Eastern Province, the big winners on day three of the u16 SASHOC National Week
Day three of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein delivered fireworks and some shocking results, which shook up the status quo ahead of the last day of pool action on Monday.
In both pools, the top two places are still up for grabs.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
After starting their campaign with a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Western Province A on Friday, Eastern Province A bounced back in emphatic fashion on Sunday to keep their hopes of a semi-final spot alive.
Competing in a tough Pool A, coach Michael Abrahams’ team caught the eye on Saturday with a 7-2 demolition of Southern Free State A. They dominated in the midfield and were accurate in front of goal as James Chree grabbed a hattrick and Keegan le Roux slotted a double.
On day three, EP carried that momentum into their double-header. In their first outing, they beat Northern Gauteng 4-1. Le Roux, once again, bagged a brace, while Chree and Dale Jennings also scored to ensure it was a convincing victory.
Later in the day, EP faced a dangerous Boland A team, which had proved just how dangerous they could be in their morning game, defeating previously unbeaten Western Province A 2-1. While Province lost their clean record, their neighbours maintained theirs.
In the big afternoon battle, Eastern Province came out firing and found the back of the net early, in the sixth minute, with Le Roux adding another goal to his impressive tally.
In the third chukka, Le Roux made it a double for a third match in succession before his partner in crime, Chree, struck from a penalty corner to make it 3-0.
Boland almost staged a dramatic comeback in the fourth chukka, though, with Ruben Gouws scoring twice in two minutes. The Eastern Cape boys, however, held on for a crucial 3-2 win.
Those two victories by Eastern Province have made matters in Pool A very interesting ahead of Monday’s last pool games. Western Province A, Boland A, and EP are level on nine points after four matches each and are separated only by goal difference.
KZN Coastal A and KZN Inland A remain in the driving seat in Pool B.
Inland, on Sunday, made it four wins in a row with a 2-1 win over Southern Gauteng A in the final match of the day.
Southerns opened the scoring through Ndyebo Pongwana in the second chukka, but Liyemikhaya Sishi levelled just before halftime.
In the final chukka, with time up, Thandanani Zuma, who has been a frequent scorer for the KZN team, converted a penalty corner to seal the win for coach Mark Sanders‘ troops.
KZN Coastal A also kept their 100 percent winning record intact with a 3-2 win over Southern Gauteng B.
Josh van Biljon, Christopher Abrahams, and Ryde Brisset scored for the winners.
The competition heads into its fourth day on Monday with four teams – Southern Free State A, Border A, KZN Inland B, and Southern Gauteng B – still searching for their first wins of the tournament.
Results | Day 3
Eastern Province 4-1 Northern Gauteng A
Boland A 2-1 Western Province A
Southern Free State A 2-2 KZN Inland B
KZN Coastal A 3-2 Southern Gauteng B
KZN Coastal B 2-1 Border A
KZN Inland A 2-1 Southern Gauteng A
Eastern Province A 2-1 Boland A
Fixtures| Day 4
08:45 – KZN Inland A vs KZN Coastal A
10:10 – Border A vs Southern Gauteng B
11:35 – Southern Gauteng A vs KZN Coastal B
13:00 – Western Province A vs Northern Gauteng A
14:25 – Boland A vs Southern Free State A
15:35 – KZN Coastal A vs Border A at Grey College
15:50 – KZN Inland B vs Eastern Province A
