Gauteng’s top guns flex their muscles
Entertaining hockey, some tightly contested affairs, and bucket loads of goals were the theme of matches in the Gauteng region over the past weekend.
Top sides – Jeppe High School for Boys, St Stithians College, Pretoria Boys High, and King Edward VII (KES) – all secured victories against tricky opposition.
Jeppe, fresh from claiming third place at the Hibbert Shield, made the trip to Pretoria to take on an unpredictable Affies side.
As expected, it was a gruelling battle, and the boys from Kensington had to dig deep to secure a gritty 3-2 win.
Affies opened the scoring early in the first chukka through MJ du Rand after he picked up a loose ball from a short corner, then dribbled before slamming it past goalkeeper Jason Pressley.
The visitors responded almost immediately. Jeppe won a short corner of their own at the other end and turned to the reliable Kade Lottering, who made no mistake, flicking the ball into the back of the net to level matters.
It was end-to-end stuff after that, but neither side converted in front of the goal, and they were tied 1-1 at the break.
Jeppe upped the ante in the third chukka and was rewarded when Jarryd Gordon-Watt and Adam Lacy struck to give them a two-goal lead.
Affies made it a nervy finish to the match for the visitors, though, by scoring in the dying minutes of the final chukka. They had several attacking opportunities after that, but Jeppe’s defence held firm to seal the win.
KES was also on the road at Parktown Boys’ High and produced a solid performance to win 4-1.
They dominated the majority of the clash, and an early goal from a penalty flick by Blaine Candy set them up for the win.
Thoriso Motsepa, Ryan Morley and Adam Stanton then got their names on the scoresheet to seal a comfortable victory for the Houghton school.
In other matches, St Stithians College did just enough to beat St Alban’s College 1-0. It was the second Saints‘ victory of the weekend after they thumped Linden 10-0 on Friday night.
St Benedict’s College was victorious against CBC Boksburg, while Pretoria Boys High showed class to beat St David’s Marist Inanda 3-1. Helpmekaar College and Garsfontein also registered crucial victories.
In Bloemfontein, St John’s College played to a 3-3 draw against St Andrew’s School, who were without Kaden Henderson and Tayo Fitz. They were representing the Free State men’s team at the Inter-Provincial Tournament in Johannesburg. Henderson is in Grade 11, and Fitz is in Grade 12.
RESULTS
Jeppe 3-2 Affies
St Benedict’s College 3-0 CBC Boksburg
St Stithians College 1-0 St Alban’s College
KES 4-1 Parktown Boys’ High
Helpmekaar 2-1 Menlopark
Trinity House Randpark 1-1 Penryn College
Garsfontein 2-1 Waterkloof
Pretoria Boys High 3-1 St David’s Marist Inanda
St John’s College 3-3 St Andrew’s School
