Author: cschiwanza

C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje (Oranje) romped to a 2-0 win over Paarl Girls’ High School at Oranje on Thursday night. In another high-profile game played in Bloemfontein on Thursday evening, Paarl Gimnasium won by an identical scoreline against Eunice.

“Overall, it was a good game. Good brands of hockey were exemplified from both schools,” Gys van Schalkwyk, the Oranje coach, said after the encounter.

The teams were on an even keel for more than half of the encounter. Both started positively and traded blows, but neither could deliver a goal in the first half of the contest. Eventually, the hosts drew first blood over 40 minutes after the match had started.

Oranje maintained a high press on the opposition for most of the game and, from one of those instances, the hosts forced a turnover in the Paarl Girls’ High half. Van Schalkwyk’s charges raced towards the goal and a final pass found Kayla du Preez‘s stick and she fired a shot into the back of the net. Just over three minutes remained in the third chukka.

“We did really well in keeping the intensity of the game really high and kept them under pressure when we lost the ball. We also made good connections going forward,” Van Schalkwyk commented.

The sustained pressure on the Paarl Girls’ High circle paid dividends when the visitors were forced into an infringement that resulted in a penalty stroke. Nika Joubert made no mistake from the P-spot, doubling Oranje’s lead two minutes after their opening goal.

In the last 18 minutes, Oranje’s defence held firm as they repelled the visitors’ attempts at a comeback. It wasn’t just a case of sitting on their lead, however. Oranje continued to make forays into the Paarl Girls’ High half, seeking a third goal that would bury the visitors, but they were denied at each turn.

At Eunice, Imke Koegelenberg and Isabella Nel scored for Paarl Gim to propel them to a big win. The first goal was the outcome of four perfect passes that originated close to the halfway line. With pinpoint precision, the visitors made use of the spaces between the Eunice players on their way into the hosts’ D where Koegelenberg netted just over seven minutes into the second quarter.

“The girls really ran hard. We were solid on defence, and we moved the ball well. We created good opportunities. All the girls played their hearts out and that, for me, is Gim hockey,” Danelle van Zyl, the Paarl Gim coach, told Supersport Schools Plus.

For most of the third and fourth chukkas, Eunice controlled the tempo of the game. They strung passes together and set up camp in the visitors’ half. Unfortunately for coach Nika Coertzen and her charges, they were unable to find the final touch.

Paarl Gim absorbed the pressure before launching counters into Eunice’s half. They looked especially menacing when they made runs down the left-hand flank, and it was on one of those that they grabbed their second goal of the match with nine minutes left on the clock.

The contest continued to entertain in the remaining eight minutes, but the score remained the same.

RESULTS

Oranje 2-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Paarl Gimnasium 2-0 Eunice

Northwood has a date with Durban High School (DHS) in their first match back from the King Edward VII School (KES) Easter Hockey Festival.

Coach Justin Collins and his team visit the blue turf of The Coliseum for a Saturday morning showdown with the Horseflies.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools!

Over the Easter weekend, The Knights won four of their five matches at KES and finished the festival undefeated.,

They kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Waterkloof, followed that with a 2-1 triumph over Selborne College, and then edged out Pearson 3-2. Their biggest win came against Helpmekaar Kollege, whom they beat 3-0 before drawing 1-1 with the hosts, KES.

Collins’ highlight at the KES Easter Festival was the drawn encounter against the home side. In the first half, Northwood came under a massive amount of pressure. The Knights, though, were happy to sit deep and defend with a plan to catch the Red Sticks on the counterattack.

One of those counter-attacks paid off when the visitors won a penalty stroke, which Kyle White converted.

KES fought back and equalised from a penalty corner. Northwood had more intent in the second half and created several chances but, unfortunately for the Durban school, they were unable to add to their first-half goal.

“I felt that we were good in our deep defence throughout the festival,” Collins told SuperSport Schools Plus. “The guys showed some good defending in the deeper spaces and owned their island well,”.

His players managed possession well and showed control, Collins said. However, he felt that they needed to do a better job of converting opportunities into goals by being more clinical in the circle. While Northwood manipulated their opposition on their outlets for good phases, they needed to do it for longer periods to totally outplay the opposition, he explained.

