The visitors from Zimbabwe came out on top once again, comfortably beating St Benedict’sCollege 29-0 on the second day of the St John’s Easter Festival.
Falcon started quite slowly, with only the trusty boot of fullback, James Thompson, breaking the deadlock, with a penalty after seven minutes of play.
The first try finally came after 21 minutes when outside centre Zane Sibanda sliced through the Bennies’ defence to score his second try of the weekend. Having at last crossed the whitewash, the visitors from north of the border put the pedal to the metal, running in three more tries.
Renatho Ndou, Falcon’s left wing, scored the best of the bunch. The slippery Ndou left countless defenders grasping at air, doing a great impression of Cheslin Kolbe, before going over in the corner.
Thompson was impressive from the tee, slotting three conversions and a penalty, to extend the Zimbabweans’ lead even further.
Voortrekker picked up their first victory of the festival, scoring 31 unanswered points against the Golden Lions Invitational XV.
Left-wing Kamohelo Moses had a good outing, with his elusive running bringing him a brace of tries.
The Bethlehem boys’ workhorse at lock, Tristan Meyer, was rewarded for his industry shortly after Moses’ first try, as he burst through the Lion’s defences for another five-pointer. Inside centre, Craig Mann, and flyhalf, Kaneng Komane, also did the same in the second half to rub further salt in the Gauteng side’s wounds.
Although the score-line showed zero points for the Invitational lineup, the Lions’ side delivered a far better performance than they did on the first day. They firmed up their defensive structures, but they ran out of steam in the last 10 minutes.
A see-saw battle in the third game of the day saw Graeme College pull off a 12-10 win over St David’s Marist Inanda.
A try by Ashton Williams, the Eastern Cape side’s outside centre, 10 minutes before the final whistle, sealed the deal for his team. Xolisa Mdgensha, Williams’ midfield partner, also crossed the whitewash to secure a lead in the first half.
After half-time, the momentum shifted in favour of the side from Johannesburg, as they fought back through a try from loosehead prop, D’Andre Mushonga. The conversion of the try, plus apenalty from the boot of Diego Ferreira, handed them a three-point lead, which was ripped away from them shortly afterwards by Williams’ try.
Falcon College 29 (15) – Tries: Zane Sibanda, Renatho Ndou, Khabansi Kabalata, Ralph Tekede. Conversions: James Thompson (3). Penalty: Thompson. St Benedict’s 0 (0).
Graeme College 12 (7) – Tries: Xolisa Mdensha, Ashton Williams. Conversion: Marcus Williams. St David’s Marist 10 (0) – Tries: D’Andre Mushonga. Conversion: Diego Ferreira. Penalty: Ferreira.
Noordheuwel 40 (21) – Tries: Cheswill Jooste (2), Lindsey Jansen, Alex Greef, Jade Muller, Ighnatius Jantjes. Conversions: Jeandre Uithaler. Kingswood College 18 (8) – Tries: Daniel Stevens, Appiah Ndzengu, Matthew Paxton. Penalty: Praise Matsila.
Hoërskool Nelspruit 38 (12) – Tries: Jordan Pretorius (2), Regardt Vermaak, Tinyiko Silubane, D’Angelo Roberts, Ronaldo van Rensburg. Conversions: Divan de Kock (4). St John’s College 13 (6) – Try: Joshua Shannon. Conversion: Gerald van Wyk. Penalties: Van Wyk (2)
Maritzburg College 26 (7) – Tries: Lwanda Khumalo, Struan Oosthuizen, James Slevin, Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein. Conversions: James Slevin (2), Jordan Thackwray. SACS 24 (19) – Tries: Daniel Grant, Seth Bradford, Endie Sidinele, Jack Benade. Conversions: Rayaan Solomons (2).
Hilton College 17 (3) – Tries: Rukudzo Madinga (2). Conversions: Liyema Nela (2). Penalty: Nela. Boland Lanbou 14 (7) – Tries: Jayden Brits, Retagan van Rooi. Conversions: Van Rooi (2).
