Latest news with #Ferrie
The Citizen
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
KZN trainers strike back
Stuart Ferrie and Gareth van Zyl cap good season for locals. There was plenty of hot action at Greyville at the weekend. Picture: Gallo Images Gold Cup day highlighted an interesting trend of the 2025 Champions Season in KwaZulu-Natal: a re-emergence into the spotlight of the host province's training yards. Stuart Ferrie and Gareth van Zyl ended the season on a triumphant note at Greyville on Sunday, saddling Gladatorian and King Pelles to victory in two of South Africa's pre-eminent races – the HKJC Champions Cup and the World Pool Gold Cup respectively. Ferrie, Van Zyl and their compatriots have given KwaZulu-Natal racing its best winter for ages – fighting back against the powerful Western Cape and Highveld stables who had been carrying off most of the season's abundant loot for decades. An unlikely ally in the fightback has been from the Eastern Cape backwaters – Fairview ace trainer Alan Greeff, who landed three KZN features (two Grade 1s and a Grade 2) with his raiders. When Peter Muscutt won the East Coast Cup (Listed) with a filly called Mascerina at a soggy Greyville on 3 May – the first day of the famed Champions Season – no-one saw it a harbinger of bigger things to come for his fellow local yokels. Yet, in the next race on the card, Ferrie sent out his stable star Gladatorian to land the Drill Hall Stakes (Grade 2) – just ahead of Summerveld neighbours Michael Roberts and See It Again. The following week, Selukwe won the WSB 1900 at Greyville. Though carded under Cape-based Andre Nel's name, Selukwe had been resident at Summerveld for some time and prepared there by satellite assistant conditioner Byron Foster. It was business as usual as the Guineas, Daily News, Woolavington and Golden Horse trophies all shipped to Cape Town, but the hegemony was disrupted by the man from Gqeberha, Greeff, who won the Grade 1 Alan Robetson Championship with Direct Hit. Then Durban's Frank Robinson won the Cup Trial with Madison Valley, Van Zyl the Tote Derby with King Pelles and Alyson Wright the Tote Oaks with She's A Bomber. KZN Breeders' Day was almost a KZN clean sweep, with Ferrie, Doug Campbell, the Moores and the Hills leading in feature winners. The biggest prize, the Hollywoodbets Durban July, eluded KZN yet again, but Ferrie and Van Zyl had feature success on the day with, respectively, I Am Giant in the Grade 2 Post Merchants and King Pelles in the Grade 3 Gold Vase – as did Greeff with Anotherdancefor me in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper. Then it was Gold Cup day and the glories mentioned above. Also, Greeff snatched the Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes with shooting star Golden Palm. To round things off, Muscutt, who had started the KZN run, won the Listed Darley Arabian with appropriately named I Salute You. It's too soon to talk of an ongoing renaissance for KwaZulu-Natal training yards, but they certainly have had a major fillip in terms of big-race results. The winning mood could be a result of optimism and positive thinking brought about by the financial salvation job by Hollywood in the province. An economic boost can do that.
Hamilton Spectator
06-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
A couch was set on fire in the middle of this school sports field. How much is vandalism costing the Catholic board each year?
In the early-morning hours of April 19, a sofa was placed on the Knights logo on the artificial turf field at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School on the Mountain and lit on fire. Repairs cost $56,121 — more than anticipated, said Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board senior facilities manager Paul Ferrie at a June 3 committee of the whole meeting. 'They dragged the sofa out to the centre field and torched it,' he told the committee. 'It took flame very quickly.' Fields are generally easy to access, which has posed a challenge, he said. Hamilton police investigated, but haven't made an arrest in this act of 'wilful evil,' Ferrie said. Police confirmed on Thursday no suspects were identified and no charges laid. St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School near Stone Church Road and Garth Street on the Hamilton Mountain. Police are generally only contacted for significant vandalism incidents, spokesperson Const. Adam Kimber said in an email. This incident of vandalism at St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School is one of two high-cost vandalism incidents at the board in the last six months. The board is required to report all incidents of vandalism over $2,500. 'wilful evil Damage to an automatic door at Cathedral High School around April 24 cost $3,193 in repairs. Last July, copper thefts from three rooftop HVAC units at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Elementary School cost $70,876 in repairs. Police investigated, and cameras were installed to identify suspects in any future incidents, the board said in a Dec. 3, 2024, report . It was a 'disappointing' year, Ferrie told the committee. 'Extreme' incidents in the tens of thousands are few, but costs associated with vandalism overall are 'significant' across the province, said chair Pat Daly, who is also the former president of the provincial Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA). For the burning couch, the board is responsible for a $10,000 deductible, and insurance would cover the rest. Emergency work was performed to make the field usable, and permanent repairs will take place over the summer, according to a June 3 report. A couch set fire in the middle of St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School's artificial turf football field cost more than $56,000 in damage. Automatic door repairs were also funded entirely by the facilities management budget. Smashed windows, damage to exterior doors, graffiti and broken toilets and sinks in out-of-sight bathrooms are common across the board's approximately 70 buildings, he said. At least a decade ago, about 20 large exterior windows at a Catholic school were broken in one night, Daly said. Ferrie said there was a 'rash of trespassing' during the pandemic, but Daly said there's no indication vandalism has increased significantly since schools reopened. In addition to the cost, which he estimates is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, vandalism affects students, for whom schools are their 'homes' during the day, Daly said. 'It's a real concern,' he said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Nothing can stop me now' - Ferrie ready for more caps
