The annual Reef 10s tournament was hosted at Hoërskool Rob Ferreira on October 25 and 26, and no amount of rain could dampen proceedings over what was a successful two days of competition.

Reef 10s was started five years ago as the brainchild of the Rob Legacy and White River Rugby Club committees, and has grown in strength and stature year on year. This year’s competition included cricket, men’s and women’s rugby, women’s hockey, as well as men’s and women’s mixed netball and women’s netball.

The competition between the teams across all of the sport disciplines was healthy this year, too, with there rarely being any clear winners at any stage of the tournament. The games were played over the Friday and Saturday, with rain on both days ensuring things stayed interesting.

Luckily, it didn’t affect the organising of the event, with all sports (bar cricket) able to be played through the bad weather. The rain didn’t dampen matters, either, as the fun and social side of Reef 10s shone through the dark clouds on both days.

All of the knockouts were played on Saturday. In the women’s netball, the Kiewiete dominated competition as both of their teams qualified for the final.

It was a tense final, but Kiewiete 2 were ultimately the victorious side, winning 23-20. The mixed netball was dominated by the Venoms, who were untouchable, and beat Win or Booze 24-10 in the final.

Over on the cricket field they were unable to play the final as the rain began to set in once again late on Saturday, which meant Magnificent 7 and the Pikkewyne shared the trophy. In the hockey, there was no overtly dominant team, and the final between Black Widows and Wolfpack was tight, but it was the latter who narrowly won out 3-2.

Things looked good on the rugby field, too, where the level of competition was the best it’s been since the inception of Reef 10s. In the women’s rugby, Nkangala emerged victorious to claim the trophy. An invitational team from Mozambique was part of the men’s competition this year, showcasing the growth of the tournament.

The men’s final was a hard-fought battle between the Hennie’s Premier side and the Old Rhinos, both of whom had showcased great skill throughout the tournament. The final score was 19-17 in Hennie’s Premier’s favour, handing them the top prize.

The Reef 10s committee’s chairperson, Charles Gates, was chuffed with this year’s tournament. “The quality of competition has improved year on year, and it is great to see the quality improving without the tournament losing the social aspect at its core,” he said.

“We have great, loyal sponsors who make Reefs possible every year and we’re immensely grateful for their support.”

Photos: Blake Linder