The results from around South Africa will be updated here as we receive the results from the various schools.
If your school’s match is not listed below or you would like to send in your team’s results – please contact us via e-mail at netball@superschoolsnews.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.
Or you can submit a result via our website – Submit Result.
Maritzburg College welcomed Clifton College to Pape’s Astro at the start of the weekend for a Friday NITE Lights showdown and supporters were out in their numbers to take in the action under College’s recently unveiled floodlights.
Kyle Emerson, coach of the Maritzburg 1st XI, commented: “To have almost 500 boarders coming and watching the boys is lekker. It’s exciting when they’re down here and we can enjoy the spirit on a Friday and watch some hockey.
“It’s nice to get the families out. Staff are here, people are having picnics. The rugby staff are able to get to watch us, so I think that’s special.”
And while the supporters were predominantly backing the home side, Clifton brought a fair number of their backers along with them, too.
Out on the field, a very young Clifton 1st XI showed no signs of fear of tackling the Red Army on the famous Astro in front of their very vocal supporters. In fact, they appeared to relish the challenge.
While Maritzburg enjoyed a slight edge in possession in the first half, Clifton was more adept at moving the ball through the midfield at pace. The visitors did well to crowd the College midfielders when they received the ball, while they were better able to receive and pass.
Clifton was able to string together a number of flowing counterattacks, especially in the first half of the match.
Twice the visitors created good chances after forays down the right flank, bringing the ball in along the baseline before dropping it off around the penalty spot. But they couldn’t find a stick to finish the moves and College scrambled the ball away.
In the second half, the game opened up and Clifton hit the front after only three minutes when Maritzburg conceded a penalty stroke. Zach Williamson buried the opportunity confidently to the left of keeper Nick Holmes and the visitors celebrated.
That goal, however, seemed to sting College into action. They began to dominate possession and play most of the game in and around the Clifton 23m.
Within 10 minutes, they were rewarded. After coming ever so close to equalising after outflanking Clifton on the left, College picked up a penalty corner. Clifton netminder Georg Wolhuter pulled off a sharp stick save to his right of the drag flick, but the Durban side was unable to clear the ball from the circle.
College made one or two passes, the ball broke kindly for them, and Rory Schirge pounced from close range to equalise, raising a huge roar from the crowd.
The Red, Black and White kept the heat on and then claimed the lead for the first time in the contest after a scorching reverse stick shot from the left by Uyanda Dlamini found Wolhuter’s far left corner, possibly with a slight touch from Julian Konigkramer.
Clifton had brough a lot to the contest and they were not about to go away, despite College having adapted their game well in the second half of the match. With time running short, they struck back.
After turning over possession on the halfway line, the boys in black quickly counterattacked down the right. Dan Hompes picked up a pass inside, briefly lost possession, but just as quickly robbed the last defender and delivered a delightful reverse stick finish to the left of goalkeeper Nick Holmes, in a similar fashion to College’s second goal, to level the scores.
A short while later a game that had started quietly but had produced four goals in the second half was over.
Reflecting on the contest, College coach Kyle Emerson said: “There is much to get right. There were too many little errors that broke down our fluidity – missed traps, silly passes. That will improve.
“We spent far too much time on the ball, not zipping it around.”
An interesting battle took place in the midfield: Maritzburg College enjoyed more possession, while Clifton was able to move the ball more quickly, at least in the first half.
He also said Clifton had executed their game plan well. “Good tactics from Calvin [Price]. His wide centre-back pairing worked in the first half, and we struggled, but in the second half we nullified it and turned over a lot of ball.”
Summing up an early season issue for most teams, he concluded: “You’ve got to take your chances.”
Calvin Price, who took over as Director of Hockey at Clifton this year, was pleased by the manner in which his team had taken on the challenge. “We stepped up. We’re on Pape’s, so you have to make sure you step up,” he said.
While lamenting some good chances that were missed, he said, with a smile: “Overall, we’re happy with that result – 2-2. We’re a young side with four matrics. We’re growing, and it’s new for me, starting off at Clifton.”
Despite their youth, the visitors looked very comfortable on the ball and, said Price, that was something they had been working on in the two months preceding their opening game, which included gym sessions and training twice a week.
