Author: vndudane

Gauteng hockey lovers are in for a treat on the weekend with an epic six derby clashes taking place on Saturday. Those will be preceded by a Friday Night Lights meeting between St Charles and St Stithians in Pietermaritzburg.

The mouthwatering fixtures include the in-form Jeppe High School for Boys against their old rivals, St John’s College.

The Kensington side heads into the clash buoyed after a winning the Aitken Cup last weekend. They met Parktown Boys’ High School in the final at St Stithians and a last-gasp goal secured a 2-0 victory in a tight contest.

Jeppe will wrap up their second term schedule when they host St John’s on the Boden Astro in their last action before the boys turn their attention to their mid-year exams.

The schools have met 71 times previously. Jeppe has been dominant in the past, winning 42 games, with 11 draws, and 18 wins for St John’s.

Coach Siya Sityana‘s Jeppe troops will go into the clash full of confidence. Their recent form, apart from their Aitken Cup winning exploits, include a 3-2 win over Pretoria Boys High School and a 3-2 defeat of KES. Only Northwood, in Durban, stopped the Zebras, with the Knights claiming a 3-1 victory.

The Aitken Cup runners-up, Parktown Boys’ High are away at St Benedict’s College, in Bedfordview.

Parktown has shown good growth during the 2024 season. It began with a so-so showing at the Founders Festival, but they’ve been picking up momentum ever since. At the Aitken Cup, they won two of their three games on the first day of the tournament.

On the second day, they won both fixtures, 5-3 over St John’s and 2-1 over St David’s Marist Inanda. Their reward was an appearance in the final of the Aitken Cup for the first time since 2010.

Coach Kyle Reddy believes that the key to his team’s success has been great sportsmanship and selflessness among the players.

“I think the key thing, since I joined the team, is that they have been together since they were 16, playing for the 1^st team, so most of the guys in the squad have 100 caps.

“I have started them young, but the most important key is they are good humans. They play for each other. They are brothers on and off the field. That’s what allows them to fight well for each other,” he said.

JEPPE V ST JOHN’S HEAD-TO-HEAD

2011 St John’s 3 Jeppe 0
2012 Jeppe 0 St John’s 0
2013 St John’s 3 Jeppe 2
2014 Jeppe 2 St John’s 0
2015 St John’s 3 Jeppe 0
2016 Jeppe 0 St John’s 0
2017 Jeppe 1 St John’s 0
2018 Jeppe 2 St John’s 2
2019 Jeppe 2 St John’s 2
2022 Jeppe 4 St John’s 3
2023 Jeppe 2 St John’s 1

FIXTURES

Friday

18:45 – St Charles College vs St Stithians College

Saturday

10:00 – St Benedict’s College vs Parktown Boys’ High; 10:40- King Edward VII vs Affies; 10:45 – Jeppe High School for Boys vs St John’s College; 10:45 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Waterkloof; High; 11:45 – Garsfontein vs Menlopark; 11:30 – Pretoria Boys’ High vs Michaelhouse

Jeppe High School for Boys reclaimed the Aitken Cup, the symbol of hockey supremacy in Johannesburg, on Sunday evening at St Stithians, winning 2-0 against Parktown Boys’ High in the final.

It was the first time that Parktown had made the title-decider since 2010. During those years, Jeppe had dominated the event and won it six times in succession until 2023, when Saints ended their reign.

Sunday’s clash was a nerve-wracking affair for both sides.

In the early going, the teams went through a process of pushing and probing for potential avenues of offence. The first significant attack came from Jeppe, with Ethan Kapanda threatening, but Parktown kept matters tight at the back.

Another flowing Jeppe attack was halted in the sixth minute, and Parktown counterattacked strongly, with Khanyisa Kraai challenging the Zebras‘ defence.

The first chukka ended with a sharp attack from Jeppe, but a brilliant interception from Nicholas Townsend stopped the danger.

In the second chukka, coach Kyle Reddy‘s Parktown adopted a more direct approach, which also served to blunt Jeppe’s attack. The Kensington boys stayed compact and created an opportunity, but the outstanding Kraai turned over possession.

Parktown, then, won two penalty corners, one after another. On the re-award, Joshua Renders pulled off a brilliant save in the Jeppe goal.

