Edgars Friday Nite Lights eyes on SACS vs Bishops on a jam-packed weekend
The Bishops first-team hockey side will aim to cause a massive upset when they take on South African College High School (SACS) in Cape Town on Friday night.
The Edgars Friday Nite Lights clash will be broadcast live on DSTV Channel 216 and on the SuperSport Schools App.
The rivals meet at 19:00. The atmosphere at the venue, the Brewery AstroTurf, is expected to be electric, and it will be jam-packed with spectators.
To many, Bishops are the underdogs heading into the clash, but coach Ryan Julius will argue otherwise.
On paper, SACS is indeed the favourite, but hockey isn’t played on paper and by the odds, and the first month of the 2026 season has proved that any team can be beaten on an off day.
While SACS picked up two morale-boosting victories last week, beating Durbanville 6-0 and Grey High School 3-1, Bishops was on a break.
Coach Julius’s men last played competitive hockey at the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, which took place at the Riverside Hockey Club in Durban late last month.
There, Bishops flexed their muscles against some strong opposition.
In their four matches, they beat Clifton College and Menlopark, drew 2-2 with Westville Boys’ High, and succumbed to a 3-4 loss to St Andrew’s School.
While those results are promising, coach Julius knows that SACS will pose a difficult challenge.
One might feel, too, that coach Sam Holmes’s charges have not played their best hockey, but their win over Grey High last Saturday would’ve given the team a welcome boost and put a spring into the side’s step.
Barring a loss to Northwood at the Founders Festival, SACS has been on song, and a complete performance on Friday night would help them to build momentum right before the Hibbert Shield, which takes place from 24-27 April.
The hosts will take confidence from their matches against Bishops last year, which SACS won 4-1 and 9-0.
Other matches
While the southern suburbs’ rivals lock horns, a plethora of matches is lined up elsewhere in the province.
Rondebosch Boys’ High, after comfortably beating Wynberg Boys’ High 4-1 last weekend, returns to league action against Fairmont High.
Wynberg will aim to bounce back at Paarl Boys’ High, while Parel Vallei tackles DF Akademie.
Worcester Gimnasium will be on the road to face Punt in Mossel Bay, and Paarl Gimnasium takes on Grey College in a clash between big-name opponents who haven’t yet hit their stride in 2026.
Reddam House Constantia faces a tricky test against Durbanville, while the Langa Hockey Club plays Stellenberg High.
FIXTURES
Friday, 17 April
17:45 – Langa Hockey Club vs Stellenberg
18:00 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Grey College
18:40 – Punt vs Worcester Gimnasium
18:50 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Wynberg Boys’ High
19:00 – Reddam House vs Durbanville
19:00 – SACS vs Bishop
19:15 – Rondebosch vs Fairmont High
19:35 – Parel Vallei vs DF Akademie
