by Ilanit Chernick | Sep 19, 2014 | Sport
For the first time in its eight year history, the “Rocktober” Ultimate Frisbee Championship will be held at Wits University.
The competition will take place on 3-5 October.
The Voodoo Kudus, the Wits Ultimate Frisbee team, will host and compete in South Africa’s second biggest Ultimate Frisbee competition. Sixteen teams from all over South Africa will be playing, including some of the top national teams from Cape Town.
This is the second time the Voodoo Kudus will be playing in Rocktober. Their debut was at last year’s championship, which was held in Randburg.
“There’s going to be some tough competition,” said Voodoo Kudu member, Kristen Bishop.
“But we’re just striving for team synergy and to do our best in all the games we play.”
According to Bishop, the team is lucky to host this year’s competition and it was thanks to their chairperson Sally Crompton, who had pushed to bid for Wits to host.
“There’s going to be some tough competition,”
The South African Flying Disk Association (SAFDA) has been actively involved in encouraging university students to participate in Ultimate Frisbee because, they say, it is a prestigious sport, rapidly gaining momentum around the country.
“It’s not just a game,” said Bishop. “It’s a community, and a sport like this could help build connections and communities in South Africa.”
Crompton and Bishop told Wits Vuvuzela that the recent hat tournament sparked interest in the sport and for the first time in Voodoo Kudu history they were able to enter two teams into the competition.
Bishop enthused: “When people see how skilled the game is and how much athletics and knowledge is needed, it entices competition and makes you want to take part.”
Students are encouraged to support the Voodoo Kudus in the tournament, when the games start between 8am and 5pm on Saturday October 4 and between 8am and 3pm on Sunday October 5 on the Bozzoli B field, the Walter Milton Cricket Oval and in the rugby stadium.
The Voodoo Kudus will also host an open party at the Bozzoli Pavilion from 6pm on Saturday night, October 4.
by Lameez Omarjee | Sep 13, 2014 | Sport
COURT ORDER: Witsie Adam Gordon, third year BCom Law student triumphed over his coach and took the top spot in the Wits Tennis Club Championships. Photo: Bongiwe Tutu
By Lameez Omarjee and Bongiwe Tutu
In a scorching battle for the top spot, a Wits student outplayed his coach at the men’s final of the Wits Tennis club championships, earlier today at the Bozzoli tennis courts.
Third year BCom Law student, Adam Gordon, was quick to take the lead over Wits head tennis coach, Byron Werbeloff (23). Gordon finished the first set 6-1. Werbeloff fought hard to recover but conceded the second and final set 6-4 to Gordon.
Despite his quick victory, Gordon felt he could have done better. “It feels good. I did what I could to win, it helped that I remained consistent.” He added: “I didn’t play my best tennis, I should have been more aggressive”. Werbeloff also felt he could have been more aggressive in the game.
Tennis club tournaments are open to all members and this is why Werbeloff could play in the championship even as a coach. Werbeloff however gave his second place to student Rishay Bharath, 2nd year BSc mechanical engineering, saying “since I am the coach I would rather have one of my students take the win”. Witsie Mike Stephansen, 3rd year BAccSci, was placed third.
In another match Vladimer Makic, 2nd year BSc Applied Maths took fourth place when he beat Michael Wrathall, 1st year BSc aeronautical engineering. Makic said he won because “I served like a machine.”
The Wits tennis club has “raised record numbers of tennis players” and is one of the top five university clubs in the country, according to Werbeloff. A wooden racket tournament will be hosted in October to raise funds for the team, possibly for bursaries. The club hopes to revive tennis and reach the number one spot in the country.
The Women’s finals will take place on Tuesday at 5pm, at the Bozzoli tennis courts.
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by Tendai Dube | Sep 11, 2014 | Sport
Tendai Dube & Lutho Mtongana
The Young Doctors (Medics) celebrate their 16-13 win against Masakhane in the finals of the internal rugby league. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
CORRECTION: Wits Vuvuzela initially reported that Men’s Res won against the Engineers but it was the Engineers that won the game. We regret the error.
After a 10-year losing steak, the Medics have finally claimed the top spot on the internal rugby league by beating Masakhane 16 – 13 at Wits University last night.
The Young Doctors scored the winning try of a high-pressured game that saw both teams at 13-all in the last ten minutes.
“My favourite part of the game was when Charl Stonewall Bosman (medics) slotted that drop goal”, medics captain, Patrick Chappel said.