Collins hopes that his side has taken lessons from their shortcomings at the KES Easter Fest and will put those to good use when they take on DHS. Coach Keegan Hezlett‘s skilful side poses a constant threat with their attacking prowess, and Northwood will need to be as good in defence as they were during their Gauteng excursion.

The coach also expressed his hope that Luke Allen, The Knights’ top goal-scorer in Johannesburg, will be on song and will lead them to victory against the Josh Mungherera-captained powerhouse.

The opening push-back in the contest is at 11:15 on Saturday morning.

https://youtu.be/p0gXcZGdgwQ

Hoërskool Waterkloof finished their Standard Bank St Stithians Easter Hockey Festival campaign with a bang.

The Pretoria school was one of four teams to end the event on a high after scoring 10 unanswered goals in their last two games.

DSG Makhanda also ended the festival in style with back-to-back wins over Beaulieu College and Hoërskool Menlopark. Garsfontein also racked up two victories on Saturday, defeating Springfield Convent School and the hosts, St Stithians.

Bethlehem Voortrekker edged Beaulieu 1-0 to sign off with a victory, while Springfield, beaten by Garsfontein in the afternoon, claimed a 4-0 win over the St Stithians’ Festival XI in their morning contest.

“I’m really happy with how our team performed. We worked on various strategies and stuck to our processes, resulting in four wins in five matches and only one loss. We scored 15 goals and conceded just two,” Omari Pienaar-Geyer, the Waterkloof head coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

Compared to the way they brought down the curtain, Waterkloof made a slow start to their campaign. They beat Springfield 2-0, lost 0-1 to DSG Makhanda in their second match, and then overcame Beaulieu 3-1.

After a rest on Good Friday, Pienaar-Geyer’s side returned to the turf rejuvenated and on fire. Lenique Vogel scored a brace, while Nadia Opperman, Abigail Grobler, and ⁠Renske Smit also netted as Klofies romped to a 5-0 victory over Voortrekker.

They were just as ruthless when they tackled the St Stithians Festival XI, once again running away to a 5-0 win. This time, it was Renske Smit with a double, while Abigail Grobler, Mila Rodenburg, and Mia Perold also made it onto the score sheet. The Elzaan Wessels-captained side almost made it 6-0, but Chené Oosthuyzen‘s shot on target came a second after the final hooter sounded.

“The girls did a fantastic job in both matches today,” Pienaar-Geyer enthused. “We successfully scored several team goals, and some from penalty corners, which was great to see. We’re working really hard on those.

“Our focus was on the basics, moving the ball effectively, and our pressing strategies, and when we did that well and together as a unit it paid off.”

DSG Makhanda, led by Abigail Holderness, cruised to a 4-1 win over Beaulieu College on Saturday morning before ending their Saints Festival experience with a tight 1-0 victory over Die Hoërskool Menlopark.

Beaulieu’s goal was the only one conceded by DSG at St Stithians. At the opposite end of the field, they averaged two goals a match, tallying 10 from their five outings.

“We brought an electric attack this weekend at Saints. The interchanging and the ability to put the opposition defence under pressure is a key element that this team brings,” Geowynne Gamiet, the DSG Makhanda head coach, told Supersport Schools Plus on Saturday evening. “Not only are they sharp in attack, but they are also dogged in defence.”

After breezing to a 3-0 win over Voortrekker in their last match on Thursday, coach Charlene Jonsson‘s Garsfontein girls enjoyed a good rest on Friday before seamlessly picking up from where they had left off on Saturday morning. Garsies cantered to a 3-1 win over Springfield and then completed their campaign with a solid 2-0 win over St Stithians.

RESULTS

Menlopark 2-0 Epworth School
Waterkloof 5-0 Voortrekker
Springfield 4-0 St Stithians’ Festival XI
St Stithians 1-0 Epworth School
DSG Makhanda 4-1 Beaulieu
Waterkloof 5-0 St Stithians’ Festival XI
Garsfontein 3-1 Springfield
DSG Makhanda 1-0 Menlopark
Voortrekker (Bethlehem) 1-0 Beaulieu

Thursday’s action at the Standard Bank St Stithians Hockey Festival provided spectators with thrilling encounters that showcased everything, including close contests, comebacks, and blowouts.

