Chasers and EUT win Oupa Malefo Games
"It was a game of mothers vs their own children, but it was a fascinating game which kept everyone's eyes glued to the netball court."
Local sports enthusiasts from all over Gauteng made a great success of the Oupa Malefo Games that took place on Saturday, 25 March.
The third annual games were eagerly welcomed as netball was once again included.
The games introduced a variety of age groups across a massive age gap, with both experienced players and beginners.
The highlight of the netball segment of the games was when Mogale City Netball Club played against Joburg Inner City Netball Club (JIC). Experienced players played against trainees in the age group of 17 to 22 years.
“It was a game of mothers vs their own children, but it was fascinating, and kept everyone’s eyes glued to the netball court,” said Malefo Monnanyana, organiser of the games.
The 17-year-old Seitiso Senokwanyane from Kagiso, who was playing as goal attack for Mogale City Netball Club, displayed remarkable skills during the game.
The defending netball champions, Kagiso Flames, who won the games last year, lost their title in the deciding game against Chasers in the third round, which took them out of the competition. It was a sad moment for them as they wanted to defend their championship trophy. The young newcomers, the Golden Cranes, did very well, as they managed to beat the Department of Human Settlements and Joburg Inner City Netball Club (JIC) to secure their place in the finals. The finals saw the Chasers and Golden Cranes pitted against each other, with Chasers dominating the court. They took the trophy and were crowned the winners of the 3rd Oupa Malefo Games.
The soccer side of the games started out with teams paired in two groups – Group A consisted of Bayekane Football Club (FC), Krones, Department of Human Settlements and EUT Football Club (FC). Group B had Razzmataz FC, Fighters FC and FC SSDA. Each team played for points to win the group and qualify for the final. Only seven of the eight teams entered actually competed as International FC did not manage to make it to the games.
Photo: Submitted
In Group A, Krones and EUT FC started off well with a win, both getting 3 points each, with EUT FC thrashing Department of Human Settlements 5–0. Krones and EUT FC then played against each other in the 2nd round in an intense match which saw the rivalry deepening. The match ended as a 2-all draw. Krones and EUT FC finished with 9 points in Group A, but this saw EUT FC move on to the finals with a huge goal difference.
In Group B, both Fighters FC and SSDA hammered Razzmatazz FC 4–1, and then played against each other and ended with a score of 4–1. The decider game was intense as SSDA started off in the lead. Fighters equalised and then took the lead, until a late goal by SSDA, just before the match ended. The teams had to do penalty kicks to break the tie. SSDA won the penalty kicks and moved on to the final.
The final match was between the winners of Group A and Group B: EUT FC against FC SSDA. The match started late at night. Both teams played with great eagerness and scores were very tight. The match was mostly played in the middle of the field. Then EUT FC got a break, and shot a goal to put their team in the lead. SSDA tried to come back to the game to equalise, but the more they pushed, the more they became vulnerable and eventually they conceded another goal.
SSDA never gave up though, they kept fighting until they got a consolation goal just before the final whistle. EUT became the new champions of the 3rd Oupa Malefo Games. Congratulations to EUT FC from Mamelodi East, Pretoria.
More about the Oupa Malefo Games:
Soccer and netball games to inspire community
Arsenal Masters master local games
Great opportunity for young soccer and netball players