“When two good teams go up against each other, the game will be decided on small margins,” Reddy commented. “Jeppe defended us well. Every time we changed our athletes, every time we changed our pace, they adapted to it very well. Well done to them.”

Two minutes into the third chukka, Jeppe broke the deadlock from a penalty corner. Juan Martin struck, beating the goalkeeper to his left with a fantastic flick, to put his side 1-0 ahead.

Despite being down by a goal, Parktown remained solid, with Kraai, at the back, ruling the roost.

Later in the chukka, Parktown won a penalty corner, but the execution wasn’t there, and the whistle sounded with Jeppe 1-0 to the good, with one more chukka to play.

It had been 14 years since Parktown played for the silverware and they were not about to bow out without having given it their all. They came out firing in the final chukka and received another short corner after four minutes.

Kraai’s shot was saved, but Parktown picked up the ball off of the rebound. Another shot, another exceptional stop from Renders, and Jeppe’s clean sheet remained intact.

Back and forth it went, with the defences continually finding answers to the questions asked of them. Parktown almost found a way through, but Ethan Kapanda showed off his defensive prowess to stymie them once more.

In a desperate move to create more opportunities, Parktown removed their ‘keeper and added another player in the field. Jeppe’s resistance didn’t falter.

Then, with seven seconds left, the Zebras won one last penalty corner. Juan Martin slotted again, doubling his personal haul and that of his team, to secure the title for Jeppe.

Afterwards, Jeppe coach Siya Sityana commented: “I feel very relieved because we have had a tough season.

“Last year, we lost in finals. This year, we had to avoid making that a tradition. My team had to break that, and they played very well. They got better throughout the tournament.”

Parktown coach Kyle Reddy said: “It was quite a good game. It was tactical.

“I think both teams played with their entire hearts and souls. Jeppe took advantage of the few chances they had and are well-deserved winners,” he told Supersport Schools Plus.

The victory brought Jeppe’s haul to 18 titles in the 47-year history of the Aitken Cup. Parktown’s record remains static on 11 titles, tied with King Edward VII.

Jeppe also claimed the u16 honours, winning the Top Eight competition after a shootout against KES.

KES, though, won the Boden Trophy, taking the u15 title after a 2-1 win over Jeppe.

For a first time since 2010, Parktown Boys’ High School has made it through to the Aitken Cup final.

They booked their spot in the title-decider following a 5-3 semi-final triumph over St John’s College on Saturday at St Stithians.

It was tight in the opening chukka, but Parktown edged ahead with a late goal. They continued to build their confidence with a second strike to make it 2-0 at the break, and two more in the third chukka had Kyle Reddy‘s charges cruising towards the final.

Credit to St John’s, though, they kept fighting and netted three times in the fourth chukka, with Parktown scoring once, to finish the game strongly. Parktown, though, had done all the hard work in the first three chukkas, and they were through to the final.

Reddy’s side has been a pleasant surprise in 2024. They started slowly at the Founders Festival, but they’ve come on in leaps and bounds during the course of the season, and at the Aitken Cup they’ve impressed.

Earlier, on Saturday, they scored a vital 2-1 win over St David’s Marist Inanda. In the final, they’ll tackle Jeppe, who have been most dominant school in the history of the competition.

In their opening match, on Friday, Jeppe drew 1-1 with St David’s, who had beaten them 4-1 earlier in the season in a league clash. Since that draw, the Zebras have been on a dominant winning run, with their defence keeping four clean sheets in succession.

They overpowered Northcliff 5-0 and rattled off a 3-0 win over Hoërskool Monument. Then, they ran out 2-0 winners over Helpmekaar to secure their place in the semifinals.

There, they emphatically grabbed their chance, with coach Siya Sityana’s side, who lost the 2023 final to St Stithians, scoring a 3-0 win over King Edward VII School (KES).

