by Heinrich Robertson
Chesley Abrahams – A true Abbotsdale Rugby Football Club (RFC) legend connects his passion for his rugby and the legacy that he has been part of for nearly 30 years.
A name synonymous with Abbotsdale Rugby – Chesley Abrahams – started his club rugby journey at the age of 15 years in 1995. Following in the footsteps of his late father, Stephen Fry, Chesley soon made his mark as one of the best young prospects of the club during his debut years.
At the age of 16 years, many moons ago, Chesley was selected to play for the club’s first team and never looked back ever since. Chesley became a regular selection in the Abbotsdale team and was known as one of the key players in his prime. He had a trusted right boot of the tee and he could slot drop goals from anywhere which had the opponents in tatters at times.
He still recalls the day when slotted five drop goals to beat the mighty Darling RFC on their home turf. During the recent Sanlam Boland Top 12 activations at the Abbotsdale Sport Grounds Chesley showed that he can still teach the current squad a thing or two when he won the kicking competition, slotting the ball through the uprights with ease.
Chesley went on to represent the Boland Rugby Sub-Union teams in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and was included in the Boland Amateur team in 2007. He recalls being part of the championship Abbotsdale team that managed to gain promotion to the Boland Premier League in 2005 as one of his favourite memories.
“That was a dream come true for us. We always wanted to play rugby in the big league and our promotion in 2005 was certainly one of my highlights. We could then measure up against the likes of Rawsonville, Ceres, Wellington, and Roses United and we did so in style. The Boland then knew who the mighty Abbotsdale was” said Chesley.
Today, Chesley is one of the club’s biggest supporters and he will be the club’s flag bearer in the Sanlam Boland Top 12 Round Three home fixture against Newtons on 26 October 2024.
We salute Chesley for his profound contribution to rugby in Abbotsdale and for sharing many connected moments over the years.