The Hot Summer of Touch eased the weekend off in Kleinmond on Saturday 14 December and ended it with a bang in Strand on Monday 16 December.
Team “Most Wanted” pushed the door wide open on Saturday in the Overberg, with a gritty display of “no mistake” touch to seal the Kleinmond title for 2024.
The victory over the Liberty Webb Touch team in the final meant the top four teams all went into the Strand leg within six points of each other.
Kleinmond provided near perfect conditions for the 35 strong field and the action provided the tidy crowd with great enjoyment.
The Challenger Series was won by the Struisbaai Warriors who thumped the Houdings 2-1. The Open Tournament was won by the MBN Warriors over the 8th Avenue Touch team by 2-0 and the Juniors Tournament was won by the Scorpions Junior team.
Strand Beach was idyllic on Monday morning and the 58 teams who registered had perfect conditions apart from the full-moon Spring tide which kept the organisers, spectators, and players on their toes.
Two tournaments in two days was always going to be a tough ask. However, Strand is one of the highlights of the series and with many of the players hailing from the area, and a huge crowd present to cheer on their favourites, all the players dug deep to produce a fine spectacle.
The top four teams on the log worked hard to secure their semi-final spots. In two fiercely contested matches, the perennial rivals, Score Forward Legends (who edged out Most Wanted with a 3-2 victory) and MBN Warriors (who narrowly defeated Liberty Webb Warriors 1-0), earned the right to face each other for the prestigious title of Strand champions in 2024.
The final was one game too far for the Warriors who succumbed to a red-hot Legends team by 5-0. The Legends love this beach and Monday’s crown was their seventh Strand title.
The Struisbaai Warriors managed back-to-back wins in the Challenger Series, overcoming the Last Kings (3-2). The BT Blizzards won the Open Tournament over the Houdings (2-0), and the Scorpions Juniors beat the Legends Juniors 2-1 to take the Junior Tournament.
The action moves to the grass of Struisbaai on Sunday 22 December, where the first 30 teams will be provided free tournament entry courtesy of Agulhas Municipality. With only six points separating the top four, the race for the title is the tightest it’s been for years!
