Southerns hammer Eastern Province to lift u16 boys’ title
Southern Gauteng A produced an outstanding performance in the final of the u16 SASHOC National Week at Hilton College, on Sunday, overwhelming Eastern Province A 8-1 to lift the title.
“I think the boys saved their best performance for the final,” Siya Sityana, the Southerns’ u16 coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We were slightly more clinical, and the boys connected well on the pitch.”
The victory put an exclamation mark on Southerns’ seven-match unbeaten march to the title.
Sityana’s charges beat their highveld neighbours, Northern Gauteng A, 6-2, and outclassed their compatriots, Southern Gauteng B, 5-3 at St Anne’s DSG. Playing at Hilton College, they won 4-2 against KZN Inland A, saw off Eastern Province 3-1, and triumphed 3-2 over Western Province A. They also registered a 7-0 drubbing of KZN Inland B at St John’s DSG.
Their 8-1 win in the final was the joint-biggest margin of victory at the tournament, matching their big win over Inland B.
“We knew that we had a talented group, and that we were good enough to win the tournament, but the most important thing was to play for one another, fight for one another,” Sityana said.
It is a challenge for sides to not be complacent when they go into a fixture against a team that they previously defeated, but Sityana had a good talk with his charges to ensure that they did not fall into that trap with the title on the line.
“Knowing that we had beaten them before gave us confidence,” he explained, “but we had to make sure that we execute well, so discipline was important. We had to respect them.”
The tournament featured three outstanding forwards. KZN Coastal A’s Luc Boyall topped the goal scoring charts, with 12 goals, while Southerns’ leading scorer, Candy Blaine, tied Santiago Matroos, from KZN Inland A, with nine each.
Interestingly, the top goal scorer in the girls’ u16 tournament was Luc Boyall’s sister, Charley-Rose, who netted nine times,
Blaine led the Southerns’ scoring in the final, striking twice, including the opener in the fifth minute.
“Candy is a fearless striker. He has a good eye for goal. Most would say he is a maverick. He is a predator. He has a good instinct inside the circle,” Sityana shared.
Eastern Province was still trying to conjure up a response when Kamohelo Tsoka doubled the Southerns’ lead in the 12th minute, which left the boys from the highveld 2-0 ahead at the end of the first chukka
Coach Keanon Geldenhuys’s Eastern Province side produced a better showing in the second chukka, but Southerns bolstered their advantage when Kade Lottering struck from a tight angle in the 28th minute.
In the sixth minute of the third chukka, Matthew Jung, slotted his seventh goal of the tournament to make it 4-0.
Almost immediately, Eastern Province replied when James Chree converted a penalty stroke. That setback served only to spur Southerns on.
They promptly added two more goals. Jason Joiner found the back of the net in the 44th minute, and Blaine scored his second a minute later.
“We agreed that we would make it hard for every team that comes up against us,” Sityana said.
The double-strike made a comeback all but impossible for Eastern Province. They trailed by five goals and that was turned into a seven-goal deficit by Tshimologo Mogale and Rourque van Rooyen, who hammered the final nails into their opponent’s coffin with further goals in the fourth chukka.
Results
Final: Southern Gauteng A: 8 – Candy Blaine (2), Jason Joiner, Kade Lottering, Tshimologo Mogale, Kamohelo Tsoka, Rourque van Rooyen. Eastern Province A: 1 – James Chree.
3rd and 4th: Boland A: 3 – Jeandre van Zyl, Caleb Cilliers, Luke van der Merwe. Western Province A: 1 – Ross Wille.
5th and 6th: KZN Coastal A: 4 – Matt Potgieter, Luc Boyall, Ryan Herselman. KZN Inland A: 1 – Benjamin Wilson.
7th and 8th: Northern Gauteng A: 3 – Michael Meiring (2), Will Hewitt. Southern Free State A: 3 – Eben Stander, Yandisa Litole, Ethan Seager.
9th and 10th: Southern Gauteng B: 4 – Tristan McQue (2), Mpilo Chabe, Mahlatse Maapola. Western Province B: 3 – Fourie Max (2), Divan van Eeden.
11th and 12th: KZN Inland B: 2 – Luthando Shelembe, Daniel Pieterse. KZN Coastal B: 1 – Ryan Willis.
