys yet to the South African School’s Rowing Championships in Pretoria.  As usual, competition was fierce and the first eight did well to maintain their previous year’s result.  The U16 age group grew in number and took part in many local regattas which saw them gain valuable racing experience. 
2010 also meant a change in coaching structure in the senior age groups.  Nick Park-Ross stepped down as coach of the first eight and Open age group, to coach the U16 age group.  He made way for Rob van Lierde who joined rowing at the end of 2009 as assistant coach to the first eight.  Rob is an accomplished oarsman, having represented South Africa as well as captaining the University of Cape Town’s Rowing Club.  He is assisted by Jozef Muller (E’06).  Under Rob’s new and fresh guidance, and Jozef’s boot-camp approach to preparation, the first eight has begun a more intense training programme than ever before as they prepare for Boat Race 2010.  Already they are only twenty-five seconds off the top school in the country and there is still time to lessen that gap!  We are excited about the consistency in both performance and improvement of the Open and U16 age groups, and grow prouder of the boys as they learn to apply themselves with more professionalism each year.
Nick Park-Ross
MASTER-IN-CHARGE: S Harris
MANAGER: R Bowley
COACHES:  N Park-Ross(head), J Muller R van Lierde
1st CREW  2009/10: R Burman(c), G Herman(cox),C Buddle, M Harris, R Herman, A Kidd, N Mackenzie, E Schnehage, J Shamley
 1st CREW 2010/11: N Mackenzie(c), A Hellenberg (cox),  A Curry, M Harris, G Herman, C Knutsen, E Schnehage, J Shamley, K Wilkie, J Wills

JUNIOR ROWING

The u14 and u15 teams for the 2010 season showed great dedication, always willing and eager to learn at every step. No challenge was too big or too small. They met every challenge head on, and came out on top because of this.

The U15 highlight this year was in the beginning of the year when Tyron Redman edged off a strong Somerset College competitor in the SACS regatta to take the U15 win in his final.  For the U14s the highlight was in the second half of the year when Nicolas Muller showed great stamina in the Bishops Regatta to beat two Bishops and a SACS boat to come in first in his final.

Rowing is unlike any other sport at Rondebosch and requires total dedication from its participants. The boys showed this dedication and have progressed in every way in their rowing careers. From the coaches, we would like to thank the boys for the time and effort that everyone put in.

MANAGER: P Ghignone
COACHES:  J Cox, R Hitchings
JUNIOR CAPTAIN:  N Muller

Tennis 2010

1st TEAM: The team started the season on a very positive note compared to last season where we lost more matches than we won. This year we are happy to report that we are unbeaten in the Southern Suburbs. We started the season with a home game against Bishops and narrowly beat them by 10 points to 8. Andrew Hegie and Michael Dugmore (the captain of the team) both easily outwitted their opponets and beat them in straight sets.  
Another tough match earlier on in the season was against SACS. Our number one at the time, Andrew Hegie, managed to score only two points in his game, having lost the doubles in straight sets. We won easily against both Reddam Atlantic and WBHS. We opened this year with an outstanding victory of 18 points to 0 against the German School. De Kuilen gave us a tough time but we beat them with a strong 12 to 6 points difference. Who could forget the class we showed against Reddam Atlantic at home, when we smashed them 18 points to 0. We ended the season with a convincing win of 16 points to 2 away against SACS.              
We have shown our class and our team is feared and respected whereever we go, as we have already won four out of four matches for 2010/2011 season.
During the month of January four Rondebosch High School pupils - Trent Pike, Michael Dugmore, Keaton Saunders and Andrew Hegie - took part in the Western Province interschool tennis tournament held in Rondebosch. The tournament consisted of 32 players in each age group and included many players from neighbouring schools, such as Bishops, SACS and Wynberg.
Trent, Michael and Andrew participated in the U19 section while Keaton participated in the U15 section. All four Rondebosch pupils performed very well and were great ambassadors for the school. After a week of hard fought and strenuous tennis the top six players from each age group, (both boys and girls) were selected to represent Western Province in the South African interschool tournament in Pretoria. I am proud to announce that all four Rondebosch boys were selected in their respective age groups.
The Pretoria interschool tournament displayed some exciting and top class tennis but unfortunately our U19 side was knocked out in the quarter-finals. Our U15 side played unbelievably well and managed to beat Gauteng in the final.
After completing all our matches on the final day we left our respective tennis venues and headed for the prize-giving held at Affies. During this ceremony players were selected for the South African Schools team to tour either to the UK or to Buenos Aires. There were U15, U17 and U19 teams, each consisting of six boys and six girls. They began with the U15 selection process - unfortunately Keaton was not selected although he played his best tennis and managed to win every match he played. They then started with the U17 selection and the excitement became even more intense. I could not believe it when my name, Andrew, Hegie was called out and I felt like the most privileged person alive.
We left Cape Town International at 6am en route to Johannesburg. This trip took place during the June-July holidays and although I was missing most of the Soccer World Cup this was for me a dream come true.
Once we arrived in Johannesburg Francois (my friend from Boland) and I met up with all the other players as well as the coaches. Many of the players in the team were very good friends of mine which made the tour just that much better. After our long flight from Johannesburg to Dubai and then from Dubai to Heathrow, many of us felt very tired and needed a good rest. Our manager thought otherwise and decided that when we arrived we would head straight to the courts so that we could get a good practice session. Once our bags were loaded and the racquets were unpacked we jumped into the van and headed for Sutton Lawn tennis club. When we arrived our desire to play on the grass was overwhelming, and the minute the coaches gave us the go-ahead we grabbed our racquets and sprinted for the courts. At first the feeling was strange and for the first time the court below me was soft, but I soon got the hang of things and started to play a bit better.
We were in the UK for 3 weeks and made the most of it by visiting many famous attractions such as Big Ben, Stonehenge and many more.
Besides visiting many of the tennis academies around England and playing top class opponents, my highlight of this overseas trip was going to watch Wimbledon. On the first day of Wimbledon we stood in the long line for our tickets. In actual fact long would be an understatement as it took us almost 3 hours, but it was an experience I will never forget.
The Wimbledon Stadium was immensely terrific and I felt honoured to be standing in the presence of greatness. To see the best of the best play this magnificent sport was something dreams were made of. I saw the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko.We were there for most of our trip and became a part of history when we witnessed the magnificent clash between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut which lasted all five sets and ended only 70-68 in the final set in Isner’s favour.
This trip was amazing and I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to venture overseas and follow my dream of playing tennis.                                                                         A. Hegie

