Villagers celebrate season of winning
The hard work has paid off for the local rugga team as they claimed the Junior Murray Cup for a third successive year.
LAND Rover Durban Hillcrest Villagers Rugby Club added the final jewel to their 2017 KZNRU First Division crown when they won the Junior Murray Cup Knockout Trophy at the Crusaders Rugby Club at the weekend.
The local outfit beat the Vryheid Rugby Club 45 – 26 and were crowned the undisputed 2017 KZNRU First Division Rugby champions.
The Villagers’ captain, Brian ‘Cappy’ Lewis, received the prestigious trophy from the KZNRU’s Schalk Liebenburg and was also named man of the match.
Mike de Kock, and assistant coach, Taffy Guru, simply described the win as “mission accomplished”.
“The success of the 2017 season did not happen by accident. Starting back in December, the team committed to a strenuous pre-season programme and we set a clear goal that the only way to achieve all of the accolades was too simply win all of our matches.
“The conditioning work paid off as we were able to field a fairly consistent team throughout the season. In my 11 years of being at Hillcrest Villagers, I have never seen a squad so committed to the cause. I believe that taking home the Dewar Shield and Junior Murray cup are just rewards for the hard work put in. The team motto we adopted throughput the season was to stay humble and to stay hungry. We carry this forward as we set our sights on newer, greater goals in pursuing a place in the coveted premier division. We hope that through the exposure we’ve received during the course of the season, we have earned the backing and support of the upper highway community as we carry this club forward to greater heights,” said Mike.
The club’s pre-season, which began in September last year, left players with one main goal – to win both the KZNRU 1st Division and 1st Division Reserve leagues, unbeaten.
The 1st XV set itself a further objective, to retain the Junior Murray Cup and become the only First Division Rugby Club since its inception in 1911, to win the trophy on three successive occasions.
“This is an extremely proud moment for the club. It gives it’s players, loyal supporters, generous sponsors, and hard-working committee an end result that has made it all worth the huge effort,” concluded club chairman, René Missen.
