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Northwood’s basketball team has come a long way and Sunday’s victory was testament to the long hard hours of commitment, dedication and hard work, which brought the Knights the title in the 19th edition of the St John’s Basketball Tournament after an unbeaten run through the event.

Northwood’s Director of Basketball, Doug Nedab, and the first team coach, Kent VanderYacht, could not contain their excitement after their side thumped King Edward VII School in the gold medal match.

It was a one-sided title game as Northwood seized control early on and didn’t let up. By the second quarter, it was clear they were on their way to being crowned champions. At half-time, they led 49-19. At the end, they had recorded a runaway 85-43 win.

Nedab told SuperSport Schools Plus he has witnessed the work that has been put in by the players since his arrival at Northwood. “They deserve this moment, especially after last week losing out to Maritzburg College in the final of the Jenny Orchard Basketball Tournament,” he said.

Northwood avenged that setback when they overwhelmed College in the St John’s quarterfinals, scoring an extraordinary 80-41 win.

“I can tell the ups and downs we have had since then,” Nedab said, “and at this tournament, the guys didn’t play like themselves until the quarterfinals, so I’m proud of this outcome.”

Nedab reserved special praise for Lusanda Hlongwane, who was named the MVP of the Tournament, and Chadley Hargreaves, who also made the u19 All-Star Team.

Nedab also lauded the performances of Siyamthanda Shabalala. “Siyamthanda Shabalala, remember the name. He will be the number one player in the country within two years,” Nedab reckoned.

Hilton College wins the u15 St John’s Championship

Another KwaZulu-Natal school got their hands on the u15 trophy, with Hilton College defeating St John’s College to lift the title.

The first two quarters of the championship game were a real battle, with St John’s just holding off their opponents. In the third quarter, however, a number of changes came off for Hilton and they controlled the physical battle to take charge of the contest.

After hitting the front, Hilton forged a lead and stayed in command until the end of the game, which ended 47-36 in favour of the boys in black and white.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

U15 Final

Hilton College 47-36 St John’s College

U15 Bronze Final

King Edward VII School 30-22 Michael Mount

U19 Final

Northwood School 85-43 King Edward VII School

U19 Bronze Final

St Albans 47- 40 St Charles

19th St John’s College Basketball Tournament Awards

U13 Awards

Overall Team Spirit – Soweto Academy, Gauteng
Best Overall Defensive Team – St Benedict’s Prep, Gauteng
Best Efficient Team – Saheti School, Gauteng
Best Represented Team – St Andrew’s Prep, Eastern Cape

U15 Awards

Bronze – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Silver – St John’s College, Gauteng
Gold – Hilton College, Kwazulu-Natal

U15 All-Star Team

Reddy Riday – Michael Mount Waldorf School, Gauteng
Hercil Nde – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Jowi Cole – Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal
Reza Creamer – St John’s College, Gauteng

U15 MVP

Litha Madinda – Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal

U19 Awards

Bronze – St Alban’s College, Gauteng
Silver – King Edward VII School, Gauteng
Gold – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal

U19 All-Star Team 

Taite Hendricks – St Charles College, Kwazulu-Natal
Onea Bvumi – St Alban’s College, Gauteng
Chadley Hargreaves – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal
Raymond Gordon – King Edward VII School, Gauteng

U19 MVP

Lusanda Hlongwane – Northwood School, KwaZulu-Natal

Hoër Landbouskool Boland, met Lyle Lewis aan die spits, het Saterdag op die Plaas in Riversdal geploeg met Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale om ‘n klinkende sege in die eerstespankragmeting te behaal.

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Albei spanne se boulers het floreer in die toestande en Stefan Conradie moes sweet om sy 47 lopies vir Boland aan te teken.

Hy en sy broer, Kobus Conradie, het ‘n aanvangsvennootkap van 31 lopies saamgestel, voordat Jannes Snyman eerste bloed vir Oakdale kon trek met laasgenoemde se paaltjie. Na daardie deurbraak het Reinard Viljoen verwoesting gesaai onder die besoekers se kolwers en vyf Boland-kolwers se paaltjies laat kantel.

Stefan Conradie het egter deurgedruk om sy span se totaal tot 97 op te stoot, voordat Adriaan van der Merwe van dié gevaarman kon ontslae raak.

Van der Merwe het met die volgende bal nog ‘n paaltjie opgetel, maar ‘n paar laaste bydraes, deur Henré Swart (23) en Tiaan Ryke (10*), het vir die tuisspan ‘n uitdagende doelwit van 144 lopies daargestel.

Die Riversdal-span was ook nie opgewasse vir wat Lyle Lewis sou bring nie. Die opwindende jong ster van Boland Landbou het in sy eerste vyf beurte vyf paaltjies vir slegs twee lopies laat spat, en die tuisspan erg laat wankel op 25/5.

Rico Ferreira (24) het nietemin waardevolle weerstand gebied en 60 balle weerstaan, maar verdere paaltjies deur Tiaan Ryke (2/15) en Marius du Plessis (2/15)  het beteken dat Oakdale slegs 70 lopies kon aanteken voordat hul beurt kortgeknip is.

Boland sluit hul seisoen op ‘n skitterende wyse af, nadat hulle ‘n paar groot kanonne laat bontstaan. Met spelers soos die Konradie-broers, Francois Prins, Marius du Plessis, Tiaan Ryke en Lyle Lewis, wat almal uitgeblink het regdeur die kwartaal, kan die “boere” terugkyk op ‘n uiterse suksesvolle veldtog.

