The 2025 Chronicle

The 88th Hudson Bennett Golf Day saw an impressive 76 Old Boys take part. We had 26 sponsors in total, who all contribut ed to unbelievable prizes and a very vibrant atmosphere. We will endeavour to have more hole sponsors next year as some of the thirstier Old Boys mentioned a need for more hydration on the course. We were lucky to have the Club President, Rich Bates (Pascoe, 1989), share a few words and thoughts for us to ponder, and collectively we can all agree we are very excited about the direction of the Club under his sound leadership. Unfortunately, in the touch rugby stakes we lost too many games early in the day at the Nottingham Road Touch Tourna ment to get as far as we wanted. We had a few notables pull out during the week leading up to the event; they would have made a difference on the field. Next year we will come with renewed confidence and a serious squad of talent. This, I hope, is the first and last time this happens. Age is not our friend but we hope we can convince some younger Old Boys to join our ranks. We have had a new addition to our Pietermaritzburg commit tee, Piet Pelser (Tatham, 2010), who has added great value. In our next meeting in November we will be introducing Owen Gandar (Baines, 2009) to the committee – what a fantastic addition he is going to be. All in all, the committee comprises fantastic gentlemen with a wonderful mix of experience and youthful energy.

The top four Michaelhouse players on the day were Ron Rut land, Kim Roques, Tristan Roques and Jeremy Boyd (West, 1994). The Michaelhouse top four convincingly beat Hilton’s top four. In the pairs competition, Tristan Roques and Neo Thorne were the top-scoring pair on a countback, with Ron Rutland and Jere my Boyd finishing second. Ron very graciously awarded the top pair prize, reflecting the excellent sportsmanship of the event. In the individuals competition, Kim Roques finished the day as the highest individual points scorer, followed by a tied second between Neo Thorne and Tristan Roques. SOCIAL EVENTS AND ATMOSPHERE The weekend concluded with drinks and a dinner at Malan dela’s, where participants enjoyed the opportunity to catch up and share stories. The atmosphere throughout the week end was relaxed, fun and filled with great camaraderie and friendly rivalry. CONCLUSION Overall, the weekend was a resounding success. The combina tion of sport, socialising and shared history made for a memo rable event, and there is strong enthusiasm to repeat the week end next year. A special thanks goes to Rich Bates (Pascoe, 1989) and Ron Rutland for making the journey from the Midlands to Eswatini to participate in the weekend. We look forward to next year’s event, where Hilton will have a chance to wrestle back the tro phy and, more importantly, where more fun times and bonds of friendship will be forged. The UAE Affiliate of the Old Boys’ Club was established in 2022. Its status was amend ed to that of Branch last year. We have a small quorum of Old Boys in the region, being fewer than 20 in number. To improve attendance, we try to collaborate with Old Hiltoni ans to stage joint events. This year, we held a screening for the home Hilton-Michaelhouse fixture at the Coterie restau rant in Dubai. The screening was attended by five Michael house Old Boys, whose school attendance ranged from the 1980s to the early 2000s. A further drinks event, with Old Boys’ Club President-Elect Ray Mkhulisi (Baines, 2011), was postponed to next year. Since inception we have held both luncheons and Springbok game screenings. The UAE is a vibrant country, offering many opportunities for expatriates. I hope to see more Old Boys flock ing to the country in the coming years. This will allow the branch to grow organically, so as to accommodate more get-togethers. This will be my last year in the role of branch chairman, hav ing served a three-year term. I am in the process of finding a successor, and will help to ensure continuity during the transition phase. It has been a privilege to work with the Old UAE Written by Zayn Sachin Naidoo (Tatham, 2001)

ESWATINI Written by Kim Roques (Farfield, 1991)

MICHAELHOUSE & HILTON OLD BOYS WEEKEND

The Swazi Michaelhouse & Hilton Old Boys Weekend was a great success, bringing to gether Michaelhouse and Hilton old boys and their families for a weekend of sport, camara derie and friendly rivalry on 12 and 13 December.

The event combined padel, golf and social gatherings, all of which were well attended and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

FRIDAY – PADEL TOURNAMENT Friday’s padel tournament went very well. With 24 players in total, it was an even eight players per court, with a good num ber of spectators as well. There was rotational play within each group, allowing everyone to play with a variety of partners and opponents. This ensured an even and enjoyable flow of games throughout the afternoon. After the round-robin group matches to determine the top players, a highly competitive final was played. Michaelhouse was represented by Tristan Roques (Tatham, 2024) and West Mitchell-Innes (East, 2024), while Hilton was represented by Brett Cutting and Robbie James. The final proved to be a real humdinger, with Michaelhouse taking the match two sets to one. A prize-giving and braai followed, rounding off an excel lent opening day. SATURDAY – GOLF DAY Saturday featured a relaxed but competitive golf day at the bushveld Nkonyeni golf course. A total of 20 players made up five four-balls. Once again, Michaelhouse emerged on top.

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