Saints fest in all its glory

The 34th Saints Sports Festival attracted 1 400 sports players from schools across Southern Africa, who all competed for ultimate glory.

This year the festival incorporated soccer, as well as the old favourites – rugby, hockey, netball, tennis, basketball, squash and cross country.

The sports fields and courts at St Stithians College were abuzz despite rain leading to some games being postponed for safety reasons, over the Easter weekend.

Soccer made its debut at the festival, and St Stithians Boys’ College surprised a few spectators when they won the tournament.

In rugby, one of the most anticipated games did not disappoint, as Michaelhouse narrowly beat St Stithians Boys’ College 18–12, as supporters cheered on from the sidelines.

All the while, food vendors and play areas for children ensured that everyone was content throughout the festival. Live entertainment from Chunda Munki and Nasty C, among others, also kept the vibe pumping.

South Africa’s oldest school sports festival has grown since its debut in 1984, and every year alumni, parents and past parents attend.

Read 100 teams in Saints Easter Sports Festival

“The Saints Sports Festival is a major highlight in our calendar and an opportunity for the St Stithians community to live out our intent to inspire excellence and to make a world of difference,” said the college’s rector, Dr Tim Nuttall.

Communication coordinator for the college, Lethabo-Thabo Royds said, “It has been an amazing weekend of school sport and we hope that all participants, supporters, media, and sponsors have enjoyed it as much as we have. We are happy to host the festival for another 34 years.”

The rebranding of the Easter festival has seen the introduction of the college’s Prep Sports Festival which ran from 6–8 April, which included more than 500 sports fixtures with schools from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and Eastern Cape.

The senior section of the festival ran from 12 until 17 April.