The Greek Earns a Serious Nod

Congratulations to Ikeys flyhalf, Demetri Catrakilis, for being named the ABSA Currie Cup Player of the Month!!

Ikey Tigers beat False Bay for 11th consecutive win

It was a blistering cold day on the Greenmile as the Ikey Tigers continued on their quest for a WP Super A League title. Although having beaten False Bay 36-22 in Constantia in May, our striped warriors knew that the Bay would always come out guns blazing and a win would have to be well fought for.

It was UCT though who fired first with a 5th minute try by vice-captain Therlow Pietersen. 'Puppy' (as he's better know to the Ikeys) had been shifted over from outside to inside center in cover of Marcel Brache (one of the many Ikeys on WP duty), and his corner touch was soon followed by a try from wing Richard Stewart and another from Captain Don Armand. It wasn't a one-sided affair though as False Bay hooker Hugo Lamprecht barged over for the Bays' first try and halftime saw Ikeys leading 17-7.

The second half however saw an onslaught from the Bay who scored two tries leveling the points at 17-17. All was thankfully not lost, as flyhalf Nick Holton scored the winning and bonus point try for the Ikey Tigers and then thanks to his boot, those who'd been brave enough to withstand the icy weather down at Groote Schuur where rewarded to witness the final 27-17 victory.

The Ikeys next fixture is an away game against Helderberg, who are bottom of the log. Our Tigers have four remaining matches, and if they are able to win all with bonus points they will be crowned WP Super A League champions. Failing that, we live in hope that Stellenbosch will not have a victory (especially not a bonus point one) in their final game of the tournament vs Durbel this weekend.

The WP Super League log:
(As at Monday, August 29 - played, won, points)

1. FNB Maties 17, 13, 65
2. Hamiltons 16, 11, 56
3. FNB UCT 14, 11, 51 
4. Durbanville-Belville 15, 9, 48
5. SK-Walmers 15, 9, 44
6. Victorianss 15, 6, 37
7. False Bay 14, 7, 34 
8. Villagers 14, 5, 22
9. Belhar 15, 3, 17
10. Helderberg 15, 0, 5

Former Ikeys Captain off to RWC2011

Former Ikeys captain, JJ Gagiano will be heading off to New Zealand soon as part of the USA's national rugby team, the Eagles.


Gagiano led the Ikey Tigers in 2009/2010 seasons and has also played with top Italian club, Roman Praetorians. He debuted for the Eagles in 2008 (vs Uruguay) and has 13 caps to his name. The 26 year old flank can oft be found on the Greenmile, if not playing then cheering with much gusto!


Super proud of you JJ! Once an Ikey, always a Tiger.


The USA are in Pool C along with Australia, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. The 'Cold War' match will take place on 15 September.

Ballroom Dancing scores another UCT Intervarsity victory!

Earlier this month, the UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society took part in their biggest event of the year - the Intervarsity Ballroom and Latin Dancing Competition, held at the DF Malan Hall in Stellenbosch.

The Championship saw UCT, Stellenbosch, Rhodes, Tuks, Wits and NMMU competing against each other. The UCT team, made up of 76 dancers, took part in 19 sections, rangin from beginners-level ballroom and Latin dacning, through to Viennese, Mambo and Paso Doble sections.

UCT dominated the competition coming home with the Spirit, Team Dance and Formation trophies and emerged as the overall winners of the day. With 12 gold medals, 4 silver and 9 Bronze medals, UCT came first ahead of Stellenbosch and TUKS. This Championship has been one of the most successful in the society's history.

For more info on the UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing society, visit their website: http://www.ballroom.org.za/

*This article is accredited to Nicole Beale and Sajjad Karamsi, appearing in Volume 70: No9 of Varsity Newspaper (23 August 2011)

Not like anyone has forgotten that we're champions...

Found this beauty of a video on the youtube; little highlights package of the Ikey Tigers' road to Varsity Cup victory. Includes fans, players and some great running rugby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiByviuQZJw

Hockey Internal League Final (and party!)

The League Finals are going down on Friday 26 August at the UCT Astro.

18:30 Tartans vs Ayoba

19:30 Bushpigs vs Quaggas

20:30 Average Joes vs Mavericks

Here's a trailer....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ClwUjjw0o

Ikeys leave it late

The Ikey Tigers are not good for my stress levels.

Watching games on the Greenmile is an awesome way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It's one of the most beautiful places to a catch a bit of rugga, with the steps up to Jameson Hall framed by mountainous Cape Town splendour. Watching the Ikeys' beautiful running game and cheering on their victory is also pretty sweet.

