Goals galore and statement wins mark Nomads’ dramatic opening day
If day one of the Nomads Hockey Festival proved anything, it’s that the forthcoming season will be fiercely competitive and no team should be taken lightly. On Saturday, the opening day of the festival, preconceived ideas about teams were blown out of the water.
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There were shock results, unbeaten records shattered, and high-scoring encounters that left many hockey enthusiasts at Pretoria Boys High open-mouthed in shock.
Wynberg Boys’ High delivered the first hammer blow by edging out Jeppe High School for Boys 1-0 in the opening game.
It was a hotly contested battle, decided by a late goal from Zachariah Booley. Before the fixture, Jeppe had not tasted defeat in over 20 months after going on an impressive unbeaten run in 2025.
In their second match of the day, Jeppe bounced back and brushed aside Kearsney College 2-0, courtesy of goals by Kade Lottering and Tshimologo Mogale. Wynberg, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with St John’s College to keep their unbeaten record at the festival intact.
Another side that impressed was Gqeberha’s Grey High School. Under the guidance of coach Andrew Beynon, they produced a thrilling attacking masterclass to overrun King Edward VII (KES) 8-4 before getting past the hosts 2-1 later in the day.
Against KES, the experienced Keegan Le Roux and Logan Meyer netted twice each, while Dante Elkington and James Chree also got their names on the score sheet.
There were also debut goals for Michael Gillies, the brother of Kerrin Gillies, who is currently tearing it up at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival for Collegiate Girls’ High. David Stevenson also scored his first goal for the side.
The hosts, PBHS, showed promise and resilience on Saturday. In their opener, they defeated a never-say-die Grey College side in a humdinger of a clash thanks to a hat-trick by Bongai Vuyeqeba.
Marko Bosch struck twice for the Bloemfontein boys, and they had an opportunity to equalise in the final chukka when they were awarded a penalty corner. The injection was mistrapped, however, and that chance went begging.
St John’s College showed strong character to come from behind to snatch a 2-1 win over Maritzburg College. Matthew Ireland and Scott Bray were on target for the Johannesburg school in a welcome win after they went down to KES a week ago.
Hilton College struggled somewhat, but they weren’t beaten. They played to a goalless draw with Selborne College before holding Affies to a 2-2 draw. Kean Cornelissen and Rudolph Thiart scored for Affies, while Ben Wilson slotted two cracking goals for Hilton.
Day two’s action will kick off with a clash between Affies and Grey High. Maritzburg College will battle Grey College, while the hosts lock horns with Selborne and Kearsney, respectively.
RESULTS
Saturday, 28 March
Wynberg Boys’ High 1-0 Jeppe
Affies 3-0 Kearsney College
Grey High 8-4 KES
Hilton College 0-0 Selborne College
St John’s College 2-1 Maritzburg College
Pretoria Boys High 3-2 Grey College
Jeppe 2-0 Kearsney College
Affies 2-2 Hilton College
Selborne College 1-1 Maritzburg College
Grey High 2-1 Pretoria Boys High
St John’s College 1-1 Wynberg Boys’ High
FIXTURES
Sunday, 29 March
08:00 – Affies vs Grey High
09:10 – Hilton vs St John’s College
10:35 – Wynberg Boys’ High vs KES
11:45 – Pretoria Boys High vs Kearsney College
13:10 – Grey College vs Affies
14:20 – Grey High vs Jeppe
15:45 – Maritzburg College vs KES
16:55 – Pretoria Boys High vs Selborne College
18:05 – Kearsney vs St John’s College
@Pretoria High School for Girls
08:00 – Maritzburg College vs Grey College
09:10 – Selborne College vs Jeppe
15:45 – Wynberg Boys’ High vs Hilton College
