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Northwood ended the 2024 season in style, pulling off a three-peat when they won the Gushkie Top Schools tournament by defeating the hosts, Grey College, on their home turf, in the final. It was a perfect way to close out a season that had gone from strength to strength.

Justin Collins’ charges, who went unbeaten at the Gushkie tournament, enjoyed a sneakily good season. Not many have recognised just how well Northwood did. They won 17 of their 25 matches, drew six, and lost only two. Their last loss was in April when they went 0-1 down to Clifton College in a closely contested tie.

The James Read-captained side followed that loss with a draw away to Kearsney College at Botha’s Hill on a mist-enveloped night. However, the Knights did not completely find their mojo until they locked horns with Jeppe.

“We had drawn a lot of games up until then, but when we scored some clinical goals it gave us more momentum to play better hockey for longer phases. We managed to get over the line a lot easier and put bigger shifts in,” Collins explained.

He rated his side’s 3-1 win over Jeppe as one of the best games they executed during the 2024 season. He watched them playing the brand of hockey he envisioned, and they scored some terrific goals. That victory deepened Jessop and his teammates’ connection. Jeppe had come into the match with a healthy record against the Durban school.

“It’s always nice to play against a top side like Jeppe, especially with the [strong] record they have against us,” Collins said back in April.

That performance was in the same league as their performance against Maritzburg College on Northwood’s Old Boys’ Day. In that encounter, Northwood rallied to come back from 0-1 down to clinch a 2-1 victory, thanks to two late goals. The victory over College was on brand; the Knights are in the business of pleasing their old boys.

“Another memorable one was our Gushkie final match against Grey College,” Collins said. “The boys put on a polished performance. All the players stepped up and made it count when needed. We just clicked into gear and got the result we needed.

“It was a special way to end the season because we went with a younger team but still managed to send the matrics off on a good note. The younger players stepped up and made it count. That helps us with momentum for next year,” he added.

Northwood’s younger players raising their game at the Gushkie tournament was a good sign for the future and it showed Collins that there was continuity in the ranks. His focus for the 2025 season will be on developing consistency.

Reflecting on the Knights’ performances in 2024, he said: “We showed a lot of promise this year. Losing only two games shows what we are capable of.

“We need to be fitter earlier and have more match practice to ensure we don’t have as many draws. I also need to work a lot with my strikers and penalty corner specialists for next year because if get that right we can be more effective in the new season.”

Om die hoogste telling vir ‘n erkende krieketskool soos Hoërskool Waterkloof aan te teken, en dit boonop as Graad 8-leerder in die o.14-ouderdomsgroep, dui op ‘n rooskleurige toekoms.

Daar blyk geen keer aan Klofies se o.14-span en nog minder die kolftalent van Liam Breedt en Juan Swart te wees nie.

Die twee seuns het Pretoria aan die gons na ongelooflike vertonings met die kolf in hul laaste drie wedstryde. Dit is ook danksy hierdie duo dat Klofies se o.14’s hul laaste drie teenstanders met gemak uit die pad gevee het.

Breedt, wat sy krieketvoete by Laerskool Randhart in Alberton gevind het, spog met die gesogte kroon as rekordhouer vir die hoogste telling nóg vir die Pretoriaanse skool.

Die o.14-openingskolwer het Maandag die kersie op die koek geplaas met ‘n meesterlike 241 nie uit nie, in ‘n ligakragmeting met Hoërskool Centurion. Dié ongelooflike beurt het 27 viere en sewe sesse ingesluit.

Breedt het sy lopietog ‘n week vroeër van stapel gestuur deur die Klofies se eerste 200-tal sedert 2017 te moker, teen Sutherland High School. Die vorige speler wat dié mylpaal kon bereik was Christian du Toit, wat nou sy kriekettalent by Tuks skaaf.

Asof dit nie spesiaal genoeg was nie, het Breedt se kolfvennoot, Juan Swart besluit hy wil ook deel in die feestelikheid en in dieselfde wedstryd een lopie meer aangeteken om met ‘n onoorwonne 201 te pronk. Swart het sy liefde vir krieket by Bryanston Parallel Medium  in Johannesburg begin uitleef.

