The inaugural season of the Super Pro League Gauteng Premier Division came to a thrilling close last night with an action-packed evening of semi-finals, knockouts, and the grand finale. The drama was high, the stakes even higher, and the players did not disappoint.
🔥 Semi-Final 1: Lucas Venter vs Shane Pillay
The first semi-final saw Lucas Venter (Season 1’s round-robin winner) face off against Shane Pillay. Lucas looked shaky early on, with a few unforced errors giving Shane the upper hand. But as champions do, Lucas found his rhythm, clawing his way back with relentless consistency and clinical finishing. Despite Shane’s strong start, Lucas sealed the match with a 6–3 victory to book his spot in the final.
🔥 Semi-Final 2: Nsovo Mathonsi vs Nico Erasmus
This was without doubt the match of the season. Nico Erasmus came out firing, racing into an early lead with two clinical break-and-finishes. Nsovo, never one to back down, responded with brilliance of his own, matching Nico with two break-and-finishes of his own later in the session.
The scores tied at 8–8, forcing a sudden death decider. In heartbreaking fashion, Nsovo missed a crucial black on a break-and-finish attempt, opening the door for Nico. The Ice Man held his nerve, cleared the table, and clinched the match in dramatic fashion to reach the grand final.
🥉 3rd/4th Place Match: Nsovo Mathonsi vs Shane Pillay
With pride and prize money on the line, Nsovo faced Shane in a shorter race-to-5, 20-minute knockout match. Nsovo showed his flair and fighting spirit, taking control from the outset and running away with a 4–2 victory to claim 3rd place overall.
🏆 The Grand Final: Lucas Venter vs Nico Erasmus
The grand finale was set — the No. 1 seed vs the ultimate underdog. But on this night, it was Nico who stole the show. Carrying his momentum from the semi-final, Nico dominated the table with ruthless finishing and composure under pressure.
Lucas rallied late, pulling off a spectacular break-and-finish to spark hope, but the comeback came too late. Nico closed the match 7–4, earning the title of SPL Season 1 Champion and the R12,000 top prize.
💰 Prize Money Breakdown (Knockouts Night)
- 1st – Nico Erasmus: R12,000
- 2nd – Lucas Venter: R3,000
- 3rd – Nsovo Mathonsi: R2,000
- 4th – Shane Pillay: R1,000
🏆 SPL Season 1 – Final Prize Money Rankings
Combining the round-robin earnings and the Knockouts prizes, here’s how the 8 players finished financially for Season 1:
- Nico Erasmus – R18,000
- Lucas Venter – R13,000
- Nsovo Mathonsi – R10,000
- Shane Pillay – R4,000
- Aron Donohue – R2,000
- Takalani Mareda – R1,000
- Nithai Chetty – R1,000
- Alvin Naidoo – R1,000
💰 Total Prize Pool Paid Out: R50,000
👀 What’s Next?
With Season 1 officially wrapped up, all eyes turn to the future. Season 2 of the SPL Gauteng Premier Division promises to be bigger and better. But first, we kick things off with a R10,000 tournament exclusively for registered SPL players, proudly sponsored by the Sombhani Group of Companies.
🙏 Thank You
The success of SPL Season 1 wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and support of everyone involved. A massive thank you to all the players, officials, organisers, sponsors, online fans, family, and friends who made this journey unforgettable.
Here’s to an even greater Season 2 — the best is yet to come! 🎱🔥
1 Comment
Rele
Great work, would like to see more of such events in the townships that would be a great initiative too.