Keaton, Saunders won the boys’ U18 singles title at the WP Mini Series 3 tennis tournament on the 9th of August, beating the top ranked U18 WP player, M C Visser, in straight sets. In addition to this victory he took the U18 WP Masters, U16 Gauteng North Super 7 and U16 Gauteng North Marks Park titles.
 
The love for tennis at RBHS is growing. We still have two big groups of social tennis, capably managed by Mr. C. Wren-Sargent (Tuesday) and Mr L. Erasmus (Thursday). We have entered six U19 and two U15 teams in the league. Here is how they played this season:                                                                                                  P             W            D             L
2nd team               11           7              0              4             
3rd team               10           7              1              2
4th team               8              3              2              3
5th team               10           8              1              1
6th team               2              1              0              1

1st team                4              3              1              0
2nd team               5              2              0              3
We would like to express our gratitude to our dedicated teachers who manage these teams. Our boys have this to say about our head coach: “His love for tennis rubs off easily to all boys around him”.                                
Z. Nongqotho
P8 W8 L0 D0
COACH: L Natus,
TEAM: M Dugmore (c), A Hegie, K Hill, T Pike, K Saunders, C Thomas

RBHS has an impressive swimming profile. At the S A Schools Swimming 2009 RBHS achieved 20 medals • 10 Gold,  4 Silver and 6 Bronze. RBHS broke five South African Schools records and one SA record. and were also winners of the 2009 Newlands “A” Gala.

Swimming Report 2010
For many other competitive swimming schools, the thought of the Rondebosch swimming team generates fear in their eyes. And so it should. Over the past years Rondebosch has prided itself on building a highly conditioned team which I am confident could take on any other swimming team in this country.
RBHS swimming started off with a bang at the annual inter-house gala. It was great to see how every boy got drawn into the Bosch ‘gees’ and got involved, whether it was taking down times, cheering or swimming their hearts out for their beloved houses. Canigou decided that they weren’t going to give any of the other houses a chance and clinched another victory by 48 points. The day was a great success and showcased that swimming is still such a prominent sport at a prestigious school such as Rondebosch.
As usual, the Newlands gala was a big highlight in the school’s swimming calendar. While the swimmers warmed up, a large gathering of Rondebosch supporters assembled at the Canigou gates. From here we carried the shield to Newlands and handed it over to the officials. It would not be long before this shield would be back in our possession. Gold medals were the order of the day and our swimmers put in another unbeatable performance. This proved to be just the start of yet another unbeaten swimming year.
As the year progressed a number of our swimmers made their mark at provincial and national level. This year we had no fewer than 13 Western Province representatives. Johann Minnaar did RBHS proud at the SA Schools gala where he won two silver medals and a bronze medal. Well done, Johann!
The greatest tribute to Rondebosch swimming must certainly be the depth of quality present. We do not just have an elite A team, but we also have a number of committed swimmers who represent our very strong B teams in each age group. This just reiterates that Rondebosch swimming is a force to be reckoned with. A special mention must go to Mr Jenkins and Mr Claassen who work tirelessly at creating this winning culture at RBHS. Thank you to both of you for an amazing swimming year. You are an inspiration to us all!
Good luck to all the swimmers for what will no doubt be another successful year next year. Keep the RBHS flag flying high.

