DAY 4| SACS come from behind to clinch SAC Shield in epic final
Late goals by Nicholas Fall and Conor Melling-Williams sealed a hard-fought 9-7 win for South African College High School (SACS) over Bishops Diocesan College in the final of the SAC Shield at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda on Sunday.
The sides had met on day one of the tournament, with Bishops claiming an exhilarating 11-10 win in their Pool A showdown.
SACS were undoubtedly out for revenge because they had also succumbed to a humiliating 5-11 defeat against the same opponents in the opening round of the SACS Night Series on Tuesday.
In the title-decider, there was nothing to separate the sides in the first two chukkas, as they traded goals.
There were 11 of them in all, with Bishops leading 6-5 at the break, courtesy of goals netted by Matt Fenn, Tim Young, Thomas Truter, and Milo Letschert, a double from the skipper, Ross Stewart, and an acrobatic goal by Michael Voogt.
In the last two chukkas, SACS came alive and changed the trajectory of the match. Firstly, they limited the go-forward of coach Jabulani Sibiya’s charges, forcing them to slow their pace before closing them down in the box.
SACS’ coach Devon Card’s final speech in the dugout must’ve hit the mark because his team came out firing and capitalised on a lapse in Bishops’ concentration, which saw Bishops’ shooting go awry.
Fall powered a five-metre penalty into the back of the net, before Melling-Williams scored the ninth and final goal to secure the SAC Shield for SACS.
It was only the second time that they had lifted the title, with their previous success having been achieved in 2019. Their focus will now shift back to round two of the SACS Night Series, which resumes on Wednesday, 31 January, with an eye also being cast towards some forthcoming tournaments.
Classification matches
In other matches on the final day, St John’s College finished their campaign on a high by beating Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 in the 3rd/4th play-off match.
There were also wins for Paul Roos, St Stithians College, and Clifton College, while the hosts lost 7-8 against Michaelhouse, which left them second last in the final standings.
Scorers from SACS vs Bishops
SACS 9 (5): Jandro Rojo-Roos (x2), Mac Lecuona, Zack Cicero (x3), Matt Forbes, Nicholas Fall, Conor Melling-Williams; Bishops 8 (6): Matt Fenn (x2), Tim Young, Thomas Truter, Milo Letschert, Ross Stewart (x2), Michael Voogt.
Results: Day 4
Michaelhouse 8-7 St Andrew’s College
St Stithians College 11 (3)- 11 (1) Hilton College
Clifton College 4-3 Westville Boys’ High
Paul Roos 9-4 Selborne College
St John’s College 6-5 Rondebosch Boys’ High
SACS 9-8 Bishops Diocesan College
Final standings
South African College School
Bishops Diocesan College
St John’s College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Paul Roos Gymnasium
Selborne College
Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High
St Stithians College
Hilton College
Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s College
Grey High School
