Humansdorp het die afgelope naweek tot stilstand gekom met Nico Malan en Framesby wat mekaar die stryd aangesê het op die netbalbaan.
Hoewel Framesby die laaste sê gehad het met hul o.18A-span wat in die hoofwedstryd geseëvier het, was die dag deurgaans mededingend, met Framesby wat uiteindelik 11 van die 17 wedstryde gewen het.
Framesby se o.14-spanne het sterk begin, met die o.14A-span wat 31–21 en die o.14B’s wat 29–10 gewen het. Nico Malan se o.14B2-span het egter gewys dat hulle nie te versmaai is nie met ‘n oorwinning van 23–9 .
In die o.15-ouderdomsgroep het Framesby gedomineer met hul A-, B- en C-spanne wat almal groot seges behaal het. Die o.15A’s het met 36–9 koning gekraai.
Die o.16-afdeling was uiters mededingend. Framesby se A-span het met 23–13 gewen, terwyl Nico Malan se o.16B’s ’n puik oorwinning van 20–13 aangeteken het. Die o.16C-wedstryd was ’n naelbytstryd wat naelskraaps met 16–14 in Framesby se guns geëindig het.
Framesby se o.18A-span het vir Nico Malan met 34–24 verslaan, maar Nico Malan se o.18B’s het met ’n sege van 19–13 hul naam hoog gehou. Die o.18C’s van Framesby het ook ’n wegholsege van 31–3 behaal.
Hoërskool Pearson se netbalspanne het die afgelope naweek hul seisoen met trots afgesluit teen Brandwag.
Die eerste span het sterk geëindig met ’n sege van 31–18, maar Brandwag kon nietemin ook daarin slaag om te seëvier in twee van die vier o.19-kragmetings. Pearson het in totaal 11 van die dag se 15 wedstryde oor die verskillende ouderdomsgroepe heen gewen.
Sarah Venter vier haar 100ste wedstryd.
’n Spesiale mylpaal is bereik toe Amber Lister en Sarah Venter elk hul 100ste wedstryd vir Pearson se eerste span gespeel het, ’n besonderse prestasie wat dié spelers se lojaliteit en verbintenis tot die skool en die sport beklemtoon.
Pearson bedank alle personeel, leerders en ouers vir hul volgehoue ondersteuning gedurende die seisoen.
The purple cap will be sought-after at the festival. It will be presented to the most outstanding player of each match at the end of each day of play. Photo: St David’s Marist Inanda Instagram.
Twelve captains will lead 156 players onto the field to compete in the St David’s Marist InandaFasken Time Cricket Festival, from Thursday, 28, to Sunday, 31 August.
The showpiece, which is its seventh year, will feature the hosts St David’s, St Stithians College, St Andrew’s School, King Edward VII School, Clifton College, Hoërskool Nelspruit, St Charles College, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Jeppe High School for Boys, St John’s College, HoërskoolNoordheuwel, and the Lions Invitational XI.
“It’s a massive value to the youngsters to be able to come into a pre-season festival, where they can bat for long periods, bowl for long periods and get time on their feet,” Dave Nosworthy, the St David’s Director of Sports Performance and Cricket, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
Time cricket is school cricket’s version of red-ball cricket at the professional level. Players compete for five days in Tests, for four days in first-class cricket, and for two in time cricket.
Nosworthy said the format gives batsmen time in the middle without the restraints of limited overs’ cricket. Bowlers, meanwhile, learn to bowl longer spells and, also, have the ability to return to the attack for multiple spells. For the captains, it is a learning platform for game management.
“They play on pitches that are wearing and that are older after four days and stuff like that, so it brings in different fielding positions for the captains, to get guys around the bat, and an extra slip, an extra short leg, and silly point.
“The spinners come into the game massively, so there’s a huge number of opportunities for boys to learn a different format of the game and to solidify their platforms and their base,” Nosworthy explained.
The format also helps players to develop their character in the game. As Nosworthy states in the festival programme, “The true test of character isn’t in the easy runs, but in the long spells, the tough sessions, and the moments that demand resilience”.
He added: “I think everybody that’s played the game agrees, and speak to any current international, 99 percent of them have played the longer format before they just head on into white ball cricket. Knowing your defence and knowing the game a lot better helps players massively, and that is what Time Cricket brings.”
Nosworthy’s assertion is backed up by the many players who have participated in the festival and have gone on to play cricket at provincial and national level. Over 100 players adorn their honours board, including Gerald Coetzee, Bryce Parsons, Wandile Makwetu, and Curtis Campher, who were part of the 2017 cohort.