“It was a tremendously difficult game, it was really tough, there has been a slow rivalry between us and Masakhane for a while now but it was fantastic and the boys are over the moon,” said Chappel.
Although the game ended sadly for the Masakhane boys their captain, Katlego Maseko believes the team put their all in the game.
“The team played amazingly, I think the boys put their all and their hearts into it but as captain, I let them down”, Maseko said.
“We deserved more from the outcome of the game,” he added.
The first half of the game showed Medics leading 13–0 against Masakhane but the Masakhane boys came back hard after an intense pep talk from their captain, telling the team to put out their hands, face-up and grab for the coveted trophy. In the second half Masakhane managed to equalise the score 13-all, but it fell short as the Medics scored once more.
The evening started with a “curtain raiser” match between, Mens Residence playing once again against the recently disqualified Engineers, Engineers won 47-8.
Humanities (Titans) and South African Hellenic Association (SHA) also played a “bowl final”, where the Titans walked away 64-0.
by Roxanne Joseph | Sep 5, 2014 | Sport
WITS VOLLEY: The Wits volleyball women’s team are aiming for the top three in
the Gauteng Volleyball league, with their next match this coming Saturday.
Photo: Roxanne Joseph
The Wits Volley ball women’s team is doing better than it has in the past five years, according to the captain, Sidhika Bharuth-Ram.
Their coach, George Fourie, a former player for South Africa, has turned the team around and has a knack for “developing people who don’t even know how to play the sport,” she said.
They are up against some tough competition but hope to make it to the top three in the Gauteng Volleyball league. Depending on the number of points they are awarded in the next few games, this Saturday and the following, they have a chance.
Bharuth-Ram said that in the University Sport of South Africa tournament, the team did really well. There was a lot of pressure on the team because Wits were the hosts. They had to practice and make sure everything was well organised, but they managed to make it to the top 10.
In the league, the team has “done really, really well” so far and are currently in the top three. Ever since the “The setter controls the game, where you want the ball to go and who you aim it at,” the team was moved from the lower premiums to the higher, they’ve faced “quite a bit of competition”, according to Thandeka Shabalala, the team’s newest player. They were doing well in the lowers and she is confident they will win this week’s match against KAD, a team from Johannesburg.
“The setter controls the game, where you want the ball to go and who you aim it at,”
Although volleyball is not a popular sport they have managed to attract some very promising players, according to Bharuth-Ram, “The dedication is amazing,” she told Wits Vuvuzela.
She completed her Honours in Accounting Science at Wits last year and has been playing for the team since 2010. She is the team’s setter, who is the “playmaker of the game”.
“The setter controls the game, where you want the ball to go and who you aim it at,” she said.
There are some first years on the team who only learnt about the game and began playing at the start of this year and have proven themselves as good, talented players. She describes the team as a “developing” one.
The team’s future looks “bright” but they face challenges including students who do not get bursaries and sometimes have to miss matches for work, especially on Saturday mornings.
by Tendai Dube | Sep 2, 2014 | Sport
DISQUALIFIED: Engineers in a huddle at the Wednesday night game where they beat Men’s Residence, 10 – 5. Photo: Tendai Dube
The Wits Engineers rugby team has been disqualified from the internal rugby league for fielding players in breach of regulations.
The team will not play in the semi-finals tomorrow night after it was found that two of the team members who won 10-5 against Men’s Res last week, belong to other clubs.
The disqualification was confirmed today by the team’s captain, Matthew Peter, and league coordinator Alan Leonard.
The league’s regulations dictate that “a player that has played for any other club during a specific calendar year, whether it was in a friendly or in a league match, will not be allowed to participate in the competition during that specific year.”
According to Leonard, the Engineers’ captain requested permission on the morning of the game to allow a Pirates club member to play that evening but he (Leonard) denied the request. Engineers opted to field the player anyways.
“In our opinion, what would have been more fair is to discuss the terms of a rematch,” said Peter.
“As a whole the internal league has very few Wits students to begin with, there aren’t that many Wits students who are keen to come down and play internal rugby, which is a problem. If that’s the case, you’re forced to bring in outside players.”
Peter also said the issue is more about the handling of the disqualification and how Men’s Res only complained at the end of the match when they knew who the two players were from the beginning.
“Literally, as I walked off the field I was pulled into a meeting, I was standing there in my full kit, sweating off the field, having to explain the two players’ status (sic),” said Peter.
