It is evident that Sandra at The Plan and Plant Nursery (at Fairways on Main) has been planning all year long for the upcoming annual garden show.  As a result, the nursery is looking great, with an impressive range of many plants, and if you are still crazy about succulents her stock will delight. The growing stock of white rock roses is especially desirable and will be available at The Witness GARDEN SHOW, 7 - 9 September 2018 at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg, open from 09H00 until 17H00.

Children from three schools in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands enjoyed a hands-on, fun-filled experience at the uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve, as they helped plant 250 indigenous trees as part of the Trees4KZN initiative.

The brainchild of local NPO, Blue Sky Society Trust (BSST), Trees4KZN is aimed at increasing the province’s tree count while educating KZN’s youth about why it is important to plant and nurture our trees. BSST recently teamed up with IT trailblazers, Network Configurations, and WESSA uMngeni Valley for the KZN Midlands rollout. They were joined by 120 children from Shea O’Connor Combined School, Corrie Lynn Primary School and Currys Post Primary School as well as little ones from Siyabonga Helping Hands and the Shiyas Bizali Eco Club.

“Great weather, magnificent surroundings and a bunch of people doing good - the feel-good factor was high!” says BSST founder, Carla Geyser. “During my many expeditions through Africa, I have seen the negative impact of deforestation. It’s a massive problem. We need trees to survive. They provide us with oxygen, shade and beauty. What’s more, studies have shown that tree planting is a sustainable way to combat the effects of environmental pollution. So, planting more trees is crucial and we’d like to see more people involved.”

For the 50-strong Network Configurations team, the day’s experience was both priceless and humbling, knowing that the trees they helped plant would be there for generations to come. “The children’s laughter and smiles were definitely the best part of the day,” says Ian Emmerson, Managing Director of Network Configurations. “Our team really enjoyed being able to work together in a natural environment, interacting with the children and witnessing their joy as they caught all kinds of creatures and learnt about nature.”

The Trees4KZN Midlands rollout received a huge thumbs up from the WESSA team that pours its heart into conservation education. “What a fantastic initiative for our beautiful nature reserve!” says Matthew Cocks, Centre Manager for uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve. “We are working hard to eradicate alien vegetation on the property, and by planting yellowwoods, acacias, cabbage trees and stinkwoods in the place of the resident gum trees, we are returning the valley to its natural state.”

The sobering message amidst a day of planting, learning and playing was not lost on the children and Cocks believes there could well have been budding environmentalists and conservationists among the group! Some of the comments received by the WESSA team include, “What a cool day! We had so much fun exploring the stream and catching all those awesome bugs!’’ and ‘That was the best day of my life, all I want to do is work on that reserve and protect nature!’

Pictured above: Network Configurations’ Operations Director, Erica Floweday, and founder of Blue Sky Society Trust, Carla Geyser, at WESSA’s uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve.

News issued on behalf of Blue Sky Society Trust by KZN Media and Communications.

It was a beautiful winter day today for the first farmers market held at the tourism centre in Mpophomeni. So much fresh, organically grown and delicious food on sale along with local crafts.

Grace Ngobese had tubs of amadumbi and new season dried beans.

Spha Mabaso had guavas, kale and amangoza (turnip tops).

Ntombenhle Mtambo's fresh vetkoek flew out of the bowl as did her just picked spinach, mustard greens and leeks.

Neli Ntombela sold local eggs - there were dressed and live chickens too.

The gardeners from Vuka Wenza - Mr Mtshali, Elizabeth Ngobese and Bonge Zungu had ibece and pumpkins, pickles and sweet potatoes.

Sabelo Xaba was promoting his Mpophomeni Horseback Tours, Nana Ngcobo of Ikwanathi made all the market signs with her cut out wooden letters.

There was music, sunshine, views of the hills and friendly people - what more does a market need?

Next Market Dates: 30 June, 14 and 28 July 9am to 3pm.
Contact Bongani Maseme for details: 065 982 7533

News supplied.

Harvard Electrical is the only ELECTRICAL WHOLESALER in the greater Howick area.

When you shop at Harvard Electrical you will find safe and secure parking and top class customer service.

22 Harvard Street, Howick.

To avoid the Taxi Rank - Turn into Bell Street, Drive past the former "Shoprite Building", take the first left, the first left again and you will find us in the complex on the left.

+27 (0)33 330 6193.

