Author: sipongco

The regular phase of the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSA) Coastal and Inland A-Leagues is nearing its conclusion, with two matches remaining for each of the sides before the knockout stage.

The teams that finish first and second in the standings will then face off in the title games of the Coastal and Inland A-Leagues.

The teams at the bottom of the table will be relegated to the B-leagues.

Coastal A

There should be fireworks on Tuesday at Queensburgh High School where table-topping Westville Boys’ High takes on relegation-threatened Northwood School. For different reasons, they’re both desperate to win.

Westville has accumulated 13 points, and they need a win to keep hold of their top-of-the-log status, with two teams within a point of the Griffin.

Northwood is in dire need of a win to escape the relegation zone and, with only two matches remaining, time is running out for the Knights to make a move.

They’re in eighth place, with only one point from a draw thus far. In Westville, they go up against a well-organised, in-form team. Nevertheless, Northwood needs to find a way to take something out of the contest.

A victory could elevate them to seventh place if Bechet Secondary School loses to a Glenwood High team that has hit its stride in recent weeks.

Bechet currently has two points after five matches, with three losses and two draws. Glenwood, sitting in third place, will be eager to move up a place, at least, to secure a place in the final.

Hillcrest High, who have been enjoying their football this year, is set to face the sixth-placed Empangeni High School. Newcomers to the Coastal A-League, Empangeni, also find themselves in the elimination zone.

Their fate will depend on the outcomes of their next two matches. Should Bechet and Northwood win their remaining games and Empangeni loses theirs, the Zululand school could find itself back in the Coastal B-League in 2026.

On the other hand, Hillcrest High – despite their coach, Cayle Marillier telling SuperSport Schools Plus in April that his players are solely focused on enjoying their football – is likely keeping a keen eye on the standings. If they keep winning, they, too, could find themselves in the final of the Coastal A-League.

Port Shepstone High has been relatively subdued in recent weeks after suffering consecutive losses against Westville and Glenwood. They started the season with three significant victories, without conceding a goal, but it has been tough sledding in their recent outings against title-contending teams.

Sheppie, though, remains in position to push for a top two finish. They’re three points adrift of Hillcrest and Glenwood, with nine to their name. On Tuesday, Port Shepstone tackles Pinetown Boys’ High, who are fifth in the standings, just below them.

Inland A

In the Inland A-League, there is a strong possibility that the 2025 final may be a repeat of the 2024 final, which featured Carter High and Maritzburg College.

It’s a fierce Pietermaritzburg derby. When those teams meet, it is always a high energy, exciting clash. They’re best positioned to claim the top two places, but there are still two games to be played.

On Tuesday, Maritzburg College hosts Linpark, on Barns Field. The Red, Black, and White won’t be taking the challenge lightly. Linpark is in fourth place on the log, with seven points, and tied with third-placed Edendale Technical High, who also have seven points, but a better goal differential.

College, no doubt, recognises the threat posed by Carter High, which is the defending champion of the Inland A-League. Carter, on 11 points, is just two adrift of the leaders.

They will fancy their chances against Haythorne Secondary, on Tuesday, with Haythorne propping up the table, having secured just two points from their five matches. Under threat of relegation, Haythorne will be eager to pull off the upset.

Edendale, which was promoted from the Inland B-League to the Inland A-League this season, has proved they’re a formidable opponent. They can boost their points’ total to 10 with a win over Alexandra High.

Two teams under pressure to maintain their places in the Inland A-League, Ixopo Secondary and Newton, also meet on Tuesday. Newton holds a one-point advantage over Ixopo. They’re in sixth, with four points, while Ixopo, in seventh, could rise above Newton with a win.

FIXTURES

Coastal A

Westville vs Northwood
Bechet vs Glenwood
Hillcrest vs Empangeni
Pinetown vs Port Shepstone

Inland A

Linpark vs Maritzburg College
Haythorne vs Carter
Alexandra High School A vs Edendale
Ixopo vs Newton

Wednesday, 28 May: Inland C

AB Jackson

15:00 – Umvuzo vs Maritzburg College C
16:05 – Newtown B vs Michaelhouse

Thursday, 29 May: Coastal B

Queensburgh High School

Field 1

15:10 – Amanzimtoti vs Durban High School
16:15 – New Forest vs Sastri

Field 2

15:10 – Queensburgh High School vs Redwood
16:10 – Grosvenor vs Ashton Ballito A

Friday, 30 May: Coastal C

Queensburgh High School

Field 1

15:10 – Canaan College vs Durban Academy
16:15 – Ashton Ballito B vs Birdswood

Field 2

15:10 – Brettonwood vs George Campbell

Thursday, 29 May: Inland B

Alexandra High School 

Field 1

15:00 – Alexandra High School B vs Maritzburg College B
16:05 – ML Sultan vs Thornhill

Field 2

15:00 – Maritzburg Christian School vs Heritage Academy
16:05 – Northbury Park vs Riverwood

Friday, 30 May: Inland C

AB Jackson 

Field 1

15:00 – Newtown B vs Maritzburg College C
16:05 – Michaelhouse vs Umvuzo

Although the focus of many has been directed towards the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal and Inland A-Leagues, teams such as ML Sultan and Queensburgh High School have been consistently providing outstanding results week after week in the Coastal and Inland B-Leagues.

