Grey College fought back to salvage a draw against Selborne
Grey College came from behind twice to draw with Selborne College two-all in the highly anticipated inter-school hockey clash on Friday night in the Free State.
Grey, who were looking to assert dominance on the Eastern Cape side, went behind as early as the fourth minute in the first chukka courtesy of Selborne striker Waeden Plaatjes.
Plaatjes pounced on a loose ball and beat three defenders on his way to scoring a solo goal, slotting the ball in the far corner.
Opting to play three defenders at the back, KJ Friend’s side remained resolute in defense, weathering the Grey attack before play was eventually halted due to lightning threatening the area with six minutes left in the first quarter.
Play resumed after the break, and both sides didn’t do much besides defending each other, resulting in the first quarter ending with Selborne leading 1-0.
The second chukka was more aggressive and pacy. The aerial battle, with overhead passes, ruled as both sides traded possession numerous times.
Grey skipper Roan Janse van Rensburg finally opened the scoring for his side with time up in the chukka from a penalty corner. That goal sparked Selborne back to life in the third as they pushed the hosts, forcing them to make mistakes and give away possession easily.
Captain Ben van der Merwe, who has been a stalwart for the coastal side, scored via a penalty corner to restore the visitor’s lead going into the final quarter.
Defending on its own wasn’t enough for Selborne, as Grey pushed for a second equalizer early in the fourth chukker. The consistent attack from the Bloemfontein boys resulted in AC Delport sniffing on an opportunity in Selborne’s half as he scored on the far post with the back of his stick.
Try as they might, both sides couldn’t create clear-cut chances in the dying minutes of the match, as the physical battle ended two-all.
In other matches featuring Eastern Cape teams, Kingswood College left it late to beat Stirling (2-1), while another Makanda battle between St. Andrews and Graeme College ended with the latter winning (2-1).
Cambridge High defeated Dale College (2-0), whereas, an outstanding performance from Gqeberha’s Grey High saw them humiliate Wynberg Boys (5-1).
Scorers:
Grey College 2 (Roan Janse van Rensburg, AC Delport); Selborne College 2 (Waeden Plaatjes, Ben van der Merwe).
Kingswood College 2 (Chris Painting, Steven Aylesbury); Stirling 1 (Hisharm Pillay).
Grey High School 5 (Xander Elkington (2), Michael Mollenaar (2), Trenton Wood); Wynberg Boys’ High 1 (Ethan Lee)
Other results:
St Andrew’s College 2, Graeme College 1; Cambridge 2, Dale College 0.