News supplied by Harvard Electrical Wholesalers.

Time for your children to explore the wild and have outdoor adventures this school holiday.

We need Eco Heroes to guard our planet for year's to come.

Reservations are essential.

News supplied by WESSA uMngeni Valley.

Polliwiggle Pre-School are open for enrolments for 2019.

From 3 months to 6 years old, Grade RRR, RR and R.

Their dedicated, qualified and experienced staff will take care of your child in a creative and safe environment.

News supplied by Polliwiggle.

Hot off the Press
Our bowlers acquitted themselves well at the past weekend’s NIBA Novice tournament at the Maritzburg West Bowling Club. Most won at least one of the two games they played but some fell short of qualifying for the next round. We are however incredibly proud of Bev Vorster and Lisa Nagel who have both made it through to the Quarter Final stage of the tournament. Good luck to both of you on the 24th of June. We will all be rooting for you. (Congrats as well to our neighbours Howick Bowling Club who also had 3 bowlers qualify for the playoff stages. Well done Doreen, Dave and Steve.)

Competitions
The Warwick Wealth Competition held on Wednesday 6 June was a huge success and much fun. With the generous sponsorship of Warwick Wealth we managed to hand out 15 prizes in total on the day. The top 4 prize winners were Balf Balfour, Colin Brown, David Riall and Conrad Clifford. Over and above the prizes, Warwick Wealth also handed out Loyalty awards to our members who have portfolios invested with them. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Warwick Wealth, this was an all-around winning day for our club. Special thanks to Managers Conrad Clifford and Stuart Milligan or being present on the day to represent of sponsors.

On Saturday 9 June, in glorious sunshine, we played our monthly SUPERSPAR Greendale Competition. SUPERSPAR Greendale once again adorned our premises with promotional banners and lovely treats on our tea time table. After some epic battles, the SUPERSPAR Greendale Sponsored first prize went to Tony Gage, Tony Stalberg and Jenny McHendrie. The second prize sponsored by local Ophthalmologist Dr Alan Sara was won by Alison Toms, Alan Wells, Pat Bailie and Eric Simpson. Special thanks to SUPERSPAR Greendale and Dr Alan Sara for their sponsorships and thanks to those who had birthdays this past week. Our tea time table had some double blessing on it on Saturday.

We would also like to wish our Men’s and Women’s Senior Fours everything of the best as they participate in the NIBA Senior Fours starting on Tuesday 12 June.

Reminder to all members that the next competition will be our Halfway Toyota Howick Comp on Wednesday 13 June with tabs in at 1.15pm followed by our J Leslie Smith 2 4 2 Competition on Tuesday 19 June with tabs in at 8.45am. We will also be hosting the J Leslie Smith Business Bowls Challenge on Thursday 21 June and request that our club members please avail their bowls for some of our visitors to use on the day.

Regular Times Are
Tuesday mornings Tabs in by 8.45am (Civvies)
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons Tabs in by 1.15pm. (Club Colours)
Visiting bowlers are welcome to join us at these tabs in times.

News supplied by Umgeni Waterfall Bowls Club.

Congratulations to Sarah Macaskill of Howick Preparatory School who participated in the KZN Youth Cattle Show this past weekend at the Royal Agricultural Show in Pietermaritzburg and won 1st prize in every category she entered!

. 1st place - Dairy Knowledge Test for Juniors
. 1st place - Overall knowledge (Juniors)
. 1st place - Washing and Preparation (Juniors)

Rylie the calf won the following prizes :-
. Ayrshire Trophy for best Ayrshire on Show (1st place)
. Best dairy animal on show (out of 17 Holsteins, Ayrshires and Dairy
Swiss animals)
. Best Animal Overall on Show (out of all 58 cattle entered for both
beef and dairy)

Sarah also won prizes for Showmanship :-
. 1st place - Dairy Showmanship (Juniors)
. 1st place - Best Junior Showman (both dairy and beef, 25
contestants)
. 1st place - Overall Stockman for Juniors

Photo attached: Sarah Macaskill with her awards.

News supplied by Howick Preparatory School.

Karkloof – The race for the overall line honours at the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival 60 km ultra-marathon ended in a thrilling sprint finish with Under 23 ace Julian Jessop bouncing back from a series of crashes to outwit Stuart Marais on the finish line.