The annual event, which began on Wednesday, finishes on Saturday, although the participating schools will put their feet up on Good Friday.

Garsfontein, Epworth, Springfield, and DSG Makhanda all won one and drew one on day two. Menlopark and Waterkloof each won one and lost one, while St Stithians drew both their matches. The St Stithians’ Festival XI  and Beaulieu College lost twice.

Garsfontein enjoyed a fruitful second day of the festival after an underwhelming showing on day one, which included a 0-3 defeat at the hands of DSG Makhanda. They slept off the loss and began Thursday on a positive note.

Kristen Baker and Daniella Grobbelaar fired two early goals for coach Charlene Jonsson’s side against Epworth School in their first contest of the day, which gave Garsies a 2-1 lead at halftime.

Epworth has enjoyed a good season so far. The Pietermaritzburg school is one of the sides that has booked a place in the Grand Finals of the Spar KZN Hockey Tournament after winning their regional event. On the opening day at Saints, they beat Beaulieu 4-1.

Down at the break, they came back strongly in the second half against Garsfontein and were able to force a 2-2 draw.

Jonsson said Garsfontein focused on being process-driven and making positive connections from their outlet to set a solid base from which to attack. They also sought to maintain possession for longer phases of the game.

“We also focused on being aggressive in the attacking third of the field and rewarded ourselves with more outcomes in the circle, which paid off today,” Jonsson told Supersport Schools Plus.

The results of that approach were apparent in their second outing. The Anjone Lourens-captained outfit romped to a 3-0 win over Voortrekker (Bethlehem), courtesy of goals from Paige Marais, Mienke Pieterse, and Emma van Rooyen.

St Stithians’ Old Girls provided wholesome entertainment when they took to the field to remind the learners and spectators that they still have the skills that earned them the privilege to represent the school in hockey. The Alumni Ladies went 1-0 up in the second quarter of their game against the St Stithians Festival XI.

The veterans fended off all attempts at an equaliser from the Festival XI. However, they weren’t just interested in defending their 1-0 lead. They made numerous excursions into the Festival XI’s final third and were rewarded with four more goals in the final chukka as they cantered to a 5-1 win.

Menlopark showed patience in their build-up play and produced a disciplined defensive performance when they went up against Voortrekker (Bethlehem). Coach Brad Brook’s side operated efficiently as a unit on their way to a 3-1 victory over the ladies from the Free State.

Their captain, Zoë Badenhorst, was on the end of a brilliant team effort, which began from the back and resulted in her receiving a pass near the penalty spot. She grabbed the opportunity to score.

Mika Loots put Menlo 2-0 up when she pounced on a penalty corner rebound and Monique Gerber held her nerve to convert a penalty stroke.

The hosts, St Stithians, wrapped up the day with a tightly contested game against DSG Makhanda. Although both stretched each other’s defences, neither could find the key to unlock a path to the goal and their match ended 0-0.

RESULTS

St Stithians Festival Team 2-1 Beaulieu
Garsfontein 2-2 Epworth
Menlopark 3-1 Voortrekker
St Stithians 0-0 Springfield
DSG Makhanda 1-0 Waterkloof
Epworth 2-0 St Stithians Festival XI
Garsfontein 3-0 Voortrekker (Bethlehem)
Springfield 1-0 Menlopark
Waterkloof 3-1 Beaulieu
St Stithians Ladies Alumni 5-1 St Stithians Festival XI
St Stithians 0-0 DSG Makhanda

FIXTURES

Saturday

08:00 – Epworth vs Menlopark, 08:45 – Waterkloof vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 10:15 – St Stithians Festival XI vs Springfield, 11:00 – St Stithians vs Epworth, 12:15 – Beaulieu vs DSG Makhanda, 13:30 – St Stithians College vs Waterkloof, 14:45 – Springfield vs Garsfontein, 15:30 – Menlopark vs DSG Makhanda, 15:45 – Beaulieu vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 18:00 – St Stithians College vs Garsfontein.

