Football fever: St Charles, Northwood, Jeppe, Selborne College lead the charge
The third term’s football season is heating up, with some teams having made big leaps forward from the form they displayed in the second term.
Big credit to Northwood School. They’re a team that has turned their season around in impressive style.
During the second term’s Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA), Coastal A-League, the Knights endured one of their most challenging campaigns in recent years and came close to being relegated to the Coastal B-League. However, they avoided the slide by defeating Pinetown Boys’ High 3-0 in their final round-robin match.
Since the start of the third term, Northwood has come out with renewed determination and that fresh hunger has lifted them to many wins. Recently, they finished as the runner-up in the Primo Big 10, at Hilton College. Then, last week, they qualified for the quarterfinals of the Mancosa KZNHSFA Cowie Cup following a 4-0 victory over St Nicholas Diocesan School.
On Saturday, Northwood continued their positive momentum by securing a narrow 2-1 home victory over the KZNHSFA Coastal A-League champions, Westville Boys’ High.
It wasn’t a good week for Westville, with the Griffin also exiting the Cowie Cup at the hands of Pietermaritzburg’s Alexandra High School, who scored a 2-1 win.
In another surprising turn of events in the Cowie Cup, Brettonwood surprised Glenwood High, who have been inconsistent this season after two outstanding seasons, which included winning the Coastal A-League in successive years, and the Primo Big 10 last year. After their clash had ended 1-1, Brettonwood triumphed 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
In a Pietermaritzburg derby, St Charles College secured a 1-0 home victory over Maritzburg College.
The Red, Black, and White team dominated the opening 15 minutes of the game but struggled to penetrate the hard-working Saints‘ midfield.
Once St Charles began to gain the upper hand in the middle of the park, their confidence grew, with Connor Green and captain Shaun Sithole leading the way.
It was goalless at halftime, but Saints raised their intensity after the break and found space down the flanks.
They scored, though, from a free kick, with dead-ball expert Covhan Baatjies laying on an inviting ball to the near post for Gubhuza Mlambo, who dived at full stretch to head it into the back of the net, leaving Maritzburg College’s goalkeeper and captain, CJ Sukraj with no chance of pulling off a save.
St Charles had a chance to extend their lead when Mlambo successfully evaded the offside trap, but Sukraj executed a fine save.
Carter High added another win to their record on Saturday, handing Kloof High School a 2-0 defeat.
In the East London High Schools Football League, the reigning champions, Stutterheim High, and Selborne College are engaged in a tight tussle for the title. Currently, Selborne tops the standings, on 34 points, with Stutterheim only one point adrift, on 33.
On Wednesday, Stutterheim claimed a 2-1 win over Cathcart High, while Selborne downed West Bank High 3-1 on Thursday. On the same day, Merrifield College picked up a 2-0 win over George Randell High.
On Friday, Selborne returned to the pitch but were held to a 1-1 draw by Hudson Park.
Dale College wasn’t involved in any league matches, but they met their arch-rivals, Queen’s College, in a derby clash in Komani. They shared the spoils, with the clash ending 2-2.
In Gauteng, Jeppe High School for Boys continued to build on a strong season with a 4-1 win over Parktown Boys’ High on Saturday. King Edward VII School (KES) also delivered a good performance, edging out Pretoria Boys High 1-0.
In the Western Cape, in an entertaining clash, Wynberg Boys’ High picked up a 4-2 victory over Rondebosch Boys’ High.
RESULTS
Mancosa KZNHSFA Cowie Cup: Last 16
Northwood 4-0 St Nicholas
Alexandra High 2-1 Westville Boys’ High
Brettonwood (4) 1-1 (3) Glenwood
B Block BWFLA High Schools League/East London High Schools League
Wednesday
Stutterheim High 2-1 Cathcart
Thursday
Selborne College 3-1 West Bank
Merrifield College 2-0 George Randell High
Friday
Selborne College 1-1 Hudson Park
Queen’s vs Dale Derby
Thursday
Dale College 2-2 Queen’s College
KwaZulu-Natal
St Charles College 1-0 Maritzburg College
Northwood 2-1 Westville Boys’ High
Carter High 2-0 Kloof High
Gauteng
KES 1-0 Pretoria Boys High School
Jeppe 4-1 Parktown
Western Cape
Wynberg Boys’ High 4-2 Rondebosch Boys’ High
