Maties Sport fared well at the recent University Sport of South Africa (USSA) Championships, claiming medals in multiple sporting codes.
The Maroon Machine took home gold in men’s 15s rugby with notable silver medals for the Maties men’s hockey side and Maties 2 netball team while adding a number of additional silver and bronze medals to an impressive medal tally.
Rugby
Men’s Final
Maties men’s rugby took on the University of the Free State (UFS) in the final of USSA rugby championship at Rhodes University, Makhanda.
After beating UWC and Wits in the quarter and semi-finals respectively, Maties were hoping to go 3 from 3 come the final. It was smooth sailing for the men in maroon which saw them go into halftime break with a commanding score of 32-0, the opposition yet to add any points of their own to the scoreboard.
The side from Free State put up a fight in the second half but their efforts were not enough as Head Coach Kabamba Floors made it back to back USSA Rugby wins with Maties after an emphatic 32-19 win. This is Maties third successive USSA win, showcasing their dominance in the competition.
Women’s 3/4th Playoff
In what would be the first ever USSA Rugby women’s 10s championship, Maties women’s rugby were steadfast in their efforts to make it to the final.
The side won both their pool matches against SPU and Varsity College, they later met Varsity College again in the quarter final and made it two from two beating them 31-0. A tough semi-final game against UJ who would later be crowned champions, saw the side having to battle it out for a medal position in the 3/4th playoff match against UP-Tuks. Maties women’s rugby would go on to beat UP-Tuks 19-7 and secure the bronze medal making it a successful tournament outing.
Hockey
The men’s and women’s hockey teams competed in the final and 3/4th playoff of the A division USSA hockey championships at Wits Astro in Johannesburg on Friday.
Men’s Final
For a third year in a row, the Maties men’s side took on UP-Tuks in the final of the USSA hockey championships, hoping to go unbeaten and bring back the title to Coetzenburg.
The maroon machine took the game to the defending champions after two quickfire goals from Ross Montgomery saw the side take a 2-1 lead heading into halftime. Tuks began to gain momentum and scored the first goal of the third quarter to level the playing field, and after two more goals from the Pretoria side Maties were left with an uphill battle to get back into the game. As the fourth quarter came to an end, Maties pulled two consolation goals back but proved not enough on the night.
The game ended 6-4 to Tuks, with Maties having to settle for the runners up medal this year at the USSA championships. Daniel Dillon was awarded for his impressive performance throughout the tournament with the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award in the Men’s A Section.
Women’s 3/4th Playoff
The Maties women’s hockey team faced off against the hosts Wits in the 3/4th playoff, after narrowly missing out on a finals spot in a tight game against UP-Tuks.
Maties took their double lead in the first quarter with gaols from Daniella Mendes de Oliveira and Caylin Maree after applying pressure for most of the game. In the last quarter, standout player Coreen Matthee would make it 5-0 after two brilliant field goals extended Maties lead. An emphatic victory to secure dirty gold and redeem ourselves at the end of the tournament. At the medal ceremony, Coreen Matthee took away the Section A Women’s Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament award after scoring seven goals, including a hattrick earlier in the pool stages.
Netball
Section A 3/4th Playoff
Maties took on the Kovsies in the 3/4th playoff of the A section at the USSA netball championships, having lost the previous day to hosts UJ who made it to their first USSA final.
The opposition got off to a strong start and led 26-16 at the halftime break. The Maroon Machine continued to go from strength to strength and narrowed the gap, by the last quarter, the game was neck and neck with Maties finishing on top by just one point. The game ended 39-38 and the team snatched the bronze medal through their resilience and team effort.
Section B Final
Maties 2 took on NWU 2 in the B Section final of the USSA netball championships in front of a packed crowd at the UJ netball courts.
It had been an exciting tournament for the Maties 2 side, with a lot of competitive and tight match ups. The final game would be no different, however the Eagles were determined to make it a tough battle. At the halftime break, it was 14-20 to NWU 2 with the opposition making hard for Maties 2 to break their defence. The match ended 33-42 to NWU Eagles 2, but a valiant effort by Maties 2 meant they came away with their first silver medal in the B section final.
Former Maties netball player turned Head Coach of Maties 2 Jo Prins said, “It wasn’t a pretty easy road to get here, but we held on to where we wanted to end up, we took it game for game. At the end of the day, it’s about the girls and their development because they are the future of Maties netball.”
Squash
The USSA squash championships took place in Parkview and Wanderers in Johannesburg.
Earlier in the week, Maties took home four medals in the individual section; Nathan van der Westhuyzen won bronze in the men’s A section, Keagan Waugh won gold in the men’s B section, Michael Cresswell achieved silver in the men’s C section and Kayleigh Els secured gold in the women’s B section.
In the team competition, Maties made the semi-finals in both the Section A and Section B championships. The Maties B team advanced to the final but narrowly missed out on the gold and added another silver medal to the tally, bettering their position from last year while Maties A took home the bronze medal.
At the final dinner celebration, Nathan van der Westhuyzen received the Chairman Award while three Maties students were included into the FISU Squash squad for team South Africa namely: Nathan van der Westhuyzen, brothers Brett McLachlan and Reece Brett McLachlan.
Badminton
USSA badminton took place in John Tyres Hall, Cape Town and Maties put on a valiant display at the competition. Results breakdown:
Maties collected a silver medal after narrowly losing 4-6 to NWU Potch in the final match of the teams event. Additionally, two bronze medals were awarded for men’s doubles and mixed doubles, as well as a silver medal for men’s singles.
By Kimara Singh
Photos: Maties Sport/Sourced