Fullback Sanele Simelane making a charge. Photo Credit Theo Garrun
With an action-packed weekend lined up at the Standard Bank KES Easter Festival, here’s a look at the teams doing battle over the weekend with five players to watch closely.
Jeppe‘s fullback, Sanele Simelane, is right at the top of the list after his starring role in their historic victory against Grey College at the NMI Toyota North-South Tournament.
Simelane was solid on defence and exciting on the counterattack against Grey, and the Jeppe outfit will be eager to get back out on the field after their success in that match.
They take on Queen’s College on Saturday before facing Brandwag on Monday. If they can summon up the same energy they produced in their last game, Simelane and co will be a difficult force to contain this weekend.
His older brother, Wandisile Simelane, moved to the Stormers earlier in the year as part of a tradeoff, with Cornel Smit taking his place at the Vodacom Bulls.
2 – Vusi Moyo (Flyhalf – King Edward VII)
The home team’s pivot, Vusi Moyo, delivered many exciting moments for KES in the 2023 season. He directs their offence and will have a key part to play if the Red Army is to avenge their narrow 8-10 defeat to Paarl Boys’ High last season.
Moyo was excellent for KES throughout the season and stood out at the Academy Week where he helped the Golden Lions claim the title of unofficial champions after a 29-20 victory over the Western Province in the final match on the last day.
His hooker, Esethu Mnebelele, scored their solitary try in that match against Boishaai last year, and will also add a lot of valuable experience up front.
Mnebelele was one of six KES players in the Golden Lions Craven Week squad last year and went on to earn selection for the South African Schools side.
He’s a strong ball carrier with a safe pair of hands at the back of a maul and it would be no surprise to see Mnebelele’s name on the scoresheet again this weekend as KES makes use of Moyo’s massive kicking boot to set up lineouts in their opponents’ danger area.
3 – Viaan Mentoor (Flyhalf – Paarl Boys’ High)
Given the opportunity, everyone in the Boishaai lineup poses a threat.
Their big openside flanker, Ruben Dames, has been a destructive force for the team from Paarl so far this season, but it’s been their backline that has truly stolen the spotlight. Spearheaded by no. 10, Viaan Mentoor, they have outscored all of their opponents in their early season fixtures.
Mentoor contributed 18 points in Boishaai’s nailbiting 38-36 win over Garsfontein last week, converting all five tries, including his own, and slotting a penalty, to help his team seal a dramatic victory. He converted another five as they brushed Jeppe aside by 45-19 at the same event.
If their opening clash against KES resembles last year’s battle, his accuracy off the tee might become a determining factor again.
4 – Chad de Beyer (Flyhalf – Selborne College)
Chad de Beyer, who represented Selborne College and the Border Craven Week team at inside centre last year, steps into the flyhalf position for his school in 2024.
It will be interesting to see how he transitions into the role, but there is no doubt about his athletic abilities.
Given an inch, the exciting young flyer from the Eastern Cape can unlock a defence from any position.
5 – Lucca Mynhardt (Fullback – Diocesan College)
A few of Bishops’ regulars will be hoping to come off the bench in their first match against Dale College, but one name on every team sheet so far this season has been their stalwart fullback, Lucca Mynhardt.
His goalkicking was instrumental in their one-point victory over St Andrew’s College in the final match of their 175 Festival last weekend and he’s an excellent runner with the ball, having represented the first XV on the wing already last season.
With 14 top teams in action, there will be no shortage of talent on show. Some other notable mentions include Brandwag‘s captain and flyhalf, Lu-Crain Muggels, who played for the Eastern Province Craven Week team last year, and Hudson Park‘s lively little scrumhalf, Landile Gidi, who ran out for Border at that event.