“That’s something we try to work on. We want the ball. We want to play with the ball. We call it Barcelona. We want the ball, and we want to keep it. If we lose it, that’s frustrating. We’re very happy to keep the ball and be comfortable on it.”
For Maritzburg College’s Director of Hockey, Mark Sanders, the floodlights on Pape’s Astro are a game-changer. He explained: “It allows us to train for longer in winter. We have only two hours of sunlight after school closes, so we previously had to squeeze in as much as possible. Now we can train until later. The boys are starting sessions later and ending at 19:00. We manage to get more guys on turf.”
He also expressed his excitement about Friday NITE lights hockey. “The atmosphere and the vibe are second to none. We get the whole of the boarding house to come and support the guys in the evening. It’s phenomenal.”
After the game, the Maritzburg College 1st XI acknowledged the outstanding support they had received from almost 500 boarders.
It’s year two for Sanders in charge of Maritzburg College hockey. The first year, he was hands-off, watching and taking notes. Now, there’s going to be more of his influence visible in College’s hockey.
Sanders said: “Maritzburg College is a school with a rich hockey history, and in my opinion, it has probably been the benchmark for most schools around the country. Obviously, there has been a little dip in recent years, but we plan to change that.
“We’ve introduced a new style. There are some technical things that we are working on, and the boys are responding, so let’s see how it goes.”
The results from around South Africa will be updated here as we receive the results from the various schools.
If your school’s match is not listed below or you would like to send in your team’s results – please contact us via e-mail at rugby@superschoolsnews.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.
Or you can submit a result via our website – Submit Result.
While it is still very early in the new season, the two sides have made contrasting starts to their 2024 campaigns.
Boland rallied to tame an impressive Milnerton attack at their Afgri Rugby Day last weekend while the Kwaggas were stymied by Noordheuwel at their 101-Year Festival.
The hosts will be fired up to get back to winning ways, though, and the Paarl outfit will be ready for a battle.
The battle between the flyhalves, Andrew Stopforth and Retagen van Rooi, will be intriguing to watch.
Van Rooi and his winger, Wehan Lume, both crossed the line twice in their previous outing and the Kwaggas’ defensive lines will have to be tidy and the defenders make their first-time tackles to deny the try-hungry Boland backline.
Outeniqua’s fullback, Keenan Jantjies, also showed he knows his way to the try-line in their game against Noordheuwel, but most of their success came up front with Ruan van Rensburg and Gareth Maree driving over for a try apiece.
Boland Landbou’s forward pack rarely give an inch against the best in the country, though, so we can expect an entertaining battle when the sides square off at 13:00.
Teams
Outeniqua vs Boland Landbou at 13:00
Outeniqua: 15 Keenan Jantjies, 14 Reshaan Damons, 13 Kerwin Scott, 12 Luca Potieter, 11 Xavier Solomans, 10 Andrew Stopforth, 9 Ellie Meyer, 8 Gareth Maree, 7 Ruart Curlewis, 6 Nicolas Duvenhage, 5 Michael Cronje, 4 Ruben Rossouw, 3 Juan Kleinhans, 2 Ruan van Rensburg, 1 Deven Kleingeld.
Boland Landbou: 15 Lyle Lewis, 14 Wehan Lume, 13 Xavier Vorster, 12 Juan Swart, 11 Enslin Claassen, 10 Retagen van Rooi, 9 Jayden Brits, 8 Alco Bindermann, 7 Karst Smits, 6 Hans Verster, 5 Ruan Viviers, 4 Kody Nel, 3 Derico Mesina, 2 Heinrich Bezuidenhout, 1 Henry Rudder.
The hosts’ u19 rugby team takes on Vredendal in the main event of the day, where they will hope to kick off their winter sports season with a bang.
With the likes of Bernardo Diedericks at outside centre, the Robertson fans are sure to be treated to the exciting brand of running rugby they enjoy.
Diedericks was a member of the SA u17 Sevens team that earned bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago last year and played an integral role in Robertson’s success throughout the season.
The Robbies already revved up their engines with some practice chukkas against Stellenberg earlier in the month and will be anxious to kick on from there.