Coastal B

On Thursday, the log leaders, Queensburgh High School, delivered another good performance at home when they faced Ashton Ballito B Team. Last week, they beat Grosvenor 2-1, and this week they were outstanding, winning 3-0 against Ashton Ballito B.

With four wins and one draw thus far, Queensburgh High remains unbeaten.

After their loss to Queensburgh last week, Grosvenor made a strong comeback, scoring a convincing 4-1 victory against the struggling Amanzimtoti High, who lie seventh in the standings, with just two points, just above Ashton Ballito A.

The comfortable win was a nice boost for Grosvenor, who have experienced mixed results, recording two victories, one draw, and two losses in their five matches. They’re fourth on the log, just behind third-placed Durban High School (DHS), who have eight points.

Redwood College, followed up on a 0-4 loss to DHS with a 2-1 win over Sastri College. That result left them in second place in the table, with 10 points, trailing the leaders, Queensburgh, by three.

DHS, after a 0-2 loss to Hillcrest High in the Curro Halala Cup on Wednesday, was held to a 1-1 draw by New Forest High.

Coastal C

In the Coastal C-League, Canaan College defeated Birdswood 2-0 in a highly anticipated match of the week, which began with both teams undefeated. With the victory, Canaan joined Birdswood on 10 points.

Brettonwood claimed a 2-0 win over Ashton Ballito B, while Durban Academy and George Campbell shared a goalless draw.

Inland B

ML Sultan remains unbeaten in the Inland B-League, with five wins from five matches. They’re making a strong push for promotion and are a tidy five points clear of second-placed Northbury Park Secondary School and third-place Riverwood College, who both have 10 points.

On Thursday, ML Sultan was tested by Maritzburg College B at Alexandra High School but came away with a 3-2 win.

While the Maritzburg College A side leads the way in the Inland A-League, Maritzburg College B has had a tougher time of it, picking up two wins, two losses and a draw. That leaves them in fourth place, with seven points, and two matches remaining before the playoffs.

In other fixtures played at Alexandra High, Riverwood recorded a 3-1 win against Thornhill, while Heritage Academy upset Northbury Park, winning 2-1.

The host of the Inland B-League, Alexandra High School B, was held to a goalless draw by Maritzburg Christian College.

RESULTS

Thursday, 22 May

Coastal B

Grosvenor 4-1 Amanzimtoti
DHS 1-1 New Forest
Queensburgh High School 3-0 Ashton Ballito A
Redwood 2-1 Sastri

Friday, 23 May

Coastal C

Durban Academy 0-0 George Academy
Canaan College 2-0 Birdswood
Brettonwood 2-0 Ashton Ballito B

Thursday, 22 May

Inland B

Alexandra High School B Team 0-0 Maritzburg Christian School
ML Sultan 3-2 Maritzburg College B
Heritage Academy 2-1 Northbury Park Secondary
Riverwood 3-1 Thornhill

This week’s Curro Halala Cup round two fixtures served to determine which 16 teams would continue on to challenge for the title at the national finals in August, at HeronBridge College, in Gauteng.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Hillcrest High faced a strong challenge from Durban High School (DHS) at Curro Hillcrest.

Hillcrest High has stitched together a good season thus far and they continued their winning ways, triumphing 2-0, which left coach Steve Bez, of DHS, feeling somewhat disgruntled, as his team was well-prepared for the clash.

DHS, who compete in the Coastal B-League of the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA), gave it all against an opponent that competes in the Coastal A-League and is in good form.

Banele Ngongoma opened the scoring for Hillcrest High and Thandolwethu Ndlovu made sure of the win with a screamer late in the match.

Ayedan Whitby played a crucial role in the second goal for Hillcrest High with a run in behind the defensive line before executing a cut-back pass to the edge of the box, which found Ndlovu, who then placed it in the top left corner of the net with a superb first-time shot.

After the match, Hillcrest’s coach, Cayle Marillier, told SuperSport Schools Plus that DHS presented a strong challenge, especially in the midfield.

Glenwood High School, after securing a 2-1 victory over Northwood School in the KZNHSFA Coastal A-League on Tuesday, had little time to rest. The Green Machine‘s coach, Khaya Mgwengwe, wasn’t satisfied with his team’s performance, despite the win, but they responded with an impressive display on Wednesday, charging to an astonishing 7-0 win over Curro Hillcrest.