Teams and fixtures for Saturday, 30 March
King Edward VII vs Paarl Boys’ High at 15:30
King Edward VII: 15 Mbuso Methula, 14 Jarell Mbuyi, 13 Olunje Mehlomakulu, 12 Tristan Maugeri, 11 Haniel Monkoti, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Reegan McGurk, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Sam Bruwer, 6 James Kobrowlsky, 5 Thomas Beling, 4 Chinedu Amadi, 3 Nathan van der Merwe, 2 Esethu Mnebelele, 1 Connor White.
Paarl Boys’ High: 15 Francois van der Merwe, 14 Aiden Jacobs, 13 Tristan Joubert, 12 Tristan Fransman, 11 Ashwin Swarts, 10 Viaan Mentoor, 9 Keagan Smith, 8 Douw Wessels, 7 Ruben Dames, 6 Steph van der Merwe, 5 Jayden Joubert, 4 Dian Smal, 3 Juan van der Merwe, 2 Christiaan Grundling, 1 Bernard du Toit.
Selborne College: 15 Bungqina Nuku, 14 Daniel Breetzke, 13 Cole Schonknecht, 12 Siya Sakhela, 11 Anjolauluwa Sogbanmu, 10 Chad de Beyer, 9 Page Fennel, 8 Gcina Puzi, 7 Adam Schwedhelm, 6 Luke Mcgregor, 5 Andrew de Smidt, 4 Thabo Sonamzi, 3 Luke Stegmann, 2 Bioti Selonyane, 1 Robert John-Osunkwo.
Diocesan College: 15 Lucca Mynhardt, 14 Iviwe Dadamasi, 13 Alex Laspatzis, 12 Alex Newton, 11 Mlibo Masala, 10 Jordan Petersen, 9 Max Marr, 8 Daniel van den Heever, 7 Imma Magongwa, 6 James le Feuvre, 5 Nic Reid, 4 Alex Smith, 3 Yusuf Ahmed, 2 Max Wurr, 1 Gareth Mckinon.
Paarl Gimnasium head coach Jacques Grobler applauded the mental strength and grit shown by his side as it reached the Cup final of the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament in the southern suburbs of Cape Town on Friday.
The defending champions booked their main game after a rollicking 9-1 thrashing of Namibia’s Private School Swakopmund.
They will take on Worcester Gymnasium for the title after they edged out Stellenberg 4-3 from the penalty spot, with the teams having ended regulation time level at 1-1.
Before their semi-final clash, Gim was certainly the most impressive side in the boys’ section, dominating throughout the pool stages as they took top spot in Pool C after their four matches.
Their first stern challenge of the weekend came on Friday morning when they tackled Somerset College in the quarterfinals.
Gim struggled to break the deadlock against a well-organised team and trailed 0-1 going into the final chukka.
They were kept in the fight by a late John Coetzee goal, which tied the scores at 1-1 and led to penalties. Coach Grobler’s side, despite missing their first, clinched the shootout 3-1, to progress to the final four.
There, they met another side that had been impressive throughout the weekend, fellow pool winners, Private School Swakopmund. That mattered little to Paarl Gimnasium though.
They opened the scoring in the first chukka through Juan Swanepoel and skipper LD Nel added another. James De Jager, then, pulled one back for Private School early in the second chukka, but it was quickly cancelled out by another goal from Swanepoel, before Stefan Wiehahn scored to make it 4-1 at the halfway mark.
The third chukka delivered only one goal with Paarl Gim’s skipper, Nel, getting a well-deserved double and extending his side’s advantage to 5-1.
Grobler’s charges raised the tempo in the fourth and final chukka, scoring a whopping four goals while not conceding.
Nel completed a hattrick, John Coetzee struck for a second time, and Neil De Wet also got his name on the score sheet to complete a 9-1 drubbing.
Paarl Gimnasium head coach, Jacques Grobler during the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament. Photo:Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament
Commenting on his team’s performances throughout the tournament, and addressing how they would approach the final, coach Grobler told SuperSport Schools: “We were successful in the pool stages. We got the results we were looking for, but it wasn’t always the flow, the connection, and creativity we wanted.