Epworth School, DSG Makhanda, and Hoërskool Waterkloof ambled to comfortable victories on Wednesday, the first day of the Standard Bank St Stithians Hockey Festival.

The event pauses on Friday and concludes on Saturday, 19  April.

Epworth registered a comfortable 4-1 win over Beaulieu College, DSG  beat Hoërskool Garsfontein 3-0, and Waterkloof outplayed Springfield 2-0.

The hosts, St Stithians, were held to a 0-0 draw by Bethlehem Voortrekker and Hoërskool Menlopark‘s encounter against the St Stithians Festival XI lasted only a single chukka before it was called off because of lightning, with Menlopark leading 1-0 at the time.

In Beaulieu’s game against Epworth, the Midrand school immediately took the game to Epworth and threw bodies into their opponent’s final third in search of an opening goal. The Pietermaritzburg girls, however, showed great composure to repel the Gauteng side’s attacking forays.

Then, they found a small opening and launched a counterattack that resulted in the first goal of the festival four minutes into the game. They led 1-0 after the opening chukka.

Within five minutes of the restart, they led 2-0 and they continued to dictate terms until the halftime break.

Once again, after the pause, Epworth found early success, scoring five minutes into the third chukka to move off of the tricky two-goal cushion. Being 0-3 down did not kill Beaulieu’s spirit, though, and they kept hunting for a reply to cut into their opponent’s lead. That spirit was rewarded when they pulled one back.

Epworth quickly restored their three-goal lead, however, before a goalless final quarter left the Pietermaritzburg school with a comfortable opening win.

DSG Makhanda and Garsfontein looked evenly matched in a goalless first chukka. However, the ladies from Grahamstown soon found their stride and they took the lead from a penalty corner variation.

A slip from the stop to Abigail Holderness, on the left, set up the DSG captain for a flick and she made no mistake, converting the opportunity.

The Eastern Cape team was on fire, and they doubled their lead three minutes later through an Ava van der Walt field goal. Garsfontein fought hard to find an answer, but the DSG defence was solid.

From their third penalty corner, DSG extended their advantage to three goals. They went back to what had worked earlier for them, with Holderness, on the left, again firing the ball into the back of the net.

Waterkloof brought the curtain down on the action of the first day of the festival with a 2-0 win over Springfield, striking in the second and third quarters.

On Thursday, the St Stithians Festival team takes on Beaulieu, followed by a duel between Garsfontein and Epworth. At 19:00, a mouthwatering contest between St Stithians and DSG Makhanda concludes the day’s action, which includes 11 matches.

RESULTS

Epworth School 4-1 Beaulieu
DSG Makhanda 3-0 Garsfontein
St Stithians First XI 0-0 Voortrekker (Bethlehem)
Waterkloof 2-0 Springfield

FIXTURES

Thursday

07:30 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Beaulieu, 07:45 – Garsfontein vs Epworth School, 08:45 – Menlopark vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 09:45 – St Stithians College vs Springfield, 12:15 – Waterkloof vs DSG Makhanda, 13:00 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Epworth School, 14:15 – Garsfontein vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 14:30 – Menlopark vs Springfield, 15:30 – Waterkloof vs Beaulieu, 16:30 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Alumni ladies, 19:00 – St Stithians College vs DSG Makhanda

Saturday

08:00 – Epworth School vs Menlopark, 08:45 – Waterkloof vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 10:15 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Springfield, 11:00 – St Stithians College vs Epworth School, 12:15 – Beaulieu vs DSG Makhanda, St Stithians College vs Waterkloof, 14:45 – Springfield vs Garsfontein, 15:30 – Menlopark vs DSG Makhanda, 15:45 – Beaulieu vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 18:00 – St Stithians College vs Garsfontein.

Eight of the country’s most exciting hockey-playing girls’ schools will join St Stithians College for the annual Standard Bank St Stithians Easter Hockey Festival, which runs from the 16th to the 19th of April at St Stithians College.

The hockey showpiece forms part of a bigger sporting festival that includes rugby, football, netball, squash and tennis.

The sporting extravaganza, now in its 41st year, was launched in 1984 and has run under different themes each year. This year it flies a banner that reads: A Family of Schools. A School for Family.

