The winner of the third annual Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament will be determined on Saturday at the Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley.
Will HTS Louis Botha secure an historic third consecutive title? Or will another team rise to the occasion and dethrone the Bloemfontein boys? Those of the questions that will be answered by day’s end.
The group stages concluded on Friday, with some teams, including Maritzburg College and Clapham High School, having already secured their places in the knockout stages on the first day of the tournament.
Northwood, beaten twice – by College and Clapham – on Thursday, found their form against Blinkklip High, powering their way to an impressive 5-1 win.
The home teams, Kimberley Boys’ High and the Wildeklawer Academy also ended the group stages on a positive note. Kimberley Boys’ High outplayed Selborne College 5-0, while the Wildeklawer Academy matched that scoreline in their win over St Benedict’s College.
Into the knockout games, the defending champions, HTS Louis Botha, faced a tough challenge from the Wildeklawer Academy. It was a fiercely contested match, with both sides demonstrating why they had made it through to the business end of the competition.
Louis Botha edged it, with a first half goal, proving to be enough to see them advance. The Academy side exited the tournament with their heads held high, however, after a resilient performance which pushed the champs to their limit.
The home supporters were disappointed when Kimberley Boys’ High went behind against Navalsig High School, because of an own goal. However, just before half-time, they levelled. With no further goals being scored, the clash was decided from the penalty spot. It was tight, but Kimberley Boys’ High sneaked a 5-4 win from there to secure their place in the final six.
In another thriller, Maritzburg College and Emang Mmogo were deadlocked at the end of regulation time, with neither defence having been breached.
College ‘keeper CJ Sukraj, then, rose to the occasion and proved to be the difference, delivering a man of the match-winning performance on his birthday to see the KZN side progress 5-3 from the spot.
Day Two Results
Benny Sports Academy 1-1 Grey College Virginia High 2-0 Brebner High Kimberley Boys’ High 5-0 Selborne College Wildeklawer Academy 5-0 St Benedict’s College Louis Botha 2-0 Navalsig High Potchefstroom Boys’ High 1-0 Dale College Clapham 0-0 Maritzburg College Northwood School 5-1 Blinkklip High Norkem Park High 0-0 Emang Mmogo Grey College 0-0 Virginia High Benny Sports Academy 5-3 Brebner High
Knockout stages
Louis Botha 1-0 Wildeklawer Academy Kimberley Boys’ High 1 (5) – 1 (3) Navalsig Maritzburg College 0 (5) – 0 (3) Emang Mmogo Clapham High 1-0 Norkem Park High
Final Six
08:00 Kimberley Boys’ High vs HTS Louis Botha: SPU 1 08:00 Clapham High School vs Maritzburg College SPU 2 09:30: Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Grey High School
A passionate reader and dedicated writer, Siya possesses three degrees from Rhodes University including a Postgraduate Diploma at Rhodes University. He also played amateur cricket and soccer, both during his university years. While honing his journalism skills at Grocott’s Mail in Makhanda, he developed a profound interest in the community’s response to crime. Additionally, he covered topics such as art/culture and student politics at Rhodes University in 2022. In his spare time, Siya can be found exploring galleries, dining at restaurants, indulging in literature, taking photographs or savouring his favourite dish, spaghetti.
