Eastern Cape big guns make a winning return
After a long break, the first weekend of term three is not an easy one to predict in the world of schoolboy hockey.
Besides players who haven’t played a match during the holiday period, there are also those that have been in action at inter-provincial weeks, some of whom are in need of a rest. Marrying the two factions together is no easy task.
That, often, leads to a period of adjustment and a dip in standards on the opening weekend. However, that wasn’t the case in the Eastern Cape.
Some of the province’s big guns returned to action on Friday with a bang, scoring goals for fun and picking up from where they left off to gain further momentum with only a month left in the season.
There were fixtures in East London, Komani, Makhanda and George that gripped the imagination of hockey enthusiasts in the Border and Eastern Province region.
The match of the day in East London saw Hudson Park High host Selborne College at the Buco AstroTurf, in Bunkers Hill.
Past fixtures between the sides have been dominated by Selborne, but Hudson had other ideas and they almost pulled off an upset.
They dominated the first half, enjoyed most of the ball possession, and created plenty of circle entries.
Then, Hudson, under the guidance of coach Sipe Matafeni, opened the scoring just before halftime through skipper Helio Ruiters after some great linking play with his teammates.
The second half belonged to Selborne, however. They came out firing after coach KJ Friend‘s halftime talk. They were more aggressive, more assured on the ball, and that led to clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
Trailing by one heading into the final chukka, Selborne rustled up an equaliser with six minutes to play before taking the lead a couple of minutes later.
Their goal scorers were Saneze Kweba and Inathi Gxobole, two players who have consistently found the back of the net this season.
Hudson Park had a chance to snatch a draw late in the game when they were awarded a short corner, but the boys in black and white weathered that storm and held on for the win.
In another derby in the city, Stirling High shared an exciting 3-3 draw with Dale College.
Josh Williams, Keagan Rowe, and Matthew Wiseman were on the scoresheet for Stirling, while Naledi Mosebi and skipper Sibongisile Nzima (2) netted for Dale.
In Komani, Queen’s College ran rampant against Merrifield College.
Coach Michael Baiden’s side cruised to a 7-0 win over the visitors to sound a warning to their future opponents.
It was a masterclass led by Brett Hoffman, who slotted a hat-trick. Asi Vena, Aya Maduma, Liso Mtalaliso, and Morgan Hayes also scored to complete the drubbing.
Pearson High also picked up a win, beating Graeme College 2-0 in Makhanda.
Coach Karl Lavender’s boys were clinical and used their chances well, with captain Keagan Moore striking twice from penalty corners.
Grey High School made a longer trek, visiting George, to face York High. Heading into the clash after a big 7-1 win over the touring UK side, Magdalen College, during the week, coach Andrew Beynon’s troops were confident.
York put up a brave fight, but coach Jason Slater‘s boys were outgunned, and Grey claimed a 5-1 win.
Dante Elkington netted a hat-trick to show why he was included in the South African u16 squad, while Ben Atkinson and Logan Goddard-Ford took the visitors’ tally to five. Joshua Dom replied for York.
On Saturday morning, Merrifield College played to a goalless draw against Cambridge High.
Results and scorers
Selborne College 2: Saneze Kweba, Inathi Gxobole. Hudson Park 1: Helio Ruiters
Pearson High 2: Keagan Moore. Graeme College 0.
Stirling High 3: Josh Williams, Keagan Rowe, Matthew Wiseman. Dale College 3: Sibongisile Nzima (2), Naledi Mosebi.
Queen’s College 7: Brett Hoffman (3), Asi Vena, Aya Maduma, Liso Mtalaliso, Morgan Hayes. Merrifield College 0.
Grey High School 5: Dante Elkington (3), Ben Atkinson, Logan Goddard-Ford. York High School 1: Joshua Dom.