Beknopte telkaart:

Hoër Landbouskool Boland: 143 (Stefan Conradie 47, Henré Swart 23, Ekstras 23; Reinard Viljoen 5/23, Adriaan van der Merwe 3/15). Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale: 70 (Rico Ferreira 24; Lyle Lewis 5/13, Tiaan Ryke 2/15, Marius du Plessis 2/15). Boland Landbou wen met 73 lopies.

Coming off a heavy defeat to Bishops on Saturday at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival in Pretoria, St John’s College showed tremendous character by responding with a strong all-round performance to hand a tough St Andrew’s College team a 75-run loss on Sunday.

Playing a 40-overs-a-side match, St John’s batted aggressively and took the game to the Eastern Cape side, with a handful of players delivering innings of serious substance as the Johannesburg school charged their way to 272/8.

As he so often does, captain Joe MacRobert set a fine example, cracking nine fours and two sixes in a rapid 80 from only 55 deliveries. Opener, Thomas Ievers, was on song, once again, weighing in with 44 from 41 balls, while Alec Loveland, batting at four, made 46 from 56.

An unbeaten 36 from just 29 balls, by Malan du Plessis, helped St John’s accelerate towards the end of their innings, while opener Nkosana Sibiya, at the other end of the batting lineup, made 20 from 24.

Oliver Johns, introduced quite late into the St Andrew’s attack, accounted for the St John’s middle order and captured 3/33 in six overs. But most of the other bowlers came in for some stick as St John’s posted a big total.

William Beamish struck a six but was out for 11 at the start of the fourth over of the St Andrew’s reply. Rhys Wiblin and Oliver Johns then made a good fist of things, adding 64 for the second wicket, before Kago Masote sent Johns packing for 36 from 43 balls, which had included five fours.

Following the departure of Johns, St Andrew’s lost two more wickets over the course of the next four overs to fall to 96/4.

Myles Sansom made 15, Laurie Apps 13, and Alex Price 18; they all got starts but were then dismissed. Four runs after Apps was removed, Wiblin was finally out, bowled by Cole Francis for 54. He’d spent 79 balls on strike and hit two fours. The scoreboard read 150/7.

Joe Wostenholm resisted St John’s and finished with 21 not out, but Alec Loveland, who had run out Oliver Johns earlier, was involved in two more runs out and then bowled Roman van Zyl to bring the St Andrew’s innings to an end on 197.

St John’s used seven bowlers and all seven claimed one wicket each. But the aforementioned three runs out also damaged St Andrew’s College’s attempts to pursue a big victory target.

Clifton College vs Uplands College

With both teams seeking a first win, Clifton College closed off their Independent Schools Cricket Festival journey with a victory by 48 runs over Uplands College in a T20 clash.

Batting first, after winning the toss, Shahzaad Perumal‘s side didn’t enjoy a great start; at 56/5, matters looked dicey. That’s, however, when Rivan Moodley and Zach Williamson seized the initiative for Clifton.

They added 90 for the sixth wicket, with Williamson blasting three sixes and four fours in a 41-ball stay that brought him 56 runs before he was run out. Moodley struck one six and one four in his 35 from 29 balls, and Clifton totalled a healthy 160/7 from their 20 overs.

Captain Leam van Zyl did a tidy job for Uplands, claiming 2/14 in four overs, while Kai Naylor picked up 2/29 from his four.

An early run out of opener Luke Barnard helped Clifton in the field, and one run later his opening partner, Bruce Nel, was bowled by Tim Saulez for five, leaving Uplands on 11/2.

The next six batsmen all made it into double figures, but none of them reached 20, as Clifton’s bowlers recorded regular successes. Jack Robson and Luke Breero both made 19, but more was needed.

Regan Radley took 2/17, while the rest of the Clifton bowlers picked up four wickets between them, all at a decent economy rate. A further run out further undermined the Uplands’ run chase as they were restricted to 112/8.

St Benedict’s College vs St Andrew’s School

In the tightest contest of the day, St Benedict’s College snatched a last-ball victory over St Andrew’s School, taking the win by two wickets.

St Andrew’s bowled fewer wides than Bennies, but 16 extras to eight in favour of the Johannesburg school proved to be crucial.

FG Botha, with 47 from 49 balls, which included five fours, was the main force behind Saints’ 123/9, while Andrew Sobiech entertained with four fours in his 20 from 13 deliveries.

Carl Goosen took the new ball for St Benedict’s and led their attack, with a return of 3/23. He was well supported by Parth Patel (2/20) and Ross Pengelly (2/19).

Bennies then made a clean start to their run chase, with Goosen, now opening the batting, contributing 30 from 31 balls.

There weren’t many other notable scores, but there didn’t need to be. When the win was up for grabs, Jack Foster embraced the challenge and struck an unbeaten 20 from only 12 balls to see St Benedict’s to a last-gasp victory.

Nikhil Sukraj shone for St Andrew’s, snaring 3/20 in four overs, while FG Botha took 2/10 in three.

St David’s Marist Inanda vs St John’s College (Harare)

St David’s Marist Inanda completed a triumphant unbeaten run at the festival with another impressive victory, this time by 43 runs over St John’s College (Harare).