According to the institution, the festival attracts approximately 2500 participants and over 50,000 spectators at the venue. Thousands more tune in through the Supersport Schools App, which streams most of the events. For those planning to attend in person, the entry fee is R70 per visitor per day.

The Blue and Red Astros will host 10 girls’ teams, who will alternate pitches with the boys. St Stithians’ two teams, the St Stithians College First XI and the St Stithians Festival XI, will be joined by Beaulieu College, Epworth School, Garsfontein, DSG Makhanda, Menlopark, Voortrekker Bethlehem, Waterkloof and Springfield. A St Stithians Ladies’ Alumni team will also make an appearance on Thursday afternoon.

The opening girls’ match features Beaulieu and Epworth School, kicking off at 12:30 on the Blue Astro. It will be followed by five more encounters, with the match between Springfield and Waterkloof wrapping up Day 1 proceedings.

Beaulieu will lock horns with the other host team, the St Stithians Festival XI, in the first contest scheduled for Thursday morning. That tie will be followed by 10 more matches, with the second day winding down with a fixture between the St Stithians First XI and DSG Makhanda.

Teams will take a break on Good Friday, before resuming the festival with an encounter between Epworth School and Menlopark on Saturday morning. The curtain will come down on the festival , when powerhouses St Stithians First XI and Garsfontein face off at 18:00.

Hockey fans can indeed expect high-quality contests as the 2025 season shifts into high gear.

Fixtures:

Wednesday:

12:30 – Beaulieu vs Epworth School, 13:30 – Garsfontein vs DSG Makhanda, 14:30 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Menlopark, 18:00 – St Stithians College vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 19:00 – Springfield vs Waterkloof

Thursday:

07:30 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Beaulieu, 07:45 – Garsfontein vs Epworth School, 08:45 – Menlopark vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 09:45 – St Stithians College vs Springfield, 12:15 – Waterkloof vs DSG Makhanda, 13:00 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Epworth School, 14:15 – Garsfontein vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 14:30 – Menlopark vs Springfield, 15:30 – Waterkloof vs Beaulieu, 16:30 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Alumni ladies, 19:00 – St Stithians College vs DSG Makhanda

Saturday:

08:00 – Epworth School vs Menlopark, 08:45 – Waterkloof vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 10:15 – St Stithians College Festival XI vs Springfield, 11:00 – St Stithians College vs Epworth School, 12:15 – Beaulieu vs DSG Makhanda, St Stithians College vs Waterkloof, 14:45 – Springfield vs Garsfontein, 15:30 – Menlopark vs DSG Makhanda, 15:45 – Beaulieu vs Voortrekker (Bethlehem), 18:00 – St Stithians College vs Garsfontein.

Ashton College Ballito edged Our Lady of Fatima 1-0 in a thrilling encounter to lift the Spar KZN Hockey Tournament’s Durban North Regional trophy at Ashton College on Sunday. Coach Nic White’s side kept a clean sheet on their way to the title.

Ashton was the sixth team to book a berth for the Spar KZN Tournament Grand Finals scheduled for 26 and 27 July. They join Maris Stella (DBN Central Regional), St Mary’s DSG Kloof (Highway Regional), Epworth School (PMB Central Regional), St Anne’s School (PMB North Regional), and Kingsway High (Durban South Regional).

Ashton gave home fans and visiting spectators a lot to cheer as they decimated their opposition – Crawford La Lucia, Danville, and Durban North College – in Pool A.

The Morgan Nel-captained side fired 10 unanswered goals past their competition to collect maximum points on their way to the summit of their group. They beat Crawford La Lucia 3-0 in their first match, followed it up with a 2-0 win over Danville, and then walloped Durban North College 5-0.

In the semi-finals, Ashton went head-to-head with Reddam House Umhlanga, who had collected eight points on their way to a second-place finish in Pool B. Their results included a 4-0 victory over Northlands Girls’ High and a 7-0 thrashing of Curro Salt Rock. They were, however, beaten 1-0 by Our Lady of Fatima, who was unbeaten in the group.

