A breathtaking final day of the Hot Summer of Touch Series played out at Stilbaai on Thursday 26 December.
The conditions were spectacular, the touch action was electric and the crowds were next-level, setting the tone for what many are calling the best beach touch rugby series in years.
Fifty-three teams registered on the day, with much to play for in all three competition sections. The mid-day high tide and red-hot temperatures did little to detract from the scintillating action on the sand.
The Pro semi-finals were always going to be tight games, with the top four on the log reaching the crucial stage. The Liberty Webb Touch team overcame Most Wanted by 1-0 to book their place in the final against their fierce rivals, Score Forward Legends, who overcame the MBN Warriors by the same margin in the second semi-final.
With the Legends having all to pay for, needing to win the Stilbaai leg to force a tie and share the overall title, the final didn’t disappoint. After taking a 2-0 lead, the Liberty boys looked to have done enough before the Legends staged a comeback and levelled the encounter (2-2).
It was however not enough, and the Liberty Webb Touch team scored a sudden-death try to eventually take both the Stilbaai and Pro series titles for the second year running.
The Struisbaai Warriors edged the Last Kings 2-1 to claim the spoils in the Challenger final and secure their place in the 2025 Pro Series.
Much credit must be given to this outfit, which joined the circuit as the Future Warriors many years ago and battled many obstacles to show that perseverance and hard work pays off.
The Last Kings also deserve special mention for pushing Struisbaai Warriors all the way.
The Preekstoel Cup was a fantastic success. It was decided to allow the “local” teams or teams that had not entered more than one event on the series to fight it out in their own section.
Much fun was had by all teams, and the ultimate winners of the day were the Young Guns, who defeated the Red Devils United by 4-0
After six gruelling legs, 1 500 km, 53 teams and 400 touch games, the 2024 Hot Summer of Touch was an event to remember.
“We’d like to thank all players, coaches, managers, supporters, crew, sponsors, management, referees and the chairperson and Western and Southern Cape Beach Touch Association for all the time, effort and resources put into this series,” the organisers of this series said.
“It takes a combined effort to get things working, and we look forward to building on this success in future.”