Their opponents from Vredendal had a mixed season in 2023 and will be eager to make a positive start to 2024.
In the curtain-raisers, Overberg takes on Langenhoven Gimnasium and Montagu faces Jakes Gerwel to set the scene for an exciting day of schoolboy rugby in the valley of wine and roses.
Teams
Robertson vs Hoërskool Vredendal at 13:30:
Robertson: 15 Tyron April, 14 Ruwan Stevens, 13 Bernardo Diedericks, 12 Roberto Koert, 11 Winsor de Koker, 10, Jaydan van Niekerk, 9 Kyle Cedras, 8 Ethan Fourie, 7 André Gelderbloem, 6 Ivor Thompson, 5 Jayban Davids, 4 Mychal Swart, 3 Petrus Coetzee, 2 Yannick du Plessis, 1 Kallie Joubert.
Hoërskool Vredendal: 15 Jaydon Volmer, 14 Juan-Lee le Roux, 13 Brandwill Arries, 12 Waylom Smith, 11 Aidin Blankenberg, 10 Calvin du Toit, 9 Jaco-Willem Greeff, 8 Dillen Theron, 7 Gilbert de Klerk, 6 Oloff le Roux, 5 AJ Botha, 4 Mivuyo Yakobi, 3 Josh Engelbrecht, 2 Franco van Zyl, 1 Bern Coetzee.
The fixtures
A Field: 08:30 – Montagu u16 vs Jakes Gerwel u16; 09:40 – Overberg u16 vs Langenhoven Gimnasium u16; 10:50 – Robertson u16 vs Vredendal u16; 11:30 – Montagu u19 vs Jakes Gerwel u19; 12:30 – Overberg u19 vs Langenhoven Gimnasium u19; 13:30 – Robertson u19 vs Vredendal u19.
B Field: 08:30 – Montagu u14 vs Jakes Gerwel u14; 09:30 – Langenhoven Gimnasium u14 vs Ashton Secondary u14; 10:30 – Montagu u15 vs Jakes Gerwel u15; 11:30 – Overberg u15 vs Langenhoven Gimnasium u15; 12:30 – Robertson u15 vs Vredendal u15; 13:30 – Ashton u19 vs Langenhoven u19 II.
Paul Roos Gimnasium opens its season by welcoming HTS Drostdy to the Markotter on Saturday.
Though the hosts definitely have history on their side in this fixture, the Donkeys will be hoping to build on their impressive pre-season form and score an early upset when they travel to Stellenbosch.
Leading the Maroon Machine into the 2024 season is their dual SA Schools star, Riley Norton, who recorded the elite feat in his grade 11 year.
The Stellenbosch side is further bolstered by the experience of returning players like Truspe Schoeman, Reuben Kruger, Samuel Badenhorst and Keenan Stoffels, and it will take a mighty effort by Drostdy to cause PRG to stumble.
The boys from Worcester started their season with a bang at their home sports weekend, comfortably beating Schoonspruit (35-5) and Melkbostrand (65-0), to register 100 points while conceding only five.
This Paul Roos team, however, has been preparing since the end of last year, when they were given a opportunity to tour to Ireland, where they maintained a perfect record against their Irish opposition and enjoyed valuable time together as a unit.
With games against Affies and Waterkloof at the NMI Toyota North South Rugby Tournament around the corner, a good performance on Saturday will give Paul Roos momentum as they head into a challenging run of fixtures. Drostdy, however, are no pushovers and will relish the opportunity to steal the spotlight in Stellenbosch.
Paul Roos Gimnasium vs HTS Drostdy at 14:15:
Paul Roos Gimnasium: 15 Keenan Stoffels, 14 Divan Lamprecht, 13 Matthew Kleyn, 12 Samuel Badenhorst, 11 Myburgh Louw, 10 Joshua Dampies, 9 Adeeb Boraine, 8 Reuben Kruger, 7 Gert Kemp, 6 Malan Erasmus, 5 Riley Norton, 4 Truspe Schoeman, 3 Luchwayito Mbaliswana, 2 Altus Rabe, 1 Oliver Reid.