It all began up front, with openers, Armaan and Morteza Manack, lashing 140 for the first wicket from only 16.1 overs. Armaan then fell to Goven Dhaneel, when he was caught by Takudzwa Nduku, for 57 from 46 balls.

Five runs later, Morteza’s innings was over, but he had delivered 73 from 56 deliveries, with seven fours and a six.

Jason Rowles provided a quickfire 27 not out from 15 balls to swell the St David’s total to 176/3 after their 20 overs.

Dhaneel, with 2/37 from four overs, was the pick of the St John’s bowlers.

Facing a stiff run chase, the Rams stumbled out of the gate, losing both openers with only three in the scorebook. Luke Wright showed no fear, however, as he hit out against the St David’s bowlers, launching two sixes and adding six fours, as he struck 41 from 24 balls.

Michael Blignaut took just 11 balls to make 20, but St David’s had their tails up as a number of their bowlers got in among the wickets.

Oliver Botha and Matthew West both picked up 2/15, while Jason Rowles claimed 2/21 and Jared Beilings 2/34, as St John’s were bowled out in the 19th over for 133.

Michaelhouse vs St Stithians College

Michaelhouse had won on Saturday and St Stithians had lost, but those roles were reversed when the teams met on Sunday, with Saints cruising to a big nine-wicket victory.

Within the first five overs of their innings, ‘House were forced onto the back foot, as they stumbled to 20/4. From there, they couldn’t stage a recovery.

Cival Rugbar boosted Michaelhouse’s innings with 23 from 17 balls, and West Mitchell-Innes added 20 from 19, but the Balgowan boys mustered only 101/9 from their 20 overs.

SA u19 speedster Kwena Maphaka led their downfall by wiping out the Michaelhouse top order, including being involved in a run out, and he finished with 3/17 from four, but it was Ethan Jacobs who enjoyed the most success, snaring 5/20 from his four overs.

Maphaka then took on the opening role again, but this time with the bat, and showed off his proficiency with an unbeaten 48 from 35 balls, which included six fours and a six.

His SA u19 colleague, Richard Seletswane, also moved up the order to open, and he unleashed two sixes and three fours in a 29-ball innings, which produced 34 runs. Seletswane was out to the last ball of the eighth over, but Saints were well on their way to the win by that point, on 76/1.

Emile Odendaal then hastened their victory charge, smacking a six and a four in an eight-ball innings of 16 runs. With 8.1 overs in hand, St Stithians took the honours.

Summarised scores

St John’s College 272/8 (Joe MacRobert 80, Alec Loveland 46, Thomas Ievers 44, Malan du Plessis 36*, Nkosana Sibiya 20; Oliver Johns 33); St Andrew’s College 197/10 (Rhys Wiblin 54, Oliver Johns 36, Joe Wostenholm 21*) St John’s College won by 75 runs.

Clifton College 160/7 (Zach Williamson 56, Rovan Moodley 35; Leam van Zyl 2/14, Kai Naylor 2/29); Uplands College 112/8 (Jack Robson 19, Luke Breero 19, Regan Radley 2/17) Clifton College won by 48 runs.

St Andrew’s School 123/9 (FG Botha 47, Andrew Sobiech 20; Carl Goosen 3/23, Ross Pengelly 2/19, Parth Patel 2/20); St Benedict’s College 124/8 (Carl Goosen 30, Jack Foster 20*; Nikhil Sukraj 3/20, FG Botha 2/10) St Benedict’s College won by 2 wickets.

St David’s Marist Inanda 176/3 (Morteza Manack 73, Armaan Manack 57, Jack Rowles 27*; Goven Dhaneel 2/37); St John’s College (Harare) 133/10 (Luke Wright 41, Michael Blignaut 20; Matthew West 2/15, Oliver Botha 2/15, Jason Rowles 2/21, Jared Beilings 2/34) St David’s Marist Inanda won by 43 runs.

Michaelhouse 101/9 (Cival Rugbar 23, West Mitchell-Innes; Ethan Jacobs 5/20, Kwena Maphaka 3/17); St Stithians 102/1 (Kwena Maphaka 48*, Richard Seletswane 34) St Stithians won by 9 wickets.

On the final day of the Independent School’s Cricket Festival, in Pretoria, teams were presented with an opportunity to test their skills in the T20 format.

Helpmekaar Kollege eagerly accepted Sunday’s assignment and signed off an impressive week with a convincing win over a strong Kearsney College side.

Hannu Marais put the Helpies on the front foot early. Batting at three, he applied himself well and contributed his side’s highest score of 43 runs.

The in-form Anrich Liebenberg continued on his merry way, adding a well-played 37 runs, while his opening partner, Kyle Swanepoel, made 32.

The biggest blows were, however, struck by the Helpmekaar bowlers. Henricus Meyer ripped the heart out of the Kearsney lineup, getting rid of four batsmen for just 12 runs, while Liebenberg backed up his good performance with the willow, snatching 2/13.

Kearsney’s captain, Ross Coetzee, led from the front in the KwaZulu-Natal’s side losing cause. He was their most successful bowler with two wickets for 23 runs. He also made 20, second only to Keegan de Jager’s 23.

Hilton College also finished on a positive note. They made light work of the St George’s College (Harare) batting lineup, limiting them to just 77/8. David Hill (2/13) and Luke Campbell (2/19) both impressed with good bowling performances, sharing four wickets between them.

