Ladysmith Bulldogs win the league

After a very bad start to the season, the Ladysmith Bulldogs rugby team decided to put their heads together and build the club to where it belongs – “on top” in the first division.

Saturday’s match saw them taking another step closer when the Bulldogs beat Piet Retief 23-16 in a nail-biting second division final.

The Bulldogs were leading by 13 points to nine at half-time, with a try scored by Ronnie Parker and a conversion and two penalties by Lenard Buitendach. Our boys really showed guts in the second half and every single player was a star in his position. Ronnie Parker scored another try that was converted by Lenard Buitendach. Lenard also kicked another penalty to bring the final score to 23-16.

Well done to the two coaches, Christo Kruger and Johannes Brink. The hard work every Tuesday and Thursday finally brought the cup home. Out of the six games played, finals included, the team scored 41 tries, 28 conversions and four penalties. These stats show that the Bulldogs played good, running rugby.

As a very proud chairman, I would like to thank each and every player, the two coaches and the rest of the committee, together with all our sponsors, for the successful season. We will now take part in the play-offs against the Durban and Pietermaritzburg sides to determine the KZN overall winners. Coach Christo Kruger would like to thank all the players for their commitment and support throughout the year.

“The Ladysmith Bulldogs put their all into their practices and achieved remarkable scores. Well done!” enthused Christo Kruger.