On the day, the club fielded the first competitive all African bowls team in the Ekurhuleni Bowls League’s Division Five, when they played their first game of the season at home to Heidelberg Bowling Club.
Team players Banele “Hotshot” Ngam (skip), Mzwakhe Toni (third), Sibonelo Msekelo (second) and Sifiso Brian (lead), all from Ephes Mamkeli Secondary School in Wattville, are all participants in the Ekurhuleni Bowls Development Programme, hosted by Denise Field, Maureen Smith, Jenny Jones and Barbara Rickard.
The players are also all members of the u-19 Ekurhuleni Bowls Development Squad and have a few years of experience at competition and inter-provincial level, thanks to the time and effort spent by the Kleinfontein women.
The club also has two young girls from the same school in their midst, with Noxolo Ngame and Zee Ntabeni participating in the Ekurhuleni Development Programme and members of Kleinfontein’s women’s teams.
Like their male counterparts, they have also competed at inter-provincial level.
On the Saturday big cheers went up at the club when life member and trustee of the Kleinfontein club Brian Fleetwood arrived with the youngsters in his car, as all Kleinfontein bowlers had been called in to show their support for the team.
Chairwoman Wendy Fleetwood said that the reality of this momentous occasion had not yet sunk, in as the team were focusing hard on putting in an admirable effort in this their first ever league game.
Vice-chairman Marius Nepgen added that he, too, is proud to be a part of this historical happening and that now is the right time for big business to get involved and offer sponsorship in all forms, from shoes, to shirts, trousers, hats, jackets and, hopefully, a set of bowls each, as they are playing with bowls from the development squad and these may be required for use by other development members.
The team’s captain, Shaun Field, was full of praise for the youngsters’ ability to win their first game.
In his team talk, before the start of the game, he advised them to take their time, concentrate and read the game end-to-end and adjust where necessary to counteract the opposition’s style of play.
He also encouraged them not to get disheartened should they go down a few ends.
After a superb start, the young bowlers were 9-0 up on the first skin (set of seven ends), taking two points early on in the game.
Experience showed as the players from Heidelberg started to get into the game, picking up two points to win the second skins by seven shots to five.
The third skins went in Heidelberg’s favour, with seven shots to six for another two points.
At the game’s end the youngsters had the higher overall score, 20 shots for and 14 shots against, thus picking up another two points and drawing the game with Heidelberg.
After the games concluded there were high fives all around as the excitement overflowed to their fellow members.
Team skip Ngam said: “We are confident that we can put in a great performance in all of our league games and make our club and Ekurhuleni Bowls proud of us.”
