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Hoërskool Garsfontein‘s massive forward pack picked up where they left off in 2024 by taking Jeppe High School for Boys‘ Collard Field by storm on Saturday, in Johannesburg.

Relive all the action on SuperSport School – (www.supersportschools.com)

The Bere‘s forwards laid the foundation for a solid start to their season, seeing the side from Pretoria to a 26-18 victory.

Three of the four tries Garsfontein scored came from their big men. They dominated the scrums, thanks to a strong outing from their tighthead prop, Luan van den Bergh, which led to the visitors imposing themselves on the home side.

They employed a strong driving maul to get themselves onto the front foot, especially from lineouts. That’s how hooker, Justin Blom, got himself onto the score sheet, diving over from a rumbling maul.

His locks, JJ Fourie and Wihan Bezuidenhout, were exceptional. Both stood out with their versatility in broken play, with Bezuidenhout, especially, stealing the spotlight with a thundering run through the midfield from 50 metres out to score beneath the posts.

Garsies will also exhibit a sharper cutting edge when their dangerous backline gets over their season-opening jitters.

Grady Ngui, Jeppe’s blindside flanker showed his class and experience. His energetic defence and powerful runs on attack kept the visitors busy for the entire 70 minutes and his performance was rewarded with one of Jeppe’s two tries. The other was scored by the flying left wing, Joel Akilo, who benefitted from enthusiastically chasing a well-executed kick-off from fly-half, Nehema Hollenbach.

The Jeppe number 10 enjoyed a good day from the kicking tee, slotting a conversion and two penalties, including one from just inside the Garsfontein half.

Michaelhouse made Helpmekaar Kollege work hard for their 17-10 victory in Balgowan, but they were ultimately done in by Helpies‘ classy handling skills in broken play.

Flyhalf Stefan Moolman opened the home side’s account with a penalty after Francois Tonkin went over in the right-hand corner 20 minutes into the contest to break open the deadlock.

Fullback Alex Jankowitz responded with a try for ‘House in Helpmekaar’s left-hand corner after a sweeping move from the right flank to the left. Moolman slotted the challenging conversion from out wide to hand the home side a 10-5 lead at the break. To add to his good performance with the boot, Moolman was also exceptional in directing traffic with his keen vision on attack.

An abundance of possession enjoyed by the visitors and the class and experience of centres, Clinton Cloete and Ty Ax, halted Michaelhouse’s momentum.

Cloete was a standout on defence, making an astonishing 16 tackles, while Ax kept the home side guessing with his prowess on attack. He was, eventually, rewarded with a try, which sealed a victory for the visitors and a winning start to the 2025 season.

Points Scorers

Garsfontein 26 (12) – Tries: Drewyn Baron, Wihan Bezuidenhout, JJ Fourie, Justin Blom. Conversions: Joshua Gouws (3). Jeppe High School for Boys 18 (12) – Tries: Joel Akilo, Grady Ngui. Coversion: Nehemia Hollenbach. Penalties: Hollenbach (2).

Helpmekaar Kollege 17 (5) – Tries: Francois Tonkin, Liam Devenier, Ty Ax. Conversion: Wian Storm. Michaelhouse 10 (10) – Try: Alex Jankowitz. Conversion: Stefan Moolman. Penalty: Moolman.

Other teams

u.16: Jeppe 33, Garsontein 33; Michaelhouse 29, Helpmekaar 22.

u.15: Garsfontein 17, Jeppe 0; Helpmekaar 27, Michaelhouse 19.

u.14: Garsfontein 24, Jeppe 0; Helpmekaar 31, Michaelhouse 12.

Westville Boys’ High hosted Clifton College on Friday for both schools’ first matches of the 2025 hockey season.

While the Griffin won the age group games, it was Clifton that came away with a 2-1 victory in the clash of the 1^st XIs.

After a goalless first chukka, the deadlock was broken early in the second quarter by a turnover high up the field, which put Byron Ward in the clear and he finished from close range to put the visitors in front.

