Apart from live reports, there were sports columns by brilliant sports editor James Hattle and former Springbok fast bowler Peter Pollock who offered readers expert views.
Later, Hattle’s popular column was replaced by one written by new sports editor Stan Terblanche.
Terblanche, a former EP rugby player and coach, wrote many exclusive reports for Weekend Post readers.
Horse racing fans read Douglas N Fox’s column for his hot tips and news, and Peter Clarke entertained sports lovers with his views on various pertinent issues.
Versatile EP cricket and rugby star Gavin Cowley also wrote a weekly article which took readers behind the scenes.
Later, Proteas cricket captain Kepler Wessels wrote a weekly piece and yours truly had a soccer column which later morphed into a general “Sports View” column.
The Weekend Post sports section at Baakens Street was always a hive of activity with an army of part-time stringers phoning in their club cricket, rugby and soccer stories to dictate typists on Saturday afternoons.
They would phone in reports for the city sport edition and then update them later for the sport final edition.
In the days before laptops, the correspondents had to find a “tickey box” at sports clubs to file their reports to a copy typist.
With all the calls coming in at about the same time, a pool of five or six copy typists was needed to handle the traffic.
One of the toughest decisions the editor had to make was whether the city sport edition would be held back to accommodate the result of a late-ending cricket match.
Normally the deadline was about 5pm, but it could be stretched if it looked as though a match could conclude.
There was such an occasion when an SA Invitation team played a rebel Australian team at St George’s Park in 1987.
It was my good fortune to be covering the match for Weekend Post from the old wooden press box at the Duckpond Stand at St George’s Park.
Batting first, SA made 316 for six off 50 overs, thanks to fine contributions from Jimmy Cook (70), Roy Pienaar (74), Peter Kirsten (87) and Graeme Pollock (43).
When the deadline for the city sport edition arrived at about 5pm, it looked as though the Aussies, on 302 for five, would canter to an easy victory and a report along those lines was dictated to the copy typist.
It appeared that Kepler Wessels (who was playing for Australia at that stage of his career) had taken his team to the brink of victory with a sensational knock of 122.
But Clive Rice turned the game on its head and Aussie wickets started to fall like ninepins.
As each wicket fell, it became clear that never-say-die Rice, against all the odds, was going to pull the game out of the fire for SA.
There was pandemonium in the packed stadium when the final wicket fell and Rice ended with the fine figures of 5/50.
Time for final Post after long innings
Must-have publication was there for Eastern Cape sport fans, covering everything from latest bowls results to dazzling highlights like ‘The Currie Cup Match of the Century’
Rugby writer
Image: WESSEL OOSTHUIZEN/GALLO IMAGES
Two standout events that made banner front-page headlines in the Sport Final edition of the Weekend Post during the 1980s were cricket’s “Currie Cup Match of the Century” and an unforgettable clash that would go down in SA cricket history as “The Humdinger”.
Both occasions sprang to mind when the sad news came through that Weekend Post would be playing its final innings with today’s publication.
Image: Fredlin Adriaan
Image: Fredlin Adriaan
A few years back, before technology provided sports followers with endless ways to obtain information, Weekend Post was a must-have publication for sports fans in the Eastern Cape.
Weekend Post’s exit, after an entertaining innings played over many seasons, will come as a punch to the gut for loyal readers.
Back in the day, sports nuts used to wait outside cafes until 8pm or later on Saturdays for express delivery vans to deliver the latest news hot off the press in the Sport Final edition.
In its final years, Weekend Post was produced on a Friday and available in shops early on a Saturday morning.
Before that, it was produced on Saturdays and there were four different editions — early edition, city sport edition, sport final edition and Border edition — catering for the needs of most sports fans.
The early edition would be sold at St George’s Park to cricket fans watching Eastern Province playing provincial Currie Cup cricket.
The city sport edition carried scores until about 5pm and the sport final edition contained the close-of-play scores.
Apart from live reports, there were sports columns by brilliant sports editor James Hattle and former Springbok fast bowler Peter Pollock who offered readers expert views.
Image: WEEKEND POST
Apart from live reports, there were sports columns by brilliant sports editor James Hattle and former Springbok fast bowler Peter Pollock who offered readers expert views.
Later, Hattle’s popular column was replaced by one written by new sports editor Stan Terblanche.
Terblanche, a former EP rugby player and coach, wrote many exclusive reports for Weekend Post readers.
Horse racing fans read Douglas N Fox’s column for his hot tips and news, and Peter Clarke entertained sports lovers with his views on various pertinent issues.
Versatile EP cricket and rugby star Gavin Cowley also wrote a weekly article which took readers behind the scenes.
Later, Proteas cricket captain Kepler Wessels wrote a weekly piece and yours truly had a soccer column which later morphed into a general “Sports View” column.
The Weekend Post sports section at Baakens Street was always a hive of activity with an army of part-time stringers phoning in their club cricket, rugby and soccer stories to dictate typists on Saturday afternoons.
They would phone in reports for the city sport edition and then update them later for the sport final edition.
In the days before laptops, the correspondents had to find a “tickey box” at sports clubs to file their reports to a copy typist.
With all the calls coming in at about the same time, a pool of five or six copy typists was needed to handle the traffic.
One of the toughest decisions the editor had to make was whether the city sport edition would be held back to accommodate the result of a late-ending cricket match.
Normally the deadline was about 5pm, but it could be stretched if it looked as though a match could conclude.
There was such an occasion when an SA Invitation team played a rebel Australian team at St George’s Park in 1987.
It was my good fortune to be covering the match for Weekend Post from the old wooden press box at the Duckpond Stand at St George’s Park.
Batting first, SA made 316 for six off 50 overs, thanks to fine contributions from Jimmy Cook (70), Roy Pienaar (74), Peter Kirsten (87) and Graeme Pollock (43).
When the deadline for the city sport edition arrived at about 5pm, it looked as though the Aussies, on 302 for five, would canter to an easy victory and a report along those lines was dictated to the copy typist.
It appeared that Kepler Wessels (who was playing for Australia at that stage of his career) had taken his team to the brink of victory with a sensational knock of 122.
But Clive Rice turned the game on its head and Aussie wickets started to fall like ninepins.
As each wicket fell, it became clear that never-say-die Rice, against all the odds, was going to pull the game out of the fire for SA.
There was pandemonium in the packed stadium when the final wicket fell and Rice ended with the fine figures of 5/50.
Image: WEEKEND POST
Not surprisingly, the editor decided to hold back the city sport edition as Australia tumbled to 310 all out, allowing SA to run out narrow six-run winners.
The match would later go down in the annals of SA cricket history as “The Humdinger”.
Another big story which made Weekend Post front page news was when EP won the Currie Cup cricket title for the first time in 1989.
The match was also part of SA cricket’s centenary celebrations.
On the Saturday of EP’s final against Transvaal, opening batsman Philip Amm (214) and Kenny McEwan (191) put EP in control of the game with brilliant innings.
A Weekend Post sub editor came up with the apt front-page banner headline of “AMM-AZING 200”.
Now it’s time for Weekend Post’s final innings after a distinguished knock which kept readers entertained for many memorable years.
Farewell old friend, it’s time for the Final Post!
HeraldLIVE
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