N. Melck

No words can describe the phenomenal water polo year that has just been had for Rondebosch.
Before the season started there was apprehension in the air as to how this year’s 1st water polo team would perform. We were a young team with a new coach. What better opportunity to show everyone what we were made of. The gates were open and we were going to go out and prove to everyone that we were a side capable of playing high quality polo. And that’s just what we did.
Before our first match it was necessary to acquire some mental fitness. Our very own shrink in the form of Tom Dawson-Squibb got us to put our goals down onto paper and we formulated “The Dream.” This poster, along with our new found mascot, “Shishkabab” would be alongside the pool for every match to follow and the man of each match would be given the task of looking after these two prized possessions.
Our first league fixture was Paul Roos and we were determined to make a good, running start. We went into the game firing on all cylinders, playing as a team and came out of the match victorious with a convincing 15 – 9 win. Spirits were high and we faced our early mornings with a new sense of eagerness. Week in and week out we endured many grueling physical and mental prep sessions. Whether in the pool, doing land training or in the classroom discussing tactics we were a unit and no one was going to get between this growing bond of camaraderie.
As we approached our annual tour to KES we were still unbeaten in the Western Cape league and ready to take on some of the up-country schools.
We flew up to Johannesburg with a second plane in tow; full of fans (a.k.a parents).  We started off the tournament on a disappointing note, narrowly losing to the same Paul Roos team that we had beaten earlier in the year. We slowly rebuilt our confidence and played some high quality water polo against St. Andrews, although they proved to be the better side on the day. All in all our KES campaign did not go as well as hoped. However, it was not all doom and gloom as we knew which mistakes we had to work on in order to be ready for the upcoming Mazinter Cup in Cape Town.
Mazinter Cup was upon us in no time. We qualified in first place and so ended up playing a beatable Reddam side in the semi – finals. After winning this game we now had our sights set on the finals which were to be played against our tough rivals, SACS. After a nail-biting U19 girl’s penalty shoot- out in their final, we got our final underway. We did well to gain an early lead on SACS, but they slowly crept their way back into the match and at half time the score was 4 all. This was our make or break moment and we showed them that we had BMT that they would not be able to match. With the help of a full Newlands stand full of Bosch supporters singing “Great Heart” we were able to gain the lead again 7 - 4, which we held onto until the final whistle. I think that everyone who was present at the final will agree that some “champagne” water polo was played by both teams. This was the first time in six years that we had won the Mazinter Cup which made the event even more memorable!
After winning the tournament we were out to conquer the world, which showed in our performance against our rivals Bishops the following week. We beat them comfortably to end off a very successful first half of our season.
Preparations for SACS tournament started in the third term. Many a discussion was held as to which method would be most effective in holding down the heater covers but Mr. Endley’s experience proved to be the most useful. Thanks to his ingenious ideas we were able to train in a very warm pool during the winter, which would make sure we were ready for the momentous SACS tournament. Our pre- tournament practices got into full swing, but were hampered by numerous rugby injuries.  Aiden Monk, Daniel Gluckman and Dean Human were set to be out and so we were lost for a goalie and a back-sitter. Luckily our very own head cheerleader, Joshua van der Ploeg (“Poeg”) was right in the wings and ready to slip into Aiden’s shoes (which were by no means small!)
SACS tournament arrived and we were set to go. Daniel and Dean were back from injury and the team was full of vibe. Tournaments were just not for us, however, after putting in a creditable effort, we got knocked out in the quarter finals. This was a big disappointment for all of us but our team morale was still flying high!
We went into the second half of the season ready to continue our unbeaten run in the league matches. We stayed true to ourselves and after some convincing wins over SACS and Paul Roos we were ready to meet our rivals, Bishops once again. This game was always going to be a tight one, but after a 9-3 lead over them at the start of the 4th chukka who would ever have thought we would narrowly scrape a 9-8 victory? This was all irrelevant as we had made it through the season unbeaten in our league matches – an impressive feat for any team!
The quality of our team was shown when the Western Province teams were selected. Well done to Nick and Brad on making the U19A team, to Josh, Andrew, Dean, Kimon, Nathan and William for making the U19B team and to Alessio and Michael for making the Boland team. A special mention must go to Brad for being selected for the SA U18 side which will compete in the Tri-Nations in New Zealand in December.
This year’s success is owed to many. Firstly to the Matrics: I think that you have done a great job in creating that sense of team spirit that was ever present this year. Aiden, Brodie (kaptein), Daniel, Keegan and Josh, you have all lead by example and added something unique to this team. To the junior guys, Well done, on a great year and best of luck for next year. Remain humble and remember to always have fun!
To our manager, Mr. Endley. Thank you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm you have shown this team. The hours of hard work you have done for us has not gone unnoticed and we truly appreciate it!
Lastly to our coach, Garth. You have never failed to inspire us with your endless energy, optimism and determination for us to be the best. You have always reminded us that we are here to enjoy the game. We owe this season to you and thank you for the patience you have shown us, through the hard times and the good.

