Latest news with #Coetzer
The Citizen
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Irene Villagers Cricket Club ends season as top club in various leagues
The Irene Villagers Cricket Club showed for the second time in four years that Tuks' days of total domination of club cricket under the jurisdiction of the Titans Cricket Union (previously known as Northerns Cricket Union) were probably numbered. After this club in Centurion won their first ever Premier League title four years ago, they not only repeated the achievement this past season, but also dominated several other leagues. Irene Villagers Cricket Club had a truly remarkable 2024/2025 season. The club's achievements include: Men's Premier League first team was crowned champions. They beat Tuks, who normally dominate the league, to the top position. In the final league match they had a nine wicket win against Tuks to claim the crown as league champions. Irene Villagers' first team shared the men's T20 Cup with Tuks due to a rain-affected final. They were in a dominant position when the match was called off. Irene Villagers' Women's Premier League first team was also crowned champions. With this achievement, they won their sixth title in seven seasons. The club's Men's second team were shared winners of the Reserve League and won the Reserve League T20 Cup. After the season, Irene Villagers Cricket Club also received a great honour when they were named the winner of the Club of Excellence award at the Titans Cricket Union's annual awards ceremony. They won this award for a fourth year in a row. 'It is a proud moment to witness the members of Villagers and Irene Country Club lift both the men's and women's Premier League trophies, along with the prestigious Club of Excellence award – a triple triumph rooted in camaraderie and a deep sense of belonging,' said the club's chairman, Pierre Coetzer. According to Coetzer, this achievement is powered by a world-class training program. 'Irene Villagers is where players grow together, play for one another and pursue greatness as one,' he remarked. Doug Yates, director of cricket at Irene Villagers, who oversees coaching for the men's and women's first teams, agreed that it has been a standout season for the club. 'The fact that our men's first team was able to break Tuks' dominance to win the Premier League, alongside sharing the T20 Cup final from a strong position, was a major statement. The women's team claiming their sixth title in seven years shows their continued excellence, while our men's second team's double success in the Reserve League and T20 competition speaks to the depth we've built,' he commented. For Yates, the club's award as Club of Excellence for the fourth consecutive year was the icing on the cake. 'It is the perfect reflection of the hard work across all levels of the club,' he concluded. Irene Villagers Cricket Club was established in 1965 and is a section of the Irene Country Club. It is one of the largest cricket affiliated clubs in the Titans Cricket Union with 24 teams across the juniors, ladies and gentlemen cricket sections, including two Veteran's team for players older than 40. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- The Citizen
Watch: Man attacks disabled woman alleged reckless driving in Mbombela
A 61-year-old disabled woman says she was assaulted after she tried to get the details of a man who allegedly nearly caused an accident by taking a dangerous shortcut across the R40 at the Westend Shopping Centre in Mbombela. 'If I didn't swerve, there would have been a head-on collision,' said Estella Coetzer, a Hilltop resident, speaking to Lowvelder. The incident occurred at around 07:00 on Wednesday (June 11) shortly after she had dropped off her grandchild at a nearby primary school. She had stopped at the Sasol Garage before heading home. 'I turned left onto the R40 when I saw a car coming straight at me. A man, travelling from the Barberton direction, had cut across the central median of the R40 to access the Sasol Garage. I swerved to the left to avoid him. He didn't stop and just drove on. I was extremely upset and decided to turn back to get his registration number so I could report him for reckless driving,' she said. Coetzer spotted the vehicle at the garage. 'I parked in front of the shop, and as I was getting out, I saw him approaching. He started shouting at me, saying: 'You funny lady! You wanted to kill me!' I told him he was the one who nearly killed me with his reckless driving.' She attempted to take a photo of his car. 'That was when he shoved me and pushed me into my vehicle, trying to grab my mobile phone. I called for help, but no one responded. He eventually managed to get hold of my phone and smashed it on the ground. He also broke my glasses during the altercation,' Coetzer said. @lowvelder Video footage of the assault on the 61-year-old Estella Coetzer by a 35-year-old man. The incident happened at the Sasol Garage at Westend on Wednesday, June 11. ♬ original sound – Lowveld Media The man then returned to his car and drove off. One of the garage employees activated the panic button, and within minutes, security response vehicles from iSecure, Hi-Tech and Divergent Ops arrived on the scene. 'I was shocked and flabbergasted,' Coetzer said. 'At that moment, my former employer came out of the garage shop. He brought me coffee – with lots of sugar – to calm me down and wiped the blood from a cut on my lip.' She later reported the incident to the police. Her husband, Flippie, took her to Rob Ferreira Hospital, where she was examined, underwent x-rays, and was discharged. Lowvelder has since established that the suspect, who was driving a red Ford Laser, is a 35-year-old man from Mbonisweni, near Kabokweni. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
06-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Bridgerweight a blessing for South Africa's smaller heavyweight boxers
The World Boxing Council's (WBC) newly-established bridgerweight division, its 18th weight class, has come as a blessing to South African fighters, especially those who have been campaigning in the heavyweight division. Established by WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán in 2020, the division sits between the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. It caters for small heavyweight fighters, with a weight limit of 106kg. Former IBO cruiserweight champion Kevin Lerena rules the division with an iron fist after his stunning defeat of Ukrainian Serhiy Radchenko in Pretoria on Thursday. South African heavyweight champion Shaun Potgieter and former national heavyweight champions Chris Thompson and Keaton Gomes are also rated in that weight class. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭 🤜💥🤛 Kevin Lerena successfully defends his WBC Bridgerweight title on home soil 🇿🇦 #TheReckoning — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) May 1, 2025 Gomes won his debut match in the division in the WBC Grand Prix Series in Saudi Arabia last month. Former Gauteng and WBA Pan African cruiserweight champ Akani Phuzi won his first fight in that weight class last weekend. His trainer/manager, Damien Durandt, said: 'The plan is to campaign at international level.' South Africa has always struggled to produce fully-fledged heavyweight boxers, except for Gerrie Coetzee, whose weight was about 115kg. Coetzee's size made it possible for him to stand and trade blows with the likes of John Tate, Mike Weaver, Greg Page, Michael Dokes and Frank Bruno, though most of these stopped him within scheduled distances. Corrie Sanders was a small heavyweight at 109kg. He defeated fringe opponents en route to winning the WBU belt, which he defended successfully three times against average opponents. The moment he met a credible, fully-fledged heavyweight contender in Hasim Rahman, who weighed 129kg, Sanders' size was exposed. He just could not hurt the American, who stopped him in round seven in 2000. Sanders' hand speed was his best weapon, and it helped him win the WBO title in 2003 via a second-round stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko. Sanders' reign was short-lived. Kitschko's brother, Vitali Klitschko, stopped him in eight rounds the next year. Pierre Coetzer was similar to Sanders in track record. Coetzer reigned supreme as the national heavyweight champ. However he was knocked out in round one by American Bernard Benton, a full-blown former WBC and The Ring cruiserweight champion, who made his debut in the heavyweight division against Coetzer at Standard Bank Arena on September 28 1987. Coetzer made the biggest mistake of his life in facing George Foreman, who severely punished him, ultimately winning by a technical knockout in the eighth round. Foreman dominated the fight with his powerful punches, knocking Coetzer down twice and causing significant damage. The referee stopped the fight after the second knock-down. Francois Botha, who weighed 118kg, was not deterred by his smallness. He mixed it with the likes of Axel Schultz, Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs, Lennox Lewis and Michael Grant in his illustrious career, which saw him win the IBF and WBF belts.