Ashton had little trouble overcoming Reddam House, winning 2-0, to book a place in the final.

Our Lady of Fatima, who topped the pool, added Northlands and Curro Salt Rock to the list of teams they shrugged aside on their path to the top of the log, triumphing 4-0 over Northlands High before galloping to a 7-0 win over Curro Salt Rock.

Then, in the second semi-final, Our Lady of Fatima ran up a 3-0 win over Danville.

The contest between Ashton and Our of Fatima brought together two evenly matched teams, who went blow-for-blow with neither finding a breakthrough until only two minutes remained in the match.

A goal from the hosts set up a thrilling finish as Our Lady of Fatima through everything into finding an equaliser. They couldn’t and Ashton held on to the win.

The next leg of the Spar KZN Hockey Tournament will be on the 10 May when KZN Coastal teams go into battle.

Kingsway High School put together a string of gritty performances on their way to lifting the title in the Durban South Regional of the Spar KZN Hockey Tournament.

They beat their local rivals, Amanzimtoti High School 2-1 in a penalty shootout to claim the silverware.

With the win, Kingsway became the fifth team to book a berth in the Spar KZN Tournament Grand Finals, to be hosted by St Mary’s Waverley Festival winners, St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, in July.

They join Maris Stella (Durban Central Regional), St Mary’s DSG (Highway Regional), Epworth School (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional), and St Anne’s Diocesan College (Pietermaritzburg North Regional) on the list of teams that have claimed their spot at the Grand Finals.

The Durban South Regional was the biggest of the regional finals, bringing together 10 teams, who were split into two groups. Kingsway joined the hosts, Werda, in Pool B, where they competed against New Forest High School, Port Natal Skool, and Rossburgh High School.

Last year’s winner, Amanzimtoti, was in Pool A, along with Durban Academy, Gelofte, Queensburgh Girls’ High School, and Kuswag Skool.

Kingsway found goal-scoring a challenge, but their defence was stiff. They failed to register a victory in any of their Pool B matches, but recorded three 0-0 draws, against Werda, New Forest, and Port Natal. They were awarded winners’ points for their abandoned match against Rossburgh and, ultimately, finished second in the group.

They met four-time Durban South Regional champions, Kuswag, in a cross-pool playoff match and scored their first goal of the tournament. However, the contest ended in a 1-1 draw, but Kingsway held their nerve to claim a 2-0 win in the penalty shootout.

That proved to be good preparation for the final against Amanzimtoti. The defending champions posted two wins and two draws in their pool and then faced the Pool B table-topping New Forest. They shared a 1-1 draw. That sent the contest to a shootout, which Amanzimtoti won with a golden goal.

Goals were in short supply in the final, too, with neither Kingsway nor Amanzimtoti scoring in regulation time. In the penalty shootout, though, Kingsway triumphed 2-1.

The regional finals continue with the Durban North Regionals on Sunday. Ashton International College will host Crawford International La Lucia, Danville Park Girls’ High, Northlands Girls’ High, Our Lady of Fatima, Crawford International North Coast, Curro Salt Rock, and Reddam House Umhlanga.

After a superb fifth-place finish at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, Our Lady of Fatima goes into the event as the favourite.

Northwood fired three unanswered goals past Westville Boys’ High in their Hyundai Friday Night Lights encounter at Northwood, in Durban.

Coach Justin Collins’ side was clinical in their execution, on their way to a 3-0 victory over the visitors.

“Westville is one of our big games this season. It’s a big rivalry, so it was good to come away from it with a win,” Collins told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

It was the Knights‘ first match since their Founders Festival campaign last month, where they recorded three wins and two draws from their five games.

Collins’ side kicked off their Founders’ fixtures with a 0-0 draw in their opener against Rondebosch, beat Dale College 2-0, overcame Queen’s College 3-1, then were held to a 1-1 draw by Paarl Gim, before triumphing 3-1 over Affies.

The two-week break between Founders and their meeting with Westville did not seem to negatively affect their form. There was no rustiness from Northwood. However, it was Westville who created the first chance to go ahead but the Northwood goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant save to thwart the effort.