N Melck (captain)
Coach: G Olivier, Manager: G Endley, B Blows, K Caldis, A De Gouveia, D Gluckman, D Human, N Melck (capt), M Moller, A Monk,  A Park Ross, B Pepler, N Perren, J Perren,  J Van Der Ploeg, K Visser 
P             W            L              D
32           21           7              4

U15A Water Polo Report 2010

U15A Although this year has definitely had its ups and downs, this team has once again demonstrated strength in camaraderie and an inherent determination.

The first term was particularly eventful, with the team playing some excellent waterpolo. Besides a hard-fought victory against Reddam, the highlight of the year was undoubtedly the Parktown Tournament in Johannesburg. The boys played at a standard far beyond their years, steamrolling through the group stages, as well as dominating teams in the quarter and semi-finals by a twelve-goal margin. The boys then met a strong St. Johns side in the finals. Even though the boys were playing away from home and had already played three matches that day, it was obvious that they weren’t daunted by the task at hand.  The boys dominated St. Johns, but a few lapses in concentration in defence meant the game proceeded into extra-time. Not wanting ANOTHER silver medal, the boys showed real ‘gees’ and with the help of  Stef De Gouveia and Graham Geldenhuys, leading from the front, the game ended as a convincing 9-6 win, much to the dismay of the St. Johns parents.

The fourth term got off to a rather shaky start, with the team being restructured in a number of ways and two crucial players, Sabin Bouwer and Luke Houba, being injured ahead of the Ian Melliar Cup. The inclusion of Kyle White and Alan Eaby for the tournament proved to be most beneficial, as these players were thrown into the ‘deep-end’ and yet excelled against the best players in the country.  Due to a bizarre set of circumstances, the team finished in 6th position overall in the tournament. However, the game against Grey PE must be mentioned, where the boys gave the most spirited performance I have ever seen from them. Grey PE, the tournament favourites, was an extremely fast and talented side, and due to our injuries, the odds were definitely not in our favour. However the boys stayed composed, gave 110% and managed to come out victors 6-5. Special mention must go to Jack Purcell and Doug ‘the beast’ Bryant for giving their absolute all in that game.

League matches in the fourth term didn’t go to plan and the team saw disappointing losses against both SACS and Reddam. The boys had one last chance to prove themselves against Wynberg, which were arguably the toughest side in the age-group. This turned out to be the team’s most noteworthy victory of the year, completely decimating Wynberg’s attack, coupled with some spectacular ‘post and ins’ from Luke Houba. The end score was 6-5, with the ever-present Scott Dormehl scoring a great goal in the last minute of the game.

Due to the highly competitive age-group, Khanyo Ngcukana, Jarryd de Vries and Sebastian Kristiansen didn’t see much game time unfortunately. However, these players were highly dependable and showed great potential as the year progressed.

This team has massive potential and could be incredibly successful as a 1st team in the future. However, the only way they’ll become a truly great team is to persevere and work hard in years to come (as well as working on their ‘mongoose’). It’s been great coaching this team for two years and I look forward to the future prospects of this side.

 P23 W17  L6                                                                                                             S. Bailey

COACH: S Bailey TEAM: S de Gouveia (c), S Bouwer, D Bryant, S Kristiansen, J de Vries, S Dormehl, A Eaby, G Geldenhuys, L Houba, K Ngcukana, J Purcell, K White

