Selborne thumps Queen’s, Grey High beats Grey College
There were a whopping 23 goals scored in just four matches in the Eastern Cape on Friday night as Selborne College and Grey High School picked up massive wins on home turf.
Selborne thumped Queen’s College 8-0, while Grey High put up a brave performance to shock Grey College 3-1 in Gqeberha.
While there were also a 6-3 win for Dale College over Graeme College and a 2-1 win for Hudson Park over Stirling High, the fixtures to watch were the ones taking place at Selborne and Grey High.
Both matchups thoroughly entertained, with the home teams dominating and recording outstanding victories with just a couple of weeks left in the season.
Selborne entered their clash against Queen’s off the back of a shaky 2-1 win over Hudson Park a week ago. In that meeting, coach KJ Friend‘s side was forced to come from a goal down but strikes by Saneze Kweba and Inathi Gxobole in the fourth quarter saw them pick up the win.
On Friday night, they went up against a Queen’s side that had outplayed Merrifield College, scoring a 7-0 win, so both outfits were in red-hot form.
It was the home side, however, that started like a house on fire, scoring two goals in the first chukka through Thomas Caswell and Sonwabise Adonis.
Reid Drake joined the scoring spree early in the second chukka when he converted from a short corner before Adonis made it 4-0 heading into the break.
The boys in black and white had a quiet third chukka, but Caswell latched onto a loose ball inside the circle to make it 5-0 after three quarters.
Three more goals were scored in the final chukka.
Firstly, Adonis completed his hat-trick before Reece Wait fired in a scorcher to make it seven. Captain, Gray van Heerden completed the drubbing with a last-minute drag flick, sealing his side’s biggest win of the season.
“The last time we played Queen’s at home, it ended as a draw, so the only thing on our minds was getting the win,” Van Heerden told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“We pulled through and played Selborne hockey. We played as a team and moved the ball around well. It was a team effort, and everybody played their part.”
Seborne will be aiming to continue their fine form next weekend when they visit Dale College in Qonce. Van Heerden believes his boys will step up to the task.
“It’s Dale away next week, and we are excited to get out there,” he said. “Having two of our longest rivals, Queen’s and Dale, straight after each other is special and means more to the matrics.
“We get to do it one last time against them. Yes, it’s away, but I’m sure our boys will make it feel like home when we get there.”
While Selborne ran riot in East London, Grey High sent Grey College packing at the Rectory AstroTurf.
After conceding first, late in the first chukka, the Azzurri responded before halftime through Liam Poole, who linked up well with Keegan le Roux.
It was a tussle from then on, with very little to separate the sides, and it took a moment of magic from captain Luke Tait in the final quarter to edge Grey High in front.
Showing great awareness in the circle, he pounced on a loose ball before directing it past Sayur Pillay in the Grey College goal for his side’s second.
The hosts held on and made sure of victory when they scored off the last play of the game, a penalty corner, which was converted by James Chree.
“I’m massively pleased with the win. Grey College is always a tough opponent. They bring intensity and never seem to stop running,” Grey High captain, Luke Tait, said after the game.
“I think we showed real composure as a team. We backed each other, and we stayed switched on for the full 60 minutes. So, yes, it’s a special win and one we’ll remember.”
Tait is one of the senior players in the Grey High squad and made his 100th appearance for the team against St Andrew’s College in June. He was also part of the team that went down 0-1 against Grey College in Bloemfontein last year.
“Last year hurt,” he admitted.
“I think the difference this time around was our mindset. It was the matrics’ last home derby, so we made sure to end our journey at Grey the right way with the help of every player.
“Having our school behind us like we had gave us an extra gear, and it felt like we were playing with an extra man at times.”
Tait and his troops will have a bye next weekend before they take on Selborne College in their final match of the season on 15 August in East London.
Grey College heads back to Bloemfontein to prepare for their last outing of the season against Paul Roos Gimnasium in two weeks’ time.
Other matches
In Qonce, goals from Sibongile Nzima, Caleb Ellis, Naledi Mosebi, Inga Mafanga, Solomon Qaku, and Soso Dyani propelled Dale to a 6-3 win over Graeme College.
Somila Mkokeli and Nathan Kearney were on target for coach Sipe Matafeni‘s Hudson Park, who got back to winning ways with a solid 2-1 win over Stirling High for whom AJ Durrheim scored.
EASTERN CAPE BOYS’ RESULTS
Selborne College 8-0 Queen’s College
Dale College 6-3 Graeme College
Grey High 3-1 Grey College
Hudson Park High 2-1 Stirling High