Jessop and Marais raced the entire race together with Pieter du Toit, and the crowd enjoying the 25th-anniversary celebrations of this pioneering event were treated to a grandstand finish to the blue ribbon race.

It was an emotional win by Jessop, whose racing career started at the same venue when was a nervous youngster.

"I did my first race here when I was nine years old," The Pyga/Euro Steel star recalled. "I was crying on the start line of the 10 km race because I was too scared to do it.

"Then my younger brother took off, and I thought 'There is no way I can let him beat me', and off I went, so I actually dedicate this win to him.

"Stuart (Marais) was really on form today," said Jessop, who had to watch his early lead eroded by the lion-hearted Marais on the tough Lebanon climb. "He was on fire and dropped me at the top."

He was able to team up with Pieter du Toit and bridge the gap back to the charging Marais, and which stage he realised the need to be calm and plan the closing stages of the race.

"The last section in Logan’s Loop is always tough, and going into that section Stuart and I were attacking each other, and I managed to get into the single track ahead of him.

"But I had a slight problem with my fork and I crashed. Stuart asked me if I was alright and then got in front of me.

"In my fury to catch up, I crashed another three times, because those corners are very slippery.

"Finally I caught him as we got into the sugar cane, and that’s where I went through my plan to win the sprint finish.
"When I saw him go from the corner I realised he had gone way too early. I had to wait but it was quite hard because I wanted to go around but didn't want to go too early, so I just waited.

"When I saw that he was blown I went around him. I think watching the Giro helped!" he added.

The woman's race was dominated by the Red Bull ace Bianca Haw, who was never under serious pressure from any of the other elite women, with Jeannie Dreyer, a former winner here, securing second and Christie-Leigh Hearder the last step on the podium.
"I was having such fun the whole way," Haw enthused. "I was warned that there were three huge climbs so I paced those ones, but after those climbs, there was such cool single track."

She said that riding the enduro on Saturday afternoon had been useful as she learnt a lot about the single track on the descent from Lebanon, though her ride was far from flawless.

"I had a high-speed slide out, landing on my shoulder in the bank, but luckily I was fine," said the bubbly Himeville rider.

She said that starting all the elite women in B batch made assessing the race really easy, and she realised she was racing away into a commanding lead early on in the race.

The race for overall line honours in the 40km Sappi Karkloof Half Marathon also went down to a sprint finish, with the cool head of Sam Moore prevailing over Johandre Marx.

The pair broke away early on after a blisteringly fast start, and soon had a sizeable gap to the rest of the A batch riders.

"Coming into the finish I just waited on his wheel and when he looked back I took the gap and sprinted off," said a delighted Moore.
Francis Janse van Rensberg took the women's 40km spoils ahead of young Tiffany Keep.

"There was a lot of single track which I loved," enthused Janse van Rensberg.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon
Men
1. Julian Jessop 2:39:22
2. Stuart Marais 2:39:23
3. Pieter du Toit 2:39:40
4. Henry Liebenberg 2:47:57
5. Tyrone White 2:48:54
6. Brennan Anderson 2:52:25
7. David Low 2:52:32
8. Sthembiso Masango 2:59:35
9. Ndumiso Dontso 3:00:00
10.Nathan Treble 3:00:29
Women
1. Bianca Haw 3:13:32
2. Jeannie Dreyer 3:17:37
3.Christie-Leigh Hearder 3:23:13
4. Andrea de Boer 3:27:24
5. Shauna Esmeyer 3:30:43
6. Nadine Nundes 3:43:47
7. Landy Puddu 3:51:15
8. Sandra Haywood 3:52:44
9. Debrah Thomas 3:56:37
10.Bronwyn Evans 4:08:51

40km aQuellé Half Marathon
Men
1. Sam Moore 1:54:10
2. Johandre Marx 1:54:20
3. Stefan van Deventer 1:59:58
4. Thomas Cheatle 2:01:19
5. Daniel van der Watt 2:01:27
6. Brent Yelland 2:05:10
7. Kieran Blunt 2:05:10
8. Mitchel Potgieter 2:05:49
9. Grant Muller 2:05:51
10.Heinrich Zellhuber 2:08:26
Women
1. Frances Janse van Rensberg 2:01:25
2. Tiffany Keep 2:05:11
3. Chloe Bateson 2:15:48
4. Ilse Longmore 2:19:25
5. Beanie Thies 2:24:27
6. Ainsli de Beer 2:26:56
7. Yvette Roberts 2:29:14
8. Sarah Ryan 2:30:50
9. Lindsay Everson 2:33:43
10.Jacqueline Scott 2:36:12

More info can be found at www.karkloofmtb.co.za

Pictured here:  Women's race winner Bianca Haw negotiates a river crossing during the 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon on the second day of the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival on Sunday.