U14A Water Polo Report 2010

U14A
Although it has been a relatively short season the team worked incredibly hard in the weeks building up to it and throughout the season itself. Our challenge began back in holiday training trying to ensure that we were prepared for the games, tournaments and tour that lay ahead. I must commend all the boys on their commitment and their personal drive that allowed us to develop as a side. This is an attitude that will serve them well in the future in all aspects of their life.
We began the season with the Rondebosch tournament. We held our own and played some nice water polo and ended up vs. our arch rivals Reddam for a semifinal spot. Unfortunately due to a poor start we drew the match and went to penalty shoot outs and lost. It was an unsatisfactory way to be knocked out but the boys can be proud of themselves and the way that they played the game. This rivalry seemed to follow us throughout the season and all the way to Bloemfontein on our tour. It was between Reddam and us as to who would go through on to the quarter final round, unfortunately they had a higher goal difference and so went through. Although we faced these difficulties the team also played some great games, beating strong teams such as Wynberg and Reddam and challenging others such as SACS.
This side is full of potential and as I have told them many a time, what holds them back is a lack of confidence in this talent that they command. When they manage to link it all together and back themselves in the water what you see is an extremely capable side that is full of potential to develop even further. As water polo players they have had a good season that will be the beginning our long careers at Rondebosch. As young men they stepped up this season and truly shown us who they are.
Special mention must go to Chris Newby our captain for his dedication to the team and his talent in the water. I wish you all well in the years ahead and hope to bump into you around a pool sometime in the future.
Mark Hulland
P16 W7 L8 D1
COACH: M Hulland  CAPTAIN: C Newby TEAM: C Newby (c), F Swart, Z Perren, A Thompson, C Blows, D Mostert, L Stone, PJ Kobbie, L Kula, J Minnaar, C Needham, E Marais, T Foster

• Cricket at RBHS made a slow and inauspicious start. The school had no sports’ fields, practices were held on the Rondebosch Common and all matches had to be played away.
• Although from 1904 the school regularly played in the local Schools’ Shield, rugby was king and cricketing progress was slow.
• In the 1920’s cricket began to flourish, with the emergence of some talented players and the appointment of the school’s first professional coach.
•  In the 1930’s RBHS five senior sides and two U14s.
• Today RBHS boast almost three times that number, with eleven teams entered in the Saturday leagues and almost as many playing midweek matches.
• RBHS has had a number of players that have gone onto play international cricket:

  Gary Kirsten, HD Ackerman, Andrew Puttick, Ralph Coetzee, John Commins, Jack Nel, Archie Palm, Dennis Morkel, Jimmy Blackenberg.

1st X1 Report 2010
First term:
After the loss of a number of senior players last year, a young first eleven was always going to struggle to find their feet in 2010. A tough tour at the beginning of the year set the tone for a term where we proved just not to be good enough, especially at crucial times of the match. This resulted in a number of losses, although all of those were recorded against strong cricketing schools. Individual performances of note included Dewald Keulder’s devastating 8 for 26 against Bellville and Hilio de Abreu falling agonizingly short of his first century with 94 against Pinelands. Team highlights included victories against Grey College, SACS and the Old Boys, but the team ended the season aware that there was much hard work to be done.
Fourth term:
Following the huge success of the tour the team approached the new term cautious optimism, and a determination to prove the skeptics wrong. A short tour to the St David’s 20/20 festival with a side that featured 5 Grade 9s, due to Grade 12 examinations, was followed by the annual Cape Schools’ Week. Wins against Dale, Selborne and Union with the other fixtures being rained off, soon followed by wins against Boland Landbou, Paul Roos and SACS in the declaration matches, as well as a number of wins in the 20/20 format, highlighted just how much the side had improved throughout the course of the year. This progress was evidenced by the best batting display of the year where Matthew Norris’ superb 105 against Wynberg allowed us to reach 286 for 8 in a game that ended in a draw. Two further centuries, Matthew Norris’ 118 and Hayes van der Berg’s 111 not out, were both recorded in 20/20 matches. On the bowling front, Hilio de Abreu and Dewald Keulder were the stalwarts. Dewald added a second five wicket haul to his name taking 7 for 33 against Union, whilst Hilio’s 6 for 29 against Dale and 6 for 41 against SACS meant that he took five 5 wicket hauls in the year.
Dewald leaves Bosch with more than 100 1st X1 caps to his name, an achievement that is not often accomplished at schoolboy level. Hilio can be very proud of his achievements this year. Not only has he proved to be an astute and popular captain despite only being in Grade 11, but has also scored more than 1000 runs and taken more than 100 wickets in a calendar year. This is almost certainly a first for a Rondebosch cricketer.
Ultimately one can look back at the year with an immense sense of satisfaction. It has been an incredibly happy side, a side where everyone has contributed both on and off the field, but most importantly, a side that committed itself to becoming the best side that they could possibly be. As a coach there is no more that you can ask of your players.
To the matrics: Aidan, Matt, Michael and Dewald, thank you for your contributions to Bosch cricket over the last five years. We will miss you and hope that you aren’t strangers to Cricket A in the future years.
Sincerest thanks must go to the parents of the young men who were a wonderfully supportive bunch, both through the tough times and the good. The efforts of the scores of mothers and fathers that were on hand to ensure that Bosch remained the place to be on a Saturday with sumptuous lunches and teas will be remembered fondly!
Ryan Maron has been an integral part of the team and his presence next year will be sorely missed. Ryan has enjoyed a fantastic 5 years at Bosch and we wish him well in his future endeavours. Thanks must go to Ryan for all his hard work, dedication and commitment to Bosch cricket.