Then, with only seven seconds remaining in the first half, Westville won a penalty corner and Declan Boynton struck to make it 1-1 at the break.

Early in the second half, Clifton went ahead again, with vice-captain Jason Adams supplying the finish.

He and the skipper, Zach Williamson, helped Clifton control the midfield, which went a long way towards securing the win for coach Calvin Price‘s charges.

They also worked hard and effectively on defence, which made it a tough slog for Westville to break through and create clear-cut scoring chances.

Reflecting on that aspect of his team’s performance, Price told SuperSport Schools Plus after the contest: “We have worked a lot on our recoveries. That’s the most important thing, the hard yards off the ball. All in all, it was a very good performance by all of them.”

Clifton went into the contest without their best player, SA u17 star Ryde Brissett, who is set to undergo shoulder surgery and has, unfortunately, been ruled out for the season. Still, they have lost only four players from last year’s team that was good enough to score wins over Durban High School (DHS) and Northwood, teams that enjoyed very strong seasons.

Westville, by contrast, is a younger side, and that showed as they took a while to settle.

“We don’t have the most experienced team this year, so it’s a little bit of a trickier one,” Westville coach Cam Mackay said. “We’ve usually got dominant centre-backs, and we’ve got two new centre-backs. That’s a tricky one to start with.”

That was not a criticism of the performance of the Westville centre-backs. Rather, it was a tip of the hat to last year’s pair, Owen Slack and Nicolas Ackerman, who were experienced and very effective at controlling the ball movement and distribution from the back.

The inexperience of the Westville team showed itself, though, as Mackay pointed out: “I think we lacked a little bit of confidence at times. And our passing in the midfield was not great.

“We let ourselves down in small moments. We missed traps here and there. We were getting turned over in the midfield way too much. Then, when we did get the chances up front, our execution at penalty corner (PC) time [wasn’t there]. That’s one of our big positives this year. We’ve got good flickers.”

In the first match of the season, though, the Westville penalty corner strikers were unable to make their mark on the contest. “We have a good PC team. If we scored a PC and we ended at 2-2, it would have been easier to take.

“It’s not the end of the world at all. Small moments make a big difference,” Mackay said philosophically.

Clifton coach Calvin Price, understandably, had more reasons to feel optimistic about his team’s performance: “I don’t mind a victory first game in,” he said with a smile.

“We’re a bit rusty. Overall, though, the idea was to be simple, effective, and basic. The first chukka wasn’t our greatest, but we got better as we got into the game. Nerves showed. We had four debutants, but they showed their worth.

“I’m very happy with the first game, I hope we now take it further.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Clifton’s win was their work rate, which stayed strong from the first whistle to the last.

“We’ve worked hard on our fitness.” Price said. “They’ve had three sessions a week from January right through [until now], and we have a new pod system we’re using, so we’re putting a lot of emphasis on conditioning.”

With different levels of experience, the sides carry different expectations further into the season.

“I said to them in the beginning, we have set high expectations for ourselves this year. We want to be one of the best around, and to win like that was a good start for us. I think we can only get better,” Price shared.

“We’re looking forward to this season. That’s why we put a lot into the off-season, to make sure we’re good to go.”

Mackay’s aspirations were more measured. “We know we’re not going to be challenging everyone this year,” he said, “but we’re trying to be the hardest working team, and we’re trying to be a good team on the counter.

“We’ve tried to not put too much of an expectation on the side. We know it is going to be a bit of a rebuild this season, which is important.”

After an impressive showing at the Balling Festival, in Bethlehem, last weekend, St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, secured their first piece of silverware of the 2025 hockey season by winning the Spar Highway Regional Finals, the first stage of the Spar KZN Hockey Challenge, at Curro Hillcrest, on Saturday.

The victory secured St Mary’s a place in the Grand Final, which takes place at St Mary’s, in July, where they will defend the title they lifted last year against the winners of the other KZN regions.