Photo credit:  Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media

Another beautiful week of mid-winters bowling weather with cold nights but beautiful days.

Competitions
We had a brilliant morning of bowls on Friday 29 June when we played our Woodstone Craft Café sponsored 2 Bowl Trips Competition. This has become a very popular competition supported by teams from the Midlands and PMB. 18 teams fought it out for the honour of being this month’s winners and was the closest contest yet with the highest shot ratio being 26 shots and the highest shot difference a mere 10 shots. This month the winning team was Pat Bailey, Pat Bennett and Eric Simpson. Second place went to Peter Freer, Vic Rowell and Dave Brotton and the third prize went to Colin Burden, Julia Strachan and Bev Vorster. All the main prizes were sponsored by Woodstone Craft Café who operate from The St John’s Village Lifestyle Shopping Complex. There were also Toucher prizes for the first lead, first second and first skip to touch the jack with their bowls. These prizes were sponsored by The Treatery who operate from Yard 41 and were won by Marianne Taylor, Julia Strachan and Pat Bailey. Mark Schraader the owner of Woodstone Craft Café was away on business so could not hand out the prizes but ensured that we once again had some lovely scones for our tea time treats. As a club we would like to thank all our visiting bowlers for playing in this competition and special thanks to our sponsors for making it possible with their generous sponsorships.

Our members are hereby informed that we will be having a Club Finals Day on Saturday 7 July. There will be tabs in as usual but at the same time we will be staging the Men’s Singles as well as the Ladies Singles Final. Our next club competition will be the Halfway Toyota Howick comp which will be held on Wednesday 11 July with tabs in at 1.15pm

Special Congratulations
Our ladies participated in the NIBA Saunders Competition this past weekend and handsomely won their first round set of matches played at the Howick Bowling Club but lost in their Sunday morning match at the West Bowling Club. Our men too had an awesome afternoon of bowls in the NIBA Lambert Brothers Competition and succumbed to Collegians on the last shot of the day. Both the men’s and ladies teams can hold their heads up high as they fought to the bitter end. Well done all.

Regular Times Are:
Tuesday mornings Tabs in by 8.45am (Civvies)
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons Tabs in by 1.15pm. (Club Colours)
Visiting bowlers are welcome to join us at these tabs in times.

News supplied by Umgeni Waterfall Bowls Club.

It's done!
We have officially moved and expanded
our production premises in Howick.
Our new address is : 3A Mare St. Howick
(the old Mirror & Glass building across from Yard 41)

Over the past few weeks, we've had such an exciting time meeting so many new faces &, of course, welcoming our dear regular patrons into our new spot!
Pop around and see for yourselves if you haven't already :)
--------------

Recently I had a delightful day of collaboration with
my favourite shop in Howick,
"The Ruby Orchard"
and Dee During of "Dee During Photography"
"The Ruby Orchard" has long remained my "home and gift"
shop of choice.
It was a real treat being able to use their beautiful pieces of crockery, boards & platters coupled with the gorgeous textures of the their tables and chairs, to compliment & present The Cookhouse's scrummy meals.
Dee During, who adores photographing food, kindly took the special snaps for the day... We had such fun presenting, styling and of course snacking!

News supplied by The Cookhouse.

The ECR House & Garden Show, from 29 June to 8 July at the Durban Exhibition Centre, is embracing a fresh perspective with the 2018 theme “Home is Where the Heart is”, focused on redefining the concept of a home by showcasing timeless trends, functionality, with convenient comfort aimed at styling a distinctive space best suited to its unique inhabitants – its family.

Visitors can look forward to new features for the whole family, inspiring trends from well-known brands, exciting pop-up exhibitions, and solutions to interior and outdoor décor needs, all under one roof.

In partnership with Durban Tourism, the ECR House & Garden Show will present an exciting line-up of new features:

• Discover Durban Design will showcase Durban’s top design destinations, locally curated products, furniture and fashion, and the ever-growing creative community of talented individuals whose passions celebrate the country’s beauty.