At half-time, the score stood at 2-0, but upon returning to the field for the second half, Glenwood dominated, scoring five additional goals. Bandile Mbatha and Jaedon Davids both scored two, while Ukwazi Dludla, Mbuso Gumede and Ndalo Mbatha also netted.

On Wednesday, the Curro Halala Cup games were hosted at Curro Bloemfontein, with Grey College, Brebner High School, Navalsig and Kyrios Independent School in action.

Grey College secured a narrow 1-0 win over Kyrios, thanks to a goal from Senzo Makau, while Navalsig and Brebner needed to go to a penalty shootout after they ended regulation time at 0-0. Navalsig, then, won it 4-1 from the spot.

In Gauteng, at HeronBridge College, Clapham High School, one of the title favourites, defeated The King’s School Linbro Park 1-0 to book their place in the next round.

Curro Soshanguve and Curro Thatchfield entertained, with the Soshanguve school grabbing a 3-2 victory.

In Limpopo, in one of the week’s big surprises, Northern Academy was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Flora Park Comprehensive after the penalty shootout. It was 0-0 in regulation time and 4-3 after the spot kicks.

Also in Limpopo, HS Louis Trichardt handed Westernburg Secondary School a 4-1 loss in a dominant display.

In Mpumalanga, at Curro Nelspruit, HS Barberton edged out Lowveld High School 4-3 from the penalty spot after a goalless draw.

A penalty shootout was also needed to separate Stintile Secondary and Curro Clayville, with Stintile advancing 4-2 after neither goal scored before the shootout.

Thursday

On Thursday, in Gauteng, Meridian Cosmo City exited the competition after a disappointing 1-2 defeat against Mondeor High.

The clash between Norkem Park and Curro Wilgeheuwel ended in a 1-1 stalemate but Norkem Park moved on 4-1 after a penalty shootout.

In the Western Cape, Meridian Pinehurst won 2-0 against Curro Somerset West 2-0, while Camps Bay defeated Milnerton High School 1-0.

Following several weeks of rescheduling, in the Eastern Cape, Westering High School claimed a 1-0 victory over Curro Westbrook, while Brylin High School beat St Mark’s High School 4-1.

RESULTS: CURRO HALALA CUP ROUND TWO

Wednesday, 21 May

KZN 

Glenwood 7-0 Curro Hillcrest
Hillcrest High 2-0 Durban High School

Gauteng 

Curro Soshanguve 3-2 Curro Thatchfield
Clapham High School 1-0 The King’s School Linbro Park

Free State 

Grey College 1-0 Kyrios Independent School
Navalsig (4) 0-0 (1) Brebner High School

Mpumalanga 

HS Barberton (4) 0-0 (3) Lowveld High School
Stintile Secondary (4) 0-0 (2) Curro Clayville

Limpopo 

Flora Park Comprehensive (4) 0-0 (3) Northern Academy
HS Louis Trichardt 4-1 Westernburg Secondary School

Thursday, 22 May

Gauteng

Mondeor High 2-1 Meridian Cosmo City
Norkem Park High School (4) 1-1 (1) Curro Wilgeheuwel

Western Cape

Meridian Pinehurst 2-0 Curro Somerset West
Camps Bay 1-0 Milnerton

Eastern Cape 

Westering High School 1-0 Curro Westbrook
Brylin High School 4-1 St Mark’s High School

The Magnificent Wednesday Schools Football League, in the Lejweleputswa region of Virginia, in the Free State, features nine circuits that have schools competing in the league.

The champions of each circuit will compete in a one-day tournament at the conclusion of the regular season in late August.

In circuit nine, one of the Free State’s powerhouses and a force in South African football Virginia High School was welcomed by Harmony High School to its sports grounds on Wednesday.

After a hard-fought contest, Virginia High walked away a 2-1 win, taking the three points on offer, thanks to goals from Fikile Yena and Mozwakhe Flatela. Harmony’s consolation goal was scored by Karabo Lebona.

St Anne’s Technical School secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Meloding Secondary School, with Jason Arries scoring the decisive goal.

After suffering a 0-2 loss to Virginia High last week, Marematlou Secondary School was awarded a 2-0 walkover victory on Wednesday when Reatlehile Secondary School failed to show up for the match, which meant, also, that Marematlou earned three points by default.

Results

Circuit 9

Marematlou Secondary 2-0 Reatlehile Secondary (Walkover)
St Anne’s Technical School 1-0 Meloding Secondary
Virgnia High 2-1 Harmony High

Maritzburg College and Westville Boys’ High continued their winning streaks in the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal and Inland Second-Term A-Leagues, although their closest challengers kept up the pressure on the table-topping sides.

Coastal A

On Tuesday, the Coastal A-fixtures were played at Queensburgh High School, where Westville defeated Port Shepstone High 2-1 in a key clash to bolster their points’ haul by another three.

Dayyan Fudu, who has been a standout player for the Griffin, scored both goals.