Robert Burman, then, put the St George’s bowlers to the sword, breaking the backbone of the chase with an unbeaten 38 runs, to lead his side to a comfortable nine-wicket victory.

Bishops sealed an unbeaten festival with a hard-fought 23-run victory over Cornwall Hill College.

Thaafier Japhta (29) played a crucial knock, helping the Capetonians out of a spot of bother after a few wickets had gone down early. Alex Vintcent (30) and Calum Daniels (26*) made important contributions, too, which helped Bishops to a competitive total of 144/8 from their 20 overs.

Lhuan-dré Pretorius demonstrated his all-round abilities for Cornwall Hill once more. He spun a web around the Bishops’ top-order, opening the bowling with his elusive off-spin and claiming two wickets for 17 runs. With the bat, he made 19 runs – bettered only by Amogelang Tshoagong’s unbeaten 23 – before falling victim to the impressive Waco Bassick (1/25).

The hosts, St Alban’s College, bounced back well after Saturday’s defeat against Michaelhouse. Patrick Weir amazed with his stroke-making, smashing the Woodridge College bowlers all around the park, as he plundered 79 runs. Kyle Block, playing the second fiddle to the aggressive Weir, also notched a half-century, playing well for his unbeaten 54 runs.

Luke Ward (3/12) and Tim Garnett (3/17), then, shone with the ball. The pair claimed a combined six wickets while yielding only 29 runs. They had Woodridge under immense pressure right from the get-go and the Eastern Cape side mustered only 62 all out.

The Titans XI produced another impressive performance, inflicting a defeat on Kingswood College. With contributions here and there, up and down the order, led by Magaswa (33) and Teko Modiba (29), the Titans posted a reasonable total of 122/9.

It was their bowlers, however, who swung the momentum of the game firmly in the Pretoria-based side’s favour. Samukelo Mojela did the bulk of the damage, knocking over three wickets for 27 runs, while Mohammed Barabat also excelled, picking up 2/12.

Kingswood’s David Loudon fought a lone battle. He was, by far, his side’s best performer on the day. The all-rounder sent four opposition batsmen back to the pavilion, conceding only 15 runs. He was also the only one to produce an innings of any significance, making 38 runs, as Kingswood came up 24 runs short of their opposition.

Summarised scorecards 

Helpmekaar Kollege 139/5 (Hannu Marais 43, Anrich Liebenberg 37, Kyle Swanepoel 32; Ross Coetzee 2/23, Ryan Browning 2/33); Kearsney College 104/10 (Keegan de Jager 23, Ross Coetzee 20; Henricus Meyer 4/12, Anrich Liebenberg 2/13) Helpmekaar Kollege won by 35 runs.

St George’s College (Harare) 77/8 (Takudzwa Mangena 27; David Hill 2/13, Luke Campbell 2/19); Hilton College 78/1 (Robert Burman 38*; Munotido Ndorah 1/20). Hilton College won by nine wickets.

Bishops Diocesan College 144/8 (Alex Vintcent 30, Thaafier Japtha 29, Calum Daniels 26*, Adnaan Lagadien 21; Mohale Pitso 2/9, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/17); Cornwall Hill College 121/7 (Amogelang 23*; Tiaan Louw 3/36) Bishops Diocesan College won by 23 runs.

St Alban’s College 168/4 (Patrick Weir 79, Kyle Block 54*; Randy Syce 1/24); Woodridge College 62 (Zche-Keane Killian 18, Luke Ward 3/12, Tim Garnett 3/17). St Alban’s College won by 106 runs.

Titans Invitation XI 122/9 (Magaswa 33, Teko Modiba 29; David Loudon 4/15); Kingswood College 98 (David Loudon 38; Samukelo Mojela 3/27, Mohammed Barabat 2/12, Neylo Senna 2/12). Titans Invitation XI won by 24 runs.

Alexa de Villiers was sensational as she led Herschel to their second Old Petrian’s u19 Girls Water Polo Tournament title at the Wahoo Aquatic Centre in Sandton on Sunday afternoon.

The Western Cape side, who won their first title in 2011, defeated 2023 champions St Stithians College 9-6 in a hard-fought final. The event featured 27 of South Africa’s leading girls’ water polo teams.

De Villiers scored four of the nine goals that Herschel put past the Saints’ defence. The Johannesburg team was in control for large parts of the encounter, and through the first to third chukka, Saints led at multiple points, only for Herschel to equalise, often through De Villiers.

Herschel broke the trend in the fourth chukka when they went ahead 7-6 and, once they got in front, they did what Saints had failed to do each time they took the lead, by creating a two-goal gap. In the last couple of minutes of the match, the Cape Town team scored another to put the game beyond Saints and banish any hopes they may have had of a comeback.

The final marked the second time the teams had met in the tournament. Herschel and St Stithians first locked horns during the group stages, when the Cape Town side triumphed 8-5, which meant Saints had to take a longer route to the final.

After finishing second in Pool A, Saints had to get by Clarendon in the playoffs before squaring up to Roedean in the quarterfinals.

In the semis, coach Etienne Le Roux‘s team took on an unrelenting Reddam House Constantia. Courtney Calenborne, who had been outstanding for Saints throughout the tournament, stayed true to form. The Central Gauteng star breached the Reddam defence three times as the teams settled for a 4-4 draw after the fourth chukka. The contest was then decided by a penalty shootout, which Saints edged 3-2.