HTS Drostdy: 15 Hareld Mbuqa, 14 Juvan Janse van Rensburg, 13 Aljay Skippers, 12 Ruben von Solms, 11 Bernedict George, 10 Stefan van der Merwe, 9 Callum van Staden, 8 MJ van der Westhuizen, 7 Ewald Vorster, 6 Darius Venter, 5 Morné Coetzer, 4 Pietie Erasmus, 3 Tertius Wantenaar, 2 Daniel Mellet, 1 Walter Schoeman.
The action hotted up on day two of the Greg Beling Festival in East London, with a number of teams catching the eye with their slick play and top results.
In the opener, Eunice was on song and on target, overwhelming Cambridge High 6 -0 on the East London side’s home Astro.
The Bloemfontein girls were resolute on defence and efficient on attack, making good use of the opportunities they created.
In the second game, Cradock HS beat Krugersdorp HS 3-0, while Brandwag suffered a 0-6 defeat at the hands of Montana.
Later, Cambridge suffered a second defeat of the day, going down by a 1-3 margin to HS Linden.
Rhenish then grabbed the spotlight. Following an impressive 4-1 win over Clarendon on the opening day, they put a halt to Eunice’s winning ways for the first time in the festival in emphatic fashion.
The Stellenbosch side out played the Bloemfontein school 5-1 on the Clarendon Astro and they kept their record clean by securing a narrow 1-0 victory over DSG Makhanda later in the day.
At the same venue, Framesby ran into a dialled in Witteberg and were handed a 1-5 defeat. Oranje, meanwhile, laid claim to being the class of the field with a 6-0 drubbing of DSG.
It was a tight battle between Pearson and Affies as both sides bent but didn’t break, leaving the match goalless at its conclusion.
At Selborne College Astro, St Anne’s were the queens of the castle as they cruised to a 5-0 victory over Hudson Park.
Saturday’s action begins with Curro Waterstone against Brandwag at 07:00, followed by Framesby against Krugersdorp at 08:15.
14:00 – Curro Waterstone 2-1 GHS 16:30 – Hudson Park 0-5 St Anne’s
Stirling High School Astro
11:30 – Alex v HS Duinveld (TBC) 15:15 – Woodridge 0-5 Voortrekker 17:45 – Stirling 1-7 Collegiate
Saturday, 16 March 2024
Cambridge High School Astro
07:00 – Curro Waterstone v Brandwag 08:15 – Framesby v Krugersdorp 10:45 – Cambridge v Alex Rd 13:15 – Framesby v GHS 18:15 – Cambridge v Woodridge
Clarendon School for Girls Astro
07:00 – Clarendon Inv v Cradock 08:15 – DSG v Voortrekker 09:30 – Collegiate v Affies 10:15 – Oranje v Woodridge 12:00 – Clarendon v St Anne’s 13:15 – Union High v Duineveld 13:15 – Pearson v Voortrekker 15:45 – Rhenish v Affies 17:00 – DSG v St Anne’s 18:15 – Clarendon v Oranje
Merrifield College Astro
07:00 – GHS v Volkskool 08:15 – Merrifield College v Duineveld 14:30 – Merrifield College v Montana
Selborne College Astro
07:00 – Sasolburg v Union High 09:30 – Pearson v Rhenish
Stirling High School Astro
07:00 – Kingswood College v Linden High 09:30 – Stirling v Witteberg 12:00 – Curro Waterstones v Westering 13:15 – Krugersdorp High v Volkskool 14:30 – Kingswood College v Witteberg 15:45 – Alex Rd v Linden 18:15 – Stirling v Eunice
Bunkers Hill Astro
08:15 – Montana v Westering 10:45 – Hudson Park v Eunice 12:00 – Clarendon Inv v Brandwag 13:15 – Sasolburg v Cradock 14:30 – Hudson Park v Collegiate
Sunday, 17 March 2024
Cambridge High School Astro
07:00 – Alex Rd v Krugersdorp 10:45 – Clarendon Inv v Curro Waterstone 13:15 – Cambridge v Pearson 07:00 – Collegiate v St Anne’s 08:15 – Oranje v Hudson Park 09:30 – Eunice v Affies 12:00 – Clarendon v Woodridge 09:30 – Kingswood College v Sasolburg High
Merrifield College Astro
07:00 – Brandwag v Lilyfontein 09:30 – Union High v Witteberg 12:00 – Merrifield v Volkskool
Selborne College Astro
07:00 – Framesby v Montana 07:00 – DSG v Linden 10:45 – Stirling v Voortrekker 12:00 – GHS v Duineveld 13:15 – Westering v Cradock
The Gauteng Boys and Girls u18 teams after making it through to the finals of the Currie Cup in East London. Photo: Joo-dee Photographs
The Central Gauteng boys and girls u18 teams will be on the hunt for silverware when they contest their respective finals at the South African Junior Water Polo Championships, taking place at the Joan Harrison Swimming Pool, in East London, on Saturday.
