Jeppe kicks off Nomads Hockey Festival with a bang
Jeppe High School for Boys’ first-team hockey captain Ethan Kapanda said he was “happy” with his team’s performances after they recorded two victories on Saturday, day one of the Nomads Hockey Festival, in Johannesburg.
Jeppe, the hosts of the festival, which is being played on the Boden AstroTurf from 29-31 March, kicked off their campaign with a solid 4-2 win over Selborne College before beating Wynberg Boys’ High 4-0 in the afternoon.
“The games today were good, and both teams came out firing,” Kapanda told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“I think Selborne is always tough, and today was no different. Wynberg gave us troubles, and they brought their A-game, but I’m happy with how we showed up.”
In their opening match against the East London side, Jeppe scored through Adrian Laubscher, Kapanda, and Juan Martin, who scored a brace, both from drag flicks. Kapanda netted from the penalty spot, and Laubscher scored a well-executed field goal.
The home side carried the momentum from their morning win into the Wynberg game.
With a large crowd in attendance, coach Siya Sityana’s troops controlled matters, played a mature brand of hockey, and capitalised on their chances.
They led 2-0 at halftime through goals by Kian Fenske and centre-back Jarryd Gordon-Watt.
Jeppe was far from done, however, and they dominated the second half, keeping Wynberg out while attacking with vigour.
Ethan van Deventer scored his team’s third goal before Lester Mhlongo completed the drubbing late in the final chukka.
“Getting the wins in the first two games is a good start because we now know where to build from,” Kapanda said.
“With that said, we want to focus on what’s coming next and not look too far ahead.”
Jeppe will face a stiff challenge from Grey College at 07:30 on Sunday before taking on Maritzburg College at 18:45.
Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
