KZN produces thrilling Friday Nite Lights encounters
KwaZulu Natal produced two thrilling Friday Nite Lights clashes, with Michaelhouse and Maritzburg College playing out a closely contested 2-2 draw on the Punchbowl Astro, at Michaelhouse, while, in a local rivalry, a humdinger between Westville Boys’ High and Kearsney College finished 1-1.
With a chill in the air, playing at home on their Old Boys’ Weekend, Westville started gingerly, and Kearsney seized on the opportunity to dictate the tempo in the early going, which brought them a period of dominance.
With strong home support, though, Westville worked themselves into the game and began to look more like the home side.
“I think we had more control than normal, and we looked good and resolute in deep defence,” Cameron Mackay, the Westville coach, told Supersport Schools Plus after the contest.
Kearsney made enterprising runs down their left flank, but they were met by a solid Westville defence. The Griffin, too, found their offensive forays stymied by the visitors’ equally firm defence. Eventually, though, Westville’s attacking efforts bore fruit from a penalty corner.
Captain Seth Simpson has enjoyed an outstanding season, which earned him selection for the KZN Coastal u18A team for the forthcoming SASHOC Inter-Provincial Tournament, and he showed off one of his valuable skills by uncorking a brilliant drag flick to convert the opportunity. With seconds left in the first chukka, Westville led.
At halftime, they remained a goal clear, and it remained that way through the third chukka, too.
Kearsney, however, embodied the never-say-die spirit that creates countless edge-of-your-seat endings to contests, especially in rivalry games. They replied to every Westville attack with one of their own and, towards the end of the match, the frequency of their attacks increased.
When Kearsney won a penalty corner, they turned to Keegan de Jager, one of their more influential players to pull them level. De Jager had been outstanding in defence, exiting confidently by threading accurate passes to his teammates.
He is, also, Kearsney’s primary penalty corner threat and he made good on that threat with a sharp conversion to make it 1-1 with just over a minute left on the clock.
In the other Friday Nite Lights contest, played at Balgowan, Michaelhouse and Maritzburg College shared an entertaining draw.
Michaelhouse headed into the contest off the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS) at PBHS last week. College, meanwhile, had turned on the style on their Reunion Weekend to beat Kearsney 4-1.
Coach Nick Bérichon‘s Michaelhouse side has produced different match-winners across the season. Three players, Brunton Bigalke, William Gilson, Henry Love, were on target in Pretoria. On Friday night, though, it was a Gordon Deutscher brace that earned ‘House a share of the spoils against College.
Kadin Jenkins, who provided a superb assist for one of College’s goals against Kearsney, found the back of the net on this occasion, and Siwa Sithembu, who celebrated his 55th cap for the Red, Black, and White 1st XI, scored the other.
RESULTS
Westville 1-1 Kearsney
Michaelhouse 2-2 Maritzburg College
