The Recognition Minute

Not much hockey and plenty of cricket! March 23 2017, 0 Comments

Well, let’s back away a little from the hockey theme to see what else is happening on the sports front, this weekend.  It’s none other than Newzealand vs our boys in the third game of the test, having won one, drawn one.   Saturday’s game will be the decider.

New Zealand are spending time debriefing and soul-searching as they try to prevent their season ending with a whimper following the three-day thrashing at the Basin Reserve.

Five days and a session of toe-to-toe cricket - throughout the Dunedin game and until lunch on the second day in Wellington - unraveled with alarming speed against South Africa.  No wonder Kane Williamson looked bemused as he tried to explain it away in the bowels of the Basin on Saturday evening.

New Zealand - both the players and management - have been reluctant to say that the visit of South Africa would define their season.  But if they do not put in a better performance at Seddon Park starting on Saturday the last few weeks will certainly influence how their 2016-17 campaign is judged.

Both cricket and hockey trophies are available now at Prestige Awards, whether for your game in the nets on the super turfs or just for some neighbourhood fun in the park.

All trophies from Prestige Awards can be customised for the occasion   http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/products/hockey-player-female-miniature-award

Resin trophies are molded according to a three-dimensional design then cast. The resin is given and antique gold look, which brings with it a sense of tradition.  http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/products/hockey-goal-resin-trophy

Aluminium trophies can be mounted on a smart wooden base. These trophies were designed by Prestige Awards and are unique in their class.  These trophies are also customisable to reflect the name of the club, school or event.  We would love to discuss with you and ideas that you have for different designs and bring them to life in  our factory.  http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/products/hockey-m-ring-floating-trophy-t0425

Add spirit to your hockey game with a hockey trophy from Prestige Awards. 


Origins of Cricket January 11 2017, 0 Comments

Cricket originated in England during the late 16th century and became its national sport 200 years later.  International cricket matches began in 1844 and 34 years later, test cricket was recognized, albeit retrospectively.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the game of cricket spread and became a competitive sport that traversed language and culture.  Today it’s the second most popular spectator sport in the world!  However, its rise to popularity in the USA has been resisted by zealous supporters of baseball, one of the favoured summer sports in that country.

What would a game be without rules?  How would one know who would lift the cup?  The basic rules of cricket seem to have been understood from the beginning but being a game for gamblers, firm terms were needed to avoid arguments off the field.  Formal written codes of practice and the Articles of Agreement were drawn up, purportedly by the second Duke of Richmond and one other.   In 1744, the Laws of Cricket were recorded for the first time and some 30 years later the 'lbw' law and bat width was finalized.

Cricket continued quite uneventfully, interrupted only by major wars, owing to the lack of players and funding but curiously, on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, British soldiers played a cricket match in the Bois de la Cambre park in Brussels, to be called later La Pelouse des Anglais,  The Englishmen’s Lawn.

Bowling of the ball as we know it today was not always in fashion. 'Round arm bowling' as it is known gathered pace in the 1820s, causing concern among traditionalists and rule-makers.  What would cricket be like today if Dale Steyn delivered under-arm balls to Adam Gilchrist!  In 1889 the four ball over was replaced by a five ball over and then, by 1900, the current six ball over was introduced, which remained except for a short period of experimental eight ball over games, ending with the break out of the Second World War in 1939.

One of the most significant crises to hit international cricket was the suspension of South Africa from international competition in 1970, which lasted until 1993 when the South African Government’s apartheid policies began crumbling.  It was then that South Africa was restored to international competition and regained its glory. 

Test cricket is not for everyone.  In the 1960s, English country teams started playing one-innings games which grew in popularity and in 1969, a limited overs national league was created.  Limited overs cricket was further enhanced by television, high-speed camera’s allowing for ultra-slow motion replays and review, and digital technology.  Cricket analysis was no longer dependent on sharp eyes and experience eye but evolved with the availability of more exact analytics, which has lead to the introduction of the third umpire.

Today, most schools play cricket and enjoy the input of coaches and umpires who have been seasoned by a heritage of over 300 years.  Not only do the scholars play for coveted team trophies but for equally important awards such as ‘bowler of the year’, ‘best fielder’ and ‘most improved player of the season’.  Supporters are also awarded tokens of appreciation in the form of shields and medals, which adds to the spirit of this wonderful game.  Long live cricket!


The Origins of Sport January 09 2017, 0 Comments

As long as we have records of history there is evidence of people engaging in sport. Cave paintings, assumed to have been painted over 15 centuries ago have been found in France, depicting figures wrestling and sprinting. In Iraq a brass casting of two wrestlers was found among other remnants dated c2600 BC.

Ancient Greece has a well-known sporting heritage. The earlier forms of gymnastics took the form of religious bull-leaping and possibly bullfighting. In Homer’s poem, The Iliad, there are many portrayals of sport.

Monuments to the Egyptian Pharoahs (c200 BC) suggest many sports existed during those times, including weight-lifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, flying (believe it or not!), shooting, fishing and athletics, javelin throwing, high jump and even a form snooker.

Predictably, Greece first instituted formal sporting events with the Olympic Games first registered in 776 BC, Olympia, where we see the inclusion of boxing and athletics (run either naked or in armour!) as well as the sport of discus throwing amongst others. Unlike today where an athlete may receive a medal or a trophy in the form of a cup or a shield, a wreath usually made from an aromatic leaf (bay laurel) or the wild olive tree was awarded to the winners. Laurel wreaths are depicted on many contemporary trophies today, being recognized as a symbol of both sporting and academic victory.

Sport was played in it's many forms in many other countries in ancient times, such as China, Persia and Scotland. 

During the middle ages, entire villages would compete against each other, sometimes in organized violent sports – a sort of war games. In contrast, Italy participated in jousting and fencing. In Great Britain, horse racing was a favourite of the well-healed. In 1711, The English Queen Anne founded the Ascot Racecourse, which has remained closely associated with Royalty ever since. The Royal Meeting held each June remains a major draw card, it’s highlight being the Gold Cup.

In more modern times, British colonialism helped spread particular games around the world such as cricket, football and tennis. The advent of the industrial revolution brought both increased leisure time and mass production, opening up various sports as a leisure activity to many more than ever before.

Today, we are spoiled for choice and sport has become an essential part of education and social activity for both participants and spectators. Without the cup, the medal, the trophy or just the humble wreath, the game would lose it’s edge and perhaps it’s players, too! The award for victory has always been recognized as a necessity and is not about to change now.