Wentworth Raptures roar in Heritage Day tournament
The organiser of the tournament, Sheldon Francis, aims to inspire the youth to participate in all sporting codes.
BASKETBALL teams locked horns at the Heritage Day tournament held in Montclair recently. The Wentworth Raptures won the first game 76–25 against the City Southern Nets.
The Wentworth team continued to dominate their opponents in the second game, defeating Bluff Valley 59–26. In another thrilling game that kept the fans on the edge of their seats, City Southern Nets faced Bluff Valley in the third game, winning 26–24.
Also read: Basketball teams clash in intense showdown at recent tournament
In the finals, Wentworth Raptures triumphed with a score of 119–4 against Bluff Valley, earning the Wentworth boys an impressive 105 points. These games were in line with Heritage Month celebrations aimed at exploring local talent and inspiring the youth to participate in sport.
Coach for Wentworth Raptures, Sheldon Francis, said the idea to launch this year’s tournament was triggered by incidents of racial intolerance that had reared their ugly heads in schools.
“The idea is to instil a positive mindset in the youth and encourage them to unite irrespective of racial segregation. We have witnessed infightings that have been happening in our schools in the past, however, I believe that we can unite the youth through sport.
“We decided to host the tournament in Montclair to accommodate the residents who are not in our areas. But, most importantly, it is high time that we rectify all the misconceptions about the Wentworth community. We are perceived as a violent community, while in fact, we have great things that we can share with our neighbouring communities,” said Francis.
Francis emphasised the importance of community sports and called on communities to invest in local talents.
“I am impressed with our players’ electrifying performances at their recent games. One of our players got a scholarship to study at Durban High School in January next year,” Francis added.
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