Players, like Fudu have excelled, with Westville’s outstanding work ethic and positional and tactical awareness being hallmarks of their game, which have contributed to their strong showing in the league. With two goals against Port Shepstone, Fudu lifted his total to five for the season.

Port Shepstone, after starting the season with three victories on the trot, has now gone down in their last two outings, also losing 1-3 to Glenwood last week. Sheppie takes on Pinetown Boys’ High next Tuesday, needing to right the ship.

Glenwood, the two-time defending champion, occupies third place in the standings, with 12 points. They’re level with Hillcrest High in points, but Hillcrest is in second. Westville tops the table with 13 points.

On Tuesday, Glenwood secured a 2-1 victory over the struggling Northwood School, with goals from Mbuso Gumede and Ukwazi Dludla. Despite the win and the acquisition of three vital points, the coach of the Green Machine, Khaya Mgwengwe, wasn’t satisfied with his charges’ performance.

Although pleased to have picked up three points, he expressed concern about Glenwood’s third place on the log, acknowledging that circumstances could change rapidly.

Hillcrest High continued their good run with a 3-1 defeat of Bechet High.

Banele Ngongoma has been one of the players at the forefront of Hillcrest’s success and he added another goal to his tally.

He was set up by an inviting cross from his captain, Thingo Shezi, who also got his name onto the score sheet by converting a penalty.

Jason Carter, who came off the bench, made an immediate impact by scoring the final goal for Hillcrest, also from the spot.

After a series of recent disappointments, Pinetown Boys’ High snatched a close 3-2 victory over Empangeni High School.

Inland A

The Inland A-League log leaders, Maritzburg College, hosted Newton on Barns Field. With Carter High, only two points behind them, the Red, Black, and White produced a composed, winning performance to score a 3-0 victory.

Sphelele Sibiya, Mazithi Qasha, and Malachi Momple provided the finishes, which left College with 13 points after the game.

After suffering a 0-1 loss to Maritzburg College last Tuesday, Edendale Technical High reversed their fortunes with a 2-0 victory over Ixopo Secondary School, with Wandile Madlala netting both goals.

Carter High kept up the pressure on College with a tight 1-0 win over Linpark, while the Alexandra High School A Team played to a 1-1 draw against Haythorne Secondary.

RESULTS

Coastal A

Pinetown Boys’ High 3-2 Empangeni
Hillcrest 3-1 Bechet
Glenwood 2-1 Northwood
Westville 2-1 Port Shepstone

Inland A

Carter 1-0 Linpark
Edendale 2-0 Ixopo
Alexandra High School A Team 1-1 Haythorne
Maritzburg College 3-0 Newton

Forthcoming Fixtures

Thursday, 22 May: Coastal B

Queensburgh High School 

Field 1

15:10 – Amanzimtoti vs Grosvenor
16:15 – Queensburgh High School vs Ashton Ballito A Team

Field 2

15:10 – New Forest vs Durban High School
16:15 – Redwood vs Sastri

Friday, 23 May: Coastal C

Queensburgh High School

Field 1

15:10 – Durban Academy vs George Campbell
16:15 – Canaan College vs Birdswood

Field 2

16:15 – Brettonwood vs Ashton Ballito B Team

Thursday, 22 May: Inland B

Alexandra High School

Field 1

15:00 – Alexandra High School B Team vs Maritzburg Christian School
16:05 – Northbury vs Heritage Academy

Field 2

15:00 – ML Sultan vs Maritzburg College B Team
16:05 – Riverwood vs Thornhill

Note: Inland C fixtures scheduled for this Friday, 23 May, have been moved to Wednesday, 28 May.

Venue: AB Jackson

15:00 – Umvuzo vs Maritzburg College C Team
16:05 – Newton B Team vs Michaelhouse

Familiar contenders, the u17 Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team, appears to, once more, be the team to beat in the third iteration of the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL).

They’re top of the league standings after eight matches. However, this year they face stiff competition from, among others, SAFA Academy and Highlands Park FC, who are proving to be strong challengers.

Sundowns has suffered just a single defeat to date, which came when they took on the SAFA Academy on 11 May.

The highly anticipated clash lived up to expectations as goals flowed in a fierce contest that culminated in a nail-biting 6-5 win for the SAFA Academy. After an incredibly entertaining and evenly contested game, their rematch later in the season is a can’t-miss contest.

Remarkably, that defeat was the first that Sundowns has suffered since the establishment of the GWDL by SAFA Gauteng, which serves to underline just how dominant the Brazilians have been.

Despite their recent loss, Sundowns is top of the log on 21 points. However, their lead is tenuous, The SAFA Academy also has 21 points but with a match in hand, and they remain unbeaten. They’re primed to take over at the top.

Highlands Park FC concluded the 2024 GWDL season in seventh place. In 2025, however, they’re far more consistent and have 20 points after nine matches.