The finalists’ paths to the title-decider couldn’t have been any more different. After topping their group, Herschel stamped their ticket for direct qualification to the quarterfinals with an 11-8 win over Durban Girls’ College (DGC).

In the semifinals, Sophie Vickers put five goals past DSG to book a date with St Stithians in the final. By her standards, the Western Province player had a muted campaign, choosing to play a supporting role to her more experienced teammates, Anne Lieberman and Amy van Breda. The pair was prolific as Herschel effortlessly sailed past each of their opponents.

It was a testament to Herschel’s all-round excellence, however, that they produced numerous matchwinners on their way to the title.

Herschel and Saints were two of the three top goal-scoring teams of the tournament. Herschel topped the list, with 107, while Saints were third, with 95. Sandwiched between them was Roedean, on 104 goals.

Amy Mather, from Crawford, was the leading goal-scorer, with 32, while DGC’s Kayla Andrews struck 28 times, and Hannah Banks, from Reddam Constantia, was third with 27.

Lesser honours were accorded to the Shield winners, St Peter’s, who defeated Chisipite, 5-4, Bowl winners’ Crawford, who overcame Stirling, 5-3, and the Plate winners’ St Dominic’s, who outplayed St Mary’s 5-3.

Playoffs and Final Standings

25th-24th Playoff: Alexander Road 1-4 Springfield
Plate semi-final: Clarendon 5-9 St Mary’s
25th-28th Playoff: Pretoria Girls 3-4 Rand Park
Plate semi-final: St Dominic’s 4-3 Reddam Bedfordview
17th-20th Playoff: Westerford 5-13 Collegiate
Shield semi-final: Reddam Helderfontein 3-6 St Peter’s
17th-20th Playoff: Rustenburg 6-5 Hudson Park
Shield semi-final: Chisipite 8-1 Wynberg
5th-8th Playoff: St Anne’s 7-6 DGC
Bowl semi-final: Crawford 4-2 Kingsmead
5th-8th Playoff: Roedean 13-3 Kingswood
Bowl semi-final: Stirling 4-3 Pearson
27th-28th: Alex Road 4-3 Pretoria Girls
Cup Semi-Final: Herschel 5-4 DSG
25th-26th: Springfield 5-3 Rand Park
Cup semi-final: St Stithians 4 (3)-4 (2) Reddam Constantia
23rd-24th: Reddam Helderfontein 2-4 Wynberg
Shield Final: St Peter’s 5-4 Chisipite
19th-20th: Westerford 4-6 Hudson
17th-18th Collegiate 7-1 Rustenburg
Bowl Final: Crawford 5-3 Stirling
15th-16th: Kingsmead 4-3 Pearson
Plate Final: St Mary’s 3-5 St Dominic’s
11th-12th: Clarendon 5 (4)-5 (3) Reddam Bedfordview
5th-6th: St Anne’s 3-7 Roedean
7th-8th: DGC 6 (1)-6 (3) Kingswood
3rd-4th: DSG 4-8 Reddam Constantia
1st-2nd: Herschel 9 – 6 St Stithians

Grey-kollege het die nuwe seisoen Saterdag amptelik afgeskop by Hoërskool President Steyn se Hester van der Walt-sportdag deur, nes verlede jaar, hul veldtog af te skop met ‘n wegholsege van 40-3 oor Hoërskool Trio van Kroonstad.

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Die Bloemfonteiners het van meet af die oorhand geniet, met Xander Smit (flank) wat net 25 sekondes nodig gehad het na die eerste afskop om oor die lyn te bars en Grey se rekening oop te maak.

Na daardie eerste terugslag, het die span van Kroonstad nietemin hergroepeer en staal getoon om aanvanklik Grey-kollege se meedoënlose aanslag te stuit.

Byron Biennas (losskakel) het, soos verlede seisoen, ‘n sentrale rol gespeel in sy span se vertoning en hul aanval gedirigeer, maar daar was geen gapings te vinde in die Bloemfonteiners se verdedigingslyn nie.

Biennas kon egter die gaping op die telbord tydelik laat krimp met ‘n lang strafdoel van die kantlyn af.

Grey se vleuel, Pretorius Ekeji, was ook telkens gevaarlik waneer hy sy hande op die bal gekry het. Hy het sy merk op die wedstryd gelaat deur bo-oor ‘n paar Trio-verdedigers te hardloop vir twee drieë.

Grey het die sluise in die tweede helfte oopgemaak met vier verdoelde drieë sonder om enige verdere punte af te staan en lyk reeds soos ‘n goed geoliede masjien.

Grey se skoolkaptein vir 2024, Pieter van der Merwe (senter), het ook ‘n pragdrie gedruk om ‘n uitstekende spanpoging af te rond, nadat sy span in die tweede helfte die bal meer kon begin versprei in die agterlyn.

Skrumskakel, Phillip McLaren, het verseker dat sy oorgehaalde agterlyn die bal blitsig ontvang en was ook beloon vir sy harde werk met ‘n drie.

Die enkele keer wat Altus van Schalkwyk, wat as ‘n plaasvervanger opgekom het, die lyn kon breek vir Trio, het hy hom vasgeloop in Grey se heelagter, Thristan Maree, wie se enorme duikslag die besit weereens kon omkeer vir die Bloemfonteiners.

Alzeadon Felix, Grey se losskakel, was deurlopend in beheer van die spel en kon met vyf doelskoppe self ook 10 punte bydra.