Nolwazi Nkabinde, the St Mary’s coach, after her team’s exploits at the Balling Festival, which included wins over Oranje and Eunice, said her team’s goal was to write its own history and to leave footprints on the hockey landscape. Saturday’s victory was a positive step in that regard.

Seven teams took to Curro’s turf, competing in a round-robin before the finalists were decided. St Mary’s met Kloof High for the title and scored a comfortable 3-0 win.

The other teams in action were Curro Hillcrest, Hillcrest High School, Thomas More College, Waterfall College, and Westville Girls’ High School. The Spar KZN Hockey Challenge is now in its 15th year and St Mary’s has dominated the competition in the Highway region, although Westville Girls’ High has also previously lifted the regional crown.

Nkabinde’s charges were in great form on Saturday. They looked comfortable on the ball, but let it do the work, moving it smoothly and effectively using the flanks ed as they pulled and stretched their opposition’s defences. They finished well, too, which led to many convincing victories.

St Mary’s began their campaign with an impressive 5-0 win over Hillcrest High and did not look back, winning all six of their round-robin matches, during which they scored 23 goals and conceded only one.

They also registered the biggest possible margin of victory with a 7-0 walloping of Waterfall College. The tournament rules cap the most goals allowed to be scored by a team at seven.

Kloof High, on the other hand, won four of their six encounters, which included a loss to St Mary’s and a 0-0 draw with Thomas More. They finished the round-robin stage with 17 points, three clear of Thomas More, who ended in third place with 14 points after scoring three wins and two draws.

They were involved in a pair of draws – against Curro and Kloof High -, which were the only games that finished level on Saturday. Hillcrest High round off the top teams with eight points from their six matches.

The Spar Hockey Challenge train pulls in at Durban Girls’ College on Sunday. 9 March. The hosts, who will be the favourites for the title, will compete against Durban Girls’ High School, Inanda Seminary, INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu Schools), Maris Stella, and St Henry’s School for the Durban Central Regional title.

RESULTS

Round-robin

Curro 0-1 Kloof High
Waterfall College 0-3 Hillcrest High
Thomas More 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
St Mary’s DSG 5-0 Hillcrest High
Kloof High 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Waterfall College 0-1 Thomas More
St Mary’s DSG 3-1 Kloof High
Curro 3-0 Waterfall College
Hillcrest 0-1 Thomas More
Waterfall College 0-7 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 1-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Curro
Waterfall College 0-1 Westville Girls’ High
Hillcrest High 0-1 Kloof High
Curro 0-4 St Mary’s DSG
Kloof High 4-0 Waterfall College
St Mary’s DSG 1-0 Thomas More
Curro 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Kloof High
Westville Girls’ High 0-3 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 0-1 Curro

Final

St Mary’s DSG 3-0 Kloof High

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

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 – don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via e-mail at netball@superschoolsnews.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.

You can also submit a result via our website – Submit Result.

All the Results:

NWU SPORT SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66288″]

NWU PRESTIGE SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66289″]

Catch all the action live from around the country on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

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 email us via e-mail at rugby@ssschoolsplus.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.

You can also submit a result via our website – Submit Result.

All the results: 

NWU SPORT SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66563″]

NWU PRESTIGE SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66562″]

NWU INTERSCHOOLS SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66561″]

NWU 16 SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66560″]

SUPER SERIES 

[ninja_tables id=”66564″]

EASTERN CAPE

[ninja_tables id=”66557″]

FREE STATE/GRIQUALAND WEST

[ninja_tables id=”66556″]

KWAZULU-NATAL 

[ninja_tables id=”66558″]

NOORDVAAL 

[ninja_tables id=”66559″]

WESTERN CAPE 

[ninja_tables id=”66565″]

Two half-centuries against Grey College in the Schools SA20 Provincial and Regional Finals and a memorable century against Hoërskool Waterkloof are just some of the achievements on the CV of St Andrew’s School‘s talented all-rounder FG Botha in the 2024/25 season.

Follow FG Botha and the Schools SA20 playoffs live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

Coming in to bat at number three for Saints, Botha has been an immense figure in the batting lineup for the Bloemfontein school.