P 54 W 33 L 16 D 5
Coaches: R Dalrymple, R Maron Team: H de Abreu (c), D Keulder (vc), T Chiektey, C Davis, A Mather, D Matthews, A Morris, M Norris, D Quinn, S Sayed, K Smith, M Sparkman, M Sutcliffe, H van der Berg, J Zeeman.

CUBS’XI CRICKET – UK TOUR 2010
The composition of the team was the first step for the Cubs squad to have a successful UK tour. It was a challenging task to have a balance between eight senior players and seven current u/15 players, playing twelve matches in fourteen days, whilst focusing on team dynamics such as variety in the bowling attack, development of players, a competent batting line-up and playing good quality cricket whilst having a lot of fun.
The plan was always to give all the players equal opportunity to play. This resulted in none of the players played in less than nine out of the possible twelve matches on tour. The best possible team could therefore not pitch for every match and opening batsmen sometimes ended up batting at number eight in order for everybody to have an opportunity not only to play, but to be involved in the match.
Clearly good and strong leadership was required throughout the tour and we were fortunate to have Michael Dugmore on board to lead to team with strong support from both Greg Scott and Zubyar Hamza leading the team at some stage during the tour.
We started off with a T20 match against King’s College Taunton. After posing a respectable total of 175 runs with solid contributions by our opening pair, Greg Scott (70 runs off 58 balls) and Devon van Rensburg (43 runs off 35 balls), George Wayman of King’s College very nearly took the game away from us with 98 runs off 53 balls. Our seamers, Danie Krynauw (3 for 8 in 2 overs), Alex Mather and Ighsaan Allie saved the day for us by winning our first match on the tour by a mere 9 runs.
Taunton School was next up and skipper Greg Scott did not hesitate to bat first in this 40 over encounter. Scott ended with 133 runs off 117 balls and Michael Cursons (100) was trapped lbw by our own Michael Dugmore for his maiden century in his high school career. 295 for 2 wickets after 40 overs was always too big a hill to climb for the home team. Although the bowlers all did fairly well, the highlight of our fielding was a brilliant diving catch by Jason Middleton at square leg. The RBHS Cubs’XI won the match by a substantial 106 runs with Greg Scott deservingly the man of the match twice in a row!   
One of the most remarkable characteristics of the Cubs’XI was their ability to adjust quickly to the quality of the opposition. They never stop to amaze with their confidence, positive attitude and drive to perform to the best of their ability whatever the opposition posed to them.    
The strong Oundle School with an impressive cricket tradition followed the next day. Our boys rose to the occasion. After winning the toss and elected to bat first, we pose a total of 177 runs in the allotted 40 overs, thanks to late contributions by Michael Dugmore (43 runs) and Richard Palframan (45 runs). As proved later in the tour, at least one of our boys was always prepared to take the match by the neck and perform brilliantly. Against Oundle School, Riaz Sader came forward and took 6 wickets for 18 runs in 8 overs. The Cubs’XI bowled them out for a mere 115 runs to win our third match in concession by 65 runs.
The magnificent setting of Lancing College kept the team spirit high and after winning the toss and elected to bat, our opening pair destroyed the opposition. Devon van Rensburg made 111 not out off 95 balls with 18 fours and two sixes and Matthew Steel at the other end made 103 not out off 70 balls including 12 fours and five sixes. The target of 233 was never within their reach and Lancing was bowled out for 75 runs resulting in a 158 run victory to the Bosch Cubs’ XI.
The Sarisbury Club XI set us a target of 151 for 8 in 49 overs. Zubayr Hamza rose to the occasion with a fantastic knock of 101 not out reaching his century with a solid six over midwicket off the last delivery of the match! Bosch won the match by 7 wickets but it was a much tighter match than the result indicated.
The match that everybody was looking forward to was against St John’s School in Leatherhead. After they won the toss and decided to bat first, they pose a target of 129 all out in their allotted 40 overs. Jamie Doman took 3 wickets for 28 runs and Michael Dugmore 3 wickets for 20 runs. The target was easily reached with Michael Dugmore scored 51 not out (clearly the man of the match) and the Cubs’XI won by 7 wickets.
Lord Wandsworth School was never on our level and Bosch, after winning yet another toss, set a formidable target of 264 for 5 in 40 overs. Michael Cursons made his second century on the tour with a splendid 119 runs. Riaz Sader took 3 for 22, we bowled them out for 124 runs and the Cubs’XI recorded yet another victory by 140 runs.
One of many highlights of the tour was the visit to Eton College. After an informative tour to the impressive College, Eton elected to bat first. Alex Mather (3 for 27) and Ighsaan Allie (3 for 34) made early inroads in their batting line-up of which the opposition never recovered. They were bowled out for 127 runs – a target never substantial enough for a happy and focused Cubs team. Again Zubayr Hamza (60 not out) and Michael Dugmore (52 not out) led from the front to score 131 for 3 for a sweet victory by 7 wickets.
 The quality of the opposition improved in the latter part of the tour with Harrow School clearly the strongest opposition yet. We won the toss in the 50 over encounter and as always, elected to bat first. Good all-round contributions from our batsmen resulted in a competitive target of 249 for 6 wickets down. Although Harrow was eventually bowled out for 212 runs, the 32 run victory for the Cubs’XI required all their focus and energy. A tough encounter indeed!
The 50 over match against Wellington College (Crowthorne) was highly anticipated with huge expectations of success by both teams. Again the character of the team came forward when they produced their best performance of the tour against a highly successful team in their league. We won the toss, batted first and the individual brilliance of Zubayr Hamza dominated the innings with a fantastic innings of 173 not out. It is actually a pity more people couldn’t saw one of the best innings played by a young schoolboy in ages. He was well supported by Matthew Steel with a contribution of 91 runs in double quick time. Alex Mather (4 for 33) and Kay Skovgaard-Petersen (4 for 27) kept the pressure up and Wellington was bowled out for 172 runs, resulting in a comprehensive and very satisfactory win by 208 runs for the Bosch Cubs’XI.
Princethorpe near Rugby was next. Again we batted first on what was initially quite a tricky pitch. Devon van Rensburg played his normal patient innings of 107 not out to record his second century on the tour. Riaz Sader (4 for 26) and Richard Stirton (4 for 21 which includes a hat trick) made the most of the ideal bowling conditions, bowled them out early after lunch for 83 and won by 128 runs.  
The undefeated Cubs’XI arrives at St Edward’s School in Oxford for their last match of the tour. The boys kept the momentum; all the batsmen chipped in with some runs and set a target of 214 for 7 in 40 overs. Riaz Sader (3 for 16) bowled brilliantly and we manage to bowl them out for a mere 61 runs and the Cubs’XI won by 153 runs.
Good performance on the field has often a lot to do with what happens behind the scene. The RBHS Cubs’XI was fortunate to have Gustaf Pienaar as capable and experienced manager to care for all logistics off the pitch. He did a professional job to keep the boys happy, often took care of small detail and set the tone for a happy Cubs’XI squad to focus on their cricket.
None of the players came back as weaker players. They all gained essential lessons in life, experienced new cultures, improved on their cricket abilities and came back as a unit that successfully accomplished a mission.
Johan Snijmann - Coach