According to Leonard, the Engineers have accepted the ruling and the disqualification from the competition.
As a result of the team’s disqualification, Men’s Res has been granted a second chance to move forward in pursuit of being titled the internal league winners in the final next week Wednesday.
“We are very grateful to be given a second chance and in all honesty we think we deserve it,” said Sbonga Mthalane, Men’s Residence captain.
The semi-final will be an all “M” final, with Masakhane, Medics, Monash and Mens Res, thrashing it out in the hopes of becoming one of the two remaining teams to go head-to-head in the finals the following week.
The lineup sees Masakane playing the first game against the second time lucky Men’s Res, and Medics versus the newcomers to the league, Monash.
The semi-finals are this Wednesday, September 3, from 7 pm on Rugby Field A on East Campus.
by Nqobile Dludla | Sep 1, 2014 | Sport
THE BEST: (L-R) Nadia Krüger won Best Female Boxer while Siphamandla Mamba walked away with Best Male Boxer title on Saturday at the Wits Boxing Tournament. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Wits Boxing Club boxers walked away with best female and best male boxer titles on Saturday at the Wits Boxing Tournament held on campus.
Siphamandla Mamba was named the best male boxer while Nadia Krüger was the top female. Mamba also took the Best Bout (fight) title in a tournament that saw Wits hosting Eldos and North West University boxing clubs.
Although Mamba walked away with the coveted titles, he was not overwhelmed by his performance.
“I feel like I could have done better because I wasn’t throwing as many punches as I would have loved to,” said Mamba.
Krüger though was a little more positive. “I’m satisfied with my performance, but improvement is always needed. My opponent fought well and I think we both can learn out of our performances”, said Krüger
Although “surprised” to be given the titles, Mamba’s boxing prowess spoke for itself when he faced Zusiphe Sicwebe from his own club even before he laid his hands on the trophy.
Sicwebe, also known as “Zues”, moved away from Mamba, as soon as the fight began. Sicwebe, who often waited for Mamba to strike first, couldn’t find a rhythm for his jabs and counters.
Mamba drove the action in the first round, but had difficulty in closing the gap to land anything clean. Still, the tough favourite plugged away, hoping to break the barrier that was Sicwebe’s movement and defence.
All it took was one shot from Mamba to change things and that’s exactly what happened early in the second round. In this round both boxers were more energetic and more aggressive.
Mamba tried to trap Sicwebu against the ropes but Sicwebu quickly moved away from Mamba’s follow up left hook to the face. Sicwebu no longer played the defence game, making it more challenging for Mamba to follow through with combination punches.
It didn’t take long for Mamba to regain his rhythm in the third round which saw the pace of the fight losing momentum as both boxers played it clean, but not following through with strong target jabs. Mamba won eventually while Sicwebu walked away with Best Bout award.
Krüger’s head jabs
Krüger’s fight was more aggressive and energetic. Her opponent was Tshepiso Lehutjo who suffered head blows from Krüger’s combination jabs to the head.
Lehutjo tried to be unpredictable by changing her jabs to score points to the stomach, but this made it easier for Krüger who easily threw a left hook that exploded the second it connected with Lehutjo’s jaw.
“I’m very impressed with our boxers, especially since a lot of boxers went into the ring for the first time. It’s very important because the first time is really not about winning or losing but getting rid of that fear of getting into the ring which is scary”, said Wits Boxing coach Njabulo Mahlalela.
by Lameez Omarjee | Aug 31, 2014 | Sport
BATTLEFIELD: Evasan Chettiar, 2nd year BEng represented South Africa at the World University Chess Championships held in Poland last week. He is pictured taking on an opponent during the 4th round of the competition. Photo: Provided
A number of Witsies helped to land the South African chess team on the 13th spot overall at the World University Chess Championships in Katowice, Poland, last week.
Seadimo Tlale, 2nd year LLB,and 2nd year BEng student, Evasan Chettiar, were faced with tough competition, but helped to improve South Africa’s overall international ranking.
Tough competition
“The tournament was the toughest tournament I’ve played in my whole life. I played World Juniors in 2008, but oh my word, it was nothing like that,” said Tlale, the only female in the team, said. She started the tournament with the lowest rating of 0 but ended with a rating close to 1600.
THINKER: Seadimo Tlale, 2nd year LLB was the only female in a team of four students representing South Africa in the World University Chess Championships held in Poland last week. She is pictured in the first round of the competition. Photo: Provided
“We discovered that South Africans were underrated and we performed well above our national ratings,” said Chettiar, who scored the highest in the men’s section, amongst his South African teammates.
