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Home - City Guide - Cape Town - Sport | ||
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Sport Four big sports dominate sporting life in Cape Town: rugby, soccer, cricket and horseracing. The city is home to one of rugby's most famous teams, the Western Stormers, who, despite an unsuccesful season in the 2000 Super 12, are rated as one of the toughest teams in international competition. Fedsure Park Newlands is the home of both South African rugby, and of these local heroes. This is a sport that commands a massive following, and top-level matches are played in a gladiatorial atmosphere that keeps the adrenalin pumping. The home union is the Western Province Rugby Football Union (tel: (021) 689 4921; web site: www.wprugby.com). Again, South Africans are soccer mad, although most of the top teams are based in Johannesburg. The two top local teams, Ajax Cape Town and Hellenic, both feature strongly in the national Premier League. The governing body, based at Hartleyvale Stadium in Observatory, is the Western Province Soccer Association (tel: (021) 448 1648). With its strong English colonial history, Cape Town is one of the main feeding grounds for the South African international cricket squad, the Proteas. The home of Western Province cricket is at the Newlands Cricket Oval, 146 Campground Road, Newlands (tel: (021) 683 6420; web site: www.wpca.cricket.org). Matches are played most weekends in summer, with international tests between South Africa and its main rivals, England, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, regularly on the agenda. The spectacular natural setting of the city also means that more adventurous sports like rock climbing, hiking, surfing, wave jumping, angling and cycling enjoy a huge following. Adventure sports: There are several operators who offer a range of adventure sports, ranging from mountain biking to abseilling, shark diving, skydiving, bungee jumping, whitewater rafting and canyonning (hiking into remote mountain ranges and then swimming and jumping down the gorges). Day Trippers (tel: (021) 531 3274; e-mail: trippers@iafrica.com) offers a full range of activities, as does Adventure Village (tel: (021) 424 1580; e-mail: thrills@adventure-villiage.co.za; web site: www.adventure-villiage.co.za). Angling: The mountains, and several smaller reservoirs close to Cape Town, are well stocked with rainbow and brown trout, and with black bass. The Cape Piscatorial Society (tel: (021) 424 7725) control many of the waters. Fitness centres: There are fitness centres throughout the city and suburbs, with most also providing facilities for swimming, squash, tennis and other sports. The Health and Racquet Club (tel: (021) 710 8500; web site: ) chain of centres have 17 clubs around the city. Golf: There are seven public golf courses in and around Cape Town, with almost every small town outside the metropolitan area having courses as well. The Western Province Golf Union (tel: (021) 686 1668) is the umbrella body. Eighteen-hole courses include the Metropolitan Golf Club in Mouille Point (tel: (021) 434 7808; R130 for 18 holes); Rondebosch Golf Club (tel: (021) 689 4176; R210 for 18 holes); the Royal Cape Golf Club in Wynberg (tel: (021) 761 6551; R265 for 18 holes); Durbanville Golf Club (tel: (021) 976 8121; R100 for 18 holes); and the Clovelly Golf Club (tel: (021) 782 1118; R280 for 18 holes). Horseracing: Races are held every Wednesday and Sunday, weather permitting, at the Milnerton and Kenilworth race tracks. The Cape Turf Club (tel: (021) 551 9322) can provide details. The daily newspapers carry regular racing supplements. Swimming: All public swimming pools are controlled by the City Council. Newlands Pool in Main Road, Newlands (tel: (021) 674 4197) is the centre of competitive swimming, diving and water polo. The Long Street Baths, in the city centre, is an indoor, heated pool, with adjacent Turkish Baths (tel: (021) 400 3302). All the major fitness centres have their own pools (see above). Tennis: Although there are scores of recreational tennis clubs dotted around the city, it is extremely difficult to access the courts unless accompanied by a member. Several of the golf clubs (see above) also have tennis and lawn bowls facilities. Most of the major fitness centres (see above) have their own courts, as do several major hotels. Otherwise Tennis Western Province (tel: (021) 686 3055) can provide information. Watersports: Windsurfing and small craft yachting are popular on Sand Vlei near Muizenberg, while ocean yachting mainly takes place in Table Bay and False Bay. The Royal Cape Yacht Club (tel: (021) 421 1354) can provide information. |