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The 1957 Intervarsity Match

Flicking through the argiewe the other day I stumbled upon this little report from Johannesburg’s Sunday Express of 26 May 1957 describing the displays of disrepute at the annual Intervarsity match, when the University of Cape Town takes on Stellenbosch.

DISGRACEFUL SCENES
AT STELLENBOSCH
Cape Varsity will ban
annual rugger booze up

At Stellenbosch many students made the intervarsity match the occasion for a grand drinking spree. A number of them became drunk and disorderly; and here are some of the results of their liquor intake:

  • A Cape Town student was hit on the head with a bottle, and was taken to hospital to have a gaping wound stitched.
  • Another student was escorted from the pavi­lion by the police.
  • A constable was hit by a bottle, thrown by a student.
  • Flying bottles narrowly missed a number of other policemen.
  • Although no damage was done, cardboard darts were thrown in the direction of the Prime Minister, to the accompaniment of insulting jeers.
  • The pennant on a Cabinet Minister’s car was stolen.
  • The chauffeur of the Governor-General’s car hid his pennant (which cost £7.10.0) in case it too disappeared.
  • One Cape Town student was found lying drunk among the coloured spectators.

According to a police official, many drunk students armed with bottles of liquor, turned up for the match. So bad was it that he eventually told the gate­ keepers not to allow them in. A policeman was obliged to stand guard over Ministerial cars.

I’m pleased to say the Sunday Express revealed that “the worst offenders were the Cape Town students”, not the Maties. “Bottles of whisky, vodka, wine and champagne were much in evidence on [the UCT] stands.”

Below: The cover page of an Intervarsity Songbook from the 1963 match
depicting die ridder van Matieland having easily defeated the Ikey dragon.

Published at 1:15 pm on Tuesday 3 March 2020. Categories: Errant Thoughts History Stellenbosch.
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