“This morning, we had a very tough quarterfinal that we luckily sneaked through at the end, but it was a game we needed to reset mentally.
“The semi-final was what we were looking for. It was more convincing from the boys, and they played with more freedom.
“We won’t overcomplicate the final. We know what we’re good at. We will try and play to what we know, and to our strengths,” he concluded.
The second semi-final was a battle between the Cape sides, Stellenberg and Worcester Gymnasium.
The match was decided on penalties after it had ended tied at 1-1, courtesy of goals by Joshua Coetzee, for Worcester Gymnasium, and Christian Spence, for Stellenberg.
Stellies will battle Private School Swakopmund in the third-place playoff, with Worcester advancing to the title-deciding match.
Cup Quarterfinals Private School Swakopmund 2-1 Outeniqua
Paarl Gimnasium 1(3)-1(1) Somerset College
Fairmont 0(1)-0(2) Stellenberg
York High 0-2 Worcester Gymnasium
Plate Quarterfinals
SACS 1-0 St John’s College (Harare)
Kingswood College 4-1 St George’s Diocesan School
Hudson Park 1-2 Durbanville
Paarl Boys’ High 2-1 Windhoek High
Super Bowl Quarterfinals Middelburg 1(3)-1(0) Bridge House
Belville High 3-0 Windhoek Gymnasium
Stellenbosch 3-1 Redhill
Northcliff 2-1 Woodridge
Bowl Quarterfinals Hugenote 1-0 Pro-Ed Akademie
Hoërskool Punt 1-0 The Settlers
Oudtshoorn 0-3 Hoërskool Robertson
Hoërskool Swartland 0-1 Strand High School
Cup semi-finals Private School Swakopmund 1-9 Paarl Gimnasium
Stellenberg 1(3)-1(4) Worcester Gymnasium
Plate semi-finals SACS 0-2 Kingswood College
Durbanville 0(0)-0(2) Paarl Boys’ High
Hoërskool Middelburg made history on day three of the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Festival by booking themselves a place in the Cup final after defeating Rustenburg Girls’ High School 3-0 in the semi-finals on Friday afternoon.
The Mpumalanga school faces Somerset College in the title-decider, at 17:20 on the Hartleyvale A Astroturf, on Saturday.
Entering the tournament, Middies were considered one of the dark horse teams.
They were unphased by others’ perceptions, however, and immediately ripped off two wins on the opening day, swamping Private School Swakopmund 10-1 before defeating Hudson Park 3-1.
On day two, they destroyed Curro Durbanville (6-0) and Hugenote (8-0) to emphatically clinch first place in the group. That secured coach Alti Nel’s team a quarterfinals’ showdown with Woodridge College.
That clash, on Friday morning, proved to be a tough test for the Mpumalanga side. They were held to a goalless draw but advanced to the final four after winning a penalty shootout 3-1.
After that narrow escape, Middies quickly turned their attention to a stern semi-final test against Rustenburg, who had taken out Paarl Gimnasium in the quarterfinals.
In the first two chukkas, it was very tight, with neither team creating many chances. The sides turned deadlocked at 0-0, but Middies changed that in the third chukka.
Imke Grobbelaar and Lumé Smit stepped up when it mattered the most, netting, to open up a 2-0 lead as the contest headed into its last quarter.
Photo: Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament
Smit was not done and grabbed a second goal in the fourth chukka to seal an impressive 3-0 win for her side.
Reacting to the match, coach Nel expressed how thrilled she was for her team, and how much reaching the final means to the Mpumalanga outfit.
“We’ve been enjoying the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Festival. It’s been a great opportunity for our girls,” she told SuperSport Schools.
“The quarterfinal and semi-final were tough matches, but the girls showed they can do it.
“This means a lot to us, and to end up in the best two is kind of crazy. We are very happy and, as parents and a coaching group, proud of the girls,” she added.