The WP Super A League is tough to say the least; UCT hasn't claimed a title since 1974. But coming off a second Maties victory, the team was excited for their big clash with Hamiltons. For those not in the know, Hamiltons, aka Hammies, was founded in 1875 and is recognized as being the oldest rugby club in South Africa. Playing them at our own historic Groote Schuur Fields is always a big deal. And since Hammies sat 2nd to UCT's 4th on the log before Saturday's clash, winning was a necessity for both sides.

With Nick Fenton-Wells out on WP duty, the team led by Don Armand was also missing some valuable players through injury like Tiger Bax and Pete 'Big Red' Olivier. The experienced Hammies side dominated the first half and led 0-15 after the first 40min. Ikeys hit back in the second with tries from Richard Stewart (he of the winning Maties one!) and skipper Don Armand. Penalties from both sides kept the scores tight and then Hamiltons up-ed the pressure with a try of their own, and seemingly the game in the bag. A perfect moment for some Brache magic; the inside centre chipped past the Hammies defence for an injury time try with the conversion to win slotted over by flyhalf Nick Holton.

Final Score UCT 25-23 Hamiltons.

Last night Hammies visited Maties at the Danie Craven Stadium and this time the scrape win was theirs: Hamiltons 17-16 Maties. The Maties loss leaves the competition open for any of Hammies, Maties or Ikeys to claim the league title. UCT has 5 games still to play, whilst the Maties and Hammies both have only 2 fixtures left.

The Ikey Tigers host False Bay (always a formidable opponent) on the Greenmile at 16h00. See you there!!

The WP Super League log:
(As at Thursday 25, August - played, won, points)

1. Maties 16, 12, 60
2. Hamiltons 16, 10, 56
3. UCT 13, 10, 46
4. SK Walmers 15, 9, 44
5. Durbanville-Bellville 14, 8, 43
6. False Bay 13, 7, 34
7. Victorians 14, 5, 33
8. Villager 13, 5, 22
9. Belhar 14, 3, 17
10. Helderberg 14, 0, 5

Soccer vs Tsiba College

Last night the Ladies and Mens Soccer teams hosted Tsiba College at Kopano.

The Ladies team continued their magnificent form with a 7-0 victory over the visitors, and the Mens team battled it out for another draw.

Quaggas vs Bushies Fri 26 Aug

Hockey Internal Finals happen on Friday 26 Aug, along with the imfamous Quaggas vs Bushies game!

Check out the trailer....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc0cqfAdOlY

Complete Maties Domination

WE EARNED OUR STRIPES.

August has been a grand month for UCT sport. Actually, it's been a month of the tiger-blooded warriors slaying the maroon nemisis.

The Hockey Boys kicked off the winning on Sat 30 July (ok, fine not August but almost...). They played an away fixture in Matieland and beat the hosts 1-3!

Then we took our stripes to the Greenmile as the Ikey Tigers played host to Maties Rugby. Having beaten them at Stellies Intervarsity in May (a feat not achieved since 2004) it was a record double victory for UCT as the staked their right to a potential league title with their 22-15 win. The last time UCT won the Super A League was in 1974!

Last Wednesday (17th August) it was soccer's turn to impress. The Ladies team did that and then some!! Playing on a chilly evening on the Kopano Astro, UCT nailed home a 7-1 victory over the Maroon Meisies. The Mens 1st XI took to the field after and fought out for a 1-1 draw.

So there, not only are we academically awesome Stellenbosch, but it seems you can't beat us on the sports field right now either.

A U! A U! A U-C-T!!!

Ikeys have a field day away at Villagers

Captain Fantastic Nick Fenton-Wells not only led his Ikey Tigers to another impressive victory, but was uber impressive himself as the leading try-scorer. With some Currie Cup caps to his name now, the former Bishops boy scored 3 tries last Saturday 13 August at an away fixture vs Villagers. Rain slowed down the game from the second half but our boys in Blue&White still managed to claim a 41-3 victory.

For FNB UCT:

Tries: Nicholas Holton, Nicholas Fenton-Wells (3), Richard Stewart, Pallo Manuel, Mark Winter, James Kilroe
Cons: Nicholas Holton (4)
Pen: Nicholas Holton

Currently 4th on the log (with two games in hand over leaders Maties) the Ikey Tigers now host Hamiltons on 20 August followed by False Bay 27 August on the Greenmile.

The WP Super League log:
(As at Monday 15, August - played won points)

1.Maties 14, 11, 54
2. Hamiltons 14, 10, 51
3. SK Walmers 15, 9, 44
4. UCT 12, 9, 43
5. Durbanville-Bellville 13, 7, 39
6. Victorians 13, 5, 32
7. Fals Bay 12, 6, 30
8. Villager 13, 5, 22
9. Belhar 13, 3, 16
10. Helderberg 13, 0, 5

Internal League Hockey Final

Internal League Hockey... where it's silly and serious all at the same time.