• Highlighting cultural, traditional and contemporary food, the Discover Durban Cuisine Kitchen will celebrate local cooking talent with developing and renowned chefs as they present their top tips, inspired flavour combinations and favourite dishes in an interactive demonstration kitchen.

• Sip on your favourite botanical combinations at the new Gin Garden Bar in the Green Fingers section, previously The Gardener, while immersing yourself in the world of plants, garden care, and food gardening.

• Back by popular demand is the Foodie Fair, which will showcase why Durban is an international street food destination by bringing double the mouth-watering flavour; offering delicious street food, desserts, artisanal and speciality delicacies.

• Finding workable solutions to decluttering or redecorating children’s rooms or living spaces couldn’t be simpler in The Edit with well-respected stylist, blogger and founder of inspirational kid’s décor and handmade toys online store, Olly Polly, Genevieve Motley.

• Improve your painting and DIY techniques at the interactive workshops at the Builders DIY Pavilion, and find the latest technology, incredible deals and unmissable specials at Hirsch’s.

• Parents can look forward to a well-deserved break leaving their children with dedicated child-minders, and an abundance of interactive, well-known toys, games and learning material at the Melissa & Doug Play Space while exploring the show.

Be sure to diarise the exciting, once-off Pop-Ups that are guaranteed to make this year’s show even more memorable than ever.

• The much-loved Home Grown Design Fair will run from 29 June – 1 July, showcasing artisanal design and décor products made by talented, local crafters and design studios.

• A first for KZN, Geekville & the Durban Gaming Expo Pop-Up will be making a splash for gamers and comic fans from 5 - 7 July; including a 100-man LAN gaming setup, cosplay competitions, flash mobs, competitions and exciting prizes.

• Explore and discover destinations, venues, resorts, travel operators and the best deals on packages in the popular KZN Travel & Adventure Show; a Pop-Up celebration of life aimed at creating memory-making experiences with family and friends, from 5 - 8 July.

Whether you are looking for fresh ideas, practical concepts or great deals, be sure to diarise the ECR House & Garden Show from 29 June to 8 July at the Durban Exhibition Centre. Tickets are available online from iTickets or at the door. For more information, visit www.housegardenshow.co.za.

Issued on behalf of the ECR House & Garden Show by:
UrbanHouse Media
Tegan Mitchell
033 343 1893
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We could not have asked for better bowling whether for all the festivities we had planned for the past week. What a magnificent week of bowls it turned out to be.

On Tuesday morning 19 June we played the J Leslie Smith & CoCo sponsored 2 4 2 competition. First prize of a lovely meat hamper was won by Tim Blore & Jo Boonzaier and second prize was won by Mark Taylor & Julia Strachan. This day was followed by the much anticipated J Leslie Smith & Co sponsored Business Bowls Challenge. This annual competition was played on Thursday 21 June and is, in essence, a challenge to find the best Bowling Estate Agency in The Midlands. What an incredible morning of fun and laughter. It was indeed a closely fought competition with the Ultimate winners being Dormehl Property Group Howick team consisting of Pippa Griffin, Carol Segal, Tyrone Segal and Rita Aitken. They convincingly pipped the other Dormehl group into second place and Wakefields Wildcats ended third and Capcubed (the new kids on the block) came fourth.

This day would not have been possible without the brilliant initiative by J Leslie Smith & Co who this year got more sponsors on board. So special thanks to Misty Fall Spur, Il Postino, Maggies Coffee Shop, The Treatery, The Orchard House and local businesswoman Candice Hastie the owner of Annique@Impangele who provided the first prize. This competition is going to grow over the next few years due to your commitment to this community.

Special Congratulations
Special congrats to both Lisa Nagel and Bev Vorster for flying our flag in the recently held NIBA Novices Competition. Lisa and Bev both made it into the Semi-Finals where they both lost to worthy opponents. Your gals did us proud.

Reminder to all club members that we will be playing the Woodstone Craft Café 2 bowls Trips on Friday 29 June at 9am. There is still time to put a team in for this very popular monthly competition.

Regular Times Are:
Tuesday mornings Tabs in by 8.45am (Civvies)
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons Tabs in by 1.15pm. (Club Colours)
Visiting bowlers are welcome to join us at these tabs in times.

News supplied by Umgeni Waterfall Bowling Club.