The 17-year-old all-rounder, with 80 1st XI caps to his name, has a mature head on his shoulders and regularly wins big moments and matches for his side, either with the bat or the ball.

As a youngster from Kroonstad, Botha started his cricketing journey with Riaan Cronje at Rima Sports, in Kroonstad, at the age of five.

(Sidenote: Riaan’s son, Ruan Cronje, was a key performer for St Andrew’s when they won the national T20 title in 2018 with a side that was captained by future ITEC Knights wicketkeeper/batsman Garnett Tarr and also included future Proteas’ fast bowler Gerald Coetzee).

This laid the foundation for Botha to be selected for the u12 and u13 Free State sides some years later. This, however, was only the beginning of a flourishing career that lay ahead.

Since his move to high school, he’s grown in stature. That was underlined by his selection as the Best All-rounder and Batsman of the CSA u16 Boys Week in December 2024. Those achievements resulted in him playing in the u19 Cubs Week in January, where he represented the runners-up, the Western Legends.

“I owe a lot to coaches AJ van Wyk and Gregg Hobson, as well as Mr Cronje, for helping me reach these heights so early on in my cricketing journey. I’m also tremendously thankful towards my parents who always gave me the opportunities to do what I love,” Botha said.

Apart from his success with the bat, Botha has also played a major part in the Saints’ bowling lineup. His sharp leg spin has seen him capture an astonishing 20 wickets in nine Schools SA20 matches, which is the most by any St Andrew’s bowler in the competition.

With ambitions to make the SA Schools side at the end of the year, and to throw his name in the hat as a rookie pick in the SA20, Botha is focused on raising the bar. Good luck to anyone coming up against him at Tuks from 12 March in the Schools SA20’s inaugural National Finals.

Week two of the Gauteng Development League lies ahead with football fans who can’t make it to the games set to tune into the SuperSport Schools App, DStv Channel 216, and SABC Sport Plus to follow the action live.

Catch the action on SuperSport Schools

To get the weekend’s action started, Wits Junior will host Supersport United at Marks Park, on Saturday.

United, fresh off a 2-2 draw against Kaizer Chiefs, heads into the game with good momentum and having taken lessons from their first outing.

In a huge boost for their morale, United, after trailing 0-2 at home in the first half, fought their way back into the contest and turned it around in the second stanza, netting twice, to claim a share of the spoils.

Tumelo Ndaba, Supersport United’s u19 coach, reflected on the Chiefs encounter in an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus.

Ndaba said that his team went into the match undercooked. He explained: “We had a challenge during our pre-season. We didn’t play friendlies.

“So, the Chiefs game was our first match because of our schedule with the academy, and we had to do other things.

“It was a little bit difficult for the boys. There was no cohesion, especially in the first half. You saw the goals that we conceded. Defensively, we struggled in terms of defending the overloads of Chiefs because they play differently.

“It was difficult for the boys to adjust in terms of how to defend those overloads. But, in the second half, I think we managed to advise them [how to deal with it].

“We were strong. I think the boys showed character. With time, I think everything is going up.”

Ndaba and his team travel to Johannesburg to tackle Wits Junior, knowing they’re taking on a team that tends to lift its game when facing United. Nonetheless, Ndaba is backing his team to get the job done.

“It will be our second game. So, we’ll try to give different players a look and find a better lineup,” he said.

“I think with Wits, especially when they play against us, their boys become motivated. It’s a plus for them when they play against PSL teams. They give their all, so it’s going to be a very difficult fixture for us.”

SuperSport United finished outside the top five last season, but Ndaba said his team has high ambitions.

“Our aim this year is to win the league. You play to win. Anything that you do, you have to win,” he said.

FIXTURES

Saturday, 8 March

Wits Junior vs Supersport United
Highlands Park vs Elspark United
Panorama FC vs Seven’s Academy
Randburg AFC vs Joburg City
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs School of Excellence
East Rand Athletic Club vs Rockefvs
RESA vs Jomo Cosmos
TS Galaxy vs Mamelodi Sundowns

Sunday, 9 March

Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns

Die afrigters van Grey-kollege se eersterugbyspan is nog besig om hul doepa vir 2025 te verfyn wanneer hul span Saterdag teen Welkom Gimnasium in Welkom te staan kom.