After describing her Scotland debut last weekend as "totally surreal", Adelle Ferrie says "there is nothing that could stop me now". The 27-year-old came on as a late replacement as the Scots opened their Women's Six Nations account with a 24-21 victory over Wales at Hive Stadium.A trip to play France on Saturday is next up for the national now got one cap, the Corstorphine Cougars second row is determined to make sure many more come her way."[It was] just totally surreal," Ferrie said. "A moment I have wanted for so long and you never know if it is actually going to happen, so it just felt unreal to be out there."I have worked so hard to get here, there is nothing I feel like could stop me now just to progress further. I take on everything, the coaches and players are feedbacking to me so there is no stopping me."I came to rugby quite late, I started playing when I was around 18 when I was at university so it is not like a dream I have had since I was a young girl. "Just really in the last four or five years it is something I have aspired to do but I have had coaches say 'this could be possible' so I really tried my best, worked hard to get it, to get that moment."There were times I doubted myself, even just a few months ago I didn't think it was going to happen this year."After a few conversations with coaches it came alive that it might actually happen."
BBC News
09-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Queen's Park & Davidson stand tall amid Ibrox bedlam
Queen's Park manager Callum Davidson rocked back in his chair in the Ibrox press box, pulled his jacket hood over his face, and pulled the toggles in had just watched the big screen at Ibrox flicker with a fresh message. The officials were examining whether his heroic goalkeeper Calum Ferrie had moved off his line in saving James Tavernier's 97th-minute later, he was celebrating after his team pulled off one of the most seismic shocks in Scottish Cup went through every single emotion from the moment he woke up at 01:30 in a cold sweat at having only four fit defenders, to the referee finally blowing the full-time whistle after about eight minutes of stoppage-time bedlam. He had to do it all away from the dugout due to a touchline ban, too. Instead he was giving fevered instructions on his phone at half-time, at one point standing up and gesturing to his staff furiously, all while sitting a couple of seats along from the BBC commentary odds could hardly have been more stacked against Queen's Park given all those obstacles in their way."I couldn't believe it at the end to be honest," Davidson told BBC Scotland"Our captain [Ferrie] pulled us out of trouble. It's actually a good penalty, it's just a wonderful save. Calum performed at a top level."Davidson's suffering through the drama was the perfect reflection of his team, who emptied everything they had, but emerged still standing and triumphant. Unlikely heroes become Scottish Cup legends The names of Ferrie and match-winner Seb Drozd will now go down in the annals of the Scottish Cup, one of sport's oldest was a colossus, making eight other brilliant saves as well as the critical penalty to keep Rangers at - who has scored 69 penalties for Rangers - will have hit worse and scored. But Ferrie simply would not be and the Queen's Park coaches had analysed where the Rangers captain likes to hit them, but in the end it came down to raw gut instinct."I changed my mind at the last minute," Ferrie told BBC Scotland. "It was a good penalty and I've just got lucky that I've gone the right way. "I'm ecstatic. You'd struggle to write a script like that. The boys in there, the whole squad, boys who were even injured today, have been fantastic all week."We've prepared right, we've believed we can get a result out of this game. Nobody's invincible, we've said that all week. It's worked well for us."Ferrie's modesty matched the modest reputation of Drozd, who arrived after his release by Milwall in that he had been playing for Uxbridge in the Isthmian League. He had scored one goal all he is immortal in Scottish football history after selling a dummy to Jefte, opening his body up, and slotting into the bottom corner like prime Thierry Henry. But there were so many heroes in black and Nikola Ujdur and Will Tizzard were towering presences in the middle of the box, with six of their fellow defenders unavailable for Queen's Welsh and Louis Longridge could barely move by stoppage time after running themselves into the ground in a man, they were magnificent. All of them found their legs at the end, though, as they sprinted towards the corner of Ibrox housing the delirious Queen's Park fans. Can Davidson do it again? Davidson has already performed cup heroics in his short career as a manager. He won the Scottish Cup and League Cup in the same campaign at St Johnstone, four years ago, knocking Rangers out in the quarter-finals in the it again with Queen's Park would be of a whole other order. The Glasgow side are currently fifth in the Championship, closer to the bottom than the will want to improve on that position as well as continue their dream Scottish Cup run. With fellow second-tier side Livingston the only non top-flight side in the draw for the next round, it is a tough after becoming the first Scottish side to win at Ibrox since March, not much else should faze if he can now kick back and enjoy Monday's draw, Davidson cracked a smile."I'll be playing squash," said the hugely accomplished golfer and tennis player.