U15A Report 2010
This was the season of growth, development and character building for this highly talented bunch of strong individuals. At the end of the season, it feels good to say that there are players in this team who are ready for senior cricket at school level and that the future of Rondebosch cricket looks healthy.

With seven of the boys in the Cubs XI that toured England during the holidays, a number of boys played in more than 21 matches this year. To be undefeated on the tour and to be successful in probably the toughest u/15 league in the country, says everything about the talent of these boys.

All credit must firstly go to Zubayr Hamza. Not only did he score over a 1000 runs this year at an average of 65.5, including three centuries and nine fifties, he also took 11 wickets and grew as a captain every time he took his side on the field. He ended the season as a popular leader of the pack that set an example to the rest of the team with brilliant performances in the middle. It is a pity that not a lot of local supporters saw his undefeated 173 runs against Wellington College on tour!

Devon van Rensburg, Michael Cursons and Riaz Sader shared the responsibility to open the batting, and frequently got the team off to a good start. Both Devon (two centuries with a highest score of 111 not out), and Michael (two centuries this season with a highest score of 119) matures as batsmen during the year.

Matthew Steel (1 century and nine fifties) was like a rollercoaster. He can play any shot in the book and can take any bowling attack apart when he gives himself a chance to play himself in. He was devastating on the Grey High Festival scoring over 300 runs in four matches averaging over 100.

Kay Skovgaard-Petersen was the star all-rounder in the team, taking 46 wickets (including four five wicket hauls) as an opening bowler, and also made four fifties in splendid fashion when it was most needed. His spell after tea against Paarl Boys’ High, taking the last six wickets to clinch the victory, says everything about his character and ability. Riaz led the spin attack with 45 wickets for the year and brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the team. The twins, Liam and Jamie Doman, were valuable middle-order players and Prashant Makan improved with every match during the year as our left arm opening bowler.

Alesio Joemat was rock solid with both bat and ball and Duncan Campbell, joining the team only late in the season, was a revelation. His bowling spell against Hilton College under difficult circumstances was one of the best spells of the season. Nic le Roux and Blake Reyneke were both valuable players that always perform to their best either with the bat or in the field.