Die kragmeting sal in die Down Touch Investments-stadion gespeel word. Dit is boonop die Gimmies se hulpafrigter, Jacques Juries, se hoofkwartier as die Griffons se breier.

Die span se agterlynafrigter, Bobby Joubert, het besluit om die binnesenter en losskakel in die span se eerste kragmeting van die seisoen twee weke gelede teen die Hoërskool Trio, Darius Erwee en Toriq Schambreel, om te ruil.

Daar sal ook natuurlik verwag word dat Welkom Gimnasium met sy gevaarlike buite-agterspelers Grey se verdediging wyer as gewoontlik sal toets.

Daar is nie baie spanne in Suid-Afrika wat die vermoë het om Grey agterlangs te laat bontstaan nie. Welkom Gimnasium beskik egter jaarliks oor dié vermoë.

Schambreel kan moontlik hier die Gimmies se angel trek. Die tuisspan se skakelpaar, Leano Williams (losskakel) en Rewaldo Farmer (skrumskakel) sal ‘n belangrike rol in hul span se aanslag speel. Albei sal met hul spel die nodige spasie moet skep vir Dylan Titus (binnesenter), Vusi Ndayi (linkervleuel) en Jaydewin Solomons (heelagter) om te baljaar.

Grey se hoofafrigter, Jannie Geldenhuys, sal vertrou dat sy agttal die Gimmies op die agtervoet kan hou om sodoende te verhoed dat die tuisspan sy stert in die lug kry. Voorlangs sal die flank Steven Muller, haker AJ Hendriks en vaskopstut, JG Badenhorst, belangrikke rolle vertolk.

Die span se staatmaker slot, AJ Meyer, is nog met ‘n besering op die krukkelys. Hy sal gewis ‘n reuse verskil maak wanneer hy weer sy terugkeer op die veld maak.

Welkom Gimnasium se Nathan Muller het Saterdag die onbegonne taak om vir Ethan Adams (buitesenter) in toom te probeer hou. Adams is sonder twyfel die gunsteling om vanjaar die Suid-Afrikaanse Skole se Nr. 13-trui oor sy kop te trek.

Grey se naasbestes, die Cherries, kom in die voorwedstryd teen Goudveld-Hoërskool se trots te staan. Dit sal die voormalige Vrystaatse veelsydige agterspeler, Eben von Gericke, se eerste wedstryd terug aan stuur van die die Gouties wees.

Die spanne is: 

Welkom Gimnasium: 15 Jaydewin Solomons, 14 Ruan Theron, 13 Nathan Muller, 12 Dylan Titus, 11 Vusi Ndayi, 10 Leano Williams, 9 Rewaldo Farmer, 8 Emile Mahlelebe, 7 Reagan Krige, 6 Relebohile Sello, 5 Hlombe Mamane, 4 Diederik Beuken, 3 Julius Makhanda, 2 Kananelo Tutubala, 1 Ewald Booyens.

Grey-kollege: 15 Lamla Mgedezi, 14 Benjamin van den Berg, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Toriq Schambreel, 11 Siyabonga Kenny, 10 Darius Erwee, 9 Sherwin Buys, 8 Adem Nieuwoudt, 7 Xander Smit, 6 Steven Muller, 5 Claude Steyn, 4 Alexi Tyropolis, 3 JG Badenhorst, 2 AJ Hendriks, 1 David Hayidakis.

Afskop: 11:45

A quiet confidence and a love for the game is the first impression one gets when talking cricket with Hoërskool Garsfontein‘s Xander Venter.

Follow the Schools SA20 National Playoffs live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

It’s also easy to see why he idolises England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes. Venter is also a southpaw with the bat, but he torments batsmen with his right-arm seam bowling.

