North West, Southern Cape the SACD heroes at Heron Banks

11 May 2024 – North West claimed the South African Country Districts Inter-Provincial title by just a single game point, while Southern Cape earned the bragging rights in the B-Section at Heron Banks Golf & River Estate in May.

Three days into the tournament, Mpumalanga and North West were tied on four points each, but it was Mpumalanga that topped the A-Section standings with 19 game points from their earlier three matches.

Going into the final round, North West – with two wins – had amassed 13.5 game points, and Northern Cape, in third place, was on two points and had 12 game points.

It was Free State beating Mpumalanga 7 – 5 on the final day that that left Mpumalanga out of the running and threw the tournament wide open as North West, Northern Cape and Boland went to battle in a three-way match.

North West comfortably beat Boland 8 – 4, but their 5 – 7 loss to Northern Cape sent matters right down to the wire. Unfortunately for Northern Cape, they couldn’t do any better than a 6.5 – 5.5 win against Boland, which sent North West into the winner’s circle with a single game point victory on 26.5.

Gert van der Merwe was the overall leading scorer as the Mpumalanga golfer ended on 6.5 points. He was half a point ahead of North West trio Ruben Janse Van Rensburg, Thapelo Maichotlo and Renier Janse Van Rensburg.

It was this string of performances from this trio that ultimately laid the foundation for the gold medal performance.

“We are very happy with the outcome,” said North West manager Hendrik Stapelberg. “It was a tough, tough tournament and no game was easy. The team were well prepared for the challenge, and they deserve the trophy after playing so well.

“Ruben, Thapelo and Renier ended with great individual results, but kudos to the whole team for pulling together to bring the win home. It’s been great to see how the team bonded and worked as a unit to make sure we could claim this great event as one for North West.

“On behalf of all the players and managers, we want to thank Robert Lance and his team at Heron Banks Golf and River Estate for their incredible hospitality and the fantastic condition of the course. They really went the extra mile to make this event truly memorable.”

Meanwhile Southern Cape pulled off a two-point victory in the B-Section to earn the coveted promotion.

“We won on the last day in the most dramatic fashion,” said team manager Heinrich Frylinck. “We managed to beat Limpopo with quite a twist really. We moved Juan Barnard, our No 8 to No 1 in the final round of the singles and he managed to win the match. It was a hugeboost to the team and something that we are really proud of.

“It was a nerve-racking finale and the team really dug deep and scraped our way to the title. It will be a highlight for us for many months to come.

“Our MVP for the week was a youngster, Jono Ackerman, just 17. He played really well all week. Fortunately for our side, there were many guys who put up their hands and handled the tough layout brilliantly. It was great for the team to finish on a winning note. A lot of our youngsters did so well for us, so it’s good to know that there’s lots more to come from Southern Cape in the future.”

Gregory Upneck (KwaZulu-Natal) managed to tie Jonothan Ackerman’s tally of 5.5 in the race for the overall MVP in this division.

A SECTION FINAL LOG
Position Team (Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Game Points)
1 North West (4-3-0-1-6-26.5)
2 Northern Cape (4-3-0-1-6-25.5)
3 Mpumalanga (4-2-0-2-4-24)
4 Free State (4-1-1-2-3-23.5)
5 Boland (4-0-1-3-1-20.5)

B SECTION FINAL LOG
Position Team Played Won Drawn Lost Points Games
1 Southern Cape (3-2-1-0-5-21)
2 Limpopo (3-1-1-1-3-18)
3 Eastern Province (3-1-0-2-2-17.5)
4 KwaZulu-Natal (3-1-0-2-2-15.5)