MSSA's Best Newcomer Award

Joel van Wyk at the 2016 KwaZulu Natal Championships.

MSSA has been awarding the Best Newcomer Award since 1987.

Of the 30 recipients of this award, 18 of the recipients have earned Protea Colours and gone on to represent South Africa with pride and distinction in international competition.

Thus Joel has big boots to fill.

Joel's achievements in 2016 certainly puts him in good stead for a great future.

The full list of winners since 1987 is:

YEAR	BEST NEWCOMER	CLUB
2016	Joel van Wyk	All Stars
2015	Wynand Meiring	BZK
2014	Barry West	KMSC
2013	Mohamed Wasim Lorgat	Energy eSports
2012	Lyrene Kűhn	KMSC
2011	Robert Botha	PolarFluke
2010	Jonathan Grobler	HWC
2009	Xola Magwaza	KMSC
2008	Benjamin Williams	PBHS
2007	Jonathan Grobler	HWC
2006	Werner Buter	MCS
2005	Thembile Nquezo	CT
2004	Jonathan Newman	MCS
2003	Simphiwe Maphumulo	AHS
2002	Teresa Chen	MGH
2001	David Scholtz	MG
2000	Attilla Molnar	WHAM
1999	Andre Tonkin	KHS
1998	Rudolph Joubert	PEN
1997	Thembinkosi Hambiyane	GDA
1996	Richard Ligault	TWR
1995	Jaco Vermeulen	PKV
1994	Damien Enslin	PEN
1993	David Smith	OE
1992	Jethro Marks	OE
1991	David Young	NSW
1990	Dennis White	EWG
1989	Bruce Cahill	EWG
1988	Grant Casey	JHB
1987	Hal Couzens	JHB

Results of MSSA's 30th South African National Championships

Wolfpack in action at the 2016 SA National Championships.

MSSA's 30^th National Championships once again hosted by HTS Witbank was indeed a success.

Thanks must be extended to HTS Witbank, Morizane Boyes and the Mpumulanga Provincial Director, Mr. Louis Brown.

The championship attracted players from the majority of provinces. Players attended from 6 provinces.

More importantly the number of female participation grew exponentially with women competing in 10 out of the 12 games offered. The SA Nationals is thus now the championship that has more female participation than any other championship held in South Africa, and ranks among the top championships in the world for such.

Players thus battled it out to not only to earn the title of South African Champion, but also to earn National Federation Colours and the right to fight for a place in the 2017 National Team Trials that will ultimately deliver a team to IeSF's 2017 9^th World Championships.

The championship delivered a number of surprises. Most notable of the surprise results were to be found in the CounterStrike, FIFA, and HearthStone titles.

In CounterStrike, the newly formed VexxedPhoenix team smashed the opposition to take first place.

The all female team, Team Wolfpack, too delivered outstanding performances  to take 1st place in the women's division.

A challenger from Fakkel School in Sasolburg, by the name of Khahliso Malape, emerged as the winner. However, Jolene Bico maintained her position as the female South African champion. 

HearthStone too showed a new challenger coming to the fore. Kelvin Yang (Northcliff High School) waltzed home to take the title of South African champion and earn himself a position in the 2017 National Team Trials.

The winners are:

Title	Name of player/team	Club	Colours awarded
Ancients wargames	Colin Webster	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
Ancients wargames – Handicaps	Terence Allwright	Old Edwardian Wargames Club
Checkers	Khahliso Malape	Fakkel School
Checkers - female	Lucille Brown	All Stars
CounterStrike: GO	VxP Knights	VexxedPhoenix	National Colours
CounterStrike: GO – female	Wolfpack	Knights Mind Sports Club	National Colours
CounterStrike: GO – High School	K1IIJOYS	BNKR
DotA 2	Titans	VexxedPhoenix	National Colours
FIFA ‘16	Khahliso Malape	Fakkel School	National Colours
FIFA ‘16 – female	Jolene Bico	BNKR	National Colours
FIFA ‘16 – High Schooll	Kamohelo Tladi	Fakkel School
Hearthstone	Kelvin Yang	Northcliff High School	National Colours
League of Legends	Fuzz Logic	VexxedPhoenix	National Colours
League of Legends – High School	K1IIJOYS	Hoerskool Generaal Hertzog
Morabaraba	Johannes Mokua	All Stars	National Colours
Morabaraba (female)	Nombulelo Gavin	Fakkel School	National Colours
Morabaraba – High School	Mukha Masheleni	Fakkel School
Mortal Kombat X	Kyle Chan Some	Northcliff High School	National Colours
Mortal Kombat X (female)	Leone Loftus	Fakkel	National Colours
	Robyn Gertzer	Teutonic Knights	National Colours
PES 2016	Richard Ferreira	Fakkel School	National Colours
PES 2016 (female)	Leone Loftus	Fakkel School
Street Fighter V	Leonard Loftus	Masters of Mind Sports	National Colours
Street Fighter V (female)	Sune Van Der Merwe	HTS Witbank	National Colours
Tekken Tag Tournament II	Gawie Fick	Fakkel School	National Colours
Tekken Tag Tournament II (female)	Nadine Swart	HTS Witbank	National Colours
Tekken Tag Tournament II – High School	Waldo Joubert	BNKR
	Jan-Hendrik Van Aswegen	BNKR
StarCraft II	Aidan Smale	Old Edwardian Wargames Club	National Colours

Photographs of the event may be found on: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mindsportssa/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155465022184008

White Rabbit leads MSSA's CounterStrike: GO Ladder

The White Rabbit Team that played in MSSA's 2015 S A National Championships

White Rabbit Gaming currently leads both MSSA's ranking and MSSA's Ladder for the CounterStrike:GO eSports title.