“I’ve played cricket ever since I can remember. There are home videos of me with a plastic bat in hand, learning to bat left-handed, because my Dad is a lefty,” Venter recalled.

Born and bred in Pretoria, the talented all-rounder has always preferred cricket to other sports, but he also spent time on the rugby field, tennis court, and golf course until the age of 15, which was when he finally decided to throw all of his efforts into cricket. His talent in the game has been evident from a very young age.

In 2018, he was selected to represent the Titans for the first time in the u11 age group. He has gone on to represent the franchise every year since then, cementing his name thoroughly throughout the cricketing community in and around Pretoria.

“There have been a few coaches who have played a significant role in my cricketing journey thus far,” he shared. “At Laerskool Garsfontein, I was lucky to have Mr Anton Britz and Mr Armand Azar as my cricket coaches for six years. Alongside them, coach Malan Morkel also played a massive role in preparing me mentally for high school cricket.

“Since then, coaches Elmar Dorey and Janneman Basson have taken over as the influential figures in my cricket. They allowed me to be part of the 1st XI since grade 9, and backed me enough to make me captain last year, as a Grade 11.”

Venter has more than 100 1st XI caps to his name. His batting prowess and fighting attitude, similar to that of Ben Stokes, make him Garsfontein’s biggest asset. He plays his natural free-flowing game, which often takes the contest away from Garsfontein’s opponents while entertaining spectators.

His most astonishing innings thus far was an astounding 303 not out from only 97 deliveries in a club game in 2023.

His form in 2025 has been immaculate and it includes a couple of centuries in the shorter format of the game.

One thing is certain: an in-form Xander Venter is a dangerous Xander Venter, which is exactly what Garsfontein’s supporters want to see as Garsies bid for the title of national champions in the inaugural Schools SA20 competition.

The Graeme College players’ bags are packed, and they are ready to make the 10-and-half-hour journey to Pretoria for the Schools SA20 national finals, which take place from 12-15 March. The boys from Makhanda will not be travelling to make up the numbers.

Coach Odwa Xonxa’s charges are battle-tested. They took a longer route to the national finals. In their district tournament, they defeated St Andrew’s College and Union High before falling to Pearson High in the semifinals.

That led them down the path of Cricket South Africa’s Focus Schools, where they made short work of their opposition, recording three wins in three outings against Hudson College, Dale College, and Prestige College in December 2024.

Andrew Muir, Graeme’s captain, showed up with the bat and, especially, the ball. He was Graeme’s leading wicket-taker on their way to the finals, while left-handed opener Enrique Strydom led the way with the bat, averaging in the 40s in the preliminary rounds.

Corbin Tidbury was also a revelation during Graeme College’s campaign. The 15-year-old registered a pair of half-centuries for the first team this season, both of them in the 90s.

Tidbury has long shown his potential. Last year, he was a member of the Eastern Province side that lifted the title at the CSA u16 National Week. He dominated his age group, decimating opposition bowling attacks, and he will bring the same energy to the team as his Proteas’ hero, Aiden Markram.

Xonxa has backed Tidbury’s talent and temperament. His stream of centuries at u15 level showed that he was ready to compete against better opponents. He is a coveted 3D player and also bowls leg- or off-spin, keeps wicket, and is excellent in the field.

Graeme College’s young side features four other players – Lisekho Zinyane, Jordan Damons, Andrew Muir, and their first-choice wicketkeeper Zukho Phontshi – from the title-winning Eastern Province u16 side.

Pontshi was also selected for the Eastern Warriors Cubs team as one of two Graeme College players in the side. The other was Luphelo Mdyesha.

Mdyesha has a wealth of experience and is one of the leaders in the team. He turned out for the Eastern Province u19 side at the Khaya Majola Coke Week.

Graeme College doesn’t just bring talent to the national finals, however. They also bring a never-say-die spirit that has carried them far.

“We are going to leave everything on the field. The boys are excited for this opportunity. They will not hold back. They will express themselves and have a lot of fun in the process,” Xonxa said.