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18 January 2018 Photo Free State Cricket.
Kovsie cricketer, Raynard van Tonder, impresses at U19 World Cup
Raynard van Tonder, captain of the South African under-19 cricket team, is a BSocSci student at the University of the Free State. Izel Cilliers, a BCom student at the UFS, was included in the women’s squad of Cricket South Africa’s national academy programme.
Raynard van Tonder, captain of the South African under-19 cricket team, has had an excellent start to the U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

The Kovsie student smashed 143 runs in his team’s 169-run victory over Kenya in the teams’ first outing in the tournament on 14 January 2018.

Player of the match

Van Tonder’s century came from just 121 deliveries and earned him the player of the match award.

With that, the 19-year old recorded the third-highest score ever by a South African in under-19 one-day internationals, matching AB de Villiers’ 143 he made back in 2003.

The South African youngsters will next be in action on Wednesday 17 January 2018 when the team faces the defending champions, the West Indies.

Van Tonder, who is studying for a BSocSci at the University of the Free State (UFS), is going places with his cricket. Last year he played in 19 international fixtures in which he scored six 50s and one century – a brilliant 131 not out against the Windies.

He had already made his first-class debut whilst still in matric in Grey College in 2016.

Member of Cricket SA academy programme

He scored 22 and 39 not out in his first-class debut and scored an impressive 63 in his very first A-list match.

On 15 January 2018, Van Tonder was named as a member of the national academy programme of Cricket South Africa.

Izel Cilliers, a BCom Kovsie student, was included in the women’s squad.

The programme runs from 21 May until 27 July 2018 and aims to prepare young players for the demands of professional cricket.

News Archive

Johann swims his way to Olympics
2016-05-18


Johann van Heerden from the University of the Free State has qualified for the Paralympic Games in the swimming pool, and is now waiting to hear if he will be included in the South African team. Photo: Nadya van Heerden.

In the past couple of months, Johann van Heerden has been swimming his way to the Paralympic Games, and is still preparing as if he will be going to Rio de Janeiro.

The Kovsie swimmer, who will know whether he has been included in the Paralympic team in July 2016, feels his training is progressing well. The Olympics will be held in Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. If all goes well, this could be the first of several Olympics for the 20-year-old second-year Education student from the University of the Free State (UFS).

Dream year for Education student

Van Heerden (cerebral palsy), whose hero is the former Paralympic superstar Natalie du Toit, has had huge successes in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics. Among others, he was named the best senior swimmer at the Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled in Bloemfontein in March 2016. At the South African Senior Championships in Durban in April 2016, he qualified for the Olympics in the 100 m breast-stroke with an A-qualifying time, and in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle with B-qualifying times.

Only three male swimmers to Olympics

However, he has to wait until the announcement of the South African Paralympic team, since only three male and three female swimmers will be selected. He will not be competing in another major event before the Olympics. “My short-term goal is to compete in this year’s Games, and, in the long term, I would like to reach even greater heights at the 2020 Games,” he said. Du Toit is an inspiration to him because “she was hard-working, and she had a lot of drive”.

Other students from CUADS also excel

At the above-mentioned National Championships, Van Heerden won a total of five gold medals (200 m medley, 100 m breaststroke, 50 m freestyle, 50 m breaststroke, and 200 m breaststroke) and one silver medal (100 m freestyle). Other students from the Center for Universal Access and Disability Support at the UFS also excelled.

Dineo Mokhosoa (cerebral palsy) won three gold medals (long jump, shot-put, and discus), while the athlete Louzanne Coetzee (blind) shattered the world record in the 5 000 m, as well as the Africa record in the 1 500 m. Juanré Jenkinson (cerebral palsy) won two silver medals (discus and shot-put) while Danie Breitenbach (blind) won two gold medals (800 m and 1500 m).

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