On Sunday, they go up against Mamelodi Sundowns in the pick of the weekend’s GWDL games. Should Highlands Park beat Sundowns, they would move up to second place, possibly even first, depending on the result of the SAFA Academy’s match against Kempton Park at Bonaero Park on the same day.

Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA), currently in fourth place, takes on the struggling Sporting CP at Hoërskool CR Swart.

It’s Sporting CP’s first season in the GWDL and it has been tough sledding for the newcomers thus far, with the side scoring only one win while losing seven times. RESA will head into the contest as hot favourites

JVW FC is another team with title aspirations. They’ve played six and won five, giving them 15 points. They meet Kenneth FC at Norkem Park High School and will be confident of picking up three points, with Kenneth FC scoring only two wins from their eight matches, which has them in 13th place ahead of the weekend’s encounter.

The University of Pretoria (Tuks), last season’s third-place finishers, are sixth in the standings. Tuks, though, are known for their resilience and competitiveness, and they remain a dangerous outfit.

They have 14 points and should RESA and JVW falter, a home victory over Tornado Academy Ladies would boost Tuks by a couple of places on the log.

Interestingly, the dynamics among JVW, RESA, and Tuks are reminiscent of last season, where the competition for the second, third, and fourth spots intensified towards the end of the season.

While Sundowns ran away with the title, JVW placed second, with 56 points. Tuks was third, on 54 points, and RESA ended fourth, with 50 points.

Refilwe FC began the season positively with some convincing wins, but they have since fallen to seventh place in the standings. But, as a young and developing team, they are still finding their footing, aided by the addition of experienced coaches like Claudia Raposo, who is the Director of Football at the club.

They’ve secured 13 points from 7 matches, achieving four wins, one draw, and two losses. Their opposition on Sunday is Dinoko Rondebuilt FC. The teams meet at Dan Kutumela School.

Panorama FC is also in action. They face off with Edenvale FC at the JP Bezuidenhout Stadium.

Sunday’s u17 GWDL matches are scheduled to start at 11:30.

GWDL Table 

	Team/Club	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Mamelodi Sundowns	8	7	0	1	51	11	40	21
2	SAFA Academy	7	7	0	0	46	6	40	21
3	Highlands Park	9	6	2	1	19	7	12	20
4	RESA	8	5	1	2	18	10	8	16
5	JVW	6	5	0	1	12	2	10	15
6	University of Pretoria (Tuks)	9	4	2	3	18	26	-8	14
7	Refilwe FC	7	4	1	2	24	7	17	13
8	Kempton Park FC	9	4	0	5	18	21	-3	12
9	Tornado Academy Ladies	8	3	0	5	13	18	-5	9
10	Edenvale FC	8	2	2	4	14	19	-5	8
11	Dinoko Rondebuilt FC	9	2	1	6	14	25	-11	7
12	Panorama FC	7	2	1	4	7	22	-15	7
13	Kenneth FC	8	2	0	6	10	29	-9	6
14	Hellenic Falcons FC	9	2	0	7	8	40	-32	6
15	Sporting CP	8	1	0	7	2	23	-21	3

FIXTURES

Bonaero Park 

u15 – 10:00 – Kempton Park vs SAFA Academy
u17 – 11:30 – Kempton Park vs SAFA Academy

Norkem Park High School

u15 – 10:00 – JVW FC vs Kenneth FC
u17 – 11:30 – JVW FC vs Kenneth FC

Balfour Park

u15 – 10:00 – Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns
u17 – 11:30 – Highlands Park vs Mamelodi Sundowns

JP Bezuidenhout Stadium 

u15 – 10:00 – Edenvale vs Panorama FC
u17 – 11:30 – Edenvale vs Panorama FC

Dan Kutumela School 

u13 – 09:00 – Dinoko Rondebuilt FC vs Refilwe FC
u15 – 10:00 – Dinoko Rondebuilt FC vs Refilwe FC
u17 – 11:30 – Dinoko Rondebuilt vs Refilwe FC

Hoërskool CR Swart

u13 – 09:00 – Sporting CP vs RESA
u15 – 10:00 – Sporting CP vs RESA
u17 – 11:30 – Sporting CP vs RESA

University of Pretoria Football Fields (Hillcrest Campus)

u15 – 10:00 – Tuks vs Tornado
u17 – 11:30 – Tuks vs Tornado

The Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal and Inland Second-Term A-Leagues head into round five on Tuesday.

Coastal A

Westville Boys’ High School, who are undefeated in the league this season, will face Port Shepstone High, who recently experienced their first loss, going down 1-3 to Glenwood High School, which resulted in Westville taking over at the top of the standings from Port Shepstone.

On Tuesday, the Griffin and Sheppie meet at Queensburgh High. It’s a big game for both sides.

