SuperSport Schools Plus

Derby fireworks to light up Friday night clashes

By CS Chiwanza , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-05-10 Tags: , , ,

Kearsney College captain Matt de Oliviera lets out a roar of delight after scoring to snatch a draw for his side against Paul Roos Gimnasium.
Kearsney College captain Matt de Oliviera lets out a roar of delight after scoring to snatch a draw for his side against Paul Roos Gimnasium.

Kearsney and Westville will set Friday night alight with a local derby on the Mason Astro in Botha’s Hill. Meanwhile, in Bloemfontein, Grey College will aim to provide their home supporters with high-quality entertainment when they go up against Paarl Boys’ High.

Kearsney and Westville are close neighbours and with that comes a local rivalry. For years, the institutions have fought for bragging rights. Westville owns a better recent head-to-head record, having won 2-1 in 2022 and 2-0 in 2023.

It is a run that Matthew Mendes de Oliviera and his teammates are determined to halt. The Kearsney captain, who is enjoying a good run of form, has scored for his side in their past two games, and will hope to find the gaps Westville’s opposition capitalised on last week at the Hibbert Shield.

Westville produced mixed results in Gqeberha. They finished the competition with a 2-3 loss to Bishops, which left the Griffin in joint seventh place with Paarl Gim.

Before the Hibbert Shield, they had produced two good results, thumping Glenwood 5-0 and finessing a 3-3 draw against Maritzburg College after chasing the game for most of the contest.

Ashley Kemp’s charges, on the other hand, fought their way back against Northwood to walk away with a 1-1 draw in a mist-enveloped contest last week. In an exciting finish, De Oliveira scored with three minutes remaining to give the home supporters reason to cheer.

Kemp, who is familiar with Westville coach Cam Mackay’s work, is expecting a tough encounter. The Westville gaffer wears three other hats. In addition to his work at Westville, he also trains the SA u16 boys’ team and also coaches the KZN outdoor and SA men’s indoor teams.

“They have a coach that is pretty good at what he does. He produces well-drilled teams,” Kemp said of Mackay. “We expect his team to be nitty gritty, scratching and biting for every 50/50 ball.

“Westville always seems to find an extra gear when they play against Kearsney. It will be an exciting encounter,” Kemp told Supersport Schools Plus.

In the Free State, Grey College hosts Paarl Boys’ High. Wayne Coetzee’s side is playing confident hockey and is fresh off of two high scoring victories.

FIXTURES

Friday

Kearsney vs Westville Boys’ High
Grey College vs Paarl Boys’ High

CS Chiwanza
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.