In an exciting day of cricket, Union High School’s senior cricketers faced off against Muir College Boys’ High School, Kariega today, Saturday, 15 February.
While the 2nd XI traveled to Kariega for their match, both the 1st XI and the u/15As took the field at home.
๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ to the 1st XI who secured a resounding victory by 100 runs.
Meanwhile, the 2nd XI also came away with a victory by 33 runs against their opponents in Kariega.
Not to be overshadowed, the u/15As also claimed a win by 3 wickets.
As the sun shines brightly over Bloemfontein this week, our ๐จ๐ญ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฆ are facing off against some of the top cricketing schools in the region: Grey College, Willem Postma and St Andrews’ School.
The teams are participating in a series of matches that are sure to test their mettle and sportsmanship. With a mixture of T20, 30-over and 40-over formats on the schedule, our players will have the chance to demonstrate their versatility and adaptability on the field.
RESULTS
U11A vs Grey College Union fought hard but lost to Grey College, gaining valuable experience for future matches.
U11A vs Willem Postma Union fell short chasing 185, losing the match but showing determination.
Union vs St Andrews (Friday) St Andrews set 153, and Union scored 117, despite good bowling from Mark Copeman (4-22).
Union vs St Andrews (Saturday) Union posted 96 runs; despite strong bowling from Copeman (3-12) and McEwan (2-20), St Andrews chased it down to win by 4 wickets.
U/13A
Vs Grey Bloem
Union bowled first, conceding 174-3, with Grant Murray taking 2 wickets. In reply, Union managed 86-9, with Josh Kingwill top-scoring on 23.
Vs Willem Postma Union won by 18 runs. Batting first, they posted 158 all out, with Dante Mills scoring 29. Grant Murray (4-31) led the bowling, and Willem Postma were bowled out for 140.
Vs St Andrews Bloem Union won by 17 runs. Batting first, they scored 131, with Josh Kingwill making 25. St Andrews were restricted to 114, with Hendricks, Murray, and Kingwill each taking 2 wickets.
Vs St Andrews St Andrews scored 102-6, with Cayden Thompson and Nathaneal Phillips taking 2 wickets each. Union were bowled out for 37, losing by 65 runs.
Summary U/13A won 2 out of 4 games against tough competition.
While on tour in Bloemfontein, Union High School and Union Preparatory School’s young cricketers had the privilege of participating in a training session at St Andrew’s School’s ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต-๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ in Bloemfontein.
The boys were joined by rugby players from the ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ต๐, athletes from the ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ soccer team and cricketers from the ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐.
This past Saturday, 8 February, the District Schools’ trials gala was successfully held at the Newton Park Swimming Pool in Gqeberha.
๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to the following Union High School swimmers who qualified to compete at the Eastern Cape Provincial Schools’ Swimming Championships scheduled to take place on 22 February in Newton Park. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ถ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด.
In addition to qualifying for the provincial championships, the swimmers who excel at this upcoming event will have the opportunity to be selected for the prestigious South African Schools’ Team. This national competition will take place in Bloemfontein from 6 to 9 April, presenting a significant milestone for any young athlete aspiring to reach greater heights in competitive swimming.
๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ to the qualifiers as they prepare for the provincial championships.
The Union batsmen struggled to find their rhythm, managing to score a modest total of 64 runs before being bowled out.
However, the tide turned dramatically as Union took to the field for their bowling innings. Unionโs bowlers put on an impressive display, dismissing Volkskool for just 33 runs.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ค๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ, whose exceptional bowling figures included 4 overs, only 12 runs conceded and 5 wickets.
๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป, competing in her second B-Age gala, made remarkable strides by achieving two significant personal bests. She improved her time by an impressive 1.62 seconds in the 100m Freestyle and 2.49 seconds in the 50m Freestyle.
Similarly, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ also participated in her second B-Age gala and made her mark by achieving a personal best in the 50m Backstroke. Her determination was evident, and her performance reflected her growth as an athlete.
๐จ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ช๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ stood out in the competition, swimming personal bests in all four of his events. His consistent improvement signals a bright future in the sport and showcases the hard work he has invested in his training.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป had a strong showing as well, securing a personal best in her 50m Breaststroke.
๐ญ๐ผรซ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ demonstrated her competitive edge by placing in the Top 10 for all five of her events. Notably, she achieved commendable third-place finishes in both the 100m Breaststroke and the 200m Freestyle.
๐๐น๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฝ also had an outstanding day, placing in the Top 8 for all five of her events. Her impressive third place in the 100m Backstroke and a personal best of 2.26 seconds in the 100m Freestyle, where she took fifth place, showcased her dedication and skill.
