Accolades for rugga boys

The rugby season officially came to an end for the Great Railroad Brewing Company Ballito Dolphins last Saturday, and a festive awards’ presentation evening was held at Route 66 in Salt Rock.

This last season has seen an excellent improvement with the 1st XV finishing inside the top four places and qualifying for the Murray Cup, the prestigious knockout tournament competing against Premiership Clubs.

Although the Dolphins did not get beyond the second round, for a team who were the wooden spoonists for the previous two seasons, 2016 saw a remarkable turnaround. So much so that if earlier results had gone their way, losing narrowly by three points to the top two sides could have seen them competing for promotion to the premiership.

With new coach Craig Dawson having his first full season in charge it was plain to see the new tactics and enthusiasm paying off on the field.

Although The Dolphins sustained some serious long term injuries midway through the season, the experience and maturity shown by the senior players enabled the team to continue being an extremely competitive unit in this league.

The local support was nothing short of fantastic with The Ballito Dolphins being easily the best supported side in the league, the community club is surely becoming the family club to join in Ballito as it endeavours to bring Premiership Rugby to the North Coast in due course.

The award winners for 2016 were: Moses Mpande Player of the Season and recipient of the Golden Boot Trophy, Zam Mthembu Forward of the Year, and the Backline Player of the Year award was shared jointly by Jack Severs and Siya Ngcobo.

The man Mountain “Giraffe” Dlamini, the local fans’ favourite, was awarded the most improved player of the season.

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