Glenwood High is also fighting to secure the top position and is chasing a third consecutive league title. They take on Northwood School, aiming to win and to take advantage of any slip-up by Westville and Port Shepstone.

Glenwood has enjoyed a better season than Northwood thus far, with the Knights still chasing their first win, so the Green Machine will fancy their chances.

Hillcrest High is also enjoying a good year, and they recently advanced to the second round of the Curro Halala Cup. They’ll be up against Bechet, while Empangeni High will tackle Pinetown Boys’ High. All the matches will be played at Queensburgh High.

Inland A

The Maritzburg College A Team, playing at their home ground, Barns Field, has an opportunity to increase their three-point lead over Carter High at the top of the log when they meet Newton on Tuesday.

Barns Field is a stronghold for College and it also allows them to benefit from the support of their home crowd. They’ll aim to make the most of those advantages when they kick off at 15:00.

Carter High School will monitor College’s match. They could be six points adrift of the league leaders by the time they kick off against Linpark at 16:05, also on Barns Field.

In other matchups, the Alexandra High A Team is at home for a meeting with Haythorne Secondary. Positioned fourth, with five points, Alex A has a chance to climb the log if Linpark loses to Carter.

Meanwhile, in another match at Alexandra High, Ixopo Secondary takes on Edendale Technical High School.

The Inland A-League has delivered plenty of goals each week and more can be expected on Tuesday. Babalo Ntlantsana, from Carter, currently tops the goal-scoring chart, with four goals to his name, while Mazithi Qasha and Malachi Momple, from Maritzburg College, have struck three times each.

Luvuyo Mjwara, from Ixopo, is also on three goals, while Ayabonga Dladla, from Alex has netted twice. Edendale will look to Alwande Bekwa to lead their attack when they meet Ixopo.

FIXTURES

Coastal A

Queensburgh High School

Field 1

15:10 – Bechet vs Hillcrest High
16:15 – Pinetown Boys’ High vs Empangeni High

Field 2

15:10 – Northwood School vs Glenwood
16:10 – Port Shepstone vs Westville Boys’ High

Inland A

Barns Field (Maritzburg College)

15:00 – Maritzburg College A Team vs Newton
16:05 – Linpark vs Carter High

Alexandra High School 

15:00 – Alexandra High A Team vs Haythorne Secondary School
16:05 – Ixopo Secondary School vs Edendale Technical High

On Sunday, the u20 South African National Team, Amajita, lifted the u20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title for the first time.

It appears that players in schools across the country are also in high spirits, scoring goals and enjoying themselves on the football field.

This article presents a comprehensive overview of schoolboy football results nationwide, from Gauteng, the Magnificent Wednesday Schools League, the Mangaung Schools Football League, the East London High Schools Soccer League, and various fixtures in the Western Cape.

Magnificent Wednesday Schools League (Free State)

Virginia High School, buoyed by their recent triumph in the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament, continued their winning run in the Magnificent Wednesday Schools League by defeating Marematlou Secondary School 2-0 on Wednesday, thanks to goals from Fikile Yena and Mpho Nhlokoe.

The Magnificent Wednesday Schools League is still in its early stages, but Virginia High School is clearly the team to beat.

Mamello Secondary School also picked up a win, beating Harmony High 1-0.

On Saturday, Virginia High again stole the spotlight, overpowering Reatlehile Secondary School to run away to a 13-2 victory.

Fikile Yena was again on target, while Mpho Nhlokoe netted twice in the one-sided victory.

Oageng Lebesane, the u17 South African National Team’s forward, scored a hattrick, Mozwakhe Flatela added two goals, and there were further goals from Neo Mothlaoleng, Thato Kraal, Lehlohonolo Ntjana, Boikano Moloi, and Sello Mokhobo.

Mamello Secondary School and St Anne’s Technical High School shared a 1-1 draw.

Mangaung Schools Football League 

The Mangaung Schools Football League recently got underway, with no team having yet played more than three matches. The league includes some of South Africa’s leading football-playing schools, among them Brebner High, HTS Louis Botha and Grey College.

On Friday, while other matches were postponed, HTS Louis Botha delivered an impressive performance, winning 4-1 against Commtech Comprehensive Secondary School. Grassland Secondary School also excelled, handing Headstart High School a 4-0 loss.

In a surprising turn of events, Brebner went down 0-1 against the Heatherdale Secondary School A Team.

Hodisa Secondary School were 2-0 winners over Kopanong Secondary School 2-0, while Sehumelo Secondary School defeated Dr Viljoen Combined School 2-1. St. Bernard’s High played to a 0-0 stalemate with Petunia Secondary School.

The match between Bainsvlei Combined School and Sand du Plessis was a thrilling encounter, with the teams sharing the points after an exciting 3-3 draw.

East London High Schools Football League 

The East London High School Football League, which includes top schools such as Selborne College and Dale College, is recognised as one of the premier schools’ leagues in the Eastern Cape.

