Merrifield tennis players catch the eye

Merrifield College tennis players Devina Pillay and Calvin Richardson caught the eye with some fine performances in recent tournaments.

Pillay represented the Eastern Cape A team in Cape Town during the school holidays at the interprovincial schools tournament.

She was seeded No 3 in the team and helped Eastern Cape A clinch second place.

Pillay won three of her five singles matches and all of her mixed doubles encounters.

Richardson, meanwhile, was the runner-up in the Mini Series Open men’s division when the event took place in East London at the weekend.

• Merrifield water polo star Anthony van Harmelen has been selected to represent the Buffalo City Under 16 boys’ team at the interprovincial in Cape Town in December. David Hall has been chosen as a non-travelling reserve.

• In debating, a number of Merrifield College pupils will represent the Eastern Cape at the Nationals. They are Georgina Waechter and Allyssa Joseph (juniors), and Joanne Joseph, Pooja Vijay, Mbuthokazi Mavuso and Grace Rance (seniors).

• Daniel Stead, Andrew de Smidt and David Emslie took part in the SA Lifesaving National Championships that were held in Gqeberha October 4-9.

The East London surf team had 29 nippers in attendance, braving the cold sea and heavy winds. They came ninth out of 19 clubs and yielded some amazing results. Stead was third in the 10m ball throw relay (U14) and was ninth overall.

Mention must be made of podium finishers Skyla Holmes, who came second in the sub-nipper age-group, and Lisakhanya Zantzi, who won the nipper age-group.

• On the bike, the Merrifield preppies participated in the Spur off-road inter-schools cycle race on Sunday at Three Silos. The following pupils took part in various distances according to their age category: Skyla Holmes, Avu Lusawana, Lisakhanya Zantzi, Borys Karbowy, Keegan Hempel, Reece Snyman, Senay Telehun and Niccolo Beltrame.

• Merrifield Prep Grade 5 pupil Oliver (Ollie) Hobson has achieved his Leaping Wolf qualification at Cubs.

There are three wolf badges that a Cub can earn — Silver, Gold and Leaping Wolf (LW).

The LW is the highest level of advancement a Cub can reach and not many put in the effort to achieve the badge.

It requires that Cubs work on different projects in their own time after they turn 10.

They must complete all the challenges and write a log book that is submitted before they turn 11.

It is the only badge earned as a Cub that may be worn on their Scout uniform for those who continue up to Scouts.

The Leaping Wolf badge is awarded by the Chief Scout of Scouts SA and is a very worthy achievement.

Hobson earned all three wolf badges. He was a Sixer, in Cub parlance a leader of a group of Cubs, and eventually ended his Cub career as a Senior Sixer, a Cub who is exceptional and who shows outstanding character and leadership traits.