Verlede jaar was die telling tussen die twee spanne 38-10, met Grey wat voortgegaan het om ‘n onoorwonne seisoen met vele hoogtepunte te lewer. Indien hierdie vertonning enige aanduiding is van wat wag, lyk dit asof die Vrystaatse reuse oorgehaal is vir nog ‘n fenomenale seisoen.

Volgende naweek pak Grey vir Welkom Gimnasium in Bloemfontein, voor die seisoen met mening afskop by die Noord/Suid-toernooi op 22 Maart, wanneer hulle teen King Edward VII School en Jeppe High School te staan kom.

Grey se tweedespan het hul wedstryd teen Voortrekker se tweedes ook gemaklik gewen met 64-7. Siyabonga Kenny, hul blitsige vleuel, het twee keer agter die doellyn gaan kuier, terwyl heelagter, Heinz Stockenström, 19 punte bygedra het met ‘n drie en sewe doelskoppe.

Die Trekkers se vyftiental wat teen HTS Louis Botha uitgedraf het moes staat maak op van verlede jaar se sterre om gelykop te speel.

Die Louis Botha seuns lyk alreeds asof hulle op ‘n beter plek is as verlede jaar, en het ‘n barshou gespeel om ‘n voorsprong van 14-0 op te bou voor halftyd.

Agsteman, Kwanda Tokwe, het ‘n tweekuns behaal, maar nadat die span van Bethlehem hul reserwebank leeggemaak het om van hul staatmakers op te bring het die momentum geswaai.

Frederik Fourie en Craig Mann het uitstekend gekombineer om die gapings uit te buit en die agterstand in te haal, maar albei spanne sal voel dat daar geleenthede was om ‘n oorwinning te kon behaal.

Hierdie toernooi word egter juis gebruik om bietjie op te warm voor die seisoen in alle erns afskop, en albei hierdie spanne lyk asof hulle opwindende rugby gaan opdis in hul onderskeie ligas.

Hoërskool Bloemfontein het ook ‘n puik sege van 47-19 oor Hoërskool Marquard behaal.

Hul losvoorspelers, Wessel van der Merwe en Brandon Erasmus, het uitstekend saamgejag, met Jano Jackson wat die spel op losskakel dikteer het.

Hoërskool Ladybrand se Lucky Rathubala (vleuel) het ook twee drieë tot sy naam gevoeg in sy span se oorwinning van 17-7 oor Hoërskool Hendrik Potgieter van Reddersburg.

Puntemakers:

Grey-kollege XV: 40 (12) – Drieë: Pretorius Ekeji (2), Pieter van der Merwe, Emile McGeer, Dian Venter, Xander Smit. Doelskoppe: Alzeadon Felix (5)  Hoërskool Trio: 3 (3) – Strafdoel: Byron Biennas.

Grey-kollege II: 64 – Drieë: Siyabonga Kenny (2),Heinz Stockenström, Donelle Hendriks, Bernard Wessels, AJ Booysen, David Hayidakis, Henco Diederichs, Stephan Jacobs, Theto Montjane. Doelskoppe: Stockenström (7). Voortrekker Hoërskool II: 7. 

HTS Louis Botha: 17 (14) – Drieë: Kwanda Tokwe (2) Nomgang Themba. Doelskoppe: Nikikheli November. Voortrekker Hoërskool XV: 17 (0) – Drieë: Frederik Fourie (2), Craig Mann. Doelskop: Tumi Khoza.

Hoërskool Bloemfontein: 47 – Drieë: Brandon Erasmus (2), Bokang Maichu, Wessel van der Merwe, Kenslin Collins, Duan Visagie, Arthur Maasdorp. Doelskoppe: Keanu van Heerden (6). Hoërskool Marquard: 19 – Drieë: Tshepang Lekhase, Gift Shabangu, Renang Shelile. Doelskoppe: Boitumelo Nkhatho (2).

Hoërskool Hoopstad: 21 – Drieë: Abrie van Zyl, Hennie Barnard, AB Muller. Doelskoppe: Barnard (3). Hoërskool Ficksburg: 12 – Drieë: JJ Nel, Karabo Morobe. Doelskop: Oratilwe Shata.

Hoërskool Ladybrand: 17 – Drieë: Lucky Rathubala (2), Itumeleng Monyatsi. Doelskop: Schori. Hoërskool Hendrik Potgieter: 7 (7) – Drie Boitshepo Nthipe. Doelskop: Nthipe.

There were wins for Oranje, Eunice, St Anne’s and St John’s DSG on the third and final day of the Balling Hockey Festival in Bethlehem on Sunday.

The pre-season tournament was an opportunity for coaches to test their team’s depth and combinations, and build confidence, ahead of a jam-packed 2024 season.

A number of sides caught the eye, with the two unbeatens, Bloemfontein’s Oranje and St Anne’s, from Hilton, stealing the spotlight.

Both went five for five, with high-flying Oranje closing off their campaign in style with an emphatic 8-0 win over Beaulieu College.

St Anne’s, after defeating Eunice and Noordheuwel on day two, held off a resilient St Stithians team to end the event with a hard-fought 2-1 win.

St John’s DSG, after victories in both of their games on Saturday, including a win over Eunice, continued their winning ways, downing Noordheuwel 2-0.