Sutterheim High School, past winners of the league, leads the way with a perfect five wins from five matches, giving them 15 points.

On Wednesday, they continued their winning run with a 2-1 win over Hudson Park High School.

In another exciting match, Dale College faced off against Selborne College and sneaked a 1-0 victory. After four outings, Dale has two wins and two losses. Selborne College had won four in a row before falling to Dale.

Cathcart High School clinched a hard-fought 3-2 win over West Bank High School, while the Centre of Excellence held off George Randell High School to secure a 1-0 victory.

On Thursday, the Centre of Excellence and Merrifield High shared a six-goal thriller.

Other Fixtures (Gauteng, Gqeberha, and Western Cape)

In another match played in Gqeberha on Friday, Urban Academy edged out St Dominic’s Priory School 1-0, courtesy of a strike by Musa Festile.

In Gauteng, Jeppe High School for Boys continued their impressive form, outplaying St Benedict’s College 4-0 in a friendly.

Meanwhile, in the Western Cape, Edgemead High School sneaked a 1-0 win against Westerford, while Rondebosch Boys’ High had no such problems as they overran South Peninsula School 8-1.

RESULTS

Gauteng 

Jeppe High School for Boys 4-0 St Benedict’s College Bedfordview

Maginficent Wednesday League results (Free State)

Wednesday, 14 May

Virginia High School 2-0 Marematlou Secondary School
Mamello Secondary School 1-0 Harmony High School

Saturday, 17 May

Mamello 1-1 St Anne
Virginia High School 13-2 Reatlehile Secondary School

Gqeberha

15 May

Urban Academy 1-0 St Dominic’s Priory School

B-Block BWFLA High School Soccer League (East London)

Wednesday, 14 May

Dale College 1-0 Selborne College
Cathcart 3-2 West Bank
Stutterheim 2-1 Hudson Park High School
Center of Excellence 1-0 George Randell High School

Thursday, 15 May

Merrifield 3-3 Center of Excellence

Mangaung Schools Football (Free State)

Friday, 16 May

Bainsvlei Combined School 3-3 Sand du Plessis
Heatherdale Secondary School A Team 1-0 Brebner High School
HTS Louis Botha A Team 4-1 Commtech Comprehensive Secondary School
Sehunelo Secondary School 2-1 Dr Viljoen Combined School
Grassland Secondary School 4-0 Headstart High Intermediate School
St Bernard’s High School 0-0 Petunia Secondary School
Hodisa Secondary School 2-0 Kopanong Secondary School

Western Cape 

Friday, 16 May

Edgemead High School 1-0 Westerford
Rondebosch Boys’ High 8-1 South Peninsula School

Twenty-eight years after their first appearance in the final of the u20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), the South African National Team, known as Amajita. has captured the title of continental champion.

Midfielder Gomolemo Kekana struck from outside the box to score the title game’s only goal as South Africa beat Morocco 1-0 in Cairo, on Sunday.

In their only previous appearance in the final, in 1997, it was the Moroccans who beat South Africa.

After dominating the first half, Amajita netted the winning goal in the second half. Only their decision-making in the final third prevented South Africa from taking a lead before the break, but they were in control of the game.

There was a brief moment of concern when the winning goal was initially disallowed due to an offside call. However, after a brief review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the decision was overturned.

Morocco displayed moments of exceptional skill in the first half, with Fletcher Symthe-Lowe, in goal, keeping the North Africans at bay with some outstanding stops. His contribution was recognised when he earned the Man of the Match award.

In his post-match remarks, Symthe-Lowe aptly stated: “Together we are stronger,” highlighting the unity and sportsmanship by Amajita throughout the tournament, which were two of the keys to their success.

Smythe-Lowe was, furthermore, named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament, thanks to his 24 impressive saves and his role in keeping three clean sheets for Amajita, including one in the final. Additionally, he provided an assist to Gomolemo Kekana for South Africa’s goal in the title game.

Tylon Smith, another standout, excelled not only in the final but throughout the tournament. He was accorded the Man of the Competition/Best Player accolade for his commanding role at centre-back, where he fortified Amajita’s defence.

Smith also scored the only goal of the game in South Africa’s 1-0 win over Nigeria in the semi-finals. Besides his defensive excellence, Smith demonstrated an ability to dictate play by laying a sound structure at the back from which Amajita was able to build their play.

South Africa’s coach, Raymond Mdaka, was named the Best Coach of the Tournament.

Morocco received the Fair Play Award, while Momoh Kamara, from Sierra Leone, was acknowledged as the Top Goal Scorer of the tournament, with four goals.

Unsurprisingly, the newly crowned champions had four players included in the Team of the Tournament. Joining Symthe-Lowe and Smith in the lineup were Neo Rapoo and Lazola Maku.

