Jeppe to defend Aitken Cup title against St Stithians
Jeppe High School for Boys lived up to expectations as the tournament’s favourites when they booked a place in the final of the Aitken Cup, setting up another date with St Stithians College.
The big game takes place at the University of the Witwatersrand at 15:00 on Sunday.
Saturday saw the playing of the quarterfinals and semi-finals, and there were some surprises.
In a rematch of the 2024 final, Jeppe cruised past Parktown Boys’ High, scoring a dominant 4-0 victory in the quarterfinals, with Adrian Laubscher netting twice, and Raphael Madzivandondo and Juan Martin adding to the goal tally.
Coach David Grace’s Parktown side had a tough day on the Astro. In their second outing, they fell to Helpmekaar Kollege after a penalty shootout. They’ll face St Benedict’s College on Sunday for seventh place.
Jeppe took on King Edward VII School (KES) in the semi-finals. The Aitken Cup had brought up a personal milestone for the Red Sticks‘ skipper, Fynn Campbell, who achieved the 100-game milestone for his sides. However, he and his team’s title aspirations were halted one step from the final.
KES had earlier handled Helpmekaar, scoring a convincing 3-1 win. However, they met their match in the fast-paced Jeppe side, who ran out 4-2 winners, with goals from captain Ethan Kapanda, Ezray Stadt, Juan Martin, and Tshimologo Mogale.
Speaking with SuperSport Schools Plus after the match, Kapanda praised his teammates for their resilience and unity: “Aitken has been anything but smooth,” he said. “In the last few games, every player had to step up, and they did. We worked as a unit, and that reflected on the scoresheet.”
St Stithians, meanwhile, delivered a couple of strong performances to canter into the title decider. They defeated St Benedict’s 5-2 in the quarterfinals and followed that up with a solid 3-0 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda in the semifinals.
They’ve already faced Jeppe in the Aitken Cup. On Friday, when they met in a pool match, Jeppe claimed a 3-1 win, but that result will have no bearing on Sunday’s final.
St David’s will face KES for third, while fifth place will be up for grabs when Helpmekaar and St John’s College meet.
After losing to KES in their first outing on Saturday, Helpmekaar shared an exciting clash with Parktown. It ended 3-3, but Helpies then claimed a heart-in-mouth 4-3 victory in a penalty shootout.
HeronBridge College bagged their first victory, edging Fourways High School 2-1, which came as a welcome change of fortune. Playing in a group that included both finalists, they had previously conceded more goals than any other team.
RESULTS
Wits
Jeppe 4-0 Parktown
KES 3-1 Helpmekaar
St Benedict’s 2-5 St Stithians
St John’s 0-3 St David’s
Parktown (3) 3-3 (4) Helpmekaar
Jeppe 4-2 KES
St Benedict’s (3)3-3(4) St John’s
St Stithians 3-0 St David’s
UJ
Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge 2-1 Beaulieu
Rand Park Ridge (4) 1-1 (1) Northcliff
Monument 8-0 HeronBridge
Noordheuwel 2-1 Fourways
Beaulieu 4-1 Northcliff
Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge 4-0 Rand Park Ridge
HeronBridge 2-1 Fourways
Monument 3-2 Noordheuwel