In the second semi-final of the day, Monument’s hopes of defending the title they won in 2023 were dashed by Somerset College.
Somerset snatched a 2-1 win, with Annabelle Hamel netting the winner with less than a minute left after LeilaHoltzhausen had opened the scoring for the Western Cape side.
The final day’s action kicks off bright and early when Hermanus faces Belville High in the Super Bowl final. The Shield final, meanwhile, will be an Eastern Cape derby between Kingswood College and Stirling High.
The final, at 17:20, and all of the final day’s action will be live on SuperSportSchools.
RESULTS
Cup Quarterfinals Middelburg 0(3)-0(1) Woodridge
Rustenburg 1-0 Paarl Gimnasium
Outeniqua 0-3 Somerset College
Monument 3-1 Stellenberg
Shield Quarterfinals Redhill 2-0 Curro Durbanville
Stirling High School 4-0 Hoërskool Rustenburg
Hoërskool Eldoraigne 3-0 Penryn College
York 0(4)-0(3) Kingswood College
Super Bowl Quarterfinals Bridge House 3-0 Hugenote
Hermanus 1(4)-1(3) The Settlers
Hoërskool Punt 4-0 Worcester Gymnasium
Belville High 1-0 Langenhoven Gimnasium
Bowl Quarterfinals Pro-Ed Akademie 1-0 Private School Swakopmund
Oudtshoorn 1-0 St George’s Diocesan
La Rochelle 6-1 Hoërskool Robertson
Strand High 1-0 Stellenbosch
Cup semifinals Middelburg 3-0 Rustenburg Girls’
Somerset College 2-1 Monument
Plate semifinals Hudson Park 3-0 Hoërskool Nelspruit
Fairmont High 2(8)-2(7) Northcliff
Shield semifinals Kingswood College 1-0 Hoërskool Eldoraigne
Stirling High 1(3)-1(2) Redhill
Super Bowl semifinals Hermanus 1-0 Bridge House
Hoërskool Punt 0-3 Belville High
Bowl semifinals La Rochelle 1-0 Strand High School
Pro-Ed Akademie 5-0 Oudtshoorn
37th-40th place playoffs Hoërskool Robertson 0(3)-0(1) Stellenbosch High
21st-24th place playoffs
Curro Durbanville 0(2)-0(1) Hoërskool Rustenburg
Penryn College 0-6 York High
29th-32nd place playoffs The Settlers 3-1 Hugenote
Worcester Gymnasium 2-1 Langenhoven Gimnasium
Following in the footsteps of their u18 counterparts, Gauteng was crowned the champions of both the boys’ and girls’ sections of the first u16 National Basketball Championships, which were held at Umlazi, just outside of Durban, on Thursday.
From 25-28 March, five provinces – Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng – duelled for the interprovincial honours.
The Gauteng u16 boys’ team dominated throughout the event. They faced the Western Cape, which has made a big push at grassroots level to develop basketball, in the semifinals. Although it was a tough outing, Gauteng came away with a 45-31 victory.
Western Cape then went on to defeat Eastern Cape in the third-place playoff, recording a comfortable 63-44 win.
In the final, Gauteng faced KwaZulu-Natal. Those two provinces have clearly established themselves as the best in South Africa, with schools from both ranking at or near the top of the game in the country.
On this occasion, it was Gauteng who came out on top, taking the title with a 63-54 win.
The Gauteng girls were ruthless in their semi-final match against the Eastern Cape. It was one-way traffic as they charged their way to a 72-8 victory, which set them up for a meeting with Western Cape for the title.
They matched their boys’ side, scoring 63 points, but they conceded only 36, to win by 27, and thus went down in history as the first u16 inter-provincial champions of South Africa.