Proteas’ all-rounder, Marco Jansen and his brother Duan, along with Michael Copeland, took part in 2018, while 2019’s group of players included Connor Esterhuizen and Andile Simelane. Teenage sensations Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Richard Seletswane were part of the 2022 group, and junior Springbok star Riley Norton played in 2023.
The next wave of stars, who have represented the South Africa u19 team, include the hosts’ Jason Rowles and Armaan Manack, while Waterkloof’s lineup includes Titans u19 star Wian Ruthven.
The festival wouldn’t be possible without the support St David’s receives from their various sponsors, most notably, the event’s title sponsor, Fasken Law. “Their investment into the pathway of South African cricket has been invaluable,” Nosworthy stated.
“There aren’t too many of these types of festivals for the youngsters, so when sponsors like Fasken commit to invest in our youth and are prepared to go the extra mile, it is awesome.”
Blaize Vance, a managing partner at Fasken Law, said the company sees its partnership with St David’s and the festival as a good fit with their core values.
“I think we judge talent wrongly. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent.
“Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent,” Vance said in the festival programme.
MATCHES
28/29 August
Waterkloof vs St David’s (La Valla Oval)
Clifton vs Noordheuwel (Gier Oval)
St Andrew’s vs Jeppe (La Rosey)
St Charles vs KES (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Nelspruit vs St John’s (Mitchell Oval)
Lions XI vs St Stithians (Dlamini Oval)
30/31 August
St David’s vs Lions XI (La Valla Oval)
St John’s vs St Charles (Mitchell Oval)
St Stithians vs St Andrew’s (Dlamini Oval)
Jeppe vs Waterkloof (Gier Oval)
KES vs Clifton (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Noordheuwel vs Nelspruit (La Rosey)
After a win over their great rivals, Dale College, the Queen’s College 1st XV joined their school mates in singing the school’s war cry. Photo: Queen’s College on Facebook.
Queen’s College survived a two-try burst by a gutsy Dale College outfit midway through the second half to finish off a memorable year with a 31-17 win in their King Price Derby Series encounter in Komani on Saturday.
Leading 17-3 at halftime, the home team looked comfortable when they crossed for their fourth try early in the second half after Acwenga Saul broke away from a scrum and offloaded to quicksilver wing Ncutu Kepe to score under the poles.
Mveli Mqulo added the conversion, and it looked as if the match was had got away from the visitors, who trailed 3-24.
But you write off Dale at your peril and in the space of three minutes the match took on a different complexion with tries from centre Phikolomzi Mtyalela and lanky lock Ebenezer Sarpong lifting the visitors back into the contest.
On both occasions the Queen’s defence was not as sharp as usual, and the Dale players were able to break through the middle for two five-pointers, both of which were converted by Soso Dyani.
Suddenly they were within one score of drawing level with 15 minutes remaining, but the Queenians have shown enormous resolve this season on more than one occasion.
It was time to dig deep again to preserve their proud record against Border schools in 2025 and they held onto it when, with five minutes to go, they finally broke through Dale’s defence, with centre Sbabalwe Magwebu taking the final pass after several phases to crash over for the last try of the game.
Flyhalf Inga Mnunu added the conversion and a few minutes later Queen’s was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the final whistle went on a season in which they lost only to Pearson and Graeme College in the Eastern Cape.
In the first half, Queen’s was quickly off the mark, with tries from Magwebu and Kepe putting them 14-0 in front after 10 minutes.
Dale stayed in the match when Dyani kicked a penalty, but that was immediately cancelled by Mqulo’s three-pointer, which made it 17-3 at the halftime whistle.
The visitors kept pushing hard in the second half and threatened an upset, but Queen’s was able to exert enough control to keep them at bay.
In East London, Hudson ParkHigh celebrated their Reunion Weekend on a memorable note when they proved too strong for Cambridge High, running out 45-10 winners.
Framesby scrumhalf Mondre van Heerden prepares to release the ball to his backline during Framesby’s five-point win over Nico Malan. Photo: Hoërskool Framesby on Facebook.
Framesby battled against the elements and ferocious opposition from Nico Malan to win a thrilling clash 22-17 in a windy Humansdorp on Saturday.
With an extremely strong wind at their backs in the first half, the visitors crossed for three tries to take a handy 15-5 lead into the break and then held out against a determined Nico Malan onslaught to secure the win by five points.
