Union’s hockey teams travelled to East London this past weekend, to take on Stirling High School in a nail-biting hockey encounter on Saturday, 11 May.
In matches that were closely contested to the very end, Union’s U/16B team beat Stirling 1 – 0, the U/16As drew 0 – 0, the second team won their match 1 – 0 and the first team drew 2 – 2.
Unions U/16B girls kicked off the day with a 1 – 0 victory over Stirling’s u/16B’s. The scores were level until the last 10 seconds of the match when Union was awarded a penalty corner. A perfect set piece saw Tayla Kingwill convert a cracking shot at goal, allowing Union to be the victors.
U/16A girls, who faced Stirling’s U/16As, played to a goalless draw. The girls were in the game from the very first minute and fought very hard to the bitter end. Some chances to score were created, but both the Stirling and Union goalkeepers had an outstanding match, denying both sides in finding the back of the net. It was a great display of skill and fellowship by both teams in ending the match in a draw.
The second team then took to the turf in, what proved to be, another exciting and thrilling encounter. Union penetrated the Stirling goal area on many occasions but failed to find the back of the net. It took a well-struck hit by Jemimah Mangunda to take the lead in the second half to seal the match 1 – 0 in Union’s favour.
Union’s first team then battled it out against Stirling’s 1st XI and went down by a goal in the 7th minute of the first quarter. Stirling scored in the second quarter again to take them 2 – 0 up. Union stuck to their game plan and played some brilliant hockey in the third and fourth quarter, which saw goals by Rosslyn Sparks and Henzѐ Japhta, to end the match in a 2-all draw.
The players must be commended on their fighting spirit throughout the match.
On Saturday, 11 May, Union’s rugby teams played against Stirling in a much-anticipated clash.
In the games that preceded that of the 1st XV’s, our U/14A team lost 12 – 20, the U/15As lost 0 – 32, the U/16As lost 7 – 21 and the second team won 36 – 34.
The match between the two school’s 1st XVs lived up to expectations and was an incredibly tough, physical game with both teams having to put everything on the line.Union put on a much-improved performance at the set pieces and were able to match Stirling up front and dominate at times.
Union scored first through a penalty from Brett Amsterdam. The game kept spectators on the edge of their seats for the full 35 minutes of the first half, where Union held the lead with 15 minutes to go until Stirling managed to score two tries leading up to the break. Brett Amsterdam then put over another penalty on the brink of half-time. Stirling’s two tries outscored Union’s two penalties, leaving the score to stand at 10 – 6 at half-time.
At the turn, both sides continued to put together phases of attack which was met with fierce defence.
Stirling, however, managed to take a further lead with two tries early on in the second half. Union continued to hold their own and managed to cross the line through Mack Rubidge, keeping Union in the game. Unfortunately, in the end, Stirling proved too strong and managed to cross the line twice through some tiring defence in the last two minutes, winning the match 34 – 11.
Despite the tough opposition faced on the day, the Union boys did their school and supporters proud and played with great heart, never giving up and consistently showing great sportsmanship throughout the day.
All in all, it was a great day of rugby and a fixture Union’s rugby teams will continue to look forward to.
Despite the tough opposition faced on the day, the Union boys did their school and supporters proud and played with great heart, never giving up and always showing great sportsmanship throughout the day. All in all it was a great day of rugby and a fixture we will continue to look forward to.
Union’s junior hockey teams faced Lorraine Primary on the UHS AstroTurf on Saturday, 11 May.
The 5th juniors lost 1 – 0, the 4th juniors drew 0 – 0, the 5th juniors (in a match against Lorraine’s 6th juniors) won 1 – 0, the 3rd juniors won 4 – 0.
2nd Jnr Team: 1 – 0 On a day where Union had dominated in general, the 2nd team girls did not disappoint. The girls played really well together as a unit and are definitely starting to gel. They worked incredibly hard and were able to hold the determined Lorraine side at bay. Although Union had possession for the majority of the game, it took a long time for our girls to convert their efforts into points on the board. Misha Newton was eventually able to score off a well-worked short corner, putting us into the lead. Despite some nail-biting moments, Union managed to hang onto their tenuous 1 – 0 advantage till the end. Well done to all the girls and especially to Misha Newton and Katelyn Trollip who worked exceptionally hard throughout the game.
