Grey College and Parktown come alive at KES Easter Festival
After suffering heavy defeats on the opening day of the King Edward VII (KES) Easter Festival, Grey College and Parktown Boys’ High produced impressive performances on Saturday to redeem themselves.
College went down 1-4 against KES on Thursday, while Parktown was beaten 4-0 by Westville Boys’ High.
The 18 teams were back in action on Saturday after a day off on Easter Friday. That time away from the AstroTurf served some well, and others not so well.
Grey kicked things off bright and early against Glenwood High School in the day’s opening match. The Bloemfontein boys, led by coach Braam van Wyk, were full of energy and controlled the tempo of the contest from start to finish.
They moved the ball with conviction and scored some cracking goals on their way to a handsome 5-1 victory in which Bokang Lehenyelo, Marko Bosch, Keagan Wessels, Christopher Klopper, and Jean Griessel found the back of the net.
Parktown, meanwhile, took on Selborne College and handed the East London side a surprisingly big 5-0 defeat, with a double from Ndyebo Pongwana, and further goals scored by Elethu Bam, Kaylin Chinappa, and Abiye Bamson.
It was a much better showing from coach Kyle Reddy‘s charges. They’ve shown promising signs this season, but had not finished well until their showdown with Selborne.
Last week, they had a tough time at the Founders Festival in Komani. Thus, the win against coach KJ Friend‘s charges was warmly welcomed by Parktown’s supporters.
The KwaZulu-Natal teams made a bright start to their respective campaigns on day one, and they continued in the same vein on Saturday.
Maritzburg College overpowered Queen’s College, winning 3-0, while Northwood, one of the form teams in the early part of the season, didn’t disappoint, beating Helpmekaar College 5-0.
Jordan Hatcher, Ryan Mbamba, Luc Boyall, Sisi Sebeko, and Cameron White netted as the Knights also kept a clean sheet.
It was a rewarding outing for Mbamba and White, who were called up from the u16 side because of injuries to 1st XI regulars.
Westville Boys’ High was also on the money, holding on for a 3-2 win over St John’s College, while St Charles brushed aside Dale College 3-0.
Pearson High was a big winner, too. After beating Helpmekaar 4-1 on Thursday, coach Dalan Phillips orchestrated a near-perfect performance as the Gqeberha school thumped Eldoraigne 7-1.
Tao Kudyachete and Petri Reynolds both netted twice while Zacharee McLean, Callum Peltenberg, and Joe Cowper-Johnson struck once each to seal the win.
Kearsney College recorded its first win of the festival, comfortably beating Waterkloof 4-1, while the hosts played to a 1-1 draw with St Andrew’s College (SAC).
Sunday’s action commences with a matchup between SAC and St John’s at 07:30. The day’s highlight should be the showdown between KES and Northwood at 16:50.
RESULTS
Saturday, 4 April
Grey College 5-1 Glenwood High
St Charles 3-0 Dale College
Pearson High 7-1 Eldoraigne
KES 1-1 St Andrew’s College
Maritzburg College 3-0 Queen’s College
St John’s College 2-3 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood 5-0 Helpmekaar College
Selborne College 0-5 Parktown Boys’ High
Waterkloof 1-4 Kearsney College
FIXTURES
Sunday, 5 April
07:30 – St Andrew’s College vs St John’s College
08:50 – Helpmekaar vs Queen’s College
10:10 – Eldoraigne vs St Charles
11:30 – Glenwood High vs Pearson
12:50 – Westville Boys’ High vs Grey College
14:10 – Dale College vs Waterkloof
15:30 – Kearsney vs Selborne College
16:50 – KES vs Northwood
18:10 – Maritzburg College vs Parktown Boys’ High