His male teammates from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and North West University scored half a point below him.
Overall, team South Africa’s ratings were below 1800. “Over there, our performances were above 2000, and that’s good in chess,” he said.
Tlale and Chettiar were exposed to competitors of different cultures, which added to the value of their experience. Besides learning new techniques to aid their game, they also made new friends from Japan, Switzerland and France and learnt a bit of Polish.
Polished technique
“There’s a lot of stuff I changed about my personal play that I think I can even bring back home and start playing at that level and that style,” said Tlale.
“We learnt how to take advantage of opening mistakes and how to avoid making opening mistakes,” said Chettiar.
“If we could keep up to par internationally, maybe we will do better nationally and locally”
Wits Sports officer TebogoRabothata is looking forward to the contribution Tlale and Chettiar will make to the chess club.
“Their fellow players would also want to up their game,” and possibly “emulate them” which would help the club get more sponsorships in the near future.
“It will actually help the young players going forward,” he said.
Tlale and Chettiar hope to inspire their teammates by incorporating more online tournaments and touring. They are both nominees for full Blue Cum Laude colours and Sportswoman and Sportsman of this year’s Sports Awards, respectively.
Given “home-ground advantage”, according to Tlale, Poland took the first place in the tournament, followed by Russia and Armenia.
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by Lameez Omarjee | Aug 29, 2014 | Sport
Wits’ women basketball players have outshone their male counterparts in the 2014 season, taking gold in the national league and tying for first place in the provincial league.
The women’s team, Wits Lady Bucks, is now regarded as “the best university team in the country for the 2014 season”, according to team captain Modiegi Mokoka, 3rd year BSc Construction Studies. The team won the University Sports South Africa (USSA) basketball national championships in July.
Team work
Since then, the team has continued competing in the Gauteng Women’s Basketball League and the Gauteng University Basketball League (GBUL), in which they tied with the Vaal University of Technology for first place.
The men’s team came third in their division in the USSA national championships.
This year, the women’s team adopted a “win at all costs” system as opposed to the “everyone must play” approach of previous years, said Mokoka. Their successful performance this year was attributed to team work.
“We listened, we had confidence, we executed but, most of all, we played for each other. We went from 4th place to number one in the country. There’s no better progress than that,” she said.
After years of competing in the USSA championships, this was the first time the team took the top title, having progressed from sixth place in 2011 to first in 2014.
“We had faith,” said Patience Gumbo, BHSc Honours in Forensic Science and vice-chairperson of the club. “We wanted to win it. We really were determined this time. We have gone through so much and pushed through so much that we deserved and owed it to ourselves to give it all.”
The core team competed together since 2010, said Gumbo. “Bit by bit, we kind of became who we are now, but we are still growing … We have been improving over the years and winning USSA national championships showed that.”
“Losing to VUT constantly by two points since the 2012 season pushed us to our limit.”
The win had inspired and motivated the team to keep working harder, she said. “The other teams won’t be easier on us and they are just going to keep pushing harder.”
The toughest teams in the competition were Cape Peninsula University of Technology which reached the finals in 2012 and 2013, and Vaal University of Technology (VUT). VUT were national champions for six years in a row, according to Coach William Matlakala, who has coached the women since 2010.
Game change
“The biggest pusher was that we were tired of defeat,” said Mokoka. “Losing to VUT constantly by two points since the 2012 season pushed us to our limit.”
She said VUT’s team consisted of national and international players and the entire team was on full sports bursaries (tuition and accommodation). This made it easier for the team to be “basketball orientated”, compared to Witsies who played for the “love of it”.
“VUT and CPUT have scholarships for their players and athletes,” confirmed Matlakala. “We can’t do the same so that has been the main challenge.”
Mokoka said the team’s dynamics were “play as a team to win as a team”, but individuals had opportunities to improve on their own goals. Their plans were to continue their success until the end of 2014 and to develop new players for the new season in 2015.
Coach Matlakala said defending the championship next year would be much harder, but fortunately, only a small number of players were due to graduate at the end of the year. Before the end of 2015, they hoped to recruit new and advanced players.
GUBL games will take place this Sunday, from 9am to 5.45pm at Hall 29.