According to  the rules for the Ladder, teams are listed in accordance of ranking and may be challenged by teams that are ranked within five places of themselves. New teams enter at the bottom of the table and have to work their way to the top.

It is really quite encouraging to see so many school teams making their way up the table which bodes well for the future of gaming in South Africa.

Ranking	Name of Player	year	Club	Points
1	WRG	15	White Rabbit Gaming	410.6
2	PORAXYSM	16	All Stars	285
3	VIGILANTES	15	TV	270
4	PAROXYSM	15	All Stars	235.7
5	VOID	15	St John's	204.5
6	DELTA	15	All Stars	200.7
7	Rondebosch Boys High	15	RBHS	200
8	QUANTM	16	STC	150
9	Fairmont High School	15	FHS	125
10	SPEARR	15	STJ	120
11	PBHS red	15	PBHS	112.5
12	HGH	16	HGH	100
13	All Stars	16	All Stars	100
14	PRONHS	15	NCLF	97
15	LAGSTEPS	15	BNKR	85
16	VGR146	16	Lofdal	75
17	PG – 18	15	Parklands	75
18	PBHS white	15	PBHS	56.3

WCA 2016 promotes e-sports in China

South Africa's Thomas Brown opening the WCA2016

The World Cyber Arena 2016 (WCA2016) China and APAC Pro Qualifiers Season 1 (S1) finals took place at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing on May 21.

Fifty-seven players in teams from China, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia and Philippines won in the six official games, including CS:GO, Hearthstone, Dota II, StarCraftII, Warcraft 3, and COS, have advanced to WCA2016 global finals that will be held in Yinchuan, capital of northwestern China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region this December.

The event was opened by Thomas Brown (from All Stars Club, Witbank, South Africa) who is the first South African to referee an international eSports event on foreign soil.

The WCA, held by Yinchuan government and Yinchuan International Game Investment Co Ltd, is an international e-sports event that has been held thrice. Under the slogan "Hero's Arena, Player's Dreamland", it is committed to promoting the developments of e-sports events and the sector and attracting more people to participate in e-sports.

China's e-sports sector has boomed in recent years under positive policy and social environment. The number of e-sports users has reached 124 million and the output value of the e-sports sector has reached 27 billion yuan by the end of 2015, and the overall market of e-sports in China is expected to exceed 50 billion yuan in the future, according to the 2015 China e-sports Game Analysis Report released by iResearch, a Chinese consultancy company.

According to WCA spokesman Li Yanfei, the E-Sports industry has a large amount of enthusiastic young fans that should not be underestimated.

As the titled sponsor of WCA2016, Lesports of LeEco Holdings Co, enters the field to create an e-sport ecosystem, Lei Zhenjian, founder and Chief Executive said with the government's positive promotion and capital pouring into the sector, e-sports is rapidly rising in China.

"The standards and business model of e-sports still needs to mature. And as a young sector, e-sports has diverse possibilities in its profitability," said Lei.

1st Fezile Dabi Regional Championship - a success!

Winners - one and all!

Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is dedicated to development.

Thus MSSA has a programme of hosting championships in as many of South Africa's regions as possible.

Clubs are encouraged to buy-into the programme by hosting the events and to profit from such events through earning entrance fees, obtaining press, and discovering new members.

The most recent of the Regional Championships was the 1st Fezile Dabi Regional Championship was hosted by Fakkel School, Sasolburg on 14 & 15 May 2016

Leonard Loftus of the club, Masters of eSport, excelled himself by running a top-class event.

The event had 61 contestants battle it out to see who would walk away with Regional  Colours and the eligibility to enter the National Team Trials.

The winners are:

Title	Name of player/team	Club	Colours awarded
Checkers	Khahliso Malape	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
Checkers (female)	Lucille Brown	All Stars	Fezile Dabi Schools
Morabaraba – Premier	Kamohelo Tladi	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
Morabaraba – High Schools	Thabang Kumi	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Schools
Morabaraba (female)	Nombulelo Gavin	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
PES 2016 – Premier	Tumi Mohosho	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
PES 2016 – High School	Sibusiso Nabilevo	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Schools
FIFA '16 – Premier	Richard Ferrera	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
FIFA '16 – High Schools	Kamohelo Tladi	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Schools
Mortal Kombat X – Premier	Joost Loftus	Masters of eSport	Fezile Dabi Regional
Mortal Kombat X – High School	Mpho Ntsala	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Schools
Mortal Kombat X (female)	Leoné Loftus	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Regional
Street Fighter V – Premier	Joost Loftus	Masters of eSport	Fezile Dabi Regional
Street Fighter V – High School	Sibusiso Nabilevo	Fakkel School	Fezile Dabi Schools