Sports wrap

Climbing

UCT picked up plenty of silverware at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) sports climbing games, hosted by the University of Pretoria.

The men won both the sports climbing and bouldering team events, while the women finished second in both competitions. Marijus Smigelskis (second) and Duncan Fraser (third) scored well in the sports climbing, while Smigelskis, Andrew Wood and Fraser made for a UCT clean sweep in the bouldering event.

The top woman climber for UCT was Julia Chen, who won both the women's sports climbing and bouldering categories.

Cycling

UCT finished fourth out of the 11 teams that vied for honours in the University Sport South Africa (USSA) cycling games, hosted at the end of June by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth.

Top individual performers for UCT were Edward Greene and William Robinson, who finished eighth and tenth respectively over the five-stage event.

Robinson recorded a fourth spot in the short but tricky fifth stage. In addition, Bruce Hughes finished fifth in the 20km mountain bike event.

Surfing

UCT was crowned overall winners at the 2009 Billabong USSA Championships, which took place at Cape St Francis Bay on 22 to 24 June.

The women won their section, while the men were runners up in their category. Best individual performers for UCT were Kerri-Leigh Anderson and Sarah Anne Nicholson, who finished second and third respectively in the women's finals, and Chris Bond (third)(in picture) and Jochaid Salie (fourth) in the men's event.

All four were selected for the national USSA team.

Squash

The squash team also chalked up a fourth place in their USSA tournament, held at the University of Johannesburg.

The side started off well enough, with convincing victories over their hosts, the University of Limpopo and the Tshwane University of Technology.

They also got the better of the University of Witwatersrand and Rhodes University, but s tumbled against the University of Pretoria and NMMU.

This secured UCT a place in the semi-finals, but the side was forced to forfeit that game after four team members picked up Influenza A (H1N1) infections. That setback notwithstanding, Richard Colburn impressed enough to earn a berth in the South African students' team.

Water polo

UCT's Laura Barrett and Jade Liddell (left and right in picture) were in the South African squad that competed in a preliminary tournament of the 2009 FINA Women's Water Polo World League that took place in Lille, France, from 8 to 10 May.

SA didn't win any of their three matches but did well to restrict their opponents, and managed 19 goals of their own.

They lost 7-14 to France, 7-17 to eventual winners Spain and 5-18 to Italy. "But it was such good experience for our team, as it is the first time in four years that we have competed at international level," says Barrett.

She and Liddell are currently with the squad in Rome, Italy, for a tournament against Australia, Canada and New Zealand.