They will return to Pietermaritzburg buoyed by their three victories. They also played to a 1-1 draw against Voortrekker on the opening day and gave Oranje their toughest game, before going down 0-3.

Nika Coertzen’s Eunice side battled their way to a win on Sunday after a rather bumpy and inconsistent weekend.

Nine players earned their first caps for Eunice in Bethlehem, which showed up on the field. They lost three of their five matches but finished strongly with a 3-2 win over Voortrekker.

Coertzen and her troops will be aiming for rapid improvement and will take many useful lessons away from the festival. Following in the footsteps of 2023’s number one ranked team, they have big shoes to fill.

In other matches on the last day, Wykeham Collegiate and St Dominic’s College scored three goals each as they recorded wins over Our Lady of Fatima and the Oranje second team respectively at the New Horizon Astro.

Union High School remained winless, suffering a 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Monument, while Witteberg put five past Potchefstroom Volkskool.

Day 3: Results

Marlé Claasen Astro | Voortrekker

Monument 4-1 Union HS
Oranje 8-0 Beaulieu College
Eunice 3-2 Voortrekker
St Anne’s 2-1 St Stithians College
St John’s DSG 2-0 Noordheuwel
Witteberg 5-0 Potchefstroom Volkskool
Epworth 1-0 Hoërskool Sasolburg

New Horizon Astro

Wykeham 3-1 Our Lady of Fatima
St Dominic’s College 3-0 Oranje II

HTS Drostdy travelled to George to take on Hoërskool Outeniqua in a 25-over game on Friday, ahead of their planned inter-schools, which will take place next year, when all of their teams will do battle in an annual fixture.

The team from Worcester couldn’t match the hosts’ pace in Friday’s encounter, but they bounced back to flex their muscles on Saturday when they took on Glenwood House in a 50-over fixture.

Ruvan Barnard was at the forefront of the Drostdy batting effort, scoring a massive 203 runs off of only 109 deliveries, before retiring.

Barnard’s robust innings included 30 boundaries, 12 of which went soaring over the ropes for the maximum. He and Stefan van der Merwe shared an enormous 243-run partnership and additional contributions from Gerhard le Roux (73), Darius Venter (44) and Regardt du Plessis (34*) saw Drostdy to a formidable total of 499/4.

They had batted well on the previous day against Outeniqua too, with Stefan van der Merwe making an undefeated 84 runs, but Stefan May (68*) and Trent Huisamen (48*) shared a winning 78-run partnership for Outeniqua from only 62 deliveries.

There was no danger of Drostdy’s total being chased down on Saturday, with Barnard following up his double-century with a scintillating performance with the ball. He dismissed three Glenwood House batsmen for only 19 runs from 10 overs, four of which were maidens. It was an incredible all-round contribution for the young Drostdy talent.

Du Plessis also snared three wickets to subdue the local batsmen, who were bowled out in the 48th over of their response, still 354 runs short of Drostdy’s total.

Summarised scores

24 February 

HTS Drostdy 499/4 (Ruvan Barnard 203, Stefan van der Merwe 93, Gerhard le Roux 73, Darius Venter 44, Ekstras 44, Regardt du Plessis 34*; Tristan van Zyl 2/87); Glenwood House 145 (Extras 34, Melo Hlangani 26, Luann Erasmus 25, Lathim Impodu 25; Ruvan Barnard 3/19, Regardt du Plessis 3/27, Gerhard le Roux 2/16). HTS Drostdy won by 354 runs (50 Overs).

23 February

HTS Drostdy 170/4 (Stefan van der Merwe 84*, Ruvan Barnard 33, Stephan Steyn 25; Wernich Cassel 1/20); Outeniqua 172/3 (Stefan May 68*, Trent Huisamen 48*, Joof Enslin 24; Bryan Cochrane 1/19). Outeniqua won by seven wickets (25 Overs).

Luphelo Mdyesha played an unforgettable game for Graeme College as they did the double over Union High School in Graaff-Reinet over the weekend.

He took centre stage in their 50-over match on Saturday, scoring 110 runs and taking four wickets, to help thump the hosts in emphatic fashion.

The exciting young talent raced to his ton off of only 79 deliveries, punishing the Union bowlers with 12 fours and three sixes, before he struck down four batsmen, making a mess of the home team’s lower order, to end their innings on only 50 runs, chasing 321.

On Friday, the team from Makhanda beat Union by seven wickets in a T20 clash, with Andrew Muir spearheading their attack and grabbing 4/10 to restrict Union to 62/9. Ryan Stobbs then struck an unbeaten 29 to see Graeme to victory.

Grey High rocked Selborne College by recording a massive 196-run victory, thanks to a superb 132 from Kian Cambier, with Xander Elkington (75) and Teun Kloppenberg (59*) offering substantial support.

That match is available to watch again on SuperSport Schools – Register now

The Gqeberha outfit posted a daunting 343/6 in 64 overs before sending their challengers out to bat.

Despite a solid showing by Tré Gilbert, who scored 41 runs in 33 deliveries, Selborne fell well short of their target, stumbling to 147 all out. Elkington starred for Grey in the field, taking four wickets.

An unbeaten century from captain Esa Gangat propelled Pearson to 267/6 from 50 overs in their match against Westering. His knock, and Cayden Wilson‘s 4/16, proved too much for Westering, who buckled to only 51 all out in reply.