RESULTS
Semi-finals
Girls: Gauteng 72-8 Eastern Cape; Western Cape 38-36 Kwazulu-Natal Boys: KwaZulu-Natal 90-39 Eastern Cape; Gauteng 45-31 Western Cape
Epworth School, after going down 3-0 to Garsfontein on Wednesday, fought their way to a 4-1 win over Brescia House in their first game on day two of the Saints Sports Festival at St StithiansCollege, in Sandton.
The Pietermaritzburg girls took the lead in the second chukka, striking twice, while keeping Brescia at bay.
In the third chukka, Epworth doubled their lead, going 4-0 up.
Although Brescia came out on the wrong side of the result, they made matters difficult for Epworth, and they scored their only goal of the match in the final chukka while denying Epworth any further goals.
Afterwards Epworth coach Sphephelo Nzula declared himself proud of his team’s fighting spirit: “Yesterday, we had a very unfortunate start,” he explained. “Coming in late got us on the back foot. We all know that preparations and warm-ups dictate how you play the game, and yesterday we didn’t have a chance to prepare for the game as we got here late.
“But regarding today’s game, the girls come out fine, and I am proud of them, in terms of how they played and how we picked ourselves up from yesterday.”
In their second clash, Nzula’s side went 3-0 down to Waterkloof after conceding three times before half-time. They were more resilient after the break, which pleased the coach.
“I am proud of the fact that they stayed in the game. They fought, despite the odds. In the last two quarters, we put up a fight. It was nil-nil throughout the second half. I am happy with the way they played,” he said.
In other games, DSG Makhanda won 4-2 against Garsfontein and Menlopark outplayed Brescia 8-0. St Stithians notched up two good wins, beating Bethlehem Voortrekker 3-1 and DSG Makhanda 4-0.
Meanwhile, in boys’ action, St Benedict’s and Clifton took it to each other, with the teams playing to a 2-2 draw.
St David’s Marist Inanda escaped with a narrow 2-1 victory over Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS). Earlier, PBHS edged out Glenwood in a seven-goal spectacle, winning 4-3.
Hilton College continued with their winning ways, beating Menlopark 2-0 before handing a strong St Stithians‘ side a 2-1 loss.
There are no matches on Friday and the hockey festival wraps up on Saturday, with the first match, between St David’s and Hilton, starting at 08:15. That’s followed by a showdown between Menlopark and Glenwood.
The girls’ matches start at 08:00, with DSG Makhanda taking on Menlopark, followed by Waterkloof against Springfield, and the hosts, St Stithians, against Epworth.
RESULTS
Thursday, 28 March
Boys
St Benedict’s 2-2 Clifton; Glenwood 3-4 PBHS; Menlopark 0-2 Hilton; Affies 1-0 Clifton; St David’s Marist Inanda 2-1 PBHS; Glenwood 0-1 St Benedict’s; Menlopark 3-2 St Andrew’s College; Alumni Men 8-2 Saints Invitational; St Stithians 1-2 Hilton College.
Boys 08:15 – St David’s vs Hilton; 10:00 – Menlopark vs Glenwood; 10:30 – St Stithians vs Clifton; 11:15 – Affies vs St Andrew’s College; 11:30 – St Benedict’s vs PBHS; 13:30 – Glenwood vs St David’s; 13:45 – Affies vs Hilton; 14:45 – St Benedict’s vs St Andrew’s College; 15:30 – Menlopark vs Clifton; 18:00 – St Stithians vs PBHS
Girls 08:00 –DSG Makhanda vs Menlopark; 09:00 – Waterkloof vs Springfield; 09:15 – St Stithians vs Epworth; 12:15 – Brescia vs Beaulieu; 12:30 – Bethlehem Voortrekker vs DSG Makhanda; 14:45 – Garsfontein vs Springfield; 15:45 – Menlopark vs Epworth; 16:50 – Bethlehem Voortrekker vs Waterkloof; 17:00 – St Stithians v Beaulieu; 17:45 – Brescia vs Garsfontein.
The main match on the first day of the 27th Standard Bank St John’s Easter Festival produced excitement and a tough battle as both St John’s College and Kingswood College left it all out on the field. Eventually, they had to settle for a 17-17 draw.
