South African Sports News – 18 November

Graeme Smith

South African openers put England to the sword
Graeme Smith (pictured) and Loots Bosman propelled South Africa to a crushing 84-run victory over England in their Standard Bank Pro 20 match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday. The Proteas amassed 241/6 in their allotted 20 overs, which was their second highest total in international Pro 20-cricket.

In reply, England could only muster 157/8, which was their biggest defeat in this format of the international game. The win helped South Africa square the Pro 20 series 1-1 after they lost to England by one run on Friday at the Wanderers. Continued

Birds Eye View by Noula Bouwer (photograph)

Todays photograph was sent to us by Noula Bouwer as is entiled “Bird’s Eye View”. A great photograph of a giraffe, Noula has submitted a number of really great photographs to our current photography competition. You can see more of her entries at November Photography Competition. Giraffe are non-territorial, social animals that travel in large herds that are not organized in any way. They live in the savannas of Africa, where they roam freely among the tall trees, arid land, dense forests and open plains … Continued

Vervet Monkey – mother and baby by Trudi Naude

Submitted to our November Photography Competion by Trudi Naude, this photograph of a vervet monkey (Cercopithecus Aethiops) and her baby is entitled “Hold on tight”. Different types of vervets vary in colour, but generally the body is a greenish olive or silvery grey. The face, ears, hands, feet and tip of the tail are black, but an obvious white band on the forehead blends in with the short whiskers … Continued

More Events to attend in November

Global Diabetes Run

Oh boy, November is still jam packed with fun things to do, so if you are running out of ideas to keep yourself entertained this month then why not take a look at what you can still look forward to?

The Western Cape certainly has been busy this month and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down as there is still plenty to keep you occupied. I know the weather hasn’t been that fantastic this week, but why not dust off your running (in my case walking) shoes and take part in the Global Diabetes Run / Walk on Saturday 14 November 2009.

Take part in either the 5km or 10km option and you can decide if you’d like to run it or walk it, either way is fine. Continued

South African Sports News – 4 November

Francois Hougaard

Bulls tame Cheetahs to take Currie Cup
It was all smiles for the Loftus Versfeld faithful in Pretoria on Saturday night when their darlings, the mighty Blue Bulls, defeated a stubborn Cheetahs outfit 36-24 to become 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division champions. The Bulls stormed to a 24-0 lead after just 25 minutes courtesy of a try from right wing Francois Hougaard (pictured with ball in hand) and a brace from left wing Bryan Habana, but the Cheetahs, as always, staged a spirited fight back to close the gap to just six points after 48 minutes. Continued

Yellow-billed Hornbill photographs by Mhairi Kelly

These two fabulous photographs of a group of Yellow-billed Hornbills was sent to us by Mhairi Kelly. The Yellow-billed Hornbill is a medium sized bird, with length between 48 to 60 cm, characterized by a long yellow beak with a casque (only in males). The Yellow-billed Hornbill feed mainly on the ground surface, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. Termites and ants are a preferred food source in the dry season … Continued

29 Blue Flag Beaches in South Africa

The new season of Blue Flag South Africa was launched at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town yesterday where it was announced that 29 of South Africa’s beaches have achieved Blue Flag status – an increase from 19 to 29 this year … Continued

South African Sports News – 28 October

Joseph Henyekane

Arrows shoot down hapless Ajax
Golden Arrows were crowned MTN8 champions in Soweto on Saturday night when they crushed Ajax Cape Town 6-0 in one-sided MTN8 final at the Orlando Stadium. In the process, Arrows won their first major trophy and a record
R8-million winner-takes-all prize.

