A big weekend of hockey awaits KZN teams
A big week of action lies ahead for most of KwaZulu-Natal’s leading boys’ hockey teams. Two of the top sides travel to the highveld, while the rest have fixtures in familiar surroundings.
Clifton College hosts St Alban’s College on their Founders Weekend, with the first team clash happening at 11:15 on Saturday morning at the Riverside Sports Club, the home of Clifton Sport.
Coach Calvin Price‘s boys, after a strong showing at the Standard Bank Hibbert Shield, where they finished as the top-performing KZN side, will be aiming to provide great winning entertainment for their alumni and other spectators.
Last year, on their Founders Weekend, they faced St Charles College and walloped them 5-2. They’ll be hoping for another classy performance against their visitors from Pretoria.
Coach Mark Sanders’ Maritzburg College has a date with Clifton’s victims from last year, St Charles. College heads into the tie looking to build upon their last result at the Hibbert Shield, a 2-1 win over Selborne College. Sanders’ team achieved perfectly symmetrical results in Gqeberha – they won two, lost two, and drew two matches.
Last week, Kearsney College fought back to draw 1-1 with Northwood in a Friday Nite Lights match, in Durban. Coach Keegan Pearce‘s side showed plenty of heart against a dangerous Knights side. Pearce would welcome a similarly spirited showing against coach Nick Bérichon’s Michaelhouse team, which has quietly put together an impressive season.
Like Kearsney, Michaelhouse comes into the contest off the back of a 1-1 draw. They crossed swords with their arch-rivals, Hilton College, last Saturday and shared the spoils with coach Damian Kimfley’s well-oiled unit.
Hilton, meanwhile, takes on Pretoria Boys’ High at home in a derby. Earlier this season, they met at the Nomads Hockey Festival, in Johannesburg, and it took a late equaliser for Hilton to pull off a 2-2 draw.
Kimfley will hope that his side can apply the positives from their tie against Michaelhouse and walk away with a victory in front of their home fans.
Westville Boys’ High and Northwood head up to the highveld for derby encounters.
Coach Cam Mackay‘s young Westville side has taken a while to get into the swing of the season. However, they have shown flashes of brilliance and their form is on the up.
The Griffin finished in a respectable 10th place at the Hibbert Shield and will take confidence from their performances at Grey High School when they travel to meet King Edward VII (KES) in Johannesburg.
Coach Justin Collins’ Northwood burned a few chances in their 1-1 draw with Kearsney last Friday. Collins will hope that his charges are more clinical in the circle in their showdown against an in-form Jeppe High School for Boys team, in Johannesburg.
Besides the spurned opportunities against Kearsney, Collins was impressed by the way his charges acquitted themselves on the Astro.
Fans and followers of KZN boys’ hockey have an almost full buffet from which to choose. However, Durban High School (DHS) and coach Keegan Hezlett have the weekend off. They’ll be back in action in the new week.