The only reason that KZN can claim that it actually has a winter is because it is cold in the morning and cold at night. As for the rest of the day…. Eish… it’s beautiful…and with beautiful weather comes beautiful bowling days.

Competitions
The Halfway Toyota Howick Sponsored competition was held on Wednesday 13 June in glorious sunny weather. The competition produced some scintillating bowling and was duly won by the team of Tony Gage, Derek Balfour, Tim Waring and Audrey Van Coller. Second prize went to the team of Ed Sharpe, Bruce Coldwells, Chantal D Hotman and Pat Ciro. Margie Wheelwright of Halfway Toyota Howick was once again on hand to present the prizes to the winners. Thanks again to the Halfway Toyota Howick for their generous sponsorship and ongoing support of our club activities.

By the time that this report goes to press we will have played our J Leslie Smith & Co Inc 2 4 2 Competition. We will report on this in next week’s bulletin. Our club will also be hosting the J Leslie Smith Business Bowls Challenge on Thursday 21 June and request that members please avail their bowls for some of our visitors to use on the day.

Our Men and Women’s Senior Fours acquitted themselves well at the NIBA Competition. Our men reach the playoffs where they narrowly lost.

Regular Times Are
Tuesday mornings Tabs in by 8.45am (Civvies)
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons Tabs in by 1.15pm. (Club Colours)
Visiting bowlers are welcome to join us at these tabs in times.

News supplied by UWBC.

Don't forget to book for Sunday lunch at The Orchard House.

Meat, veggies and dessert and no washing up afterwards.

Book now to avoid disappointment.

033 032 0584 or whatsapp/sms 071 876 7159

News supplied by The Orchard House.

 A Show NOT to be Missed!!

Giovision will be at The East Coast Radio House & Garden Show.

Giovision expert offer a wide range of home appliances and expertise to the Natal Midlands and the surrounding areas at competitive prices.

We service tvs, vcrs, dvds, sound systems, radios, soundbars and microwaves. We tend to always have a look and quote no matter how small or cheap the item is.

We also install all the mentioned items as well as full entertainment systems from a basic DSTV to the more complicated HD installations.

News supplied by Giovision.

There is very little in life that will keep me away from a good game of lawn bowls and I have always wondered whether other people have temptations that keep them away from the game. Well, we definitely discovered one that affected our lady bowlers this past week… A ROYAL WEDDING… Only 3 ladies arrived on the royal wedding day to enjoy a game with the guys at Umgeni Waterfall Bowling Club. As they say, “You’re never too young to have a happy childhood"

Competitions
We had a brilliant morning of bowls on Friday 25 May when we played our Woodstone Craft Café sponsored 2 Bowl Trips Competition. We had a mixed field of 16 teams from bowling clubs in PMB, Hilton and Howick who participated. This competition is set up to produce attractive bowls in that the team with the most shots wins the comp. This month the winning team was Clark Logan, Mark Taylor and Nicky Wallis. Second place went to Colin Burden, Julia Strachan and Bev Vorster and the third prize went to Vic Rowell, Courtney Gace and Graham Dicks. All the main prizes were sponsored by Woodstone Craft Café who operate from The St John’s Village Lifestyle Shopping Complex. There were also Toucher prizes for the first lead, first second and first skip to touch the jack with their bowls. These prizes were sponsored by The Treatery who operate from Yard 41 and were won by Barry Fairbrother, Mark Taylor and Dave Stephenson. Mark Schraader the owner of Woodstone Craft Café was away on business so could not hand out the prizes but we had the privilege of having our Regional NIBA Representative Colleen Duikers present to hand prizes out to the winners. It was lovely to have Colleen spend the entire morning with us watching the competition. As a club, we would like to thank all our visiting bowlers for playing in this competition and special thanks to our sponsors for making it possible with their generous sponsorships.

Our members are hereby reminded that we will be playing the Internal Warwick Wealth Competition on Wednesday 6 June 2018 at 1.30pm. There is a list on the notice board for this competition and tabs will be drawn from this pre-entered list. Please make yourselves available to play as a courtesy to our generous sponsor. A fun afternoon is envisioned with lovely prizes up for grabs.

Special Congratulations
As a club, we would like to say congrats to both Bev Vorster and Margie Holl for representing the club at the Prelim Masters this past weekend. You gals make us extremely proud. Special thanks to members who went to go and support them.