After big Framesby lock Aiden Dennis had opened the scoring to make it 5-0, Nico Malan was caught playing the ball in their own 22-metre area and a knock-on resulted in a scrum to Framesby in a favourable attacking position.
From there, they were able to exploit space out wide, creating an overlap for Calestin Felkers to race over, taking the score to 10-0.
Nico Malan hit back in the 23rd minute with a try by prop Drikus Kruger, who forced his way over from a five-metre lineout, but not long afterwards Framesby restored their 10-point lead with a forward rush ending in hooker Luke Didloft dotting the ball down.
In the second half, Framesby showed great patience playing into the wind and instead of kicking the ball into touch and not gaining much distance, they ran at the Nico Malan defenders, forcing them to make tackle after tackle.
However, it was the home side who scored first, with a try by wing Kobus Strydom, to leave the match in the balance.
Framesby’s determination to hold onto the ball rather than kick eventually paid dividends when they broke out from their own half to work their way into Nico Malan territory.
They were able to create enough pressure from that period of play for captain and No 8 Eden Calitz to force his way over for their fourth try. Scrumhalf Mondre van Heerden added the conversion to give them a handy 22-10 cushion.
Nico Malan pressed hard to close the gap and thought they had scored from a driving maul, but the referee disallowed the try, blowing them up for obstruction.
When centre Gelden van Niekerk went on a blistering run, breaking the midfield defence to score under the poles, they were back in the game, with a successful conversion reducing the deficit to five points.
However, there were less than two minutes remaining and Framesby was able to hold out for a hard-fought victory.
In their Tinara Cup match in Kariega, Muir College and Daniel Pienaar ended deadlocked at 17-17, while Brandwag had too much power and control for Pearson, winning 26-5 in Gqeberha.
Scorers:
Framesby 22 (15) – Tries: Luke Didloft, Calestin Felkers, Aiden Dennis, Eden Calitz. Conversion: Mondre van Heerden. Nico Malan 17 (5) – Tries: Drikus Kruger, Kobus Strydom, Gelden van Niekerk. Conversion: Leighton Lawrence.
The competition at the top of the Gauteng Development League (GDL) is intensifying, and the past weekend was no exception.
One team, though, has particularly attracted the attention of spectators lately, despite being in a mid-table position. Kathorus Hyper Academy has recently gained a reputation as a giant slayer and has recently taken points off of, among others, Mamelodi Sundowns and the Gauteng Engen Knockout Challenge champions, Panorama FC.
Whatever they’re doing is working and Kathorus Hyper Academy appears to be a team in full swing in recent weeks. On Saturday, at Huntersfield Stadium, TS Galaxy became the latest team to fall foul of Kathorus, who scored a narrow 1-0 victory.
Mojalefe Nyelele scored the game winner to help Kathorus add another three points to their tally.
Kaizer Chiefs showcased moments of brilliance at home against the School of Excellence in a 4-1 victory. Gift Phoku was in excellent form, scoring two goals for the Glamour Boys, while Andile Mtsweni and Karabo Ntsala also made it onto the score sheet as Chiefs overwhelmed the visitors.
At Curro Sagewood, SuperSport United and Seven’s Academy clashed in an exciting and fiercely contested match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Tshwane side, with Samkelo Ngongeni and Orifha Maubelo netting the decisive goals for SuperSport United, while Levaan Rose slotted a consolation goal for Seven’s Academy.
Wits Junior bagged a big win on Saturday, defeating Tuks 4-1, while Joburg City and Elspark United picked up a point each after a 2-2 draw. The two-time defending champion, Highlands Park, who are in the running for a three-peat, intensified their pursuit of the title with another win, beating league newcomers, Rockefvs, 2-0.
On Sunday, the GDL action shifted to Randburg, where Randburg AFC faced off against Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA). With both teams among the top five contenders, there was plenty on the line, and it was the visitors, RESA, who claimed a hard-fought win, edging out Randburg 2-1, thanks to goals from Onthatile Lemao and Tshepo Mofaladi.
GDL Results
Saturday, 23 August
Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-0 TS Galaxy
Kaizer Chiefs 4-1 School of Excellence
Wits Junior 4-1 Tuks
Joburg City 2-2 Elspark United
SuperSport United 2-1 Seven’s Academy
Highlands Park 2-0 Rockefvs
Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 East Rand Athletic Club
Queen’s College bowed out of the 2025 season in style by beating Dale College 2-0. Photo: Scott Geer
Queen’s College first-team hockey coach Michael Baiden was full of praise for his side after they defeated their arch-rivals Dale College 2-0 in Komani.
Playing in front of their passionate home supporters on the Chris Harker AstroTurf, Queen’s sealed a deserved win last Thursday.
It was an encouraging way to end a challenging and demanding season for the Queenians, with Asi Vena netting a brace to see the home side to victory.
“It was good to end off the season on a high by beating Dale,” coach Baiden told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“As everyone knows, Dale is always a tricky fixture. Last year, we played them in the final fixture of the year, and in a closely contested game, we went down.
“There were some tricky umpiring calls that didn’t go our way, and we ended up losing that game.
“The boys were also very happy to end the season on a high after a shaky start to the second half of the season.”
In 2024, Queen’s had a tough time of it against their rivals from Qonce. In their first meeting, in April, they lost 2-3 at home on Reunion Day before going down 0-1 in their final match of the season.
They turned that around in 2025 and defeated Dale 4-2 in their first meeting before closing out their season with another win over their great rivals.
Coach Baiden explained how they did it. “For us, Dale is one of our biggest rivals, and our challenge in the past was that the boys played the event instead of the hockey match,” he said. “This time around, the boys were focused on getting the job done and focused on what they can control, instead of the event.
“The boys and coaching staff also focused on what we are capable of doing and trusted the process. We were disciplined in how we went about things, even though Dale was quite resilient and tough in their approach, but we were able to absorb the pressure and not concede any early goals.”
Baiden was also pleased with his side’s performances this season, despite some results not going their way.
“Results aren’t everything, but there were standout moments we had this year, especially at festivals. We ended up having good results compared to previous years.
“We had a draw on the road vs Kearsney College, who are a top side at the Founders Festival. At that same event, we lost some games where I thought we played immense hockey, going down against Northwood School and beating Parktown Boys’ High 2-0.
“But the standout performance was being 0-3 down against St David’s Marist Inanda and coming back to draw 3-3.
“The wins against Dale, home and away, beating Hudson Park, and being able to win our local derbies were also great.”
Queen’s College will only lose four players from the 2025 1st team squad, so much is expected from them in 2026.
Coach Baiden, along with his backroom staff and Director of Hockey, Siya Lusiba, has built a solid foundation, and now it’s time for their hard work to start paying off.
Sunday’s action in the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL) delivered high scoring, with a total of 21 goals being scored in only six matches.
JVW topped the scoring charts with a decisive 7-0 victory over Highlands Park. It was particularly disappointing result for Highlands Park, who suffered a heavy defeat on their home ground.
JVW delivered an exceptional performance, keeping a clean sheet while being efficient on the attack.
The big defeat was a sizeable setback for Highlands Park. They’re currently third in the standings, but, following a series of recent adverse results, the gap between them and the title contending Mamelodi Sundowns and SAFA Academy has grown.
Sundowns, meanwhile, scored a 5-2 win over Dinoko Rondebult at Dan Kutumela School. The Brazilians top the standings, four points clear of second-placed SAFA Academy.
Kempton Park narrowly defeated Hellenic Falcons 1-0, while Edenvale defeated Kenneth FC 2-0. Refilwe FC also won by a 2-0 margin, beating Tornado FC at Scelo Stadium.
Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) went down 0-2 against SAFA Academy. Recently, SuperSport Schools Plus conducted a brief interview with RESA’s coach, Simeon Lekhooana, during which he acknowledged the threat posed by SAFA Academy.
With RESA recently elevating several key players, including Lesedi Motaung, from their GWDL team to their Sasol team, they were unable to withstand the strength of the SAFA Academy challenge.
u17 GWDL Results
JVW 7-0 Highlands Park
Kempton Park 1-0 Hellenic Falcons
Edenvale 2-0 Kenneth FC
Mamelodi Sundowns 5-2 Dinoko Rondebult
Refilwe 2-0 Tornado
SAFA Academy 2-0 RESA
Head coach, Cindy Brown, has reflected on a season defined by growth and resilience for the St Mary’s Waverley first hockey team.
Her side took on a demanding calendar of tournaments and league fixtures, producing some moments of brilliance while also learning valuable lessons from tough encounters.
St Mary’s wrapped up their season, which included playing some of the country’s leading sides, with a record of 28 wins, 16 losses, and 13 draws.
Brown was open in her assessment of the campaign, noting that while the team delivered flashes of outstanding hockey, their biggest challenge had been in converting their chances into goals.