Congratulations to Zubayr and Devon for making the WP U/15 provincial side and to Kay, Matthew and Riaz for making the TAG WP U/15 Invitation team. It was well deserved!

A huge thank you to our very challenging but supportive group of parents! Mrs Hamza for the best eats and spoils in the world, Olaf for always available and willing to do a splendid job with the scoring, Ahmed for numerous sponsorships and everybody else that supported this team with their heart and soul.

Lastly, thank you to Ryan Maron for his valuable input, support, fitness and fielding sessions and loyal friendship towards me and the boys.     
  
                                                                                                                                     J Snijmann
P15 W8 L2 D 5
COACH: J Snijmann, TEAM: Z Hamza (c), D Campbell, M Cursons, J Doman, L Doman,
A Joemat, N le Roux, P Makan, B Reyneke, R Sader, K Skovgaard-Petersen, M Steel, D van Rensburg

U/14A Report 2010

The season started with the usual sorting out of about fifty “A” team cricketers, arriving at the nets to try out for the Rondebosch U/14A side. The depth at U/14 level characterised the season and many “B” team players could easily have slotted into the A team. The first game did not help the sifting process as WPCC were bowled out for 29. A settled Grey side took on a still experimental Rondebosch side and won comfortably. Over the next few weeks, different combinations were looked at and in the process a confident Rondebosch side emerged with the characteristic of being clinical and ruthless in their wins. This fact is borne out by an even greater win ratio than the formidable side of 2009. There was the hiccup of losing to SACs in the first term but all in all, the strength of the side was the ability of each player to contribute when needed most.

Having formed good combinations, the U/14 side took on the local U/15 sides in a Pro 20 knock-out competition. In a difficult draw Rondebosch beat a good U/15 Pinelands side in the quarter -finals and then had to face a formidable Wynberg U/15A side. This was good experience for the younger side and despite losing, a great self-belief was created that they could compete with the best. From then on Rondebosch went from strength to strength. Wynberg U/14A were beaten convincingly, and in the last game of the first term, Bishops had no answer, losing by ten wickets to a devastating Rondebosch side.

The fourth term, started with the usual tour to Hilton and it was here that Rondebosch came of age. Mathew Christensen was in unbelievable form with the bat, clocking up a century and three half centuries (this included a 97) in five innings. (Mathew’s tally for the season was a double century and two other centuries. He also combined this with an incredible bowling average of 12,59 runs per a wicket). For the record, Rondebosch beat St Albans, Michaelhouse, a strong Hilton side and St Charles. The only narrow loss came in a pro -20 match against a provincially packed Westville side.

Back home, Rondebosch continued their good form. The devastating batting of Mathew Christensen, Tayo Walbrug, supported by the application of Stefano Filippi and James Donald, provided a good mix up front. Keagan Langford improved in leaps and bounds and is an opener to watch out for in the future. Jay Stevens, Michael Palframan and the big hitting of Chad Muller and Josh Kaplan provided a handful for the opposition. This combined with the blistering bowling pace of Jay Stevens(the leading wicket taker), the subtle seam of Jordan Corfe and the relentless pressure of Kyle Ritchie as well as the swing of Mathew Christensen and Stefano Filippi, resulted in Paul Roos, Paarl Boys, SACS, Bishops, having no answer. When spin was required, Mogammad Gamiet showed he could be a match winner. His fiver against SACS and three wicket haul against Hilton were of great quality. Chad Muller took wickets when needed and Luke Trocado showed good potential as a leg–spinner. The one hiccup in the fourth term was against Wynberg in a low scoring match. Despite Jay Stevens taking five wickets, Rondebosch lost by 30 runs but this was soon put right by another convincing win against Bishops in the last game of the season.

Mention must be made of something I have never experienced as a coach and that was the double century not out by Mathew Christensen and the 151 not out by Tayo Walbrug (his second century of the season) in a 310 run unbeaten partnership against Boland Landbou. Rondebosch scored 486 for one in 50 overs. This was worthy of headline news and it did make the billboards the following day.

Many thanks must go to the parents for the support of their sons. A special word of thanks must go to Mrs Christensen and her team of ladies who went the extra mile in the catering department. Well done to the boys for their good work ethic. Mathew Christensen showed astute captaincy on the field and enabled the team to gel together.

I am pleased to say that once again the future looks bright for Rondebosch cricket.

P23 W16 D2 L5
COACH: L.Nel TEAM: M Christensen(c) J Corfe, J Donald, S Filippi, M Gamiet, J Kaplan,
K Langford, C Muller, M Palframan, K Ritchie, J Stevens, L Trocado, T Walbrug.