Wits gamers secure bronze medal in maiden Ussa E-Sport showing
- Tshepiso Mametela
Three gaming teams from the newly-formed Wits E-Sport Club showed their grit at the recently-concluded 2022 USSA E-Sport Challenge at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
The club, participating in its maiden virtual action tournament, entered a team each to fight it out in FIFA, Clash Royale and Rocket League competitions from 30 September to 2 October.
Twelve players from UCT, Wits, North-West University (NWU) and Stellenbosch University (Maties) took to the UCT Sports Centre Hall for the 1v1 Clash Royale.
Players split into groups where each participant played the opponent in their group an equal number of times. The first player to secure three wins from five games won, with Witsie Sean Mahlanza bagging fifth position overall.
In the Rocket League, Wits players Nkosinathi Mthimunye, Awande Dludla, Gabriel Nkole and Lebohang Sesing challenged players from UCT, Maties and Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT).
The league pitted the teams 3v3, with the final score determining the winner. In the end, the Witsies defeated MUT in the semi-finals for a bronze medal.
Wits fielded two players, Zach Buntman and Milani Ndidi, to compete in the FIFA segment.
The pair placed in joint-fifth position after Buntman lost 5-4 against a Maties player in the quarters, while Ndidi suffered a 6-0 aggregate loss in his knockout match against a player from CPUT.
The FIFA tournament comprised 36 players in the group stages and cut down to 16 players for the elimination stages.
“This was the first-ever USSA E-Sport tournament for Wits University after establishing the club in February,” said Wits Sport club manager Tebogo Rabothata.
He congratulated the Wits E-Sport Club on a strong showing, saying the experience boded well for the players.
“They needed the experience and the idea of what the tournament entails so they can start taking the sport seriously,” he said.
“It also provided an opportunity to improve for the university to do better next year and in future. It was a great show for the club, and the players did fairly well.”
Rabothata shared plans for the club to increase the profile of the recreational sport. “The plan is to establish an intervarsity league where clubs can register their respective teams to compete,” he added.
“I would like to establish a women’s team to transform the club and provide the Wits ladies with an opportunity to play the games.”
USSA launched the E-Sport Challenge in September 2019, where 12 universities partook in a FIFA knockout series at Stellenbosch University.