By CS Chiwanza
Dan Holliday struck twice to help Clifton College end their season in style by securing a comfortable 4-0 win over Glenwood High in a Friday Nite Lights clash.
In Botha’s Hill, Ryan Harselman and Luc Boyall found the back of the net in Northwood’s thrilling 2-1 win over Kearsney College.
Holliday, who scored a hat-trick in Clifton’s impressive 8-0 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda last week, led the charge against Glenwood at the 3 Schools Astro. Ryde Brisset and Sean Johnson were the other scorers for Clifton.
“It’s a nice way to end our season with a clean sheet and four good goals,” Calvin Price, the Clifton coach, told SuperSport Schools News.
The hosts, Glenwood, were eager to make the most of their home advantage, and they came out of the blocks firing, making several runs into the Clifton final third, but without reward as the visitors did a good job of soaking up the pressure and avoiding costly mistakes at the back.
As time wore on, Clifton eased themselves into the match. They enjoyed the bulk of possession and moved the ball well, stringing together good phases. One of those led to the opening goal eight minutes into the second chukka, with Holliday smashing the ball home after an untidy scramble from a Clifton penalty corner. That gave Brisset and company a 1-0 halftime advantage.
After the break, Glenwood tried to emulate their performance in the first chukka, starting strongly, but Clifton was a step ahead. They, instead, seized the initiative and doubled their lead, again from a scramble inside the Glenwood circle, with Brisset finding the far corner with a reverse stick shot from the left.
Glenwood tried to fight back, but Clifton’s defence maintained its structure and composure to deny the hosts’ chances. Then, in the last 10 minutes, Clifton’s forwards put the game beyond Glenwood’s reach with two goals, four minutes apart.
Johnson reacted superbly when a ball deflected off a defender’s stick and up in the Glenwood circle, redirecting it past the ‘keeper, and Dan Holliday got onto the end of a shot by his fellow forward, Dan Rea, to touch the ball across the line with just over five minutes left to play.
Kearsney vs Northwood
Northwood made their trip to Botha’s Hill a rewarding one by recording a 2-1 win over Kearsney on the AH Mason Astro, where Kearsney is notoriously difficult to beat. The victory was a strong response from the Knights and a return to winning ways following a tough 0-1 loss to Jeppe High School for Boys last week.
“The boys managed possession well and showed good ball retention throughout the match,” Justin Collins, the Northwood coach, said after the contest.
In the first chukka, it was high-octane stuff, with both sides producing a great exhibition, although neither could break the deadlock. The Knights could have taken the lead with a well-worked field goal five minutes from halftime, but the Kearsney defence pulled out all the stops to keep the ball out.
Despite their stout defence, Kearsney couldn’t deny Northwood the opener they were seeking a minute later. The Knights sliced through the home side with a defence-splitting pass from Hamza Amla, which put Ryan Harselman in on the goalkeeper. He, then, directed it goalwards, and it had enough on it to withstand a partial stop from the net-minder and cross the line.
Kearsney, who gave as much as they received in the contest, came close to equalising from a penalty corner, but Dean Hart, in the Northwood goal, pulled off a spectacular save from a PC variation.
With less than a minute remaining in the half, though, Cruz Reynolds beat Hart low and to the ‘keeper’s right after a pass into the circle broke kindly for Kearsney man.
It was 1-1 at the break, but the visitors were undaunted by conceding just before halftime. Composure and endurance have been two of the themes of Northwood’s campaign, and the Knights showed that those qualities have not dissipated as the season has worn on, maintaining good discipline and patiently probing Kearsney’s resolute defence.
Four minutes into the final chukka, Northwood’s consistency was rewarded when Luc Boyall converted a short corner with a straight hit into the bottom right corner. They stayed defensively sound, and Kearsney was unable to muster a response.
After his side’s hard-fought 2-1 win, Northwood coach Justin Collins lauded Kearsney for making it a challenging day out for the Knights: “Massive credit to Kearsney for playing with a good shape and discipline to close spaces down,” Collin said.
Results
Clifton 4-0 Glenwood
Northwood 2-1 Kearsney