Drake on song as Selborne thumps Dale, Makhanda sides triumph
Selborne College’s first-team hockey side isn’t having the best of seasons in 2025, but they’ve found a silver lining in Reid Drake.
The youngster, who is in grade 10, is having a season to savour in the black-and-white hoops, and he appears to be improving with every match he plays.
On Friday night, he led Selborne to an emphatic 5-1 victory over Dale College, and all five of his goals came courtesy of pinpoint, accurate drag flicks from the top of the D.
It’s become a familiar picture for Selborne supporters, pupils, and coaches, and every time they receive a PC, it feels as if Drake will, almost certainly, power it into the back of the net.
Before the Dale clash, he had scored a hat-trick to help his side beat Queen’s College 3-2 in Komani last month.
Against Dale, he rushed to a first-half hat-trick after striking twice in the first chukka. The visitors responded through Bulela Siswana, who scored from a brilliant counterattack. That, however, was the first and last goal from the men in red and black, and Drake notched another two goals to lift Selborne into a 4-1 lead at the break.
Playing in front of their home supporters for the first time since April, Selborne was dominant. They controlled the tempo of the game and were comfortable in possession.
Thomas Caswell, in his 50th game for the school, pulled the strings in midfield and could have got his name onto the score sheet, but his finishing let him down.
After a goalless third chukka, Drake completed his five-goal haul in the fourth.
“I think the team played well, and I had a good game,” Drake told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“I want to thank the boys for creating the opportunities for me to score because, without their hard work, we don’t get PCs.”
Selborne has in the past been known for having good flickers, and, surprisingly, all of them have been defenders. Last year, it was Tre’ Gilbert who led the charge, while in 2023, former captain Ben van der Merwe took on the PC responsibilities.
Drake shared his secret for his accuracy from the top of the circle. “The goal with flicking is staying low and following through and just keeping your body low and coming through with a hard shot,” he explained.
“We come out here as a PC team once a week and flick from 100 to 200 balls on a Wednesday after school. That helps a lot, and we have a good PC team that makes it easy.”
The win for Selborne came after a disappointing Hibbert Shield campaign, but they’ll take confidence from the victory ahead of their next two fixtures, challenging games against St Andrew’s College and Grey College.
Speaking of St Andrew’s, they maintained their unbeaten run in the Eastern Cape with a 5-1 drubbing of Queen’s College, in Makhanda.
Playing at the Webster AstroTurf, the side, led by coach Dean Ferreira, played with purpose and built on their impressive 3-1 win over Pearson a week ago.
Against Pearson, SA u17 star Greg Rodwell scored a hat-trick, but he didn’t feature on the score sheet this time around. Instead, Daniel Meihuizen chipped in with three goals before Luke Mason and skipper Connor McNamara sealed the win.
Another Makhanda side that enjoyed victory on Friday night was Kingswood College, who defeated Pearson High 3-0.
Hudson Park played out a high-scoring 4-4 draw with Victoria Park High, with Helio Ruiters netting three times before Kungawo Nkqayi also scored for the side from East London.
Cambridge High School and Stirling High shared a 2-2 draw. Gabriel Wilson and Dante Cannon scored for Cambridge, while Jaren Marillier and Sikelela Babi fired in for the boys in green and white.
RESULTS
Selborne College 5-1 Dale College
St Andrew’s College 5-1 Queen’s College
Kingswood College 3-0 Pearson High School
Hudson Park 4-4 Victoria Park
Cambridge High School 2-2 Stirling High School
Pearson High 4-3 Hudson Park
