Gardens took the honours, but it was a desperately close thing as they shaded a gutsy Star of Hope side 21-18 in the final of the Mayoral Cup rugby competition at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (7 November).
In the all-Uitenhage clash, Star of Hope scored first but their town rivals hit back with a try of their own to lead 7-5 at the interval.
The second half developed into a ding-dong battle as the sides fought for supremacy, but it was eventually Gardens who prevailed, using their chances just that much better than Star of Hope.
Going into the match as underdogs, Star of Hope showed they are capable of matching the best in Nelson Mandela Bay with their fighting display.
Club president Timothy Nkonki said he felt the team did not play to their full potential, missing several scoring opportunities, and this proved the difference in a tightly contested encounter.
Nonetheless, he was happy with the year, which produced some fine results for the club as they won the Grand Challenge Shield title.
With the win, Gardens confirmed their status as a club to be feared.
They were runners-up in the Super 12 competition, which included six clubs from Border, early this year, and ended in third place in the EP Grand Challenge.
This victory put the cherry on the top for them and they will be looking ahead to next year with renewed confidence following their successes.
In the women’s final, Kwaru put their stamp of authority on the competition with a convincing 29-0 win over Bontle Tigers.
2015 Mayoral Cup champs both 1st & 1st res. Well done Boys @NMandelaBay pic.twitter.com/9xNViCbzeu
— Gardens Rugby Club (@GardensRFC) November 7, 2015
Spring Rose claimed their second title in the Kruisfontein Rugby Festival Legends Cup when they defeated a competitive PE Harlequins 13-6 in the final in Humansdorp on Saturday.
With Woodlands Dairy their main sponsors, the festival was again another huge success, with a big crowd watching the final.
The final was heading for extra time at 6-6 with fewer than five minutes to play, but Spring Rose pulled off a special move in the dying moments of the game to retain their crown.
Spring Rose qualified for the final after narrowly beating hosts Kruisfontein 19-17. Kruisfontein had several chances so close out the game, but Rose did well to hang in to snatch the win and go through.
Kruisfontein club official Elton Juba said all the matches had been of high quality.
“It was a great advert for club rugby and the highlight of the day from an entertainment point of view was probably the legends game, in which some of the former stars took part,” he said.
“There will surely be some sore bodies as there was no holding back from the legends who displayed skill and commitment throughout the game. The crowd loved them.
“We have to thank the supporters for coming out in large numbers and to our main sponsor, Woodlands Dairy, for their excellent support throughout.”
“The addition of the beer garden and a DJ helped to create a festive atmosphere. We have to thank South African Breweries, with whom we are hoping to forge a long term relationship.
“We are really grateful for all the clubs who participated and contributed to the success of the occasion.”
Alan Straton
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