RESULTS

Parktown 2-1 St David’s
St Stithians 7-0 Northcliff
St John’s 1-0 St Benedict’s
Noordheuwel 1-0 Linden
Jeppe 2-0 Helpmekaar
Monument 4-0 Randpark
KES 5-1 Trinityhouse
Fourways 3-2 Beaulieu
St David’s 4-1 St Benedict’s
Northcliff 2-1 Linden
Parktown 5-3 St John’s
St Stithians 7-1 Noordheuwel
Randpark 3-1 Beaulieu
Monument 5-0 Fourways
Jeppe 3-0 KES
Helpmekaar 2-1 Trinityhouse

St Stithians College opened their 2024 Aitken Cup campaign with a shock defeat to Helpmekaar Kollege and a draw against Parktown Boys’ High School.

Saints began proceedings on Friday on the Superpark Red Astro against Helpmekaar, and the defending champions were stunned, going down 1-2. Meanwhile, 2023 runners-up, Jeppe, played to a 1-1 draw with St David’s Marist Inanda in their opener.

After their early setback, St Stithians fared better in their second outing, sharing a 2-2 draw with Parktown.

Then, in their third and the last game of the day, Saints reminded their competitors of their potential when they overwhelmed Rand Park High School 10-1.

It took the hosts only four minutes to get onto the scoreboard. Within a minute, they had doubled their advantage.

Rand Park mustered a response in the 16th minute, but Saints kept adding to their tally. At half-time, they were 7-1 clear.

In the second stanza, Rand Park offered stiffer resistance, but St Stithians hit double figures with 14 seconds remaining in the contest to make the final score 10-1.

King Edward VII School (KES), who’ve endured middling fortunes in 2024, sneaked a 3-2 win over St Benedict’s, who have been more consistent this season.

It was a good day for KES, who also brushed aside Fourways 5-1, and later beat Linden 3-1.

The tournament reaches its knockout stages on Saturday. There is much to play for.

RESULTS

St Stithians 1-2 Helpmekaar; Jeppe 1-1 St David’s; St Benedict’s 2-3 KES; St John’s 2-0 Noordheuwel; Parktown 6-0 Randpark; Northcliff 1-2 Monument; Linden 0-1 Fourways; Trinityhouse 3-1 Beaulieu; St Stithians 2-2 Parktown; St Benedict’s 2-0 Linden; Helpmekaar 2-1 Randpark; KES 5-1 Fourways; St Stithians 10-1 Randpark; St David’s 0-0 Monument; Noordheuwel 1-1 Beaulieu; Jeppe 3-0 Monument; St Benedict’s 6-0 Fourways; Helpmekaar 1-2 Parktown; KES 3-1 Linden; St John’s 2-1 Beaulieu; St David’s 2-0 Northcliff; Noordheuwel 2-2 Trinityhouse

After annexing the 2023 Aitken Cup, St Stithians College will attempt a defence of the prestigious title this weekend. The tournament starts on the Saints’ Astros on Friday and wraps up on Sunday.

Last year, St Stithians outplayed St John’s College 5-1 to qualify for the final. Facing Jeppe High School for Boys for a second year in succession for the title, they triumphed 4-2 in a penalty shootout, after the teams had finished regulation time all square at 2-2, to be crowned the champions.

It was a superb fightback from Saints, who had trailed 0-2. Connor Sneddon pulled one back with a fine effort and a Taine Tanner-Ellis penalty corner goal levelled the scores.

The 2023 result was a reversal of the 2022 final, when Jeppe got the better of St Stithians.

Jeppe is the most successful team in the history of the competition, and before they were beaten by Saints last year, they had won it six times in succession.

This year, the Zebras have been up and down, struggling for consistency, but coach Siya Sityana‘s charges cannot be counted out, especially when there is silverware on the line.

Their recent results have been a cause for optimism. They outgunned Krugersdorp High School 7-0 and settled for a 2-2 draw with Affies. They also recorded a 3-2 win over King Edward VII (KES) and, in April, ran out 3-1 winners over the visiting Westville Boys’ High School.

Saints will open their challenge on Friday with an outing against Helpmekaar Kollege, who warmed up for the game with a 2-1 victory over Heronbridge on Wednesday evening.

Jeppe, on the other Astro, will face St David’s Marist Inanda in the second clash of the day. It’s a big game for both sides, especially since St David’s recorded a big 4-1 win over Jeppe in early April.

That clash will be followed by St Benedict’s College against KES. Bennies has enjoyed a solid season and should be favoured in the game, but there are no foregone conclusions, and a good tussle should be expected.

