Hillcrest Villagers win Junior Murray Cup

Land Rover Durban-Hillcrest Villagers Rugby Club walked away with the Junior Murray Cup trophy after an intense game against old rivals, Richards Bay, in the Castle Murray Cup finals at Crusaders Rugby Club in Durban North on Saturday.

In the first half, Hillcrest raced into a lead with a flurry of tries, with the second half of the game turning into a nail-biting cliff-hanger. Richards Bay threw all their might at Villagers, but the intensity only brought out the best in the upper Highway outfit, with an eventual and triumphant 33-25 deserved win. Tries were scored by Hayden van der Mewe (two), Tommy Bezuidenhout, Kyle Spowart and Mitch Coe. Conversions: Coe (four). After the match, a jubilant Villagers’ Skipper, Kyle ‘Spowie’ Spowart, heaped praise on his troops for a hard-fought and well-deserved win.

Villagers second XV were up against Harlequins second XV for the Keith Parkenson Cup. The game got off to a cracking pace with the Villagers side showing it’s discipline and skills. Despite being outweighed, the Villagers’ scrum showed it’s competitiveness. HVRC attacked the ‘Quins’s try-line, eventually paying dividends with a well-deserved try from club stalwart, Gavin Muir, with a conversion from Justyn Eben The second half saw Hillcrest creep within three points of ‘Quins following a penalty from Eben. It was sadly not to be, with a late unconverted run-against-the-play try from ‘Quins, sealing a 18-10 win for the Bluff-based side.

During the presentation ceremony, the KZN Rugby Union’s Schalk Liebenberg praised Villagers on their win, noting that they had won the prestigious knockout cup four times since its inception.