Other selections included Mohamed Goweily (Egypt), Othmane Maamma (Morocco), Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria), Hossam Essadak (Morocco), Faycal Zahouani (Morocco), and Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone).

Amajita’s success was a triumph of perseverance and winning the title put an exclamation mark on a gutsy journey, which began with a 0-1 defeat to the hosts, Egypt, on 27 April, in a match in which South Africa controlled play and struck the woodwork multiple times.

South Africa’s path to being crowned the champion of Africa echoed past FIFA World Cup tournaments, including in South Africa in 2010 when Spain went down 0-1 to Switzerland in their opener before going on to lift the title. In 2022, the eventual champion, Argentina, lost their first match, suffering an upset 1-2 loss to Saudi Arabia.

After losing to Egypt in their Group A opener, Amajita beat Tanzania 1-0 and Sierra Leone 4-1 before being held to a 1-1 draw by their Cosafa rivals, Zambia. They topped the pool on goal difference, finishing with seven points, along with Sierra Leone and Egypt.

Adding to Amajita’s fantastic achievements was the fact that received their winners’ medals from a fellow South African, Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus in 2024, after Amajita’s victory at the u20 Cosafa Championship and qualification for the u20 Afcon, Mdaka discussed his team’s continuous pursuit of progress and the importance of maintaining composure and focusing on future objectives.

With the coach exhibiting a calm demeanour on the sidelines, they learned their lessons and went all the way to continental glory.

Amajita will next direct their attention to the 2025 u20 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in Chile on 27 September. They’ll head into the event carrying the title of the champion of Africa.

The Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal and Inland B-League and C-League delivered another round of entertaining football action on Thursday and Friday, with Queensburgh High School and ML Sultan continuing their impressive runs.

Coastal B Recap

Atop the Coastal-B League, with 10 points after four matches, Queensburgh High is three points clear of Durban High School (DHS), Sastri College, and Redwood College, who are all on seven points.

New Forest High School lies fifth, with five points, while Grosvenor Boys’ High, is one place and one point behind New Forest. At the bottom of the table, Amanzimtoti High School and the Ashton Ballito Ballito A Team are still chasing their first wins of the season. Amanzimtoti has picked up two points from their four games, while Ashton Ballito has one after a draw and three defeats.

On Thursday, Queensburgh defeated Grosvenor 2-1, putting them three points clear of their chasers with three matches to play. DHS produced the goods against Redwood College, romping to a 4-0 win.

Sastri College cruised to a 3-0 win over Ashton Ballito, while the game between Amanzimtoti and New Forest ended in a goalless stalemate.

Coastal C Recap

On Friday, the action continued at Queensburgh High, with the Coastal C-League teams taking to the fields.

Canaan College grabbed the spotlight with a big 6-1 win over the Ashton Ballito B Team. That leaves Canaan with two wins and a draw from their three matches, with Brettonwood High holding Canaan to a share of the spoils in April.

George Campbell impressed in a 2-0 win over Birdswood 2-0, while Brettonwood handed Durban Academy a 2-1 loss.

Inland B Recap

ML Sultan‘s strong showing in the Inland B-League continued. They and Northbury Park Secondary School remain unbeaten. However, unlike Northbury, ML Sultan’s record is an impeccable four wins from four matches. Northbury has three wins and a draw on its record.

Most impressively, ML Sultan has yet to concede while netting 15 goals. They were given a tough workout by the Alexandra High School B Team but passed the test, winning 1-0. They’ve already beaten Riverwood College 3-0, Heritage Academy 4-0, and overpowered Maritzburg Christian School 7-0 in their opening match.

In other Inland B-League matches, Northbury Park scored a 3-1 victory over Maritzburg Christian School, and Thornhill picked up a 2-0 win over Heritage Academy.

Maritzburg College B went down 1-2 against Riverwood on Barns Field, at Maritzburg College.

Inland C Recap

Only one match was played in the Inland C-League on Friday, with Michaelhouse posting a 2-0 win over the Maritzburg College C Team.

That victory leaves ‘House top of the table with five points after one win and two draws. Umvuzo Secondary School occupies second place after a win and a draw.

Newtown B is in third with two points from two games, and Maritzburg College C, after two losses and a draw, props up the standings.

RESULTS

Thursday, 15 May

Coastal B

Amanzimtoti 0-0 New Forest
Queensburgh High School 2-1 Grosvenor
Durban High School 4-0 Redwood
Sastri 3-0 Ashton Ballito A Team

Inland B

ML Sultan 1-0 Alexandra High School B Team
Northbury 3-1 Maritzburg Christian School
Thornhill 2-0 Heritage Academy

Friday, 16 May

Inland B

Riverwood 2-1 Maritzburg College B Team

Coastal C

Brettonwood 2-1 Durban Academy
George Campbell 2-0 Birdswood
Canaan College College 6-1 Ashton Ballito B Team

Inland C

Michaelhouse 2-0 Maritzburg College C Team