Cape Town’s Freedom Chiya and Grant Goldschmidt ignored the form book and blustery conditions to win the Eastern Province Open beach volleyball tournament – the biggest in the country – at the MTN Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

They beat the country’s number one pairing of Adrian Strydom (Cape Town) and Grant Viljoen (Johannesburg) in a closely contested final by two sets to zero. The final score was 21-15, 21-15.

Earlier in the day, the champions easily discarded of fellow Capetonians Jerome Fredericks and Ivan Solomans in the second semi-final. The score line was 21-12, 21-13.

In the other semi-final, the number one seeds and tournament favourites’ power game proved too much for yet another Western Cape team, the number four seeds Clinton Stemmet and Ricky Stevens. Strydom and Viljoen triumphed 21-19, 21-14.

In the women’s section, Palessa Sekhonyana (Johannesburg) and Bonolo Rampomane (PE) were made to work hard by Cape Town’s number three seeds Tertia Daniels and Randy Williams.

After losing the first set 19-21, they tightened their grip on the match to take the last two 21-17 and 15-9.

Chiya and Goldschmidt pocketed R7 500 and Sekhonyana and Rampomane R4 500 for their two days’ work.

According to Gershon Rorich, tournament director for Volleyball South Africa, all of the country’s top teams took part and therefore the results were “very important”. He said the players will now get ready for three national events in Durban during June and July.

Issued by:

Full Stop Communications

Coetzee Gouws
041 368 4992
082 575 7991
coetzee@fullstopcom.com
www.fullstopcom.com

On behalf of:

MTN Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival