Graeme College kicked off the third and final day of the 27th St John’s Easter Rugby Festival with an exhilarating display of running rugby, smashing St Benedict’s 50-12.
Graeme College left winger, Emihle Sukula, and the impressive Ashton Williams, at outside centre, both crossed for five-pointers twice. The side from Makhanda’s backline clicked wonderfully, consistently running circles around Bennies.
It was, however, Cameron Doyle, the Graeme scrumhalf, who moved to fullback for the day, who stole the show. His timing in joining the backline was exemplary and he sliced through Bennies to score a well-deserved hattrick of tries.
Replacement forward, Brynn Ngarande, put the lid on a solid outing for Graeme, scoring their eighth and final try.
The Golden Lions Invitational XV impressed once again, especially on defence. It was, unfortunately for the local side, not quite enough to keep the Maritzburg College right winger, Langelihle Makhathini, quiet.
Makhatini exhibited exciting pace and wonderful footwork to complete the second hattrick of the day, contributing 15 of his side’s points in their 24-7 victory.
The Lions XV’s inside centre, Anele Hlongwane, finally burst over for a try, to score his side’s first points of the festival. Eighthman, Joshua Mhlanga, also impressed.
Boland Landbou welcomed Hans Moore to the festival with a 59-0 hammering in the third game of the day. Right-wing Wehan Lume and scrumhalf Jayden Brits led the Bolanders’ onslaught, with both crossing the whitewash twice.
The Western Cape team’s flyhalf/fullback, Retagan van Rooi, showed his off his impressive skillset, also going over for a five-pointer. In addition to that, he had his kicking boots on, converting six tries, to take his contribution for the match up to 19 points.
Scorers
Graeme College 50 (26) – Tries: Cameron Doyle (3), Ashton Williams (2), Emihle Sukula (2), Brynn Ngarande. Conversions: Marcus Williams (5). St Benedict’s 10 (3) – Tries: Iviwe Mlilo, Jason Cutler. Conversion: Braeden le Roux.
Maritzburg College 24 (5) – Tries: Langelihle Makhatini (3), Luyanda Kunene. Conversions: James Slevin (2). Golden Lions XV 7 (0) – Try: Anele Hlongwane. Conversion: Jacob Pimpstein.
Boland Landbou 59 (40) – Tries: Jayden Brits (2), Wehan Lume (2), Sydney Blauw, Dante Christians, Pieter Bergh, Retagan van Rooi, Xavier Vorster. Conversions: Van Rooi (6), Bergh.
The semi-finals of the Bayhill Premier Cup concluded with the Gauteng teams, Mamelodi Sundowns FC and Highlands Park FC (Lions of the North), being eliminated.
Now, the stage is set for the final match, which will determine the champions, with a Cape Town derby between Cape Town Spurs and FN Rangers St Agnes. The highly anticipated clash will take place at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town at 15:00.
Large numbers of football fans are expected to flock to the iconic stadium, with the football community of the Western Cape having filled Erica Park, Belhar, for the pool stage games.
In the semi-finals, Cape Town Spurs FC got by Mamelodi Sundowns after a penalty shootout, winning 4-2 from the spot. Both teams failed to convert their chances during the regulation time.
On the other hand, during the Cape showers in rainy and windy conditions, FN Rangers grabbed their place in the final by defeating the Lions of the North 3-1.
Full Results, 31 March
Plate Quarterfinals
Bayhill United AFC 1-0 Leeds United AFC
Ubuntu Football Academy 4-0 Celtic United Academy
Shayamoya 2-0 Greenwood Athletic AFC
Junction Rovers FC 1-0 Rebels
Cup Quarterfinals
Highlands Park FC 0(5) – 0(3) University of Pretoria
Cape Town Spurs FC 1-0 Young Bafana Academy
Mamelodi Sundowns 0(6)- 0(5) Cape Town City FC
FN Rangers St Agnes 2-0 FC Porto
Plate Section Semi-finals
Bayhill United AFC 0(5) – 0(4) Ubunut Football Academy
Shayamoya 3-0 Junction Rovers AFC
Mid-Section Semi-finals
Young Bafana Academy 2-1 University of Pretoria
FC Porto 1(4) – 1(3) Cape Town Spurs FC
Cup Semi-finals
Cape Town Spurs 0(4) – 0(2) Mamelodi Sundowns FC
FN Rangers St Agnes 3-1 Highlands Park FC
Graeme College 50 (26) – Tries: Cameron Doyle (3), Ashton Williams (2), Emihle Sukula (2), Brynn Ngarande. Conversions: Marcus Williams (5). St Benedict’s College 10 (3) – Tries: Iviwe Mlilo, Jason Cutler. Conversion: Braeden le Roux.
Maritzburg College 24 (5) – Tries: Langelihle Makhatini (3), Luyanda Kunene. Conversions: James Slevin (2). Golden Lions XV 7 (0) – Try: Anele Hlongwane. Conversion: Jacob Pimpstein.
Boland Landbou 59 (40) – Tries: Jayden Brits (2), Wehan Lume (2), Sydney Blauw, Dante Christians, Pieter Bergh, Retagan van Rooi, Xavier Vorster. Conversions: Van Rooi (6), Bergh. Hans Moore 0.
Kingswood College 35 (14) – Tries: Josh Mackenzie (2), Munangi Kamwendo, Vizi Labase, Sipho Nonyalela. Conversions: Jared Botha (3), James Mackenzie (2). St David’s Marist 10 (3) – Try: Jack Brady. Conversion: Luca Gabion. Penalty: Diego Ferreira.
St John’s College 38 (19) – Tries: Kyle Watson (3), Thomas Kruger, Joshua Shannon, Jacob Smith. Conversions: Bryson Walker (4). Falcon College 21 (13) – Tries: Tawanda Chisungo, Dominic McKenchie. Conversion: Tafadzwa Tigere. Penalties: Tigere (3).
JVW Girls Football Development (Blue Diamonds) and Mamelodi Sundowns FC (Banyana Ba Style), the leading lights in women’s development football in Gauteng, once again took centre stage in the final match of the u21 women’s Pirates Cup at Marks Park, Johannesburg, on Sunday.
The season may be in its infancy, but the Blue Diamonds and Banyana Ba Style have already captured the imagination of the fans with their intense and competitive encounters on the field.
The Pirates Cup title-decider went to penalties after the teams had finished regulation time level at 1-1. It was a dramatic shootout and, when it was over, JVW had become the second team to lift the Pirates Cup, following in the footseps of UP Tuks Ladies.
JVW lifting the u21 women’s Pirates Cup 2024. Photo: Orlando Pirates
Casey Gordon, the South African national goalkeeper, played a crucial role in the shootout, saving two penalties to help the Blue Diamonds secure a 4-3 victory.
It was back-and-forth in regulation time, with JVW finding a late equaliser, also from the spot, converted by Julia Goncalves. Munashe Mugwara had struck early in the second half for Sundowns.
Following JVW and the runners-up, Sundowns, were TS Galaxy Queens and Wits University, with Galaxy outplaying Wits 6-3 for third place.
Men’s u21 Pirates Cup
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) claimed victory in the u21 Pirates Cup, defeating Teltonika Amahla 2-1 in the final.
It was a come-from-behind win, with Puleng Bapela’s two goals securing the Cup.
Awards/Honours
Men’s MVP: Mpendulo Phewa (Midlands Academy)
Men’s Golden Boot winner: Thokozani Sibanyoni (Emalahleni United)
Men’s Golden Glove winner: Lungelo Sithole (University of Johannesburg)
Women’s MVP: Julia Goncalves (JVW)
Women’s Golden Boot winners: Lithemba and Sibahle Maneli (TS Galaxy Queens)
Women’s Golden Glove winner: Mbali Ntimeni (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Queen’s College 38 (26) – Tries: Mveli Mqulo (2), Jameel Fleshman, Ryan Denston, Ahluma Mbinqo, Angalakha Magongoma. Conversions: Denston (4). Ben Vorster 0.
Paarl Boys’ High 24 (12) – Tries: Shane Lee Simonse (2), Christiaan Grundling (2). Conversions: Francois van der Merwe (2). Pretoria Boys High 8 (3) – Try: Seth Venter. Drop goal: Tebogo Nchabeleng.
Northwood 40 (19) – Tries: Tusani Zondo, Reuben Vos, Werner van Nieuwenhuizen, Bongane Khumalo, Kwenzo Dlamini, Lian Terblanche. Conversions: Graeham de Swardt (5). Hudson Park 8 (8) – Try: Likho Gidi. Penalty: D’Angelo Snayers.
King Edward VII 45 (14) – Tries: Haniel Monkoti (3), Kebotile Maake, Michael Bownes, Dylan Piek, Vusi Moyo. Conversions: Indi Mboniswa (5). Diocesan College 8 (5) – Try: Imma Magongwa. Conversion: Lucca Mynhardt.
Parents, family, friends, schoolmates, and regular spectators who made their way to King Edward VII School (KES) on Easter Sunday were treated to top-drawer hockey on the third day of the annual KES Easter Festival.
The 20th edition of the showcase kicked off on Thursday and will end on Monday.
KJ Friend’s Selborne College maintained their unbeaten run over the course of three festivals in three weeks with two wins on Sunday, shrugging off the challenges of Parktown Boys’ High and Kearsney College.
An equally outstanding Grey College also registered two wins, against Eldoraigne and Kearsney.
Rondebosch Boys’ High went up against KZN’s Maritzburg College and Northwood School and walked away from both encounters with draws in low-scoring thrillers.
St John’s College gathered momentum with an emphatic 3-1 win over St Charles College. “We have certainly managed to improve from day one. Yesterday, we lost to Northwood towards the end of the game and the lessons learned there helped us for our next game. We improved our game management and managing the tempo of the play,” said St John’s coach Gilbert de Villiers.
However, one of the big stories of the festival has been the achievements and growth of Hoërskool Eldoraigne. The boys from Pretoria have shown that they are not attending the event to make up the numbers.
When Stefan Coertzen took over the head coach’s position at Eldoraigne, their hockey programme was in infancy. Two years later, they are gathering momentum, developing 14-year-olds with limited skill and experience into decent 16- and 17-year-olds.
In past years, opposition teams made a habit of scoring plenty of goals against them. That is no longer the case. Coertzen has taken steps to fortify their defensive play.
On day one of the festival, Eldoraigne conceded four goals against Parktown but recovered to minimise the damage, conceding only two goals against Jeppe.
“Coming from a school that is still developing our hockey structures, we have not been too bad. I think our defensive effort has been good, especially in our first and second games. Our scoreline against Jeppe will be a good confidence boost for my boys. They were used to taking a lot of goals,” Coertzen told Supersport Schools Plus on Saturday.
After those games, Coertzen’s sought to find a way to help his charges shift to a more offensive brand of play to make them more competitive. “Just defending the whole time, the dam wall will break. Obviously, they will get through our lines and score. We can’t just defend for the whole of the game,” he said.
On Sunday morning, Eldoraigne attacked and scored their first non-consolation goal of the festival in a 1-3 loss to an in-form Grey College team. They didn’t park the bus. Rather, they played with the drive to compete.
When they went head-to-head with KES, Eldoraigne showed more intent and attacked from the start. Coertzen’s boys were on the scoreboard first but then reverted to type after KES’s equaliser in the second half.
They were holding on for dear life when the hosts made it 2-1 in the third chukka but rediscovered their spark in the fourth quarter. Instead of playing to limit the number of goals against them, they fought to equalise. KES repelled all their efforts.
Eldoraigne’s newfound confidence and attacking brand of play will be tested on Monday morning when they face a rampant, defensively sound, and attacking Selborne College in the first match of the day. An enticing schedule of thrilling high-quality hockey will be finished off by a contest between St Charles and Parktown.
Results
Jeppe 2-0 St Charles, Rondebosch 1-1 Maritzburg College, Selborne 3 -1 Parktown, KES 1-4 Northwood, Waterkloof 2-1 Queen’s College, Grey College 3-1 Eldoraigne, St John’s 3-1 St Charles, Selborne 2-0 Kearsney, Northwood 1-1 Rondebosch, Maritzburg 3-0 Parktown, KES 2-1 Eldoraigne, Grey College 1-0 Kearsney.
Monday
Weinberg Astro
07:30 – Selborne vs Hoëskool Eldoraigne, 08:40 – KES vs Queens, 09:50 – Waterkloof vs Northwood, 11:00 – Jeppe vs Rondebosch, 12:10 – St John’s vs Kearsney, 13:20 – Maritzburg College vs Grey College, 14:30 – Parktown vs St Charles
The Saints Sports Festival wrapped up on Saturday evening in Sandton after the multisport event brought together more than 1 100 learners from 85 schools across the country.
The hockey action, which began on Wednesday, included strong showings from the host’s boys’ and girls’ sides. Both opened with draws, with the boys and St Andrew’s College finishing 2-2, and the girls playing to a goalless outcome against Springfield Convent.
On the second day of the festival, the girls were in fine form, overcoming Bethlehem Voortrekker 3-1 and DSG Makhanda by a surprisingly large 4-0 margin.
The boys went down 1-2 to a strong Hilton College side, but they responded well to defeat Clifton College 3-1 on Saturday.
Menlopark, who beat Glenwood 4-0 recently in the Coastal Cup, again won by a four-goal margin on Saturday, this time recording a 5-1 victory over the Durban school.
It was 1-1 early on in the first chukka, but the quarter ended 2-1 in the Pretoria team’s favour. They added another goal in the second chukka before two more in the fourth sealed a convincing victory.
Unfortunately for Glenwood, they were also on the wrong end of a 0-3 result against St David’s Marist Inanda. St Andrew’s College, meanwhile, handled Affies, running out 3-1 winners.
In girls’ action, Beaulieu College registered their fourth victory of the festival, beating Brescia House 2-0.
RESULTS Saturday, 30 March
Boys
St David’s 1-2 Hilton; Menlopark 5-1 Glenwood; St Stithians 3-1 Clifton; Affies 1-3 St Andrew’s College; Glenwood 0-3 St David’s; St Benedict’s 1-0 PBHS; Affies 0-3 Hilton; St Benedict’s 1-0 St Andrew’s College; Menlopark 1-0 Clifton; St Stithians 1-3 PBHS
Girls
The Bayhill Premier Cup is currently in full swing with the Easter football tournament captivating sports fans across the nation.
The event has attracted some of the country’s top academies and professional football clubs, including Stellenbosch FC, Mamelodi Sundowns, Highlands Park, SAFA Cape Town, and the Ubuntu Football Academy, who won the CAF African Schools Football, Cosafa qualifiers in Harare in December 2023.
A total of 32 teams are in action at Erica Park, Belhar.
Saturday delivered some thrilling action on the final day of the group fixtures, and in the early knockout games. There were some huge upsets, including Stellenbosch FC losing out to Young Bafana Academy.
Stellenbosch, who are the current holders of the Cape Town Engen Knockout Championship, bowed out of the competition, but Cape Town Spurs FC and Cape Town City FC progressed to the next round in spectacular fashion. Spurs thumped FC Real 6-0 while City defeated Rygersdal FC 4-0.
A number of teams from the Gauteng Development League also advanced to the next round of the competition. Mamelodi Sundowns triumphed 3-0 over Everton FC, Highlands Park battled their way to a 2-1 win over the Virginia Sports Academy 2-1, and the University of Pretoria secured a 1-0 victory over Grass Park United.
Today’s action leads to the Athlone Stadium, where the final game will take place on Monday.
Included in Sunday’s lineup is Cape Town City against Mamelodi Sundowns. Both have established records of dominance, so their quarterfinal clash, at 11:30, is likely to produce fireworks.
Full Results: Saturday
Cape Town City FC 1-0 Ubuntu Academy
SAFA Cape Town Academy 5-1 Westridge FC
Virginia Sports Academy 3-0 Clover FC
Young Bafana Academy 1-0 Bayhill United FC
Rygersdal FC 1-0 FC Porto
Greenwood Athletic AFC 4-3 Hanover Park
Stellenbosch FC 3-1 Amalawu FC
Highlands Park FC 2-0 Rebels FC
University of Pretoria 3-0 SSS Academy
Shayamoya Academy 2-0 Cape Town Spurs FC
Elsies River United FC 0-0 Junction Rovers FC
Everton FC 7-1 Velocity Football Academy
Mamelodi Sundowns FC 3-0 FC Real SA
Grassy Park United 1-0 Leeds United AFC
Celtic United Academy 2-0 Hungry Lions FC
FN Rangers St Agnes 5-0 Windhoek Gymnasium
Knockout Stage: Winners Section Last 16
Highlands Park FC 2-1 Virginia Sports Academy
FC Porto 1 (4)- 1 (3) SAFA Cape Town Academy
Cape Town City FC 4-0 Rygersdal FC
Young Bafana Academy 2-1 Stellenbosch
University of Pretoria 1-0 Grass Park United
Cape Town Spurs 6-0 FC Real SA
Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 Everton FC
FIXTURES
Sunday, 31 March
Plate Quarterfinals
10:00 Venue A: Bayhill United AFC vs Leeds United AFC
10:00 Venue B: Ubuntu Football Academy vs Celtic United Academy
10:00 Venue C: Greenwood Athletic AFC vs Shayamoya Academy
10:00 Venue D: Rebels FC vs Junction Rovers FC
Winners Quarterfinals
11:30 Venue A: University of Pretoria vs Highlands Park FC
11:30 Venue B: Cape Town Spurs vs Young Bafana Academy
11:30 Venue C: Cape Town City FC vs Mamelodi Sundowns
11:30 Venue D: FN Rangers St Agnes vs FC Porto
DHS went over for six tries against Hoërskool Rustenburg, all converted, to score a big win on day two of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival.
Durban High School vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
After initially starting slowly, Durban High School (DHS) hit their straps against Hoërskool Rustenburg on Saturday at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank, running in six tries in a 45-0 rout in game four.
A few unforced errors notwithstanding, DHS produced another confident and composed performance, buoyed by an impressive defensive display and ferocious physicality in contact.
They have yet to ship a single point at the festival and will be favoured to see off Pearson High School on the final day of play, on Monday.
Rusties, who were beaten 26-25 by Worcester Gimnasium on day one, succumbed again, despite some strong moments on defence. They face a tough task on the final day, going up against Rondebosch Boys’ High in their last outing.
DHS got onto the board through an early penalty from Aka Boqwana before a powerful driving maul saw captain Mahle Sithole grab his second try of the weekend. Eighthman Khanyisa Stamper added the Horseflies’ second after a strong run from a well-worked quick tap, which made it 17-0 at half-time.
DHS never really looked like conceding, and scored further tries through Adriano Jackson (two), Zenkosi Mthiyane and José Lottering, with a flawless goal kicking performance by Boqwana adding further gloss to the scoreline.
Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Framesby
The highly regarded Hoërskool Monument had to dig deep to produce a come-from-behind 22-17 victory over Hoërskool Framesby in game five on Saturday.
For the first 45 minutes, Framesby had rattled Monnas, taking the game directly at their massive forward pack and closing down the spaces to leave the Krugersdorp boys looking strangely out of sorts.
For long periods of play, Framesby forced Monument onto the defensive with a cohesive and well-co-ordinated forward-based attack.
Good tactical kicking by no. 10 Justin Viljoen and fast ball movement out wide to their flying wingers helped get Monument on the front foot and they eventually delivered a hard-fought and deserved win.
Flyhalf Logan Muller missed with an early penalty attempt for the boys in red and blue, but they were soon on the scoreboard when Johan van Zyl scored the game’s opening try 10 minutes in. Up until that point, they had been all over Monnas without much reward, but when Damion Witbooi touched down from an interception, the scoreboard provided a more accurate reflection of the game.
After their slow start, Monument slowly started to make some headway and created several opportunities with the ball in hand. Their efforts were eventually rewarded when Geoffrey French dotted down.
The boys from Krugersdorp struggled to get out of their own half in the first 30, with unforced errors and accurate game management from Framesby keeping them pinned deep inside their territory.
Coach Louis Gerber‘s side picked up where they had left off early in the second-half, with Muller slotting a penalty to extend their lead to 17-7, but, after playing second fiddle for virtually the entire contest, Monument began to pick up steam.
From practically nowhere, two tries from the electric Ernesto Oersen and one from RJ Barnard put Monnas in front. Sound tactical kicking kept them in the right parts of the field, and they never looked back.
Glenwood High School vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen eased to a 20-8 win over Glenwood High School in the penultimate game of day two with the manner of their victory, following a one-sided whipping of Noord-Kaap on day one, suggesting they are one of the elite sides of the festival and, possibly, in the country this season.
EG Jansen’s slick backline play and offensive organisation underpinned their performance, with Matthew Bergman controlling the tempo sublimely from first-receiver and his combination with centres Steven Williams and Jeandré Jacobs causing Glenwood all sorts of problems.
The Green Machine started brightly enough, asking a lot of questions with ball in hand, but it wasn’t long before the Boksburg boys found their rhythm through their powerful mauling and ball carrying.
Some accurate passing amongst the backs provided TK Ngobese with enough room to score Egies‘ opener, but a Leo Weber penalty reduced the gap almost immediately.
After setting up shop deep inside Glenwood territory, Danré Pike scored off the back of a rolling maul, before Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar touched down for the last say of the first half.
Dr EG Jansen ran in four tries in a deserved win over Glenwood.
Glenwood found themselves under even more pressure after the break and struggled to create meaningful opportunities after being starved of the ball and any meaningful field position.
There were few gaps to be found in the opposition’s well organised defence and the Green Machine resorted to kicking, which soon saw Jansies launching further attacks against the Durban school.
Riekus van der Merwe scored EG Jansen’s fourth of the afternoon, but Glenwood showed good fight to score their only try in the last movement of the game, with Caleb Reeding going over in the left-hand corner.
Kearsney College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High School
Kearsney College took the game to Rondebosch Boys’ High early on, but the Cape Town boys withstood the early onslaught to turn the tide and run out 22-8 winners in the final game of day two.
The One-Stripe showed great ardour from the kick-off, throwing themselves at the navy jerseys with zeal, but they were unable to maintain that kind of intensity for the full 60 minutes, especially as ‘Bosch’s defences were so resolute.
Kearsney’s Cameron Veenstra launches a counterattack against Rondebosch. Photo: Hannah Shirley
Flyhalf David Simon was again at the heart of everything Rondebosch did well, with his decision-making and tactical nous continually putting his side on the front foot. In the end, Bosch’s superior
tactical awareness and organisation proved to be the difference.
Daniel Eagar opened the scoring, landing a penalty, to put the hosts in front, but, given the pressure they had exerted on Rondebosch in the early going, it was scant reward for their efforts.
Rondebosch slowly began to boss proceedings and claimed their first try through second-rower Carl Geddie.
The visitors went down a man after fullback Dylan Miller saw yellow for a dangerous hit on Eagar
inside Rondebosch’s 22, but Kearsney botched the ensuing five-metre lineout and headed into halftime 3-7 down.
Coach Neil van Heerden‘s Kearsney side went up a level after Randall John Davids added to Bosch’s try tally, and Eagar found himself in the thick of things once more, after scything through to bag the home side’s only try of the day.
Simon added three more points for the visitors soon thereafter, before an Ismaeel Conrad try closed out the win.
Scorers
Durban High School 45 (17) – Tries: Adriano Jackson (2), Mahle Sithole, Khanyisa Stamper, Zenkosi Mthiyane, José Lottering. Conversions: Aka Boqwana (6). Penalty: Aka Boqwana. Hoërskool Rustenburg–0.
Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen 20 (15) – Tries: TK Ngobese, Danré Pike, Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, Riekus van der Merwe. Glenwood High School 8 (3) – Try: Caleb Reeding. Penalty: Leo Weber.
Rondebosch Boys’ High School 22 (7) – Tries: Carl Geddie, Randall John Davids, Ismaeel Conrad. Conversions: David Simon (2). Penalty: David Simon. Kearsney College 8 (3) – Try: Daniel Eager. Penalty: Daniel Eager.
The Somerset girls’ team celebrate their Belgotex Easter Hockey Tournament triumph in Cape Town. Photo: Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament.
Somerset College‘s centre-forward Alexia Kontopirakis bagged a double in the Cup final of the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament to seal a 2-0 win for her side over Hoërskool Middelburg in the southern suburbs of Cape Town on Saturday evening.
Kontopirakis fired when it mattered most for her team. Her first goal came late in the third chukka, and she doubled her tally early in the fourth, much to the delight of the travelling fans in the stands.
Entering the title-deciding clash, both teams sported unbeaten records after winning all of their pool games and their subsequent playoff matches. Between them, they had conceded only one goal throughout the course of the tournament.
Both were made to work hard in the semi-finals, with Middelburg eventually easing to a convincing 3-0 win over Rustenburg Girls’ High, while Somerset caused an upset by eliminating the defending champions, Monument, 2-1.
The first two chukkas of the final didn’t produce many meaningful opportunities, with neither team creating clear-cut chances in front of goal. Middelburg, though, forced Somerset to scramble to keep out a penalty corner in the second chukka.
On the other hand, Somerset reverted to overheads to move the ball and maintain possession.
The game changed in the final seconds of the third chukka when Kontopirakis struck a hammer blow for her side by sneaking the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the goalbox after finding herself in space. Her second goal was similar in nature.
Good movement and linking play in the box saw the ball find her stick, and she did what she does best by smashing it into the back of the net.
Middelburg, unlike in their semi-final clash, never really got going, and struggled to create goalscoring opportunities.
It was Somerset College’s first-ever Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament title.
Somerset College captain Julia Brown in action for her team during this year’s final of the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Festival. Photo: Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament
Reacting to her team’s win, captain of the Somerset College side, Julia Brown, said she was thrilled with the victory.
“I feel privileged and super-proud of this group of girls I play with,” she told SuperSport Schools.
“We had to dig deep in the final, and that’s the beauty of our team, we are resilient, and a little bit extra, which is something I really love.
“This win will be a great confidence boost for us. We just need to keep going, and keep our heads down,” she concluded.
Earlier in the day, the bronze medal match saw last year’s winners, Monument, take on a stern challenge from Rustenburg Girls’ High.
Both sides entered the match hungry to redeem themselves after losing their respective semi-finals on Friday.
Monnas made better use of their opportunities with their SA u17 star Hannah Quinton, and her namesake, Hannah Smyth, scoring in their 2-1 win. Rustenburg’s solitary goal came from Tatum Malherbe.
In other matches, Woodridge College finished in seventh place after edging out HoërskoolOuteniqua (3-0) on penalties following a goalless draw between the sides. Woodridge and Hudson Park, who finished tenth, after going down 0-1 to Fairmont, were the best of the Eastern Cape teams.
Stellenberg edged our Paarl Gimnasium 1-0 to take fifth spot.
Graeme College kicked off the third and final day of the 27th St John’s Easter Rugby Festival with an exhilarating display of running rugby, smashing St Benedict’s 50-12.
The semi-finals of the Bayhill Premier Cup concluded with the Gauteng teams, Mamelodi Sundowns FC and Highlands Park FC (Lions of the North), being eliminated.
The Saints Sports Festival wrapped up on Saturday evening in Sandton after the multisport event brought together more than 1 100 learners from 85 schools across the country.
The Bayhill Premier Cup is currently in full swing with the Easter football tournament captivating sports fans across the nation.