Both teams defended with everything they had. However, the hosts dominated the contact points and the physical battle. Captain and 8th-man, Kyle Watson, led from the front for the Johannesburg school, putting in a massive shift on defence.
St John’s placed a lot of emphasis on turning defence into attack, which ultimately resulted in both of their tries, one of which was a well-deserved reward for Watson.
Flyhalf, Joe MacRobert, showed that he not only scores runs as a cricket player, but he can score tries on the rugby field, as well. MacRobert burst through after charging down a kick to open his side’s try-scoring account.
For the visitors, MacRobert’s opposite number, Praise Matsila, was exceptional. His tactical vision and eye for space helped the men on his outside, Vizi Labase (left wing) and Likhona Kepe (outside centre) find acres of room.
Labase broke through the St John’s defences, with time nearly up on the clock to get Kingswood within two points of the hosts. Matsila’s trusty boot, under severe pressure, levelled matters to cap off a wonderful first day of rugby.
Maritzburg College came to play as they pushed Boland Landbou all the way in their 32-17 defeat in the curtain-raiser. The side from the KwaZulu-Natal capital, against all expectations, bullied a much bigger Boland Landbou pack in most facets of the game.
The deciding moment in the contest, however, came when the Boland Landbou’s Jonah Lomu look-alike, Enslin Claasen, showed a clean pair of heels to round the College defenders on the outside for a visit on the other side of the whitewash.
It seemed as if the College boys, after 60 minutes of defending, had run out of steam. Openside flank, Hans Venter, capitalised on that, running it in from his 10-metre line to put the final nail in the Red, Black and White’s coffin.
Scorers:
St John’s College 17 (17) – Tries: Joe MacRobert, Kyle Watson. Conversions: Bryson Walker (2). Penalty: Walker. Kingswood College 17 (3) – Tries: Likhona Kepe, Vizi Labase. Conversions: Praise Matsila (2). Penalty: Matsila.
Boland Landbou 32 (17) – Tries: Jayden Brits, Xavier Vorster, Enslin Claasen, Hans Verster. Conversions: Retagon van Rooi (3). Penalty Van Rooi. Maritzburg College 17 (5) – Tries: Phiwayikosi Hubheka, Luyanda Kunene, Struan Oosthuizen. Conversion: James Salvin.
Paarl Gimnasium, Monument, and Woodridge College still have a chance of going all the way in the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Festival after making it through to the Cup quarterfinals of the tournament in Cape Town on Thursday.
Those three sides finished top of their respective pools after picking up two impressive victories each on day two.
Last year’s winners, Monument, will take on an in-form Stellenberg side in their last eight fixture. Paarl Gim will face Rustenburg Girls’, and Woodridge takes on Middelburg.
Meanwhile, the remaining fixture will be contested by Outeniqua and Somerset College.
After recording a win and a draw in the first two matches of their title defence, against Belville High and Kingswood College, Monument entered day two knowing they had to win at all costs.
Coach Robin Franklin’s side kick-started their day in the best way possible, dominating proceedings to overpower Stellenbosch High 6-0. Keila Meyer, Danike Redpath, Lanali van der Merwe, Shawna Botha, and Hannah Smyth, with a brace, sealed the win for the Krugersdorp side.
Later in the day, they defeated another Western Cape side, outscoring Wynberg Girls’ 3-1. Smyth struck twice again, while Marseille Nel also got her name on the score sheet.
Woodridge were accurate in front of the goal and that accuracy landed the Eastern Cape side a quarterfinal spot.
They scored a total of eight goals on Thursday – four against both DF Malan and Pro-Ed Akademie.
Against DF, it was Anna Kirsten, Jemma Maartens, Georgia Kilfoil, and Daniella Smith on the score sheet. Then, it was the turn of Reece Foreman, Emilee Tinderholm, and Dane Strydom, who grabbed a pair, against Pro-Ed.