Regular Times Are:
Tuesday mornings Tabs in by 8.45am (Civvies)
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons Tabs in by 1.15pm. (Club Colours)
Visiting bowlers are welcome to join us at these tabs in times.

Karkloof – Zimbabwean Nomore Mandivengerei emphatically retained his title in the men's 18km trail run that kick-started the 2018 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival on Saturday while Comrades runner Sarah Gray dethroned Kim Westbrook in the women's 18 km race.

35-year Mandivengerei, based in Pietermaritzburg, said he thrived on the fast, twisty trails and the superb early morning running conditions. "You needed power to be fast on all those sharp corners," he said. "The trails were superb and well-marked," he added.

Valley of a Thousand Hills athlete Mthobisi Mzolo stayed with Mandivengerei for most of the race but was unable to match the Zimbabwean man's kick three kilometres from the finish.

"I tried as hard as I could to catch him but he was too good," conceded Mzolo, who added his praise to the trail builders.

"It was an awesome route, but the switchbacks were quite difficult," said Mzolo who was pleased to realise his goal of making it into the top three against a strong field.

The women's race saw defending champion Kim Westbrook beaten into second by Sarah Gray, in the key stage of her training for the upcoming Comrades Marathon.

She managed to break away on her own and gradually drive a two-minute wedge between herself and Westbrook.

"It was a beautiful morning on the trails and great Comrades training," she said afterwards.

Westbrook, who is aiming to ride the MTB Enduro in the afternoon and the 60 km MTB ultra-marathon on Sunday, conceded that Gray was in a class of her own over the 18km.

The 9km trail runners made light work of the Karkloof layout, running in ideal cool and clear morning conditions as the mist lifted in the Karkloof Valley, with Mxolisi Zondi winning the sprint finish to the line from Hlelani Radebe, while Roxanne Vale was a very comfortable winner of the women's 9km race.

Trail runners have another chance to enjoy the Karkloof trails with another 9km trail run being staged at 9:20am on Sunday morning.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS
18km Karkloof Trail Run
Men
1. Nomore Mandivengerei 1:09:54
2. Mthobisi Mzolo 1:09:55
3. Zolani Dlamini 1:10:18
4. Bongani Zuma 1:11:44
5. Mdu Zondi 1:14:12
6. Joe Maphumelo 1:15:15
7. Matt Dove 1:15:45
8. Zwelihle Ndlovo 1:17:48
9. Xolani Mathalane 1:17:54
10.Derek Wasserfall 1;18:01
Women
1. Sarah Gray 1:30:21
2. Kim Westbrook 1:32:02
3. Apiwe Gaga 1:33:11
4. A Halstead 1:33:14
5. Tarryn Blake 1:37:30
6. Trish Eksteen 1:38:05
7. Nedene Cahill 1:38:42
8. Megan Wassung 1:39:13
9. Sandy Cromie 1:44:20
10.Gina Treleaven 1:45:03

9km Karkloof Trail Run
Men
1. Mxolisi Zondi 38:12
2. Hlelani Radebe 38:17
3. Dumisa Shabalala 38:40
4.Sifundo Sithole 39:38
5. Unknown 39:57
6. Samkelo Shangase 40:37
7. Raymond Radebe 40:53
8. Bheki Bangisa 43:50
9. Bernhardt Herbst 47:19
10.Andrew Tarpey 48:32
Women
1. Roxanne Vale 46:31
2. Alta van der Watt 52:50
3. Jen Theron 54:15
4. Emma Pons 55:58
5. Jennifer Neumann 56:15
6. Kerry Drummond 58:14
7. Heather Carruthers 59:27
8. Natacha Smith 1:01:01
9. Brenda McCann 1:01:02
10.Larissa Bohmer 1:01:12

Schedule:
Sunday, 27 May
07h30 - 60km Sappi Karkloof Marathon
08h30 - 40km aQuellé Half Marathon
09h20 - 9km Karkloof Trail Run
09h30 - 20km aQuellé Family Ride
10h00 - 10km aQuellé Kids Ride

The 2018 Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival takes place at the Karkloof Country Club on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May 2018. More info can be found at www.karkloofmtb.co.za

Pictured here:  Runners taking part in the Sappi Karkloof Classic Trail Festival enjoy the trails through the Sappi plantations as the early morning mist burns off on Saturday.

Photo credit:  Anthony Grote/Gameplan Media