Hot, happy daze in Partyville
There comes a time in every schools rugby lover’s life when the event itself is so much more important than who’s actually playing.
Like the OK Grocer and Santam Agriculture Porterville Sports Festival, which, as the years pass, is taking on the proportions of the historical Woodstock Rock Concert. All sorts of people pitch up to watch all sorts of teams from all sorts of places.
This year’s event, on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March 2014, featured youngsters from as far afield as Martin Oosthuisen in Kakamas, Noord-Kaap, Punt, Langenhoven High, Sentraal (Bloemfontein) and those perennial crowd-pleasers, Union High from Graaff-Reinet.
The Friday consisted of primary school and lower (Under-14 and Under-15) secondary school age- group games. Saturday started in similar vein before the big boys took over, their matches coincidentally – and so conveniently – starting round about the same time as the netball programme concluded!
In between the two days there was a massive gathering at the adjacent golf club for a delicious potjie evening, at which the irrepressible Tien and Amanda Burger, delightful parents of former Drostdy captain Sakkie, were to be found slaving away along with a happy contingent of master chefs.
As a result of the ensuing feast, even the most dedicated spectators only surfaced around 10:30 on Saturday.
There were only four matches in which two 1st XVs were pitted against each other, the first of them starting after lunch (for the very few people who still needed it).
The first of these saw Moorreesburg’s Dirkie Uys, probably the most notable overperformers in the entire Western Cape in recent years, face crackerjack Union High, the school that nearly downed Paarl Boys’ High at last year’s get-together.
Even though both sides were fielding largely new combinations, the rugby was quite entertaining particularly when the indefatigable EP Country lads’ backs started weaving their magic.
After leading 3-0 at the break, the visitors took the spoils 15-7, but the Tigers of the Boland can take much comfort from a very workmanilike performance.
The second match, between Augsburg Gym and Worcester Gym, seemed destined to end in an 8[8 stalemate until the play of the day.
Towards the end of the game Augsburg fullback Alfred Esterhuizen boldly launched a truly massive drop from the halfway line. It carried the crossbar comfortably to the delirious delight of the pride of Clanwilliam, who thus triumphed 11-8.
The penultimate clash was always going to be bit one-sided. Although boasting pretty well the same players, the Vodacom Paarl Boys’ High team was considerably slicker – and wealthier – than the one that beat San Isidro a week earlier.
The forwards drove relentlessly with hooker and captain Ruan Brits and No. 8 Charl-Francois “Klaas” du Toit in the van, although the rest were hot on their heels.
Frankly, despite their best efforts, Punt had about as much chance as meringues against a steamroller as the Brug Street Brigade ran in ten entertaining tries, shared out between nine different players. Flyhalf Stefan Gouws converted six to complete the 62-0 rout.
The late game was always going to be a bit of an anticlimax after that, but Riversdale’s L:angenhoven High held off hosts Porterville by virtue of converting their try to head home 7-5 winners.
Principal Willem Engelbrecht and his resourceful sports organiser Heini Redelinghuys, consummate hosts both, could not have been left in any doubt regarding the resounding success of this event, one which considerably raises the profile of the sport in this vast, sparsely-populated region of the Western Cape all by itself.
Mind you, they probably wouldn’t have been able to elicit many comments from the crowd as everyone drifted off home. It’s the kind of vibe you can’t really describe – you just sit there and experience it.
Thank you, Partyville! Word has it that the hordes are already planning to return next year.
By Tony Stoops
Photographer: Charlotte Snyman
