We have just offloaded a truck-load of new ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ฆ intended for the Tony Burrell Union’s deck, generously donated by our wonderful Old Unionites.
These benches will serve as an incredible asset to theย Union High Schoolย campus and clubhouse, creating inviting spaces for gatherings, relaxation and community connection.
In addition to the gratitude we feel towards our Old Unionites, we would also like to extend a ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ to Mr Gilbert Loots and his team at Montego Pet Nutrition for their exceptional support with the logistics involved in transporting the benches from Johannesburg to Graaff-Reinet. Their assistance has truly been invaluable!
Our 1st Rugby Rugby team was scheduled to play against opposition from East London, namely Stirling High School and Cambridge High School.
The first match against Stirling High School was also our first home game for the 2025 season and proved to be one of our toughest games of the year so far but the boys managed to be put on a good performance and claim victory by 17-14.
Our second game was against Cambridge, Union dominated the early phases of the game but lack of discipline put us on the back foot and we couldn’t continue from where we left off from the previous game. Cambridge won the game by 27-24, a battle that was fought right up until the end of the game.
Hockey Report
Union’s 1st Team delivered a dominant performance at our home festival, winning all our pool games: – vs Lilyfontein: Won 6 – 1 – vs Langenhoven: Won 6 – 0 – vs Nico Malan: Won 3 – 0 – vs Clarendon 2nd: Won 10 – 0 Semi-final – vs Sasolburg: 0 – 0 (lost 3-2 in 8-sec shootout) 3rd/4th Playoff: – vs Fichardtpark: Won 3 – 2 Union finished 3rd overall.
The second team/Invitational team also took part in the Senior Hockey Festival from 28 March to 31 March.ย They faced some tough 1st team sides in their pool – three of the four teams in their pool placed in the Top 10 of the festival.ย The girls showed a lot of grit and resilience and fought back with a positive attitude in every match.ย Their results were as follow:
Vs Stellenbosch: 0-5 Vs Sasolburg: 0-8 Vs Victoria Girls: 0-6 Vs Brandwag: 0-3 Vs Claredon 2: 0-6 Vs ZastronL:4-0
Special mention must be made regarding their match against Sasolburg, who played in the final of this tournament. During half time the 2nd team had 7 goals against them. The girls decided on a new strategy, played like true Unionites and Sasolburg only scored 1 goal in the second half.
As Term 2 unfolds, weโd like to reflect back on the remarkable moments from Union High School’s 2025 ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ & ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐, held over the weekend of 28 to 31 March, marking its 36th edition.
This yearโs festival, which began its journey back in 1987 on the schoolโs campus in Graaff-Reinet, witnessed an impressive turnout with over 600 enthusiastic hockey and rugby players participating.
The 4-day celebration kicked off on Friday, 28 March, with a cocktail function held in the Tony Burrell Union. Despite starting the day with a torrential downpour, the evening transformed into a stunning spectacle as the sky cleared, providing a breathtaking backdrop for teams to mingle and connect on the sports field, enjoying the social camaraderie that is the essence of the festival.
Coaches and managers relished the opportunity to network in great company while savouring the delicious offerings supplied by the dedicated Union moms.
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐น๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ญ๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ. A heartfelt thank you was also extended to our sponsors, Bothaโs Garage and Astron Energy Eastern Cape, along with the devoted individuals working behind the scenes, whose efforts made the festival possible.
The following three days brought beautiful weather, allowing teams to take full advantage of the AstroTurf at both Union and Hoรซr Volkskool, while rugby enthusiasts cheered on the action unfolding on the Union rugby fields.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. While the hosting side had previously clinched the title, they faced a challenging match against Sasolburg High School, which ended in a nail-biting shootout that saw Sasolburg emerge victorious, ultimately placing the Union side third.
With the exception of the Sasolburg game, the Union girls managed to secure victories in all their other matches. They triumphed over Lilyfontein School 6-1, Hoรซrskool Langenhoven 6-0, Nico Malan 3-0, Clarendonโs 2nd Team 10-0 and Fichardtpark 3-2, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐.
On the rugby field, the Union 1st XV played two matches during the festival. Day 2 saw them victorious against Stirling with a score of 17-14, while the final match on Day 4 was a tough contest against Cambridge, resulting in a close loss of 24-27.
We would like to extend a heartfelt ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ to ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ-๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ for the generous donation of backpacks to our 2025 u/13A rugby team!
Your thoughtful contribution means so much to us and we are truly grateful for your support. The boys are absolutely thrilled with their new bags, which not only enhance their team spirit but also serve as a reminder of the communityโs encouragement.