FRIDAY FIXTURES

7:30 – St Stithians v Helpmekaar; 07:45 – Jeppe v St David’s; 08:20 – St Benedict’s v KES; 08:35 – St John’s v Noordheuwel; 09:20 – Parktown v Randpark; 09:35 – Northcliff v Monument; 10:00 – Linden v Fourways; 10:15 – Trinityhouse v Beaulieu; 11:00 – St Stithians v Parktown; 11:15 – Jeppe v Northcliff; 11:50 – St Benedict’s v Linden; 12:05 – St John’s v Trinityhouse; 13:20 – Helpmekaar v Randpark; 13:35 St David’s v  Monument; 14:10 – KES v Fourways; 14:25 Noordheuwel v Beaulieu; 15:10 – St Stithians v Randpark; 15:25 – Jeppe v Monument; 16:00 – St Benedict’s v Fourways; 16:15 – St John’s v Beaulieu; 17:00 – Helpmekaar v Parktown; 16:15 – St David’s v Northcliff; 17:50 – KES v Linden; 18:05 – Noordheuwel v Trinityhouse.

St Stithians College and Parktown Boys’ High School shared an eight-goal thriller on Saturday, with Saints securing a 5-3 home victory on their home turf.

When they met in 2023, St Stithians also came away with the honours after a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Parktown gave Saints a good game but, in the end, it was not quite enough. The home team never trailed and netted their first two minutes before the end of the opening chukka.

From there, they established a comfortable 3-0 advantage, but Parktown’s fight was undiminished, and they pulled one back 30 seconds before the break.

They reduced the deficit to a single goal in the third chukka, but Saints responded well, tacking on two more goals to make it 5-2.

Coach Kyle Reddy‘s charges found a third goal in the final chukka, but there was no further give in the St Stithians’ defence and they secured the victory.

In another game, King Edward VII School went down 1-2 to St Benedict’s College, who have been one of the more consistent Johannesburg schools this season.

St David’s Marist Inanda, who have also enjoyed a solid 2024, whipped Springs Boys’ High 8-0. It was only 1-0 at half-time, but St David’s overwhelmed Springs in the second half, finding the back of the net seven more times.

In Pretoria, the visiting Hilton College won 2-1 against Pretoria Boys High School.

RESULTS

St Stithians College 5-3 Parktown Boys’ High
King Edward VII 1-2 St Benedict’s College
St David’s Marist Inanda 8-0 Springs Boys’ High
Pretoria Boys High 1-2 Hilton College

A much-anticipated clash between Parktown Boys’ High School and St Stithians College will be one of the highlights of the weekend’s hockey action in Johannesburg.

Friday sees the junior teams in action, while Saturday features their seniors. Parktown, after a 0-3 loss at Pretoria Boys High in their last outing, will try for another away win against Saints.

Despite their defeat in Pretoria, Parktown coach Kyle Reddy believes his charges are well prepared for their showdown with St Stithians. “The preparations have been good,” he said. “At this stage of the season, we do what we do to stick to our processes.”

Last year, when Saints produced an Aitken Trophy-winning season, they were made to battle hard to down Parktown 2-1.

Looking back on that clash, Reddy said: “So, last year it was quite tight. We lost 1-2 after they scored a PC after time was up, which won them the game. It has always been a good game for us, always quite tight.”

The Parktown coach also shared that he’s been tweaking his lineup a little. He explained: “I’ve been playing around with forwards in the last few games, just giving guys an opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t.”

In other matches, King Edward VII will face a tough challenge from St Benedict’s College, who have enjoyed an impressive season.

Pretoria Boys High hosts Hilton College, knowing the visitors were stung last weekend by a loss to Michaelhouse. Coach Damian Kimfley‘s charges suffered only their second loss of 2024 on the Mansergh Astro, and they will be keen to arrest any signs of a slide.

St David’s Marist Inanda will be favoured in their match against Spring Boys’ High, which takes place in Sandton.

After much hard work, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, Pretoria outlasted Rhenish Girls’ High School on penalties to clinch the 2024 All Girls Festival title at The Girls High School, Potchefstroom, on Saturday.