The match was effectively over as a contest after 20 minutes when the KwaZulu Natal outfit took an unbeatable 2-0 lead courtesy of some positive attacking soccer and some shocking defending from a woeful Ajax outfit. Despite Ajax’s poor display it was an excellent win for Arrows and their 38-year-old coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who is one of a number of promising young coaches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL). Mngqithi deserves applause for his positive tactics of attacking and taking the game to Ajax and, if he keeps up this sort of approach, it will surely not be too long before Arrows win another major tournament. Continued

Special Accommodation Offers in November

As we always do this time of the month, we scout around looking for the best accommodation deals to include in our monthly newsletter. And we’ve uncovered some excellent options for you – from top of the range luxury game lodges at discounted rates to deals on accommodation for the budget conscious traveller … check them out and we wish you happy travel planning!

Tshukudu Lodge

… in the North West Province:
1). For a luxurious game reserve setting try Tshukudu Lodge in the Pilanesberg National Park. Overlooking its own waterhole, set in rolling plains that abound with flora and fauna, Tshukudu Lodge allows the visitor a special glimpse of Africa as she was: untouched, unspoilt, unforgettable! This intimate Game Lodge promises a private retreat (only 8 luxury cottages). The sunken bath in the luxury cottages has its own private view of the waterhole. What a way to relax and forget the pressures of the city life and to soak in the sights and the sounds of the African bush … Continued

South African Sports News – 21 October

Jacques-Louis Potgieter

Cheetahs stun Sharks in Durban
Cometh the hour cometh the man and that man was none other than Free State Cheetahs flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter (pictured) who slotted a last minute drop goal against the Sharks at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Saturday, to book his side a place in the 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Final.

Potgieter’s stroke of genius spelt doom for the Sharks who were leading 19-18 with just one minute to go. However, a solid scrum by the Cheetahs set the platform for Potgieter to deliver the killer blow and ensure an excellent 23-21 win for the visitors. It was a devastating blow for the Sharks and their loyal supporters who had a great season with 12 wins from 14 league outings. Continued

More October Events

What can you do for the rest of October you are wondering? If your calendar isn’t filled yet, why not take a look at some of the events taking place around South Africa for the rest of this month.

MTB Races

in the Free State …
Bloemfontein hosts the MTN OFM MTB Race on 31 October 2009, if that is a bit of a mouthful the important information you need to know is that this is a mountain bike race for the adventurous.

Take part in either the 25 or 50km race, entries close on Monday 19 October so get yours in today. Telephone +27 (0)82 791-6003 for more information … Continued

Photographs of Proteas

This is a beautiful white king protea with soft feathery bracts. Proteas are also known as sugarbushes due to their furry apprearance that resembles spun sugar. According to Wikipedia, Protea is both the botanical name and the English common name of a genus of flowering plants, sometimes also called sugarbushes. Continued

Sharks to face Cheetahs in semis … and other sports news

Stefan Terblanche

Sharks to face Cheetahs in semis
The Sharks managed to overcome a spirited effort by Griquas in their final league match of the season to qualify for the 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division semi-finals when they defeated the diamond miners 45-30 at GWK Park in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon.

The KwaZulu-Natalians outscored their opponents by seven tries to four and deserved their win, but will have to tighten up their defence considerably if they hope to prevail in Saturday’s semi-final against the resurgent Cheetahs at the Absa Stadium in Durban. The Sharks missed 25 tackles against Griquas and conceded some soft tries with some of their defenders showing a distinct lack of commitment. Griquas centre Barry Geel exploited these defensive frailties to grab a hat trick of tries with Sarel Pretorius adding another to ensure a bonus point for the home team … Continued

Sharks scrape home against fiery Lions and other sporting news

Ruan Pienaar

Sharks scrape home against fiery Lions
The Sharks overcame a spirited and determined effort from the Lions to secure a semi-final spot in the Premier Division of the 2009 Absa Currie Cup at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon. Stefan Terblanche’s men were made to fight every inch of the way to secure victory against the Lions who produced a sterling defensive effort against their more fancied rivals.

In the end however, the KwaZulu-Natalians squeaked home 19-17 against the visitors from Johannesburg, thanks largely to the boot of scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar (pictured), the domination of their Springbok laden forward pack and a gutsy all round performance from the 34-year-old Terblanche, who is currently playing some of the best rugby of his career. Continued