The Gauteng boys will face KwaZulu-Natal, and the girls will tackle Western Province, with the girls’ final scheduled for 10:00, and the boys’ for 11:00.
On the road to the title-deciders, both teams faced tough challenges, but they demonstrated grit, determination, and skill to earn themselves places in Saturday’s showpiece contests.
The boys’ side, led by head coach, Jon-Marc de Carvalho, suffered two defeats in the round-robin stages, to Western Province (4-5), and KwaZulu-Natal (8-12) respectively.
However, De Carvalho’s side reversed their fortunes in the semi-finals, when it mattered most, against Province, putting on arguably their best performance of the event.
After a slow start, Gauteng rushed into a 5-2 lead at half-time, courtesy of a brace by Nicholas Searle, and solitary goals from Marc Smith, Ross Rovelli, and the energetic Zico Williams.
Keeping their lead in the second half was going to be a challenging task for Gauteng, with the talent-laden Province lineup coming at them hard in an attempt to get themselves back into the match.
At crucial times, Gauteng were saved by their shot-stopper, Judah Dos Santos, who came alive in the second half to pull off important saves and keep his side in the lead.
Rovelli added two more goals to his tally to bag a hattrick, while Sebastian Bruinders and Greg Pryce also got in on the goal-scoring action, to leave Province out of ideas and out of the final.
Nicholas Fall and Ross Stewart both had golden opportunities late in the contest to pull Province closer to Gauteng, but their shots hit the crossbar.
Gauteng held their nerve for the win and will face a motivated KwaZulu-Natal side in the final.
KZN u18 boys team after making it through to the final of the Currie Cup in East London. Picture: Shot by Shani Photography
Coach Rob Ambler‘s KZN team is confident and playing their best water polo. They took down Province in the first match of day two and then brushed aside the Northern Tigers, before easing past the hosts, Buffalo City, in the semi-finals.
In other boys matches, Buffalo City won the Eastern Cape derby, defeating Nelson Mandela Bay, while the Northern Tigers, despite losing, showed grit against KZN, with their skipper, Benjamin Melville, Alexander Kelbrick, and Julian Olivier, putting on a show for the East London crowd.
Much like their male counterparts, the Gauteng girls’ side, had to dig deep throughout the event to secure a spot in the showdown for silverware.
They were in prolific form on Friday, crushing Buffalo City 25-5 in a surprisingly one-sided contest, with Gina Sguazzin, Mia Loizides, Amy Smith, Julia Joseph, and Ruby Carlson all picking up hattricks.
Coach Kelsey Thomson’s side wasn’t done, however, and they stuck a further 15 goals past KwaZulu-Natal, to set up a date with Nelson Mandela Bay in the second semi-final.
With a place in the final on the line, they were ruthless, bossing proceedings despite NMB showing character and taking it to the Gauteng side.
In the end, Gauteng won by eight goals, triumphing 14-6, with hattricks from Emma Pelicot and Ruby Carlson, and a brace from Mia Loizides.
The final against Province will be their toughest challenge of the week. On the opening day, they were well beaten by the Capetonians, going down 6-12. However, Gauteng will be confident because in the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincials, in December last year they beat the same opponents 12-10 in the final.
Nelson Mandela Bay will contest the third/fourth play-off with Jason Sileno’s KZN side, while in the boy’s section, it will be Western Province looking to finish on a high when they face the hosts, Buffalo City, for third place.