Dié twee se beurte het die Klofies na ‘n reuse totaal van 658/3 aangevuur, wat ook die hoogste telling in Waterkloof se geskiedenis is.

In die wedstryd teen die Woeries, was Swart ook in ‘n omgekrapte bui om ‘n aggressiewe 188 lopies van slegs 73 aflewerings te moker. Dié pragbeurt het 16 sesse en 12 viere ingesluit.

Breedt en Swart was ook aan die spits van die oorwinning met 213 lopies oor Pretoria Boys High. Breedt het die aanslag met 90 lopies gelei, terwyl Swart weer ‘n haastige 62 aangeteken het. Dit het die duo se gesamentlike bydra met die kolf na 982 lopies in drie wedstryde geneem, 61.7% van die gesamentlike 1590 lopies wat die Klofies as span kon aanteken.

Om sake selfs indrukwekkender te maak het die jong aanvangsbouler, Johan Liebenberg, sy pond vleis geëis deur, saam met sy tweeling broer, Jordaan Liebenberg, wat in dieselfde span speel, 14 paaltjies in dié drie wedstryde te neem. Eersgenoemde spog met twee vertonings van vyf paaltjies elk en een van vier.

“Dit is ‘n spesiale groep seuns hierdie; almal beskik oor ongelooflike kriekettalent en daar lê nog groot dinge vir elkeen van hulle voor,” het die span se afrigter, Ruan Sadler, gesê. Sadler is ook in beheer van die Klofies se junior krieketstrukture, waar hy reeds vir ‘n geruime tyd uitstekende werk verrig.

Beknopte telkaarte:

Waterkloof o.14 658/3 (Juan Swart 201*, Liam Breedt 200*, Wian Joubert 106*, Zian Maritz 88, Ekstras 32; Muneer Solomons 1/116); Sutherland High School 2de XI 47/9 (Ahmed Chaya 16; Johan Liebenberg 5/7, Divan Roos 3/4). Waterkloof o.14 wen met 611 lopies.

Waterkloof o.14 370/6 (Liam Breedt 90, Rian Klopper 73*, Wian Joubert 68, Juan Swart 62, Jordaan Liebenberg 27, Johan Liebenberg 20*; Joshua Kleynhans 3/51, Ewan Coleman 2/105); Pretoria Boys High o.14 157 (Joshua Kleynhans 39, Ekstras 26, Lehako Mokoena 24, Matthew Ehlers 22*; Johan Liebenberg 4/23). Waterkloof o.14 wen met 213 lopies.

Waterkloof o.14 562/3 (Liam Breedt 241*, Juan Swart 188, Zian Maritz 69, Wian Joubert 35, Ekstras 26; Christian Pietersen 1/55); Hoërskool Centurion 122 (Keagan Owen 39, Eben Kotze 22, Gian Grobler 20; Johan Liebenberg 5/25, Juan Swart 2/7). Waterkloof o.14 wen met 440 lopies.

Maritzburg College plays host to the annual Nashua Sevens on Saturday, with eight u18 and four u15 teams in action.

The three previous Sevens events in KZN – the Saints, Glenwood, and Durban High School (DHS) Sevens – have featured u17 teams, so it will be interesting to see if the shift to the u18 age group leads to a different outcome.

Based on the two previous events, the teams to watch are DHS and Westville, with the Horseflies capturing the DHS Sevens last weekend, thanks to a 26-12 win over the Griffin in the final, and Westville winning the Glenwood Sevens, thanks to a 12-7 defeat of DHS in that final.

DHS hunts fantastically as a team, with much of their success coming from the pressure they generate on the opposition, and their ability to finish opportunities when they force turnovers.

Westville, meanwhile, possesses some of the most exciting runners in the game. They’re a nuggetty defensive unit, too, which is one of the reasons they’ve won three tournaments this season: the Clifton Sevens, the Saints Sevens, and the Glenwood Sevens.

While DHS and Westville are good bets to go all the way, never count out Maritzburg College on Goldstone’s, whether it be the 15-man game or sevens. Last season, they lifted their game for the Nashua Sevens but were narrowly pipped in the u18 final, going down 10-12 to Northwood. Their u15 side, however, beat Michaelhouse 24-16 to claim the honours in their age group.

