Triple Springbok Mandy Yachad honoured by Harlequins
Former South African sports legend Mandy Yachad was recently honored by the Harlequins sports club in Pretoria with membership of their unique hall of fame.
The Harlequins sports club in Groenkloof, Pretoria, recently awarded its prestigious Harlequin Heritage Honours award to former cricket and hockey star Mandy Yachad.
He is only the third sporting personality to win this award.
The award, introduced by the club last year, is the highest honour that this sporting club could grant to a member or former member.
Yachad is one of a selected group of sportsmen who represented his country in more than one sporting code.
Although he became a Springbok cricketer in the 1980s and played unofficial test cricket against a rebel touring team from the West Indies, he officially only played a single one-day international for South Africa. It was against India in the Proteas’ first tour after international isolation in 1991.
In hockey, Yachad played in 21 international matches. He also represented his country at indoor hockey, which means he was actually a triple Springbok.
Yachad also had an outstanding first-class career on the cricket field, which yielded 14 centuries and 32 half centuries.
Although he was a born and bred Joburg boy, Yachad first started playing cricket for Northern Transvaal in 1983 when he was called up for military service.
After his army days, he joined Harlequins in Pretoria.
He excelled on the cricket and hockey fields until 1992, when he moved back to Johannesburg where he worked as a lawyer and businessman.
At the same function, two relatives of former Harlequins presidents also received accolades on behalf of their families. The two former presidents’ framed pictures are part of a historic honorary gallery commemorating the presidents of the club. The gallery was also inaugurated last year.
Hugh Huggett (a family member of former Harlequin president Sir Richard Solomon) and Harry Savage (nephew of former president Gerald Savage) received the awards on behalf of their relatives.
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