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by Nqobile Dludla | Aug 24, 2014 | Sport
Bidvest Wits went into the second leg of their match against Orlando Pirates with 2 goals already against them. Last night, Pirates put on a top-class performance at Orlando Stadium to move into the MTN 8 final with another 3 goals against the Clever Boys. The match finished 3-1.
Wits failed to stop the Buccaneers from reaching a fifth consecutive final and four MTN 8 final appearances in the last five years.
The Clever Boys came with intention to attack judging from their starting line up that included Sithembiso Ngcobo playing in the first half with hope to net one early in the first half.
Indeed in the first half, The Clever Boys showed consistency in pilling on the pressure from the start, leading with good ball possession and forcing Pirates back into their own half.
Bidvest Wits early goal attempt in the 3rd minute failed to put the team ahead when Vincent Pule’s shot went over the bar.
Ngcobo could have also have had a goal to his name if it wasn’t for a defence tackle from Happy Jele which saw Ngcobo’s attempt, combined with Toriq Losper’s pass go wide off.
Enjoying a sustained period of ball dominance, Bidvest Wits’ third chance came from defender Buhle Mkhwanazi, who out-ruled Siyabonga Sangweni in the 11th minute to steer his header that went wide of the mark from close range.
Pirates’ goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa had no trouble deflecting Bidvest Wits’ ambitious attempts when he saved Bidvest Wits’ captain, Sibusiso Vilakazi’ shot in the 30th minute.
Pirates started gaining momentum towards the end of the first half, with Erasmus, who often found himself off-side, breaking through Bidvest Wits’ backline with tremendous pace, only to have his efforts halted.
The second half kicked off with both teams’ score sheet still empty, putting more pressure on the Wits side as time was running out and still no early goal from Wits.
Wits nearly scored a minute after halftime when Ngcobo steered his header wide of the target.
Erasmus took charge again when he paced through Wits’ backline and finished with a solid lead goal. Wits quickly closed the widening score gap when Gataneh Kebede won and converted an equalising penalty kick in the 76th minute.
Pirates coach, Vladimir Vermerzovic’s game changer, Lehlohonolo Majoro impressed the crowd when he came on and netted a brilliantly angled shot received from Sifiso Myeni’s header in the 84th minute, making Orlando Pirates lead with a 2-1.
Without hesitation, the striker finished a 3-1 lead when he strategically beat the offside trap and sent his shot over Wits goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane who advanced towards “Major” in an attempt to deflect his 2nd victory.
Major’s finish made the climb steeper for Wits who could not cover four goals to advance to the final stage.
Wits coach Gavin Hunt was clearly disappointed: “We were dead and buried even before they scored the first goal”.
“All credit to them for breaking away on the second goal of death, we were dead and buried even before they scored the first goal”, said Hunt.
by Ilanit Chernick | Aug 22, 2014 | Sport
The Wits Ultimate Frisbee team, the Voodoo Kudus, will be hosting a hat tournament at Wits this weekend.
The tournament will host a number of players from a variety of local varsity teams.
“A hat tournament puts together [players] based on names pulled out of a hat. It makes things equal and lots of fun, because players get put onto random teams. The experienced and beginners get a chance to play together,” said Wits team member Kristen Bishop.
The aim of the tournament is to encourage more Witsies to get involved with this unique sport.
Bishop said that what makes this game so unique is the way it’s played, “The game is self-refereed and the team also decides on the rules amongst themselves”.
Chair of the Ultimate Frisbee club, Sally Crompton, said one of the best aspects of the sport is called “the spirit of the game”, which is about refereeing yourself.
“Each team selects a spirit captain who referees the game honestly, which facilitates trust and makes things fair within the game.”
Crompton also said a draw factor to the game is that it draws “fun people, the team is co-ed, multi-racial and had wide range of age groups”.
Ultimate Frisbee has become increasingly popular in South African universities in the last few years. With teams at the University of Cape Town, Pretoria University and Fort Hare University, Wits too has now created its own team.
The sport, which is “a cross between netball and American football”, was introduced to Wits in 2009. A Geography MA student Mike Weston, otherwise known to today’s team as “Grand Master Mike”, formed a team with fellow Geography and Biology students.
Mike started playing the sport “for fun” with his friends after discovering it earlier in his university career.
“I got the chance to play in some tournaments overseas and saw how big and ‘vibey’ it was at those universities. It made me decide to start a team at Wits.”
“We also want to encourage women to join so we can create an all-women’s team to play in the all-women tournament that takes place every year.”