The title decider was a good, hard fight, with both Affies and Rhenish tigerishly defending to avoid going behind. That, however, left the sides deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation time, thus sending the contest to the penalty spot to decide the winner. Affies took it, just, by three goals to two.

It was a satisfying end to the event for Affies, who began it with a 0-2 setback against Oranje on Thursday. They answered that loss with three wins in succession, beating Rustenburg Girls’ High 1-0, followed by 2-0 victories over Pretoria High School for Girls and HMS La Rochelle respectively.

That left Affies in second place in Pool A, with nine points.

Then, on Friday, they showed BMT to edge out Collegiate Girls’ High School 2-1 on penalties in the quarterfinals. In the semis, they beat Paarl Girls’ High 1-0 to secure their place in the final.

Rhenish’s challenge got off to a flyer when they overran Jeppe High School for Girls 13-0 in their first match. Their Stellenbosch neighbours, Bloemhof, held them to a 1-1 draw in their second outing, but a 2-0 victory over Danville Park Girls’ High and a 1-0 win over Durban Girls’ High left them top of Pool B, with 11 points.

Oranje impressed in the third-place playoff, scoring a 3-0 win over Paarl Girls’ High. Fifth went to Bloemhof, who handed Eunice a 2-1 loss, while Collegiate ended seventh after a 1-0 win over Wynberg Girls’ High.

In 2025, the All Girls Festival heads to the Western Cape where it will be hosted by Wynberg Girls’ High, who co-hosted the event with Rustenburg Girls’ High in its very first year, in 2000.

RESULTS

Collegiate Girls’ High School 1-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Clarendon High School for Girls (2) 0-0 (1) Danville Park Girls’ High School
HMS Bloemhof 2-1 Eunice
Durban Girls’ High 1-0 Parktown Girls’ High
Paarl Girls’ High 0-3 Oranje
La Rochelle 0- 2 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Affies (3) 0-0 (2) Rhenish Girls’ High School

Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, Pretoria, and Rhenish Girls’ High School will meet in the final of the All Girls Festival, on Saturday morning, in Potchefstroom. Both teams were on form on Friday.

Red-hot Rhenish hit the field and breezed past Wynberg in the last eight, rolling to a 5-0 win. Then, they slipped past Oranje in the semi-finals, winning 3-1 in a penalty shootout, after the teams had finished regulation time tied at 0-0.

Rhenish built up momentum from Thursday, which included a massive 13-0 opening victory over Jeppe High School for Girls, followed by a 1-1 draw with their Stellenbosch rivals, HMS Bloemhof. They added two more wins, without conceding a goal, defeating Danville Park Girls’ High School 2-0 and Durban Girls’ High 1-0.

With three wins and a draw, and with 11 points in the bag, they topped Pool B.

Affies, meanwhile, fought tooth and nail to overcome Gqeberha’s Collegiate Girls’ High School 2-0 from the penalty spot, after a goalless draw, and then held off Paarl Girls’ High, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory to book their place in the tournament decider.

The 2023 finalist, Eunice, will face HMS Bloemhof for fifth place on Saturday. This comes after a they scored a 1-0 win over Wynberg on Friday, before going down 0-2 to their Bloemfontein rivals, Oranje.

Despite the bump in the road on day two, the soon-to-be former champions enjoyed a fair run on the opening day, when they won three matches, which included a big 9-0 win over the hosts, The High School for Girls, Potchefstroom, a tight 1-0 victory over Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School, and a 2-0 win over St Michael’s, also of Bloemfontein. They were, however, beaten 1-0 by Collegiate.

The losing semi-finalists, Paarl Girls’ High and Oranje will face off for third place on Saturday at 09:20 on the NWU Astro A.