The Paarl Gimnasium girls, just like their male counterparts, have appeared to be a cut above the rest during the festival, and Thursday was no different.
They never got out of first gear but still beat Hoërskool Rustenburg 1-0. They followed that up with a 3-0 victory over Windhoek Gymnasium to finish atop Pool D.
Among the fixtures on the third day of the festival will be Hudson Park against DF Malan in one of the Plate quarterfinals.
Stirling High will contest the Shield quarterfinals, where they will take on Hoërskool Rustenburg. After missing out on the top spot in their pool, Fairmont meets Durbanville in the other Plate quarterfinal, while Kingswood and York are set to meet in the Shield category.
The Cup quarterfinals will be played at Hartleyvale A and B astro turfs and start as early as 11:30.
Pool A Middelburg 8-0 Hugenote
Hudson Park 3-0 Curro Durbanville
Hugenote 2-1 Private School Swakopmund
Hudson Park 8-0 Private School Swakopmund
Middelburg 6-0 Curro Durbanville
Pool B Bridge House 1-1 Redhill
Woodridge College 4-0 DF Malan
Bridge House 2-1 Pro-Ed Akademie
Woodridge College 4-0 Pro-Ed Akademie
DF Malan 0-0 Redhill
Pool C Hoërskool Nelspruit 1-0 Hermanus
Rustenburg 3-1 Stirling High
Hermanus 4-0 St George’s Diocesan
Stirling High 6-0 St George’s Diocesan
Rustenburg 4-0 Hoërskool Nelspruit
Pool D Paarl Gimnasium 1-0 Hoërskool Rustenburg
The Settlers 2-0 Oudtshoorn
Paarl Gimnasium 3-0 Windhoek Gymnasium
Oudtshoorn 0-3 Windhoek Gymnasium
The Settlers 2-2 Hoërskool Rustenburg
Pool E Hoërskool Eldoraigne 1-0 La Rochelle
Fairmont 1-1 Outeniqua
Worcester Gymnasium 2-1 La Rochelle
Outeniqua 3-1 Worcester Gymnasium
Fairmont 1-1 Hoërskool Eldoraigne
Pool F Somerset College 5-0 Penryn College
Durbanville 1-0 Hoërskool Punt
Somerset College 10-0 Hoërskool Robertson
Hoërskool Robertson 2-4 Hoërskool Punt
Durbanville 4-0 Penryn College
Pool G Monument 6-0 Stellenbosch High
Wynberg Girls’ 2-0 Kingswood College
Belville 0-0 Stellenbosch
Belville 0-0 Kingswood College
Monument 3-1 Wynberg Girls’
Pool H Northcliff High 4-0 Strand
Stellenberg 5-0 York High
Langenhoven Gimnasium 2-1 Strand
York High 2-0 Langenhoven Gimnasium
Stellenberg 1-0 Northcliff
Fixtures on the Hartleyvale A Astro
Friday, 29 March
08:00 – Hudson Park vs DF Malan; 10:20 – Fairmont vs Durbanville; 11:30 – Middelburg vs Woodridge; 13:50 – Outeniqua vs Somerset College; 16:10 – Semi-final 1 (Girls); 18:30 – Semi-final 2 (Girls).
Saturday, 30 March
08:00 – Super Bowl Final (Girls); 09:10 – Super Bowl Final (Boys); 10:20 – Shield Final (Girls); 11:30 – Shield Final (Boys); 12:40 – Plate Final (Girls); 13:50 – Plate Final (Boys); 15:00 – 3rd/4th place-playoff (Girls); 16:10 –3rd/4th place-playoff (Boys); 17:20 – Final (Girls); 18:30 – Final (Boys); 19:40 – Prize Giving
Epworth School, after going down 3-0 to Garsfontein on Wednesday, fought their way to a 4-1 win over Brescia House in their first game on day two of the Saints Sports Festival at St Stithians College, in Sandton.
