A Stellenberg masterclass stuns Bishops at the Woodlands Astro
The first three months of the schoolboy hockey season in the Western Cape have been fairly routine in terms of top teams dominating and tallying up wins.
However, it was just a matter of time before hockey enthusiasts who love an underdog story were treated to a thrilling clash and a major upset.
Last year, that big shock came when Rondebosch Boys’ High defeated Paul Roos Gimnasium 1-0. No one saw that coming.
Fast forward to 2025, and a major upset unfolded on Friday night when Stellenberg High School recorded a famous 2-1 victory over Bishops Diocesan College at the Woodlands AstroTurf, in Cape Town.
That triumph will go down as one of the best yet for Stellenberg, who in past seasons have been on the receiving end of some hefty defeats at the hands of Bishops.
The boys from Bellville meant business from the get-go and put the hosts under pressure before opening the scoring through Charl van Niekerk. The home side pulled one back, but Gerrard Matthews-Boukoua’s strike sealed a treasured win for the visitors.
Reacting after the momentous victory, head coach Kyle Esau said: “I’m still overwhelmed by the result. Coming in, I didn’t expect the result, but I expected the boys to come out and fight and give it their all.
“The boys played their hearts out. I think we did the same against SACS, but we didn’t have the result to show for it, and then coming back against Bishops, they stepped up,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus.
Their first two league fixtures, against SACS and Rondebosch Boys’ High, were tough on Stellenberg. Against SACS, they suffered a 1-9 loss, and last weekend they went down 1-5 against ‘Bosch.
Despite those heavy defeats, they showed glimpses of their potential and of how dangerous they could be. To finally see that potential deliver a big result pleased Esau.
“Taking a result from any of the boys’ schools is always a special moment because it’s not often you get those results against the top four teams in our league,” he said.
“It’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of grinding, since I took over three years ago. The guys have had to adapt to my systems and my styles. It’s been a process, but now it’s coming through stronger than ever.”
Stellenberg will return to action against Wynberg Boys’ High at the end of May. Coach Esau said they’ll reset, refocus, and quickly put the Bishops’ win behind them.
“I told the guys immediately after the match that it’s done now. We’ve grabbed the points, and we need to move on.
“We have a break this coming week, and then we take on Wynberg later this month, but we will work hard and focus on fixing the mistakes we made. It’s important to reset and refocus. These are big games that we are kicking off our league with, so we have no time to relax,” he concluded.
While it was a team effort that secured the win, some of the players who stood out included Gerrard Matthews-Boukoua, Jacques van Dyk, Nicol Truter, centurion Ben Marais, Charl van Niekerk, Christopher Schoeman and Juan Joubert.
In another Western Cape clash, Wynberg Boys’ High claimed a 3-2 win over Paarl Boys’ High at the Astro of Dreams.
Chad Julius netted a brace for coach Ben Wiley’s side before Ethan Daniels got his name on the score sheet. For Paarl, it was Martin de Bruyn and Alex Lategan who replied.
Parel Vallei, meanwhile, returned to action with an impressive 4-0 victory over Somerset College. Their goals were scored by Boland u18A representatives, Luka Meets (2) and Luca Jordaan before Nathan Nissen got in on the action.
SACS were the big winners on the day, thumping Rondebosch Boys’ High 9-1 at the Brewery AstroTurf.
It was a special day for their number 10, Litha Kraai, who ran out for his 100th game in the blue and white hoops. Kraai was in top form and netted five times while further goals by Matthew Lassen, Reece Theunis, Jo Le Roux, and Adam Thompson added to the lopsided final score.
Reddam House Constantia also registered a win, outplaying DF Malan 5-1.
Skipper Joe Gitlin contributed a hat-trick, and, in the process, scored his 100th goal for Reddam, becoming the first player in the school’s history to achieve the feat.
Mitchell Welch and Daniel Steyn chipped in with goals as Reddam continued to bolster their impressive record.
RESULTS
Curro Durbanville 2-1 Westerford High School
Wynberg Boys’ High 3-2 Paarl Boys’ High
Stellenberg 2-1 Bishops
Worcester Gimnasium 1-0 Charlie Hofmeyr
Parel Vallei 4-0 Somerset College
SACS 9-1 Rondebosch
Reddam House Constantia 5-1 DF Malan