When the home side mounted an unrelenting offensive in the last five minutes of the first chukka, their pressure won them a short corner, which they converted two and a half minutes before the break. Luc Boyall created space for himself on the right-hand side before he drilled the ball past the Westville net-minder.

The goal gave the hosts’ game impetus and they enjoyed the lion’s share of attacking play. Three minutes into the second chukka, Luke Allen doubled Northwood’s lead. After receiving a pass close to the halfway line, he made a brilliant run into the Westville circle before firing the ball into the back of the net.

The action oscillated from one end to the other. Westville was on the hunt for a goal to half Northwood’s lead, while the hosts were in search of a three-goal cushion. Fortune smiled upon Northwood. They were rewarded for their efforts with a penalty corner, which Kyle White smashed against the backboard at the end of the chukka.

Coach Cameron Mackay‘s charges kept working hard, despite facing a monumental mountain heading into the final chukka. They continued to ask questions of Northwood, but Collins’ men found answers to all the challenges posed to them.

To their credit, Northwood did not sit back to defend their three-goal lead. They also pushed hard in search of a fourth and the end-to-end action provided good entertainment.

“There were moments when we put ourselves under pressure, but in totality, we had a great game,” Collins reflected.

The victory was a good morale boost for the Knights ahead of a clash with Kearsney College next weekend.

RESULTS

Northwood 3-0 Westville

In an entertaining Hyundai Friday Night Lights match, played at The Coliseum, at Durban High School (DHS), the home team registered an emphatic 4-1 win over Clifton College.

Don’t be fooled by the three-goal winning margin, though. It was a tightly contested clash.

DHS and Clifton are two of the top teams in the KwaZulu-Natal region and it showed in the first exchanges as they traded blows, but none was lethal. There was little to separate them as they finished the first chukka in a 0-0 stalemate.

In the second chukka, DHS’s endeavour was rewarded when they received a penalty stroke for a push in the back inside the circle and Sithsaba Siyoyo had no problem converting it to give his side the lead.

Siyoyo’s strike might not have been DHS’s opener had their captain, Josh Mungherera, not spurned a couple of opportunities. The skipper, however, made amends by smartly slotting DHS’s second shortly after Siyoyo’s goal to lift School into a 2-0 halftime lead.

Clifton, who had asked questions of their own, had been resetting and recovering from Siyoyo’s strike, so the double blow was a gut punch to their efforts.

Keegan Hazlett, the DHS coach, speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus after the match, said his side had shown a weakness of late by tending to drop onto the backfoot after taking a lead, which had allowed opposition teams to come back into the contest. While it happened briefly against Clifton, DHS turned to their solid structure to, once again, set up phases and piled on the pressure, mostly down the flanks.

They were, then, able to increase their lead to three goals when Siyiyo slotted his second, this time from a well-executed penalty corner. Hazlett said Siyoyo had been converting short corners during practice with panache and it was good to have him translate that practice form into the match.

Coach Calvin Pryce’s charges found little joy in the final third of the field as the DHS defence, led well by Bhavesh Naicker and Josh van Biljon, kept them at bay. Eventually, though, Clifton’s persistence was rewarded when Zach Williamson converted a penalty corner in the third chukka.

It wasn’t until the last two minutes of the game that the scoreboard shifted once more, and it was the DHS captain, Josh Mungherera, who rounded off a superb counterattack that covered almost the length of the field. It also had plenty to do with the never-say-die effort of Landa Tose.

“He won the ball at the back, won it again in midfield, went all the way up the right, and made a great pass through to Josh, and Josh tipped it in,” Hezlett described goal number four.

The strike was the final nail in the coffin. Clifton kept making optimistic forays into the DHS half and won themselves a handful of penalty corners, but, having conceded one from the set piece, the Horseflies stood firm and repelled the rest to come away with the win.

RESULTS

1st: DHS 4-1 Clifton; 2nd: DHS 0-0 Clifton; u16A: DHS 6-1 Clifton; u16B: DHS 0-2 Clifton; u16C: DHS 4-1 Clifton; u15D: DHS 12-0 Clifton; u14A: DHS 1-0 Clifton; u14B: DHS 0-3 Clifton; u14C: DHS 2-0 Clifton