Seen here is Mr Wessel Landman and Mr Ampie Jordaan of PSG Graaff-Reinet, with Union’s u/13A rugby captain, Lukhona Bulembu and vice-captain, Dante Mills.
We are delighted to extend our heartfelt ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to Mr Calvin Beck on his recent appointment as Union High School, Graaff-Reinet’s new ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐! His passion for all sport and dedication to fostering a vibrant sports culture will undoubtedly elevate our programmes.
On Thursday, 27 March, as the school holidays kicked off, Union High School’s u/13A rugby boys headed to the ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ช ๐จ๐ญ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐.
The tournament began with a challenging match against Brackenfell, where the boys faced a steep learning curve, suffering a heavy loss of 0-49.
However, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐, and the Union boys demonstrated just that. They quickly regrouped and turned their fortunes around in their next match, clinching a convincing 40-21 victory against Charlo Primary School.
In their final outing of the festival, the boys faced a formidable Vredenburg side. Despite their best efforts, they lost the match 5-19.
๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ to Union High School’s 1st hockey team who emerged as the champions – ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ – of the highly-anticipated annual ECHS hockey tournament held in Bloemfontein this past weekend.
During the ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐, they faced off against Hoรซrskool Kimberley and secured an impressive 3-0 win. They followed that up with a 2-0 win against Bergsig Academy, ending up at the top of their pool.
The winning teams in each pool then competed against each other. The girls held Merrifield College to a dynamic 1-all draw and beat Lyndenburg 2-0 and Marais Viljoen 2-1. Their journey to the finals was sealed with a 1-0 triumph over Hoรซr Volkskool and a 3-0 victory over Hoรซrskool Dinamika.
The ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ saw the Union girls face off against Merrifield College once again. This time around the Union side emerged victorious, with a final score of 0-1 in their favour.
Special ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง to Leigh-Ann Murray who was recognised as the ‘Best Midfielder of the Tournamentโ in the u/19A Girlsโ category.
This past weekend was an exciting one for Union High School, Graaff-Reinet‘s ๐จ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ , who joined the other Union teams in participating in the ECHS coaching tournament held in Bloemfontein.
โข In their opening match against ๐ข๐ ๐ฆ ๐/๐ญ๐ฒ๐, the game ended in a draw due to the weather conditions.
โข Continuing on, Union faced ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฒ๐ and emerged victorious with a solid 2-0 win.
โข The team then squared off against ๐ฆ๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ, securing another win with a narrow 1-0 score.
โข In a tightly contested match against ๐ฆ๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐นโ๐, Union faced their first defeat, losing 1-0.
โข Bounce back they did, with a dominating performance against ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐น๐ท๐ผ๐ฒ๐ป, clinching a 2-0 victory that reignited their momentum.
โข Union continued their winning streak with a well-earned 1-0 win against ๐oรซ๐ฟ๐๐ธ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ธ๐ฎ.
โข In their final match against ๐ฆ๐ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐นโ๐, the teams battled hard and while it ended in a 1-1 draw, Unionโs perseverance throughout the tournament was commendable.
Special ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง to Onika Jantjies who was recognised as the ‘Best Forward of the Tournament’ in the u/16 Girls’ category.
๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to Union High School’s u/13A hockey team on an outstanding performance at the annual ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ (where they were entered in the u/14 Girls’ category) in Bloemfontein this past weekend!
Starting off with a tough 2-all draw against OMS u/14B on Thursday afternoon, they quickly found their rhythm, securing victories against Hoรซrskool Duineveld’s u/14A side (3-0) and Hoรซrskool Dinamika’s u/14A team (1-0).
๐๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ฝ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ in the cross pool matches, where they continued their winning streak against Bergsig Academy (2-0) and Curro Aurora (3-0).
Despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to Marais Viljoen’s u/14A side, they bounced back in the semi-finals with a strong win, earning their place in the final.
A hard-fought 0-0 draw against Bergsig Academy in the final was enough to claim the overall winners’ title, thanks to their previous success against the same team in the pool rounds.
A special ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง to ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป for being named the u/14 Girls’ ‘Defender of the Tournament’ and to ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฎ๐น๐ for being recognized as the ‘Best Player’ in the u/14 girls’ category!
During the recent holidays, our u/11A rugby players travel to Gqeberha to participate in the annual ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ & ๐ฅ๐๐ด๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น hosted by Clarendon Park Primary School.
The ๐/๐ญ๐ญ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ took the field against Graeme College, St Andrew’s Preparatory, Grey Junior School and Hudson Park over the course of the tournament’s three days.
