On Saturday 10 March, 2012 busloads of Worcester Secondary School learners arrived to support and compete against Gansbaai Academia’s Sharky teams in rugby, netball, soccer and chess. The principal Mr Wilson, who hails from Worcester and was acting principal of WSS before coming to Gansbaai, welcomed them in the school hall and emphasised that he is now a true Sharky. Then the action moved to the sportsgrounds and the competition started in all earnest.
Three rugby matches were played with some wonderful running and handling skills, which were necessary because of the strong wind blowing, on display. the under-15 team were deserved 22-15 winners, before the under-16 team ran out as convincing victors with a scoreline of 22-10.
In the tight main match our under-19 team won 5-0. Although the score was close, the Sharkies were always in control of the match, due in a measure to their front row, which were just too powerful for the visitors. A number of close scoring opportunities went a-begging, either through making crucial mistakes just before scoring or some over fair refereeing. But the team will definitely give a good account of themselves against any opposition. It is after all the first year that Academia is fielding an under-19 team. This article continues below this photo montage supplied by Ms Van Tonder.
Three matches were played by Academia’s soccer teams. The girls team, looking splendid in the Soccer Foundation’s Germany uniforms, won by a 1-0 margin. The scoreline could have been much bigger but the WSS goalkeeper played a blinder and denied our team from scoring on numerous occasions. The boys under 15 team were far too strong for their opposition and won handsomely with a 7-0 margin. In another tight match, the under 19’s beat their opposition with a 2-1 scoreline.
Unfortunately the Sharky netball teams were less successful and lost all their matches. They were however playing one of the top netball schools in Boland and can be proud of their performances, which augurs well for the future. The scores in these encounters were:
- U/14: 1-15
- U/16: 2-6
- U/19: 9-26
Our chess team lost by a margin of 3 matches to 5.
All in all it was a splendid occasion enjoyed by everybody that turned up including a large contingent of parents. Everybody is looking forward to next year when the event will take place in Worcester in the next instalment of what promises to develop into a great rivalry in the future.