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Merrifield’s Very Own Bi-Weekly Newspaper 6 March 2017

From the Executive Head, Dr Guy Hartley

“Magnificent Merrifield Mile”. These were the sporting headlines of The Go! on Thursday 2 March and `what an appropriate choice of words. Once again the Merrifield community have stepped up as a collective to run a major corporate event through to great success. The efficient way in which the Mile is organised; the close attention to detail; the caring and personal assistance on offer - is all a window into the heart of Merrifield school and a reflection of the ethos and quality framework in which things are done at Merrifield. As such, I am always very proud to be associated with the Mile and the people of our community who deliver with commitment and dedication time and time again. A huge thank you to each and every member of our Merrifield community who contributed to another very memorable Mile last Sunday. The event continues to grow in popularity and brings much goodwill and acclaim to the school. A par-ticular thank you to Tracey Mangold and Debbie Lacey without whom there would be no Merrifield Mile. Their efforts go way beyond the call of duty as they pull off so professionally an event of such magnitude. We enter into the final four weeks of term and still have a packed schedule ahead of us before the term’s close. Please be reminded about the School’s Open Information Evening on Wednesday 15 March with presentations from 6 pm and tours of the school from 5-6 pm. Should you have friends or relatives interested in the school, please remind them about our presentations to the public on this date.

The Merrifield Mile was a fantastic success, thank you to everyone involved! For more pictures and a report, see

inside. Picture: KEVIN ADAMS

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By TARALYN MCLEAN

It was twice as nice for Merrifield Mile overall winning man Kyle Holmes who swum his way to a second consec-

utive victory at this year’s 15th annual Merrifield Mile which took place on Sunday at Wriggleswade Dam.

Holmes fended off runner up Daniel Jones in a time of 21minutes 44seconds, just two seconds ahead of Jones

after a sprint finish. Holmes won the 2016 Merrifield Mile in a time of 20m11s. The minute lag can be attributed

to the choppy water brought on by breezy conditions. Jones competed in both the Mile and the 500m Dash,

claiming victory in the Dash in a time of 7minutes 19seconds.

“The beginning was a little hard because of all the people bunching up … then the waves started picking up and I

started choking on some water. I was stuck behind the leader at the time until the end, so I could sprint to try

and win the race,” Holmes said, who added that he would definitely be back again.

“(The event is) really good because everyone is supporting people swimming. My mother was saying that people

were just screaming at the end for me and Daniel to see who would win.”

Overall woman’s winner Chloe Velde came back to claim victory after a runner up placing last year. She won the

Mile event in 23minutes 39seconds, ahead of runner up Tayla Botha who finished in 24m07s. Botha won the

event last year. “I will definitely be back next year,” Velde said. “(The event) is nice because you can race against

people you train with and you don’t really get to do lots of open water swimming in East London.”

It was not only the fastest swimmers who had a good day out in the water. Roughly 900 swimmers took to the

dam in either the Spur Splash, the 500m Dash or the flagship event, the Merrifield Mile.

Weather conditions warmed up over the course of the morning, matching the spirit of the approximately 3000

supporters who lined the banks to cheer on swimmers.

“It’s great to see so many people here at Wriggleswade supporting the Merrifield Mile,” Merrifield Preparatory

School and College Executive Head Dr Guy Hartley said. “We have had a wonderful day out, a family outing for

those who come out to the dam.” The Merrifield Mile, powered by feature sponsor Nedbank, is hosted and or-

ganised by Merrifield School.

Event organiser and Merrifield Marketing Manager Tracey Mangold hailed the day as a success. “A huge thank

you to the swimmers and supporters for joining us at another magnificient Merrifield Mile! Although the swim

was tough, the weather was perfect for a day outdoors. Special thanks to our team of sponsors for making it

happen.” * Results are available on the Merrifield School’s website at www.merrifieldschool.co.za.

Picture: SIZWE TSAMA

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Fun at the Merrifield Mile

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GO KART RACING

18 Feb: Grade 2 student Heath Vallance attended the Border Karting 50cc first race of the year at East London Grand Prix Karting track. Heath came second for the day, missing first place by a narrow 1 point margin. The next race will be held on 12 March.

HOCKEY

24 Feb: Well done to the U13 girls hockey team for winning both hockey matches at Clarendon, and especially to Nishreya Naidoo, woman of the match for the first match, and Devina Pillay for woman of the match for the second match. CRICKET 28 Feb: U9 cricket. Merrifield vs Nahoon, Merrifield won by 11 runs; vs Hudson B, Merrifield won by 5 runs. Best fielder: Adam Brown; Best batsman: Nick Bamberger; Bowler: Damian and Muhammad. 2 Mar: Boys U13 vs Kuswag, Merrifield lost by 10 runs. Man of match: Matthew Wood. 28 Feb: Boys U15 vs West Bank. Merrifield won by 60 runs.

TENNIS 3,4 March: Selborne/Clarendon Mixed Doubles: Merrifield/Clarendon beat Victoria Park; lost to Grey/Collegiate; beat St Andrew’s/DSG; lost to Selborne/Clarendon in the semi-finals and lost to Pearson in the third/fourth playoff. Finished fourth overall.

GOLF 12 Feb: Merrifield staff member Ziyanda Ngcebetsha played at the Humewood Golf Course in Port Elizabeth as part of the Eastern Province women’s Golf Open Amateur Champs. She won best nett AM in the B Division and Team Event Combined best 3 out of 4 scores. 18 Feb: Border Ladies Champ East London Golf Course Event. Ziyanda won the Handicap Team Trophy, (nett for club teams) and Johnson & Johnson trophy (Gross for club Teams).

Our prep A league swimmers performed so well at the Athlone Shield gala—well done!

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Happy birthday to the following staff

and students, from 3 March to

16 March:

Students: Rachel Mangold, Christian

Hempel, Xylie Tarr, Jialu Gao, Luke

Hanner, Yusha Peer, Devina Pillay;

Kirsten Gibson, Esona Ngxola, Joshua

Talbot, Danah Clark, Samiha Dhoda,

Andrew Rautenbach, Mia Mandila, David

Goldsmid, Yolisa Poswa, Nathan Sparg,

Unam Tebe, Jocelyn Ward, Caitlyn Kaiser,

Qhawelethu Mbetshu, Keegan McLaren,

Nicolaas Naude, Muhammad Peer, Sophia

Zapata, Mahle Ntsebeza, Andrew Rich,

Hugo Williams-Jones, Jenna Gouws,

Bukho Madini, Ntando Matshoba and

Keanu Power.

Staff: Caroline Vanayedwa, Victoria

Qobongoshe, Nancy Mantla, Chay Bachar, Rebecca Wheatley, Gerald White and Daphne Strydom.

Fitted Look Suit Hire clearance sale.

Suits for sale R800 each, including a shirt.

Contact Mr Jafta for more information 082 716 6327.

Miguel Da Silva, Acacia Denison and Darren Goldhill in Grade 10

celebrated their 16th birthdays with a traditional sparkly

experiment in the science labs.

the beginning of the second term.