“The season was very up and down,” Brown admitted. “I think we played pretty well against some of the top teams, and at times we struggled against some of our opposition. But overall, we played some really good hockey.
“We just struggled to score. That said, we had some really good wins. It was a good season, with a very strong team spirit. The girls worked incredibly hard. It was a good season all round.”
The team’s campaign concluded at the Challengers Cup Tournament earlier this month, where St Mary’s finished fourth overall. Despite battling fatigue from a long season, they left their mark with their spirited performances.
“At the Challengers Cup, we had some really good wins against strong opposition,” Brown said.
“Our last game was against Hoërskool Garsfontein, a side we had met a number of times this season. Unfortunately, we went down 2–1. But it was a good game of hockey.
“By the seventh game of the tournament, teams are always a bit fatigued, but we fought until the very end.
“Particularly in the last two chukkas, we finished strongly, played some good build-up hockey, and made good connections. We just struggled to put the ball in the box.”
Looking back on 2025’s campaign, Brown singled out several moments that stood out.
“The highlight of the season would definitely be the derby win against St Stithians College,” she said with pride. “A game against Saintsis always a big occasion, and to come away with a victory was special for the girls.
“Another highlight was the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, which is always such an important tournament for us. We performed well there and collected good results against strong opposition.”
Brown also drew satisfaction from her team’s performances against some of the country’s powerhouses. “There were some big matches,” she said. “We faced Paarl Gimnasium for the first time in a long while and, although we lost 2–0, I think we played really well against such a strong side.
“For me, what stood out most this season was the team spirit. The way the girls supported each other on and off the field really made the difference.”
With lessons learned in front of the goal and confidence gained from testing themselves against some of the country’s finest schools, Brown believes her charges have laid a strong foundation for the future.
The fixtures for the prestigious Absa Wildeklawer of 2026 have been announced. And two schools will be making their debuts at the tournament next year.
They are Westville Boys’ High and Queen’s College. In total, 20 schools will participate in the 2026 edition of the tournament. But wait, there is more…
In 2026, the tournament will be divided into two sections: an A-section consisting of the 20 schools whose fixtures for the tournament have been announced.
The B-section will consist of six schools as well as four Barbarian sides. The four Barbarian sides will consist of players from schools that are not attending the Absa Wildeklawer tournament.
These six schools’ names are expected to be released later this week.
Back to the A-section – Westville Boys’ High’s First XV finished the 2025 season undefeated and deservedly cracked an invite from the tournament organisers. They will debut against the hosts, Diamantveld, on Friday in the opening match of next year’s tournament.
The main match on Friday evening will be between Paul Roos Gimnasium and Garsfontein. This will, like the previous meetings, between the sides, be a humdinger.
The main match of the final day will probably be the match-up between Affies and Paarl Boys’ High. This match has produced some of the biggest moments at Absa Wildeklawer over the year.
Newcomers, Queen’s College, will be looking forward to facing Oakdale Landbou and Helpmekaar in their two games in the City of Diamonds.
This year’s number one, Paarl Boishaai, will lock horns with Northwood in their opening game. The Knights debuted at the Absa Wildeklawer this year, giving Paarl Gimnasium a good fight before going down. They beat HTS Drostdy in their second outing.
Gimmies will take on Helpmekaar and Oakdale Landbou during the 2026 edition. Paarl Gim and Oakdale already face each other during their annual interschools, but this match-up could add some extra spice next year.
The Fixtures:
Friday, 24 April 2026
Diamantveld vs Westville Boys’ High 17:30 – Opening Ceremony
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Garsfontein
Saturday, 25 April 2026
Paarl Gimnasium vs Helpmekaar
Paarl Boys’ High vs Northwood
Affies vs Outeniqua
Grey College vs Noordheuwel
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Boland Landbou
Queen’s College vs Oakdale Landbou
Monument vs Durban High School
Maritzburg College vs Stellenberg
Monday, 27 April 2026
Grey College vs Jeppe High School for Boys
Westville Boys’ High vs Stellenberg
Paarl Gimnasium vs Oakdale Landbou
Durban High School vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
Affies vs Paarl Boys’ High
Helpmekaar vs Queen’s College
Northwood vs Garsfontein
Outeniqua vs Maritzburg College
Noordheuwel vs Boland Landbou
Monument vs Diamantveld
Humansdorp het die afgelope naweek tot stilstand gekom met Nico Malan en Framesby wat mekaar die stryd aangesê het op die netbalbaan.
The competition at the top of the Gauteng Development League (GDL) is intensifying, and the past weekend was no exception.