FRIDAY RESULTS

Oranje 2-0 Eunice
Rhenish (3) 0-0 (1) Oranje
Collegiate (1) 0-0 (2) Affies
Paarl 0-1 Affies
Rustenburg Girls’ 3-0 St Michael’s
Danville (2) 0-0 (0) Rustenburg
High School for Girls, Potchefstroom 0-2 Pretoria Girls
Jeppe HSG 0-1 High School for Girls, Potchefstroom
Pretoria Girls 3-0 Jeppe HSG
Clarendon (2) 0-0 (0) La Rochelle
Durban Girls’ High 1-2 Clarendon
Durban Girls’ High 1-0 Pietermaritzburg GHS
La Rochelle (2) 0-0 (1) Pietermaritzburg GHS
Pietermaritzburg GHS (0) 0-0 (1) St Michael’s
Rhenish 5-0 Wynberg
HMS Bloemhof 0 -2 Paarl Girls’ High
Wynberg 0-1 Eunice
HMS Bloemhof 2-0 Collegiate
Parktown 0-1 Danville
Parktown (3) 0-0 (2) Michael’s

SATURDAY FIXTURES

08:00 – Collegiate GHS vs Wynberg Girls’ High; 08:00 – Clarendon vs Danville Park;  08:40 – HMS Bloemhof vs Eunice; 08:40 – Durban Girls’ High v Parktown HSG; 08:40 – Paarl Girl’ High v Oranje; 09:20 – La Rochelle vs Rustenburg; 10:00 – Affies vs Rhenish.

 

Gqeberha’s Collegiate Girls’ High School stunned St Mary’s Festival runners-up Eunice on Thursday at the All Girls Festival, being hosted by The High School for Girls, Potchefstroom.

On a busy opening day for the 19 schools, Collegiate came away with a 100 percent record.

Their win over Eunice, who have gone from strength to strength with a young team in 2024, was, undoubtedly, the biggest surprise of the day.

Collegiate scored before halftime and held Eunice at bay after the break to secure the win. They were also made to fight hard for a second 1-0 victory, this time over Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School.

In the third outing, they brushed aside St Michael’s, cruising to a 4-0 win, before finishing up the day with a 3-0 defeat of the hosts.

In a mouthwatering clash, Rhenish and HMS Bloemhof shared a 1-1 draw. Predictably, the Stellenbosch rivals went at it hammer and tongs, as rivals do.

The opening day also saw some high scores being run up. Rhenish was clinical in a 13-0 dismantling of Jeppe High School for Girls, while Eunice made light work of HSG Potchefstroom, racing to a 9-0 victory. Oranje outplayed Pretoria High School for Girls 7-0.

Durban Girls’ High School also enjoyed a big win, netting five times against the hapless Jeppe, who went winless. They were also beaten 5-0 by Bloemhof and 4-0 by Danville Park.

A number of schools will be seeking big improvements on Friday, including Pool D’s Clarendon, who beat Parktown High School for Girls 3-0, but that was their only win on the opening day. Parktown is yet to open its account.

RESULTS

Pool A

Rustenburg Girls’ High 3-0 Pretoria HSG
Oranje 6-0 La Rochelle
Oranje 2-0 Affies
La Rochelle 0-2 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Pretoria HSG 0-0 La Rochelle
Affies 1-0 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Rustenburg Girls’ High 0-0 Oranje
Pretoria HSG 0-2 Affies
Affies 2-0 La Rochelle
Oranje 7-0 Pretoria HSG

Pool B

Danville Park 1-1 Durban Girls’ High
Rhenish 13-0 Jeppe HSG
Rhenish 1-1 Bloemhof
Jeppe HSG 0-4 Danville Park
Bloemhof 1-1 Danville Park
Jeppe HSG 0-5 Durban Girls’ High
Danville Park 0-2 Rhenish
Durban Girls’ High 0-2 Bloemhof
Bloemhof 5-0 Jeppe HSG
Rhenish 1-0 Durban Girls’ High

Pool C

Pietermaritzburg GHS 2-0 St Michael’s
Eunice 9-0 HSG Potchefstroom
Eunice 0-1 Collegiate
HSG Potchefstroom 0 – 2 Pietermaritzburg GHS
Collegiate 1-0 Pietermaritzburg GHS
Pietermaritzburg GHS 0-1 Eunice
St Michael’s 0-4 Collegiate
Collegiate 3-0 HSG Potchefstroom
Eunice 2-0 St Michael’s

Pool D

Wynberg Girls’ High 0-0 Clarendon HSG
Parktown HSG 0-3 Paarl Girls’ High
Paarl Girls’ High 0-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Parktown HSG 0-3 Clarendon HSG
Wynberg 2-0 Parktown HSG