‘House will pose a serious challenge. They’ve played some good sevens this season. Just a touch more consistency and they’ll be in the mix for the title. Their arch-rivals, Hilton College, have struggled a little for form, but they have the ability to pull off an upset or two.

College’s city neighbours, St Charles, has some outstanding sevens’ players. If they include their u18 players, they’re a dark horse title contender, no doubt.

Glenwood, after a tough season, has made a impressive transition to sevens. Both their u17 and u15 teams made the Cup semi-finals in the Glenwood and DHS Sevens, with the u15s going on to contest the Glenwood final. They’re fit, hard, and skilled. Beware the Green Machine! Like Saints, they’re a dark horse that bears watching.

FIXTURES

u15

08:40 – Maritzburg College vs Michaelhouse
09:00 – Glenwood vs College 7s
10:40 – Maritzburg College vs College 7s
11:00 – Glenwood vs Michaelhouse
12:40 – Maritzburg College vs Glenwood
13:00 – Michaelhouse vs College 7s

14:40 – Final

u18

09:20 – Maritzburg College vs Glenwood
09:40 – Westville vs Hilton
10:00 – Michaelhouse vs St Charles
10:20 – DHS vs College 7s
11:20 – Glenwood vs Hilton
11:40 – Maritzburg College vs Westville
12:00 – Michaelhouse vs DHS
12:20 – St Charles vs College 7s
13:20 – Maritzburg College vs Hilton
13:40 – Glenwood vs Westville
14:00 – Michaelhouse vs College 7s
14:20 – St Charles vs DHS

15:15 – Final

Ten more rounds remain in the Gauteng Development League and Tshwane is well-represented near the top of the log standings of the under-19 division with Mamelodi Sundowns (3rd place) and SuperSport United (4th place) still in contention for the 2024 honours.

While Sundowns has slipped from the top spot, SuperSport United has steadily climbed the ladder and moved into the top five of the standings.

Last season, Matsatsantsa posted 16 victories in 34 matches. This season, after 25 games, they’ve already collected 12 wins.

Their most notable result was in their most recent outing, a 4-0 thrashing of their neighbours, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the Tshwane derby.

The man behind the success of the young team is coach Tumelo Ndaba, who masterminded their title-winning run in the GDL Top Eight at the beginning of the year.

Ndaba, in an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, said their victory over Sundowns had a lot to do with his players’ hunger to do well against their formidable neighbours.

Also, the fact that the fixture was played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, where the SuperSport United senior team plays its Premier Soccer League games, provided the players with added motivation to conquer the Brazilians.

“Playing at Lucas Moripe,  that in itself was a big motivation factor,” Ndaba said. “When you’re playing Sundowns, you don’t need to motivate the players much because my boys are friends with the Sundowns boys – obviously because we are in the same city, so they want to do well against their peers.

“Playing against Sundowns is a test. We get to gauge where we are as an academy. We get to test the development of our players, the mentality and technical aspects.

“That fixture tells us how far we are in terms of our internal goals, not only as an under-19 team but as an academy, because what happens at the top usually reflects what is happening in the lower divisions,” he added. 

At the core of Ndaba’s philosophy, which has helped United maintain its reputation as a talent factory in the South African football space, is effectiveness. It’s something he demands in all aspects of the game.

The SuperSport United coach wants his players to play in a way that leads to goals, victories and trophies, and not worry too much about entertaining the crowds in attendance.

It’s an unusual viewpoint in South African football, with many local coaches focussing heavily on the entertainment factor, which has, for decades, been at the centre of the culture of South African football. Ndaba believes United’s focus has played an important role in the team’s success.

“I need players that have good character, players who are strong mentally,” Ndaba said. “My boys must be comfortable on the ball and able to dominate possession constructively, which means you must be effective as a player.   

“You must be able to create goals, stop them, and assist the forwards if you are playing in the midfield. I’m looking for effective players more than players who are playing for the crowd.”  

This week, Ndaba has the log leaders in his sights as he takes his SuperSport United side to Naturena for a showdown with the Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs.

Ndaba wants his players to reflect on their victory over Sundowns and to give their all against Chiefs. “Playing against Chiefs is something else, especially when you have played Sundowns the week prior,” the coach admitted.

“We are going in with the same mentality that we had against Sundowns. We have to win each and every game that we play, no matter what, especially at the under-19 level because that’s where their futures will be decided in terms of whether or not they will make it in football.

“We want to do well when we go to Naturena. Chiefs are a good team and are very competitive. They won the Engen Knockout, which simply means they are playing well at the moment.

“I want my boys to do their best like they did in our last game.

“There’s the SuperSport Schools app now, which also helps them to go back to their past performances and review them, and look to improve. Before we never had that luxury,” he concluded. 

Under 19 Fixtures

Kaizer Chiefs vs SuperSport United
Randburg AFC vs East Rand Athletic Club
Panorama FC vs Remember Elite Sport Academy
NWU Vaal FC vs Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
Mamelodi Sundowns vs School of Excellence
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Sevens Academy
Jomo Cosmos vs TS Galaxy
Joburg City vs Tuks
Highlands Park vs Wits Junior

After a challenging start to their hockey season, the Wynberg Boys’ High first hockey team played themselves into form and finished off their campaign with a string of stirring victories.

During the week, coach Ben Wiley’s boys outplayed Fairmont High 6-1. Then, on Friday night, in their final outing on the Astro of Dreams, they put DF Malan to the sword, romping to a 7-0 victory over the visitors.

Putting it all together in their final outing, Ethan Lee, Ethan Daniels, and Beni Hansen all delivered goals for Wynberg, while Dayle Gertson and Zach Gibbon doubled up, bagging a brace each.

Those wins came after a disappointing 0-5 defeat against their southern suburbs rivals, South African College High School (SACS), the week before, which was a rare blip in an outstanding second half of the season.

Before that clash, Wiley’s boys had been in superb form and they had, arguably, ended 2024 as the second-best team behind SACS in the south of the city.

Their form picked up in term three when action resumed after the SASHOC National Weeks.

On the first weekend, Wynberg had a bye, but they put their time to good use and were on song in a convincing 4-0 midweek win over the UK’s Repton School.

Then, on the weekend that followed, they welcomed Paarl Gimnasium, the winners of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament, to their home turf. Wiley’s boys hit their straps, coming away with a convincing 4-2 win, courtesy of goals from the skipper Jordan Paulsen, Seth Trantraal, Zac Gibbon, and Dayyaan Brown.

The following week, Wynberg was set an important task of trying to level their season’s series against Bishops Diocesan College. In the sides’ first meeting, it was coach Ryan Julius’s team that had claimed an impressive 3-0 win over their rivals at the Woodlands AstroTurf.

Since that defeat, however, a lot had changed and Wynberg was now playing some of its best hockey of the season. They were intent on avenging that loss against a Bishops team that had lost its way after a searing start to their 2024 campaign.

Wynberg duly reversed their earlier loss and claimed a victory they desperately sought, with Paulsen and company outscoring their opponents 3-1. Liam Kleintjies netted the opener before the captain stole the spotlight by scoring twice in the second half.

As the season wound towards its conclusion, Wynberg added another southern suburbs’ scalp, scoring a narrow 1-0 win over Rondebosch Boys’ High.

Ahead of them lay the toughest challenge of their season, a meeting with an in-form SACS team, rated by many as the best side in South Africa, at The Brewery.

When the sides had clashed earlier in the season, Wynberg had held their own, going down just 0-1. On this occasion, though, playing away from home, they were overrun, with SACS storming to a 5-0 victory.

Wynberg needed to quickly put that result behind them as their last two matches approached. They did that, scoring 13 goals and conceding only once in their last two matches.

“The boys gelled in the second half of the season and, except for the SACS result, it was very positive,” Wiley told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“The start of this week was flat due to the SACS loss, but the boys rallied nicely and put the focus on the matrics’ last games as inspiration.”

Wiley identified one of the main reasons for his side’s third-term spurt, explaining: “The guys who came back from IPT came back to school hungry and ready to work hard for the badge. They added so much more to the team environment.”

Friday’s big win over DF Malan was the last outing for Wynberg’s grade 12 learners – Dayle Gertson, Ethan Lee, Jordan Paulsen, Zach Raizenberg, Dayyaan Brown, Beni Hansen, Caleb Schilder, and Liam Kleintjies – and they made sure they signed off in style to bring the curtain down on a 2024 campaign that saw the team playing to its potential in the latter stages of the season.

The Curro Thatchfeld Cup produced one tightly contested game after another on Saturday as the leading teams in the competition went head-to-head for the silverware in front of a large crowd at the Pretoria school.

Relive the event on SuperSport Schools.

In the u19 girls’ event, Curro Hazeldean took on Curro Soshanguve for a place in the final. In the only decisive victory of the playoffs, it was Hazeldean who advanced, winning 3-0 to book a meeting with The King’s School Linbro Park for the title.

Kings faced a challenging path to the title decider. Their clash with Curro Academy Pretoria finished 0-0 after regulation time, which meant a penalty shootout would decide who moved on. Kings Linbro then claimed a 5-3 victory from the spot to set up a showdown with Curro Hazeldean.

In the decisive confrontation between Curro Hazeldean and Kings Linbro, it was, again, tight as could be, and neither team mustered a goal in regulation time. Penalties were needed to decide the champions.

Kings Linbro had triumphed from the spot in the semi-finals, but their luck ran out in the final as Curro Hazeldean snatched a narrow 5-4 win to capture the champions’ title.

The boys’ semi-finals pitted the hosts, Curro Thatchfield, against Greenside High and goals were again hard to come by. Curro, though, scored the only one of the contest to advance to the final where they took on Lyttelton Manor, who had ousted Curro Soshanguve in the final four, also by a 1-0 margin.

On a day in which there was little to separate the contenders, the winning score was again 1-0 as Curro Thatchfield delighted their home supporters with a winning performance.

U19 Girls

Semi 1: Curro Soshanguve 0-3 Curro Hazeldean
Semi 2: Curro Academy Pretoria (3) 0-0 (5) Kings Linbro Park
Final: Curro Hazeldean (5) 0-0 (4) Kings Linbro Park

U19 Boys

Semi 1: Curro Thatchfield 1-0 Greenside High
Semi 2: Curro Soshanguve 0-1 Lyttelton Manor
Final: Curro Thatchfield 1-0 Lyttelton Manor

St Charles College made short work of the KZN Tuskers Combined Hub team in an Eston One Insurance High Schools’ T20 Night League match on Tuesday evening, cruising to a 10-wicket victory with 9.4 overs in hand.

Batting first, the Hub XI struggled to build momentum during their innings and, when it was all done, they had batted at just above four runs an over to reach 84/6.

Wian Oelofson stood out for his late contribution of 19 not out, the top score of the innings, which came from 15 balls and included a six and a four.

The Saints’ bowlers, meanwhile, enjoyed economical spells, with Cian Fortmann the most successful bowler, picking up 2/8 in two overs. The other four wickets were shared between four bowlers, with captain Marcell Wellmann doing an excellent job with his left-arm spin to snare 1/1 from two overs.

Connor Riley and Cian Fortmann then powered St Charles to victory, with Fortmann taking the attack to the Tuskers Combined Hub XI and Riley providing solid support.

Fortmann bashed an unbeaten 55 from only 37 deliveries, cracking one six and seven fours, while Riley sent two balls to the boundary as he tallied 28 not out from 27 balls.

Saints, the defending champions, were beaten by Maritzburg College in their first match, going down by six wickets. Their big win on Tuesday would have come as a welcome injection of confidence.

On Monday, Hilton College edged out Michaelhouse, with an enterprising late innings outburst carrying them to a two-wicket victory.

Scores

KZN Tuskers Combined Hub XI 84/6 (W. Oelofson 19*, S. Ngcobo 16, C. Fortmann 2/8, M. Wellmann 1/1); St Charles College 85/0 (C. Fortmann 55*, C. Riley 28*)

St Charles won by 10 wickets

The South African sprinter Viwe Jingqi qualified for the 100m women’s final at the World u20 Championship during the opening day in Lima, Peru. She is a former pupil of the Tuks Sports School in Pretoria.

She finished third in her semi-final in a time of 11.49 seconds to qualify for the final as one of the fastest athletes outside of the automatic qualification. If she runs near her best time this season of 11.22 she will be a contender for a medal.

In the heats, Jingqi ran the 10th fastest qualifying time when she blitzed over the finish line in 11.61 seconds. Randburg’s Kaili Botje (11.92) just missed out on a place in the next round of this event.

The South African 4x400m relay team didn’t make the final but produced a season-best performance when they finished in three minutes and 27.86 seconds. The quartet consisted of Kryn Romlin, Colene Scheepers (Menlopark), Sihle Mahlangu (Potchefstroom Gimnasium) and Naledi Makgatha (Vorentoe).

Carise van Rooyen (Voortrekker, Bethlehem) secured a spot in the next round of the women’s 800m in a time of two minutes and 7.51 seconds. Another South African Izandri Jacobs (Montana, 2:12.15) just missed out.

Affies’ Timeke Coetzee (5.49m) just missed out on a place in the long jump final for women. Alicia Khunou of Menlopark also did well with a 45.68m attempt in the qualifying round for women’s discus. She however also missed out on a spot in the final round.

Sydney Rothman (Paarl Girls’ High) participated in the pole vault and sailed over the bar at 3.60m with her best attempt.

Emile Witbooi, the Midfielder and Player of the Tournament at the Cape Town Engen Cup Tournament in June, has been included in Cape Town City’s roster for the 2024/25 Premier Soccer League (PSL) sponsored by Betway Premiership.

The talented 15-year-old will don the number 50 jersey as he continues to captivate football enthusiasts across South Africa, just eight months after Cape Town City revealed that he had joined them from the Transnet School of Excellence.

Witbooi is the son of former Cape Town Spurs player, Bradley Ralani, who recorded 104 appearances for the Blue and Gold Army from 2018 to 2022.

Ralani was also with Mamelodi Sundowns, where he became a fan favourite, making 18 appearances during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, before departing the club to the surprise of many supporters.

From a very young age, Emile Witbooi has represented South Africa at youth level.

He also played in the highly competitive Gauteng Development League (GDL), widely regarded as one of the most advanced development leagues in Africa. The competition showcases premier talent from Gauteng’s professional clubs, including Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, and TS Galaxy, as well as esteemed academies, like Remember Elite Sports Academy (RESA).

In recent friendly matches against Lesotho, played at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus, Witbooi was one of the key players for the South African u17 national team. He helped the side to successive victories by 4-0 and 3-1 margins, and was on the score sheet.

Witbooi will again be in action for the SA national side at the u17 Fifa TDS Six Nations Tournament, which will be played in Côte d’Ivoire from 2-7 September.

In July, SuperSport reported that Cape Town City FC had extended an invitation to the 15-year-old to train with the first team after representing the club in the Multichoice Diski Challenge. That invitation recognised Witbooi’s potential and opened up the possibility that he could follow in his father’s footsteps in the near future.

The club’s decision to include Witbooi at first team level is significant as South African professional teams have historically been reluctant to grant young players opportunities, which has not reflected well on the state of football in the country.

Typically, in South Africa, players aged 24, or even as old as 26 are still considered young prospects, which is in stark contrast to the practices seen in European and South American football.

It is a balancing act: presenting players with an opportunity to develop while also safeguarding them from too much public scrutiny.

In recent years, a promising shift has begun taking root, with South African clubs making bold decisions to offer contracts to younger players while integrating them into the squads. Relebohile Mofokeng, aged 19, has made a significant impact at Orlando Stadium in the colours of the Buccaneers, while coach Gavin Hunt, of SuperSport United, has provided opportunities for young talents like Shandre Campbell, also 19, who has since moved to Club Brugge, and currently plays for Club NXT in the Challenger Pro League, the second tier of Belgian football.

Witnooi will be guided by the esteemed coach Eric Tinkler who possesses extensive knowledge of South African football, having played both domestically and internationally. A hard-tackling midfielder, Tinkler earned 45 caps for Bafana Bafana and was a key contributor to the South African national team’s victorious 1996 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.