Day 3
Girls’ fixtures
08:00– 3rd/4th play-off; 10:00– FINAL.
Boys’ fixtures
09:00– 3rd/4th play-off; 11:00– FINAL
Day 2 scores
Western Province 8 (3): Arkin Marais (x2), Zack Cicero, Connor-Melling Williams, Salahuddin Khan, Ross Stewart, Adam October, Nicholas Fall. KwaZulu-Natal 8 (4): Tristan Uys (x3), James Pohl (x2), Oliver Ditz, Kirk Wilson, Luca Sandri,
Buffalo City 6: Liam Hansen (x3), Thomas Caswell (x2), Dante May. Central Gauteng 21: Karabo Mamaregane (x4), Ross Stuart (x4), Ross Rovelli (x3), Greg Pryce (x3), Zico Williams (x3), Nicholas Searle (x2), Marc Smith.
Norther Tigers 11: Alexander Kelbrick (x6), Kieron Potgieter (x2), Julian Olivier, Kamva Khanya Kenqu, Benjamin Melville. Nelson Mandela Bay 16: Coel Trollip (x4), Calum Emslie (x3), Nicholas Franklin (x2), Raoul Eia (x2), Zandre Botha, Luke Lightening, Camden Christian, Josh Hinks, Matthew Kruse.
Western Province 5: Thomas Truter (x2), Arkin Marias (x2), Jandro Rojo-Ross. Central Gauteng 4: Ross Stuart, Jack Wilkins, Zico Williams, Marc Smith.
Northern Tigers 9: Alexander Kelbrick (x4), Benjamin Melville (x3), Julian Olivier, Francois Hartslief. KwaZulu-Natal 22: Oliver Ditz (x5), Kirk Wilson (x4), Ethan Lyne (x3), Max Scully (x3), Meyer Malherbe (x2), Luca Sandri (x2), James Pohl (x2).
Buffalo City 11: Liam Hansen (x2), Sean Audie (x2), Dante May (x2), , Connor Maree (x2), Armand Van Rooyen, Kairon Roux, Dominic Stegmann. Nelson Mandela Bay 8: Nicholas Franklin (x2), Calum Emslie (x2), Camden Christian, Raoul Eia, Josh Hinks.
Central Gauteng 10: Ross Rovelli (x3), Nicholas Searle (x2), Marc Smith (x2), Zico Williams, Sebastian Bruinders, Greg Pryce. Western Province 5: Ross Stewart (x2), Nicholas Fall, Thomas Truter, Zack Cicero.
KwaZulu-Natal 14: Tristan Uys (x3), Oliver Ditz (x3), Meyer Malherbe (x2), Max Scully (x2), James Pohl (x2), Rhees Hall (x2). Buffalo City 3: Liam Hansen, Thomas Caswell, Connor Maree.
Girls’ scores
Central Gauteng 25: Mia Loizides (x3), Gina Sguazzin (x3), Amy Smith (x3), Julia Joseph (x3), Ruby Carlson (x3), Courtney Calenborne (x2), Emma Pelicot (x2), Jessica Black (x2), Anastasia Hambakis (x2), Simphiwe Zulu, Francesca De Villiers. Buffalo City 5: Tatum Knox (x2), Tori Voke (x2), Roxy Van Eek.
KwaZulu-Natal 5: Kayla Andrews (x3), Inge Southey (x2). Western Province 11: Hannah Banks (x3), Alexa De Villiers (x2), Amy van Breda (x2), Tayla Kreymborg, Isabella Murray, Erin-Belle Nordgaard, Roxanne Uys.
Central Gauteng 15: Gina Sguazzin (x3), Julia Joseph (x3), Amy Smith (x2), Courtney Calenborne, Emma Pelicot, Jessica Black, Francesca De Villiers, Ruby Carlson, Anastasia Hambakis, Mia Loizides. KwaZulu-Natal 3: Kayla Andrews, Amy Hargroves, Lara Mervis.
Western Province 4: Isabella Murray, Erin-Belle Nordgaard, Alexa de Villiers, Nicole Batom. Nelson Mandela Bay 5: Elizabeth Horn (2), Teagan Harty, Matipa Karimazondo, Amelia Brown.