This past Friday morning, 7 February, Union High School’s Top 4 senior boys’ and girls’ tennis players set off for the Van Niekerk and Koen Tennis Tournament in Burgersdorp.
Over the two days that followed, the team faced off against competitors from Middelburg, Burgersdorp, De Aar, Cradock and Hoรซrskool Jim Fouchรฉ.
The next morning, the players were once again relieved to find that the courts were dry enough for matches to start at 07:30. The boys had two remaining doubles matches against the second teams of Burgersdorp and Jim Fouchรฉ. They triumphed over Burgersdorp, winning 12-2, but faced defeat against Jim Fouchรฉ, losing 5-9.
This achievement earned them a spot in the semi-finals, where they faced Jim Fouchรฉ again. Unfortunately, Union lost this round by a narrow margin of eight games. However, due to their strong performance in the previous day’s matches, they advanced to the final round against De Aar.
The players had to start their matches immediately without a warm-up, which, combined with high stress levels, led to poor decision-making and unnecessary mistakes. De Aar ultimately claimed the trophy, winning four out of the six matches played in the final round.
Union won the toss and chose to bat first in challenging windy conditions. However, an early run-out disrupted their start. Mark Copeman and Liam Raath then steadied the innings, but once they were dismissed, the Union batting order collapsed, leaving them all out for 83.
Herbert Hurd comfortably chased down the target, with “Mr. Extras” contributing significantly to the run chase. They wrapped up the match with ease, winning by 8 wickets.
U/13A
Union batted first, posting a total of 229 runs, with Josh Kingwill scoring 70, Nathaneal Phillips 57, and Ryan Collet 31. Despite a strong bowling effort, with Nathaneal Phillips, Edwin Holmes, and Uthmaan Steele each taking 2 wickets, Herbert Hurd successfully chased down the target, losing 7 wickets in the process. Herbert Hurd won by 3 wickets.
The annual Interschools Athletics took place on Thursday, 30 January 2025 at Hoรซr Volkskool. It was a warm afternoon with good competition and excellent participation from both schools.
Xavier Barlow
Congratulations to Xavier Barlow, whose exceptional abilities earned him the title of Victor Ludorum at the Interschools athletics. Xavier clinched 1st place in both the Long Jump (6, 24 m) and 200 m (25,55 s) for Boys u19. He also achieved 2nd places in the 100 m and High Jump
The girls didnโt stand back and Farronique Booysen achieved two 1st places โ in the Long Jump and 100 m for Girls u19.
The following learners must also be congratulated on their first places:
N Murray: 800 mย (Girls u/15) A Mayekiso: Shotput (Girls U/16) J van Den Berg: 400 m (Boys U/19) A Neill: 1ย 500 m (Boys U/19) B Lemke: 800 m (Boys U/19) Q Solomon: High Jump (Boys U16) L Makaula: 200 m (Boys U/16) M Botha: 400 mย (Girls U/19 – she took part in the u19 age group although she is u15) C Hoffman: 200 m (Girls U/19 – she took part in the u19 age group although she is u15)
Union led the way at the beginning of the event but unfortunately Volkskool secured a win with 860 points against Unionโs 757 points.
๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to the following Union High School junior athletes whose stellar performance at yesterday’s zonal athletics meet for primary schools at the Botanics Sports Grounds, has seen them qualify for the next round of athletics to be held at the Westbourne Oval in Gqeberha on Saturday, 9 February:
This past Saturday, Union High School’s senior cricketers made the trip to Cradock for a set of matches against Cradock High School.
In the ๐ฎ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ โs match, Union won the toss and opted to bat first. The team delivered a solid all-round performance, setting a total of 103 runs before being all out. In the second innings, their bowling was sharp, and the fielding was impressive.
๐๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ 8 ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ญ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ 2 ๐ฎ๐ข๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ 12 ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ 3 ๐ธ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง 1.50. This strong performance helped secure a victory for Union’s 2nd team by 29 runs.
In the ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ โs match, Union faced a challenging game against their Cradock counterparts. Captain Yaaseen Kazi won the toss and chose to bat first in overcast conditions. After a solid start, the openers lost an early wicket, but the team pressed on to set a competitive total. Yaaseen Kazi contributed significantly with 47 runs off 38 balls, while Xavier Barlow was the top scorer, accumulating 69 runs through determined batting. ๐๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง 276 ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ 50 ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.
Cradock approached their innings positively, with one of their batsmen scoring an impressive 127 runs. However, Union’s bowling department remained disciplined and focused on their game plan. Yaaseen Kazi stood out again, bowling 10 overs, conceding 49 runs and taking 5 wickets.