There aren't too many words to describe the ongoings of a seemingly innocent Sunday afternoon, but if you've never been privy to the shenanigans, I'm sure these photos will give you a vague idea.

The League Finals are going down on Friday 26 August at the UCT Astro.

18h30 Ladies Final

19h30 Bushies vs Quaggas

20h30 Mens Final

Pull through for the vibe!!

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate is a non-contact sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The objective of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby. Players may not run with the disc, and may only move one foot while holding the disc (pivoting) - um, so basically netball...

UCT has a vibrant Ultimate Frisbee Club, and sent two teams to The 2011 South African Mixed Ultimate National Champs took place bewteen 30 April and 2nd May at the Pirates Sports Club in Johannesburg. An unprecedented 16 teams took part in the tournament with a chance to match their skills against teams from across the country and even beyond the border.

Final standings looked like this:

1. Khayoba (Cape Town)
2. Long Donkeys (Pietermaritzburg)
3. Chilli (Cape Town)
4. Ikey Tigers (Cape Town)
5. Mozambique (Maputo)
6. Ult Ctrl Del (Johannesburg)
7. Zebru (Cape Town)
8. Northern Lights (Johannesburg)
9. Prawn Bunnies (Durban)
10. Hammerheads (East London)
11. UCT New Boots (Cape Town)
12. African Leadership Academy (Johannesburg)
13. Voodoo Pirates (Johannesburg)
14. Rebels (East London)
15. Ultimates (Polokwane)
16. Orange Farm (Johannesburg)

Check out this awesome video of our UCT players: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDpTkM3h9lk&feature=related

Sports Videos

Plates Pictures has had a busy weekend filming various UCT sporting codes.

Here's a teaser of the UCT Golf Team practising at Westlake Golf Club: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUxP2w3M48A&feature=youtu.be

Ikeys Earn Historical Double Maties Win

Our Ikey Tigers keep achieving new heights!

On Saturday they hosted the boys in maroon on the Greenmile for an epic clash - vying for a double victory over Maties, a feat not achieved since 1974, the last time that UCT won the Super League title.

The Ikeys scored two tries in the last 5 min of the game, the first from Greg Mallet and then winger Richard Stewart scooped in for a dramatic Ikeys win!

Final Score was 22-15 to our blue&white warriors :)

The WP Super League log:
(As at Sunday, August 7 - played, won, points)
1. Hamilton's 13, 9, 47
2. Maties 12, 9, 44
3. SK Walmers 15, 9, 44
4. UCT 11, 8, 38
5. Durb-Bell 12, 7, 38
6. Vics 11, 5, 30
7. False Bay 11, 6, 30
8. Villager's 12, 5, 22
9. Belhar 12, 2, 12
10. Helderberg 13, 0, 5

Next Saturday (13 August) Ikeys Tigers take on Villagers away.

Hoist the Sails!

UCT Yacht Club's L26 sailing team are competing today (Sat 6 Aug) in the Western Cape Provincial Championships. Catch them gliding through the Table Bay waters.

UCT Yacht Club Team for Lipton Cup

Proud to announce the team that will represent the UCT Yacht Club later this month in Mossel Bay. The Lipton Cup is one of the country's top regattas and we're the only university yacht club to regularly compete. After our impressive 4th position last year we're hopeful that the team can do even better this year.

The team is:

Matthew Shaw - Helm

Neil Malan (skipper) - Upwind trim and tactics

Andrew James - Downwind trim

Simon Henstra - Halyards

Oliver Hobson - Bow

We wish them all the best!

Internal League Rugby Results from Wed 3 Aug

Wednesday Night Lights is back on the go and as the UCT internal league rugby teams battle it out each week on the Greenmile.

Results from Wed 3 Aug:
Panthers 12 - 0 CVU Vikings
Catz 5 - 12 Clarendon
Kopano 5 - 35 Smuts
Shebeen Boys 20 - 0 iKhaya
Ubombo 10 - 22 MOB
Nadoes 22 - 0 Wild Boys

Oh Captain, my Captain

Found an awesome interview with Ikeys Captain Nick Fenton-Wells on the Varsity Cup website, go check it out at http://www.varsitycup.co.za/

Super stoked to have him lead the boys in blue and white out onto the Greenmile tomorrow vs Maties!!

Intervarsity Rugby on the Greenmile

Hockey at Hartleyvale

The Mens 1st take on the Mens 2nd on Thursday 4 August 9pm at Hartleyvale.

Dress warm, and bring on the vibe!

Ikeys beat SK at the Track

Varsity Cup champions UCT scored a 29-23 away win over SK Walmers as they returned to WP Super League action after two months in hibernation.

The Cape Town students led 18-13 at half-time thanks to an André Coetzer try, whilst replacement lock James Kilroe sealed the win with a crucial second-half try in his first Super league appearance.