Western Province 6: Emily Van Heerden (x2), Hannah Banks (x2), Isabella Tooley, Alexa De Villiers. KwaZulu-Natal 3: Kayla Andrews, Caitlin McMurray, Inge Southey
Nelson Mandela Bay 6: Teagan Harty (x2), Tiggy Srevens, Amie Jenner, Elizabeth Horn, Matipa Karimazondo. Central Gauteng 14: Emma Pelicot (x3), Ruby Carlson (x3), Mia Loizides (x2), Julia Joseph (x2), Courtney Calenborne, Amy Smith, Jessica Black, Francesca De Villiers,
Picture Credits: Rikus van Wyk (The Weekend Photography)
Spectators were treated to all-round good quality hockey action, closely fought contests and blowouts, on the second day of the annual Belgotex Tony Godding Festival, being jointly hosted by Clarendon, Selborne, Cambridge, Stirling, and Merrifield.
The four-day festival kicked off on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
Despite it not being a victory, Dale College was the first team to record a result they could view in a positive light. Last year, they had such an atrocious run that in May they were at a psychological low and, according to assistant coach, Andrew Senekal, they needed a mental recalibration. Selborne College and Queen’s College completed doubles over them, handing the Qonce boys severe losses.
This year, they have a new coach, Junior Mqingwana, and they are hopefully in a different headspace after beginning the Tony Godding Festival with a gritty 1-1 draw against Curro Waterstone. Later in the day, they were comfortable 5-0 winners over Montana.
Selborne, coached by Kenneth John (KJ) Friend, made an emphatic start, walloping St Andrew’s School 4-0.
The Tre’ Gilbert-captained unit looked sharp and played with purpose as they wrestled control of the contest from St Andrew’s. A testament to how well they functioned as a team was the fact that the four goals were scored by different players, with 2023 veterans, Cade Kock and Waeden Plaatjes, among those to get their names on the scoresheet.
Grey College, under coach Wayne Coetzee, came into the festival high in confidence after sweeping all of their preseason games, including a gritty 1-0 win over Hoërskool Waterkloof and a thrilling 3–2 triumph over Hoërskool Garsfontein. The Bloemfontein outfit then kicked off their Tony Godding Festival campaign with a 9–1 dismantling of Cambridge.
Seven-and-a-half hours after man-handling Cambridge, Grey College faced stiffer competition in the form of Pearson. Ignatius Malgraff‘s boys were a handful last year, giving many a team a run for their money, and they carried that trait into 2024.
They put up a spirited fight against Grey College, but the in-form boys from Bloem came away with a 2-0 win. College’s namesake, Grey High, produced the biggest winning margin of the day in their 11–0 thrashing of Cambridge.
One of the big stories of the day occurred in the early afternoon on the Stirling Astro, when Woodridge faced an optimistic Queen’s College. Queen’s coach Michael Baiden had high hopes his charges would make their mark at the first event on the hockey calendar only to be upstaged 3-1 by their Eastern Cape opposition.
Day three promises more fireworks with mouthwatering contests that include a tussle between the two Greys, College and High, Queen’s going toe-to-toe with Grey College, and Pearson against St Andrew’s School (Bloemfontein), among others.
