Selborne vs Grey High: The battle for Eastern Cape’s top status
The atmosphere will be electric, the stands will be packed to the rafters, and a sea of black and white will greet Grey High School when they take on Selborne College in East London on Friday night.
The much-anticipated Hyundai Friday Nite Lights hockey clash will kick off at 18:30 and will be LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
The meeting between the schools is one of the biggest in the Eastern Cape, and it’ll be the final match of 2025 for both.
They’ve delivered some excellent performances this season under the leadership of KJ Friend (Selborne) and Andrew Beynon (Grey High).
They’ve dominated most of their derby matches, usually scoring plenty of goals, and entertained with attractive brands of hockey.
In their most recent outing, Selborne thumped Dale College 6-1 in Qonce, while Grey recorded a gritty 3-1 victory over Grey College, in Gqeberha, a fortnight ago.
In their most recent meetings, victory has gone the way of coach Beynon’s side. At the Hibbert Shield, back in May, Grey beat their East London rivals 4-0. They also won last year’s interschools game 3-1.
Friday’s showdown will likely be a different ball game, though, with Selborne firing on all cylinders ahead of the clash. They’ve made massive strides since the start of the season.
This term, they’ve beaten Queen’s College 8-0 and Hudson Park 2-1. Grey, meanwhile, defeated York High 5-1 and, before that, mustered a 1-0 victory over St Andrew’s College.
It will also be a special occasion for the captains, Gray van Heerden and Luke Tait, who will don their school colours on the AstroTurf for the final time. SuperSport Schools Plus caught up with both skippers ahead of the clash.
Gray van Heerden – Selborne College
“There are a lot of emotions flying around,” Van Heerden said. “I think there’s a bit of sadness for the matrics as we’re coming to our last ever schoolboy game, but we are also excited and keen.
“We know it will be a fantastic game, and we want to leave everything out on the field for the last time.”
Van Heerden and his troops will be banking on their supporters coming out in their numbers. He believes sticking to their structures and playing their particular brand of hockey could propel them to victory.
“If we can just play Selborne hockey and block out the crowd [we could win],” he said. “If we play the hockey we’ve played in all our derbies this year, I’m confident we will be good.
“We will need to work hard, run that extra metre, and play our own game.”
Luke Tait – Grey High
“We are ready. Training has been intense in preparation for this one. The boys are ready to leave it all out there at Selborne,” the Grey High captain said.
“Selborne away is always tough. They have been in good form of late, but if we stick to our principles and take our chances, I’m positive we will come out on top.”
Tait is one of the most experienced players in the Grey side after making his 100th appearance for the school in June. He’s now gunning for the “perfect send-off.”
“It’d be massive to end the season on a high,” he said.
“Ending away with a big win would be the perfect send-off for the matrics and Grey.”
Other matches in the Eastern Cape
While the match in East London promises to deliver top-quality hockey, there are three other games on which to keep an eye.
In Komani, Queen’s College hosts Cambridge High on Saturday. Queen’s, led by coach Michael Baiden, are coming off a 4-0 win over Graeme College, so they’ll fancy themselves to get the job done.
Merrifield College, which is celebrating its founder’s weekend, goes up against Stirling High, while Dale College locks horns with Hudson Park in Qonce.
Eastern Cape boys’ fixtures
Friday, 15 August
16:00 – Dale College vs Hudson Park
18:30 – Selborne College vs Grey High
Saturday, 16 August:
11:15 – Queen’s College vs Cambridge High
11:15 – Merrifield College vs Stirling High