1st Jnr Team: 1 – 2 With 4 of our regular 1st team players unable to play on the day, it was a fairly nervous team that took to the field against Lorraine. The girls were on the back-foot from the start and struggled to turn the tide of play, making mistake after panicky mistake and quickly forgetting the basics, especially in defense. They soon conceded a goal, but fortunately managed to limit the first half damage to this.
After a stern talking to at half time, the girls returned to the field focused and ready to make amends. They were finally able to piece together some great runs of play, but without result. Towards the end, the girls began to run out of legs and Lorraine were able to slip another goal past our ragged defenses. In a last ditch effort to improve the goal difference, Soso Mroro made a spectacular individual break, and after beating three players on her own, popped a stunning ball through to Ferronique Booysen who slotted it past the surprised keeper mere moments before the final whistle, making the final score 2 -1 to Lorraine.
Although the girls were disappointed by the result, all the teams enjoyed a wonderful day of hockey played with spirit and sportsmanship. Thank you to all involved and particularly to Kyle-Luke du Preez for your invaluable assistance with coaching and umpiring.
If you have ever lost a phone or a tablet, you know the chances of having it returned to you are slim to none. Those who stumble upon lost phones usually operate on the “finders keepers” premise. They find, they keep. While most of us would never outright steal a phone, the test of honesty really comes down to what you’d do if you found a lost phone or tablet
Union was recently very impressed with the honesty and integrity shown by Grade 9 learner, Mihan Campbell. Mihan happened upon a phone that had been lost by its owner during a sports day at Union. Mihan immediately took steps to ensure that the expensive smartphone was returned to its owner by turning it in to the school’s headmaster.
Well done, Mihan!
At Union, we firmly believe that good deeds should be recognized, it’s not every day the world shows you honesty and integrity, and actions such as these deserve to be recognised by the community.
The boarders at Union’s Arthur Kingwill House held their annual braai on Workers’ Day, 1 May,
This time around, they were joined by Max Kroon House’s little ones who were entertained by Head Prefect, Peter Watermeyer, and Head of House, Khanya Butshingi, who played ball games with the boys.
It wasn’t long, however, before Mr. Christopher Felix and the rest of the boys started with their “famous” AKH touchies rugby
A huge bonfire and marshmallow braai ended off the evening for the Max Kroon boys before they went to bed.
It truly was a chilled, fun way to spend a mid-week holiday.
Members of Union High School’s management team, Mrs. Yvette Cloete and Mrs. Nelia Read, are among hundreds of school leaders, academics, experts, policymakers and other key stakeholders from around the country, attending the SAOU Leaders’ Conference at the Mpekweni Beach Resort, taking place today and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, 10 and 11 May.
This conference, hosted by the South African Teachers’ Union (SAOU), offers Union…’s representatives a unique opportunity to analyse current trends in education, issues and debates around quality inclusive leadership and to share experiences and ideas on how to move the educational agenda forward.
Seen here are Union’s representatives Mrs. Yvette Cloete and Mrs. Nelia Read, with the members of the management teams of two other local schools represented at the conference, Mrs. Santa Potgieter (Laer Volkskool), Mrs. Henriëtte Malan (Hoër Volkskool) and Rita de Villiers (Laer Volkskool).
A gala banquet, organised by Union High School as part of the school’s year-long centenary celebrations, was held on a grand scale in Graaff-Reinet this past Friday evening, 3 May.
And, what a truly memorable evening it turned out to be with just over 250 guests, young and old, past and current parents and staff, Old Unionites as well as honoured guests, treated to a very special night.
Upon arrival, the guests were met with welcome drinks and canapés on the school’s beautiful sportsgrounds and as the sun set, were enthralled by a variety of performances by the school’s marimba band, choir ensembles, musicians and soloists. It was then on to a lavish banquet inside the Marquee tent, magnificently decorated for the occasion.
Headmaster William Pringle delivered a welcoming address, using the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the centenary celebrations.
The evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Adrian Arnott – the son of the legendary headmaster Herby Arnott – then proceeded to introduce a number of speakers.