07:00 – Montana vs Westering; 08:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Dale College; 08:15 – Kingswood College vs Linden High; 09:30 – Framesby vs Krugersdorp High; 09:30 – Merrifield College vs Duineveld; 09:30 – Hudson Park vs Grey College; 10:45 – Grey High vs St Andrew’s School; 10:45 – Stirling vs Witteberg; 10:45 – Queen’s College vs Pearson; 12:00 – Selborne vs Woodridge; 12:00 – Cambridge vs Alex Rd; 12:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Voortrekker; 13:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Westering; 13:15 – Queen’s College vs Grey College; 14:30 – Framesby vs Duineveld; 14:30 – Alex Rd vs Montana; 15:45 – Dale College vs Voortrekker; 15:45 – Kingswood College vs Witteberg; 15:45 – Merrifield College vs St Andrew’s College; 15:45 – Hudson Park vs Grey High; 17:00 – Pearson vs St Andrew’s School; 17:00 – Cambridge vs Woodridge; 17:00 – Stirling vs Krugersdorp High; 18:15 – Selborne vs Linden High
Sunday
08:15 – Framesby vs Montana; 08:15 – Alex Rd vs Krugersdorp; 08:15 – Westering vs Duineveld; 08:15 – Queen’s College vs Kingswood College; 09:30 – Grey College vs St Andrew’s College; 09:30 – St Andrew’s School vs Curro Waterstone; 09:30 – Stirling vs Grey High; 10:45 – Selborne College vs Voortrekker; 10:45 – Merrifield vs Witteberg; 12:00 – Dale College vs Linden High; 12:00 – Cambridge vs Pearson; 13:15 – Hudson Park vs Woodridge
Monument van Krugersdorp se Wit Bulle sal so ietwat versigter as gewoonlik vir Welkom Gimnasium wees wanneer die twee spanne mekaar vandag om 13:20 op die Ras van Rooyen-veld pak.
Dit sal Monnas se eerste wedstryd van die seisoen wees, terwyl die span van Welkom al drie kragmetings agter die blad het.
Soos gebruiklik is Monnas se eerste tuiswedstryd van die seisoen ook die Malcullum Marx-gedenkwedstryd. Vanjaar sal dit die 30ste gedenkwedstryd sedert die afsterwe van die gewese Wit Bul Marx wees.
Welkom Gimnasium het in twee van sy wedstryde teen Jim Fouché (31-13) en Glenwood (26-21) die septer geswaai. In hul kragmeting teen Grey-kollege was hulle met 5-52 aan die verloorkant.
Dié gedenkwedstryd is altyd ‘n groot wedstryd vir die Wit Bulle. Twee van Monnas se Springbokke – Willem Alberts en Jaco Taute het die Wit Bulle se truie oorhandig.
Alberts, wat 1.92m in sy sokkies staan, sou moes opkyk vir Monnas se slot Jacques Botha. Laasgenoemde is ‘n volle 2.06m lank en kan vanjaar indien hy sy spelpeil lig een van die spelers wees om dop te hou. Voorlangs sal Welkom Gim ook die twee flanke, RJ Barnard en Jamaal Feldman, fyn moet dophou.
Welkom Gimnasium se losskakel, Renaldo Kiewiet, kan die tuisspan probleme besorg as hy op sy stukke is. Hy was verlede jaar tydens die Cravenweek in George met 48 punte as die voorste puntemaker afgesluit. Vanjaar se Cravenweek vind reeds op die Ras van Rooyen in Krugersdorp plaas.
Sy direkte teenstander, Justin Viljoen, het verlede jaar ook ‘n goeie seisoen beleef. Viljoen sal op sy goeie eerste seisoen vir die Wit Bulle met ‘n nog stewiger vertoningslys wil voortbou.
Die span van Welkom Gimnasium se breier, Roean Bezuidenhout, is van vanjaar af ‘n lid van die Suid-Afrikaanse Skole-keurkomitee. So hierdie is ook ‘n ekstra geleentheid vir die spelers van Monnas om dalk al ‘n regmerkie in Bezuidenhout se boekie te kry.
Bezuidenhout het al voorheen ook die SA Skole-span afgerig. Monnas se breier, Tjaart van der Walt, is die Goue Leeus se Cravenweek-span se afrigter.
Die spanne is:
Monument: 15 Hanu Fourie, 14 Kealan Milton, 13 Jason Joubert, 12 Theuns du Plooy, 11 Ernesto Oersen, 10 Justin Viljoen, 9 Hanno du Toit, 8 Nathan Erasmus, 7 RJ Barnard, 6 Jamaal Feldman, 5 Luhan Swart, 4 Jacques Botha, 3 Wikus Meyer, 2 Kiyan Pretorius, 1 JC Oosthuizen.
Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).
Maritzburg College welcomed Clifton College to Pape’s Astro at the start of the weekend for a Friday NITE Lights showdown and supporters were out in their numbers to take in the action under College’s recently unveiled floodlights.
The action hotted up on day two of the Greg Beling Festival in East London, with a number of teams catching the eye with their slick play and top results.