Flyhalf Nick Holton (pictured, centre) also scored a five-pointer for the visitors, adding one conversion and four crucial penalties to his tally.

Green Point is always a tough place to play and UCT coach Kevin Foote was understandably elated with the result, the Ikeys' seventh win of the 2011 Western Province Super League season.

This weekend, of course, will see the Ikey Tigers host Stellenbosch at Groote Schuur (kick-off 4pm);

FNB UCT's scorers:
Tries: Holton, Coetze, Kilroe
Con: Holton
Pens: Holton 4

The UCT team: 15 Therlow Pietersen, 14 Ricky Rijs, 13 Tiger Bax, 12 André Coetzer (vice-captain), 11 Richard Stewart, 10 Nick Holton, 9 Nick Farrar, 8 Greg Mallett, 7 TC Botha, 6 Don Armand (captain), 5 Brad Bosman, 4 Pallo Manuel, 3 Pete Olivier, 2 Neil Rautenbach, 1 Wes Chetty.
Replacements: 16 Tim Louw, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 James Kilroe, 19 Zandy Macdonald, 20 Kyle Kriel, 21 Steve Wallace, 22 Mark Winter.

The WP Super League log:
(As at Sunday, July 31 - played, won, points)
1. SK Walmers 15, 9, 44
2. Maties 11, 8, 43
3. Hamilton's 12, 8, 42
4. Durb-Bell 11, 6, 34
5. UCT 10, 7, 33
6. Vics 10, 5, 29
7. False Bay 10, 5, 25
8. Villager's 11, 5, 21
9. Belhar 12, 2, 12
10. Helderberg 12, 0, 5

*Thank you to http://www.uctrfc.co.za/ (The official Ikey Tigers Website) for this article

Another Intervarsity Win

In May this year we made the great trek over to Matie land and watched our Ikey Tigers lay claim to the Intervarsity Rugby Trophy. Last weekend our Mens First Hockey Team made it a double blow by beating Stellenbosch 3-1 on their own (astro) turf.

The hockey boys have been flying the UCT flag high, placing 3rd at USSA (Maties 4th) and they currently sit third on the Mens Grand Challenge log - on equal points with Maties.

The rugby team will host Stellenbosch on the Green Mile on Saturday 6 August with the Ladies and Mens Soccer teams taking on their respective Maties teams on the Kapano Astro on Wed 17 August.

Let's keep up the winning!

Eagle All Star Series No.2

Congrats to Grant Robertson, apparently known at the hockey club as "Man-G" for being selected for the Eagle All Star Series No. 2. For those who don't know, thats the very top 32 mens players in South Africa.

Earn Your Stripes Campaign

There are some cracker intervarsity sports games in the next month, so come earn your tiger stripes by supporting our UCT teams. We're really pushing for some great support before academics get a little too hectic.

1. Mens HOCKEY got things started vs MATIES in Stellenbosch.
Saturday 30 July 18h00 on the Stellies Astro.

2. Next up is IKEYS vs MATIES RUGBY on the GREENMILE
Saturday 6 August 16h00
UCT won intervarsity in Stellenbosch in May and we're hoping to make it a double victory.

3. SOCCER vs UWC at UCT
Both our Ladies and Mens Teams take on UWC on the Kopano Astro
WED 10 Aug
Ladies kickoff: 19h00
Mens kickoff: 20h30

4. SOCCER vs MATIES at UCT
Again, both the Ladies and Mens teams on the Kopano Astro
WED 17 Aug
Ladies kickoff: 19h00
Mens kickoff: 20h30

Join the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=261990717148265

Please invite everyone!!

World University Games

A number of UCT athletes will be departing or the World University Games in the coming weeks. This is the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympics and the most prestigious international university sport event.

An assembly or pre-departure camp will be held for all USSA national teams in the City of Tshwane during which clothing will be distributed, and travel documents and student credentials will be checked and/or finalised. The USSA delegation will depart for Shenzhen in several groups a couple of days thereafter.

Teams are expected to assemble at the High Performance Centre, University of Pretoria on the following dates:

2 August: General Delegation Management (GDM)

2 August: Football women

3 August: Team Managers

4 August: Farewell Banquet (CSIR)

4 August: Artistic Gymnastics, Cycling and Fencing

6 August: Aquatics, Archery and Tennis

8 August: Athletics, Chess and Golf

12 August: Sport shooting and Taekwondo

14 August: Aerobic Gymnastics and Rhythmic Gymnastics

USSA had its Lottery funding cut by 50% so a number of sports where dropped including Basketball, Volleyball and football.

UCT fencing has had 4 fencers selected for the event: Jacques Viljoen, Skye-Pym Siljuer, Giselle Vicatos and Michael Malahe. TUKS has one fencer qualified. As soon as I'm told of other UCT sportspersons representing it will be blogged about!