24 February

Graeme College 321/10 (Luphelo Mdyesha 110, Murray Tyson 49, Marcus Williams 42, Ryan Stobbs 34, Extras 26, Qhama Ngoma 24; Shaakir Kazi 3/53, Joshua Basson 3/67, Yasseen Kazi 2/58); Union High School 50/10 (Luphelo Mdyesha 4/2, Erin Nelson 2/3, Marcus Williams 2/9). Graeme College won by 271 runs.

Brandwag 49/10 (Juanré de Vos 4/10, Miles Feltham 3/5, Logan Fleetwood 2/29); Framesby 53/2 (Renquin Goliath 27*; Reagan Diedericks 2/21). Framesby won by eight wickets.

Grey High 343/6 (Kian Cambier 132, Xander Elkington 75, Teun Kloppenberg 59*, Marco Giaconi 36; Adam Rogers 3/89, Tré Gilbert 2/84); Selborne 146/10 (Tré Gilbert 41, Waeden Plaatjies 34, Aaron Senekal 23, Adam Rogers 20*; Xander Elkington 4/30, Zander Nutt 2/11, Likhona Gcora 2/20). Grey High won by 197 runs.

Pearson 267/6 (Esa Gangat 107*, Jordan Collier 47*); Westering 51/10 (Cayden Wilson 4/16, Reegan Meyer 3/24). Pearson won by 216 runs.

23 February

Union High School 62/9 (MS de Beer 16; Andrew Muir 4/10); Graeme College 65/3 (Ryan Stobbs 29*; Shaakir Kazi 3/36). Graeme College won by seven wickets (T20).

22 February

Framesby 67/10 (Logan Fleetwood 15; Xander Elkington 2/7, Zander Nutt 2/13, Tristan Grundlingh 2/15); Grey High 68/4 (Xander Elkington 31*; Logan Fleetwood 2/17). Grey High won by six wickets (T20).

21 February 

Selborne College 218/1 (J van der Merwe 136*, Aaron Senekal 68; J Totana 1/37); Hudson 115/10 (J Anderson 26, Extras 26, A Jakatyana 23; Liso Ndzamela 2/5). Selborne won by 102 runs.

20 February

Pearson 141/10 (Leander van Rooyen 41, Jude Septoo 33); Victoria Park 89/9 (Divan Els 5/13, Jude Septoo 2/25). Pearson won by 52 runs (T20).

Paarl Boys High outmuscled a strong Somerset College outfit on Saturday on the Taberer Oval, recording a seven-wicket victory before they take on their big rivals, Paarl Gimnasium, next weekend.

The hosts scored a respectable 197 all out in 47 overs, but Boishaai had too much firepower and chased down their target in the 38th over of their reply.

Somerset began strongly, with the opening duo of Chad Ayford and Owethu Moyi combining well for 89 runs before Christiaan Wege parted them.

Moyi, still only 14-years old, played a mature innings, patiently taking the initial sting out of the visitors’ attack in a knock that lasted 119 deliveries. He was eventually out for a well-played 60, caught by Dian van der Westhuizen off the bowling of Gideon du Toit.

Du Toit continued causing problems for the hosts and, with the support of Aiden Batt and Daniel Lombard, the boys from Paarl removed most of the rest of the Somerset lineup without much resistance.

Jonno Firth stood tall, however, smashing six boundaries in a brisk 42 runs before he was trapped in front by Lombard.

With almost 200 runs on the board, Somerset’s Thomas Parson got rid of the Boishaai openers, but a commanding 130-run third-wicket partnership between Johan Wege (58*) and Dian van der Westhuizen (71) drove the visiting team to within touching distance of the victory target before Troy Varie finally found a way to get rid of Van der Westhuizen.

JJ van der Sandt (11*) joined Wege to see Boishaai across the line to an impressive victory in preparation for their big derby match, which will close out their season.

Parel Vallei powered to 101/4 in 26 overs against Curro Durbanville before their match was cut short due to the weather.

Meanwhile, Charl Botha smashed nine sixes and stormed to 124 runs in only 99 balls for DF Malan, as he and D’Neill du Toit (61) powered their side to a resounding win over Milnerton, despite the best efforts of Amr Williams, who carved out 41 runs in a valiant attempt to run down DF Malan’s sizeable score.

Summarised Scorecards

Somerset College 197 (Chad Ayford 61, Owethu Moyi 60, Jonno Firth 42; Gideon du Toit 3/33, Daniel Lombard 2/24, Aiden Batt 2/38); Paarl Boys’ High 198/3 (Dian van der Westhuizen 71, Johan Wege 61, Extras 22, Christiaan Wege 21; Thomas Parsons 2/54). Paarl Boys’ High won by seven wickets.

Brackenfell 160 (Antonio Jasson 41, Extras 33, Luke Hattingh 31; Joshua Malgas 2/11, Hamza Camroodien 2/31, Mondré Julies 2/36, Aarin Barends 2/49); Tygerberg 126 (Extras 33, Matthew Florence 29; Aiden Barnardo 3/21, Antonio Jansen 2/22). Brackenfell won by 34 runs.

DF Malan 242/6 (Charl Botha 124, D’Neill du Toit 61, Extras 29; Ryan Gretschel 2/10); Milnerton 177 (Amr Williams 41, Extras 33, Michael Bloemetjie 24; Keanu Swanepoel 3/32, Eddie Fick 2/36). DF Malan won by 65 runs.