During the speeches that followed, the phrase “The past beats inside me like a second heart” as extracted from John Banville’s novel ’The Sea’ is the only apt way of describing the sense of nostalgia, pride and enthusiasm that radiated from all those present, creating a fantastically festive atmosphere within the Marquee.
After a few treasured words by guest speaker Derek Light, previous chairman of the UPS and UHS Governing Bodies and current chairman of the Union High Development Trust, the evening’s keynote speaker was introduced.
For this special occasion, Union High School called on the services of a very special guest to help celebrate its centenary banquet with style. Old Unionite, Doug Stern, proved a fitting keynote speaker, as the proud alum referred to Union’s illustrious history spanning the past 100 years, interspersed with quaint anecdotes about the visionaries and legendary characters that shaped the school into what it is today.
The evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Adrian Arnott – the son of the legendary headmaster Herby Arnott
Mr. Derek Light, previous chairman of the UPS and UHS Governing Bodies and current chairman of the Union High Development Trust, presented Mr. Douglas Stern, on behalf of Union High School, with a certificate in grateful recognition of his family’s loyalty to the school (which almost spans a full century).
Following Stern’s speech, guests were treated to a sumptuous three-course meal, served up by Dianne Murray and her capable team, after which the draw for the Old Unionite’s Association’s 100Club was conducted and a magnum bottle of ‘Chakalaka’ wine auctioned off by Duncan McClaggan.
The guests were clearly keen to support Union, as the R10 000 1st prize of the 100Club draw was graciously donated back to the organisation, with the wine also fetching the hefty sum of R5 000.
After all the formalities were finalised, the guests took to the dancefloor and proceeded to dance the night away.
“The evening was a huge success and a great coming together of people from over several decades who travelled from far and near,” Headmaster William Pringle stated. “Throughout the evening we witnessed great interaction between the various age groups from past pupils or people who have strong links with the school. It was a magical evening and the commitment by all who helped in organising the event, as well as all who supported the event, bears testament to why Union has achieved so much these past 100 years,” Pringle said afterwards.
Union High School extends a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the evening, especially to the spectacular team, headed up by Karin Marais, who coordinated the marquee, décor and the evening’s programme to ensure an unforgettable and most enjoyable occasion.
Commemorative wine available
One of Union High School’s Centenary Projects has been the bottling of a limited Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage 2015, produced by Fairview Estates. The label of this elegant bottle of wine was designed by Old Unionite Mieke Marais and depicts the historic façade of the school along with the Centenary logo
This wine is available from the school at R600 a case or R100 a bottle. Buyer to arrange own courier.
Contact Mrs. Marais at 049 891 0262 or email secretary@unionschools.co.za to place your order.
Union High School’s Eco-Amazing Race is exactly one month away! Remember to secure your entry to stand a chance of winning one of the amazing prizes that will be up for grabs. All teams will walk away with a prize!
We invite families of 4 to enter this fun-filled event (no more than 2 adults on a team). The entry fee per team is R100. There are only 10 spots available, so first come, first serve.
For further information, or to request an entry form, please contact Mrs. Burger on 049 891 0262 or e-mail uhsmarketing@unionschools.co.za
When Burgersdorp High School’s hockey teams visited UHS on Saturday morning, 4 May, they found themselves on the back foot from the get-go, when their u/16A team went down 6 – 0 to Union’s u/16Bs.
Burgersdorp’s second team also conceded six unanswered goals as Union u/16As cruised to a 6 – 0 victory. A great achievement for the u/16As in taking on a senior team
Union’s first team girls then took to the turf. They struggled to keep possession for lengthy periods of the first half and failed to convert chances on offer.
Goals by Henze Jaftha, Rosslyn Sparks and Marche Green in the first half, however, saw Union lead by 3 – 0 at half time.
It was, however, a game of two halves with the Union girls seeming to find their flair in the second half. Union managed to score a further 6 goals with an improved performance. Goals by Rosslyn Sparks, Jenna McNaughton, Laetitia Theron (2), Micela Loock and Jade Shires sealed a 9 – 0 victory.
“There is much work needed to be done this week ahead of a tough fixture against Stirling High School this weekend,” says coach Alvin August.
“The tone will need to set from the word go in order to come home successful.”
Headmaster William Pringle delivered a welcoming address, using the opportunity to thank everyone involved in the centenary celebrations.
Commemorative wine available