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martin@martins.co.za Port Alfred
- Page 21
Today, class, we are going to go back in time to my rugby days in Port Alfred.
OK, let it be said that rugby in Port Alfred was a fundle of bun. On the odd occasion we would have a "guest player" in the regular team - in this case I think of Vince Rootman whenever he was in town for the weekend, was available for a game. Flanker. Sort of Jan Ellis style. Well, in a fashion I guess, huh Vince. Boots 'n All. After a year in the Air Force, I started work at Standard Bank in Main Street and played for the Port Alfred first team for a few years. Look for the Kowie Announcer - rugby season 1966, 1967, 1968 - and you'll see some glowing reports about us. [Note, regrettably my memory does not recall the bad games, if there were any.] We wore white shorts and jerseys.
Let's take it from the top, fellas.
Our team had, as its mentor, a pillar of strength in the God-fearing Uncle
Trevor Reed. A wonderful, wonderful man. An EP wing in his day. Assisted by
Tommy Lombaard, who if I remember correctly, worked for the "Pos" and was
able to make all the phone calls, bookings and arrangements. Another perfect
example of a gentleman was our Tommy. An avid supporter was young Freddie
Jackson RIP
| Position | Name | Fame |
| Fullback | Thys Koen, Neil Zimmerman | Thys kicked far, Neil was left-footed |
| Right Wing | Thomas Scriven | Strong as an ox. Nothing stopped him 10m from the tryline. |
| Centre | Geoff Neville | Worked for Barclays. Married Carol Trackeray. A clever player ! |
| Centre | Freddie Britz (ex Zambia) | A class act. Could see a gap a week before it opened. |
| Left Wing | Malcolm Tennant | A long distance runner. Brother of Thora Ford. |
| Flyhalf | (Me - or) Nyoffie Pittaway | Nyoffie loved kicking and was good at it. I was a running flyhalf. |
| Scrumhalf | Vernon Jakins (Jakie) (- or me) | Looooooong pass, bit wayward, but handleable. Married to Marie. |
| 8th Man | Danie Smuts | Policeman. Now an attorney I believe. Never gave up. |
| Flank | 'Blackie' Manie Swart or Piet van Greunen | Worked for SAR & H. Piet, for the "Pos". |
| Lock | Terry Blenkinsop ? | |
| Lock | Coen Esterhuyzen | Was a butcher. Another strong fella. |
| Flank | "Polly" or Jacques Roestoff I think | Good team players, both unselfish. |
| Prop | A farmer ? | |
| Hooker | Andries Nel | Experienced and didn't take nonsense. Married Geoff Elliott's sister. |
| Prop | John (Horse) Howard - CAPTAIN | I was bestman at his wedding to Pam. He drove a Vauxhall Viva. |
Oh this is so sad...I just can't remember the guys whose names would fill in the above blanks. Can anybody help me ?
We used to have intense games against rivals Alexandria, where I remember Jimmy
Neave at flyhalf,
was it Ronnie Harvey (Lennie's brother) at centre, paired with round James
Fourie. Ask Jimmy if he
remembers the games. He was an excellent flyhalf, too. The Alexandria rugby
field had grass in quite a lot of places.
Port Alfred had a lush, green beautiful field - where the marina is now.
After every game the share value of SA Breweries rose a frothy amount.