The team became a fully-fledged club in 2010 and began to play competitively just amongst Witsies initially. Since 2011, the team has played competitively in a number of competitions across the country.
They have now played in nationals for three years in a row and hope to improve their performance as the team becomes more experienced.
Bishop said that one of the biggest challenges is recruitment and team development. They hope to grow the sport at Wits and would love to have two Wits teams.
“We also want to encourage women to join so we can create an all-women’s team to play in the all-women tournament that takes place every year.”
The first part of the tournament will kick off on Saturday morning from 8am on Boz B fields behind the cricket oval. The training session is open to all Witsies who want to learn how to play Ultimate Frisbee.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and also to become familiar with the game,” Crompton said.
The official hat tournaments will take place on Saturday afternoon on the Boz B fields from 1pm to 5pm and on Sunday morning from 8am to 1pm.
There will also be an open party happening from 6pm on Saturday night at the Frisbee club room.
by Luca Kotton | Aug 20, 2014 | Sport
CAPTAIN’S DUEL: Sibusiso Vilakazi battles for the ball with Maritzburg United captain Ashley Hartog in a match which saw the Clever Boys create multiple chances but manage to only score a solitary goal. Photo: Luca Kotton
Bidvest Wits beat Maritzburg United by a solitary goal to remain unbeaten in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) at Bidvest Stadium this evening.
The Clever Boys started the match with a number of new players and managed to create multiple scoring opportunities but ended the game with little to show for it apart from the goal of Sthembiso Ngcobo.
The change in formation with no wingers in midfield and two strikers upfront seemed to challenge the home side’s creativity.
Gavin Hunt, Bidvest Wits coach told Wits Vuvuzela after the match: ”To play with two strikers you have to play with no width, so we played with no width today although on Sunday we tried and we just got burnt.”
Phumlani Ntshangase played his first game of the season for the Clever Boys, received the man of the match award along with weighty praise from the coach.
“He was the difference in the team, he was fantastic … I should have put him in a long time ago bit obviously he was suspended in the beginning of the season and now he can come in,” Hunt said.
Cornelis Kwakman, a Wits defender, also played his first game since arriving from the Netherlands and kept a clean sheet for his team, putting himself in strong contention for selection as the team’s main centre back.
Kwakman told Wits Vuvuzela: “The teams performance was very good, if you saw the pitch it was very difficult to play. We had a lot of chances today, I have not seen more chances for the team this whole season.”
The Clever Boys face Orlando Pirates in the second leg of the MTN8 at Orlando Stadium this Saturday with a two goal deficit working against them.
by Luca Kotton | Aug 17, 2014 | Sport
CHASING DOWN: Buhle Mkhwanazi of Bidvest Wits watches Kermit Erasmus run past him during their MTN8 semi-final clash. The Clever boys are chasing Pirates after the Buccaneers took a two goal lead in the two match tie. Photo: Luca Kotton
Orlando Pirates outsmarted the Clever Boys in a 2-0 victory at a packed Bidvest Stadium earlier this afternoon.
The win leaves Pirates in a commanding position over Bidvest Wits in the two-leg MTN8 semi-final.
The Buccaneers tactically looked stronger than the home team with ample goal-scoring opportunities and a very tight defence.
Pirates coach, Vladimir Vermezovic told Wits Vuvuzela,”Every game is a battle on the field, at the end of the day everything depends on players. We as coaches can prepare strategy and tactical approach but everything depends on them. Fortunately , the players did everything we told them before the game.”
The match started in typical fashion for both top-placed Premier League sides with Pirates dominating possession but unable to create any telling opportunities.
The first half ended scoreless but early in the second half, a Daine Klate corner-kick was met by the head of Orlando Pirates captain Siyabonga Sangweni for the first goal of the match.
After the goal, Bidvest Wits pushed for the equaliser, however, after missing a golden chance to score in the Pirates box, the away side countered with more pace and pressure.
Thabo Matlaba netted the second for the Buccaneers, with a composed finish past the helpless Thapelo “Jackson” Mabokgwane who was left one-on-one with the Pirates defender.
The game ended with Bidvest Wits unable to break down the defence of Vermezovic’s men who held the score at 2-0.
Bidvest Wits will travel to Orlando Stadium next week Saturday with a mountain of a two-goal deficit to to climb.
Vermezovich added,” We realise that 2-0 is a very dangerous result and Wits is also a very strong team and we won’t underestimate them, after today’s result.”
