Coast comes alive in December

ERONGO



Swakopmund Christmas Cup

The annual SFC X-Mas Cup soccer tournament at Swakopmund once again lived up to expectations.

The event is known as the oldest competition of its kind on Namibian soil. This year’s edition, hosted once again by the Swakopmund Football Club (SFC), produced four days of 40 action-packed matches with 131 goals scored.

Seven teams competed in the League Division and 10 teams, divided into two groups of five each, competed in the Social Division of the 65th edition of this popular tournament that allows both amateur and professional footballers to showcase their skills on the SFC grounds.

The event also offers an opportunity for soccer teams from all over the country to showcase their skill in the off-season, and it promotes soccer.

Atlantis defeated SFC I with 2-1 in the final, and clinched the League Division, while Libertas defeated SFC Social in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out and won the Social Division.

Both finals produced some entertaining football. Neither of the teams could manage to find the back of the net in the first half of the League Division final.

Atlantis, which boasted three Elven Arrows and three Blue Waters stalwarts, however came out blazing in the second half.

A goal by Angelo Kuezi took SFC I completely by surprise with Prince Jossop adding a second goal for Atlantis when play resumed. Leighton McGulty converted a penalty for SFC I.

Referee Apollo Lungameni pointed to the spot after a foul on Ensley Gariseb in the box in the dying moments of the game.

“This is a proud moment for us. We have been trying to win this trophy for the past four years. We train at Atlantis and asked the club to enter us as a team into this year’s competition. Team spirit and experience ensured that we emerged as champions. Football is still on hold so we will see what next year holds for us, but we will be back. It was a great tournament,” said Luther Humphries, the Sparta captain and goalkeeper.

Angling bonanza

For most of the morning on the day of the 34th Penguin Angling Club angling bonanza held at Henties Bay, the heaviest fish was Johannes Hattingh’s 14.4 kg kabeljou he caught at Canopy. It was also the first fish to be weighed in on Sunday for the competition and signalled an impressive start to the bonanza.

Most of the first fish to be brought to the scales at the Henties Bay Sports Club, where the bonanza’s main activities were set, were large kabeljou. The impression was that this year’s N$20 000 bonanza fish would go to a kabeljou – and for three hours it seemed that kabeljou was Hattingh’s.

Entered Terrance Peterson with his 18.195 kg steenbras caught at Mile 87. When it was hung as leading fish, and noted on the leaderboard, it stayed in this position until Peterson’s steenbras was hailed this year’s ‘bonanza’ fish, earning the angler N$20 000.

He caught it early, with his second cast of the day. His first cast, baited with octopus and pilchard, landed him only a small sand crab. Once he removed it, his second cast produced the winner.

“That was when this little bull took it. It feels fantastic and I am overwhelmed. I take part with the fish that won because we thought it would be the kabeljou that takes the prize, but it was the steenbras,” he told Erongo, adding that the competition was getting tough and that “the anglers were starting to chew their nails when they saw the competing fish hanging at the weighing station.

All the winners’ fish were donated to the Henties Bay old-age home.

Christo van der Merwe of King Price insurers, who was the main sponsor of the event, said they were very proud to be the sponsors at this year’s event.

“It was a great opportunity for our company, and the anglers did great in reeling in great fish. People have been stuck at home most of the time due to Covid, but this year was a time to get to the fishing waters and enjoy the competition,” he said.

Jetty Mile

Max Betts (19) is the new Pupkewitz Jetty Mile champion. He finished the 15th edition of the open-water race of 1.92 km in 22 minutes and 19 seconds.

Although having participated in the annual event several times, this was his first win. A humble Betts, to whom all credit is due for his strong performance, did acknowledge the absence of eight-time champion and open-water Olympian Philip Seidler, who did not take part this year due to a recovering shoulder injury.

“This year we had a chance now that Philip did not take part,” he told Erongo 24/7 at the finishing line.

Betts said his game plan was to stay right behind the leader, who was Nico Esslinger, until the jetty, where Betts then turned on the power to take the lead and win, although it was neck on next to the very end.

“Now I’m going to eat something nice,” Betts said, assuring that he hopes to return next year and hopefully beat Seidler’s 2019 record of 18 minutes and 30 seconds.

The first female to finish the mile of the approximately 200 participants was Molina Smalley (24:48), who described the race as “pretty rough”.

“I’ve swum this race for eight years, and this is the fittest I’ve ever been, so I thought I would give it a go, and finished sixth overall. I am very happy, and tired,” she said. Smalley, who is from Windhoek, said she hopes to get to the Olympics in 2024.

Jetty Mile organiser Yvonne Brinkmann said it was touching to see the tough competition along with the camaraderie between participants.

“People work hard for this every year, and they will continue to work hard for next year’s event. This is what makes this even so popular,” she said.