Grey High too strong for Queen’s, Selborne shocks St Andrew’s
It was a far from perfect performance by Grey High School, but four goals in the second half sealed a gritty 5-2 victory over Queen’s College, in Komani, on Friday.
Selborne College, meanwhile, picked up their biggest win of the season so far when they won 1-0 at St Andrew’s College.
The action on Friday night began in Komani, though, where Grey High faced a Queen’s side looking to get back to winning ways after suffering a hefty 1-5 loss against St Andrew’s last time out. Grey was coming off a bye.
It was a cagey affair from the outset, with the hosts feeding off the home support at the Chris Harker AstroTurf.
They started brightly and opened the scoring in the first chukka through Asi Vena, who found himself in space and scored after picking up a loose ball inside the circle.
That goal was immediately matched when Grey went on the attack and was awarded a peanlty corner after the ball struck a Queen’s foot inside the host’s circle.
All season long, James Chree has been the go-to man during short corner time for Grey, and it was business as usual. This time, though, his flick was kept out by goalkeeper Rowan Miles, and a rebound shot was also saved before the ball landed comfortably for Ameer Muller, who turned it into the goalbox to level matters.
The two sides returned for a lacklustre second chukka, which was clouded by inaccuracies and unforced errors, resulting in the tempo of the game dropping.
That worked in favour of Queen’s, who frustrated Grey. Around the Astro, the home team’s supporters started to believe something special was on the cards.
That belief, however, was quickly shut down in the third chukka; coach Andrew Beynon must’ve given his team a serious halftime talk.
His boys came out firing and upped the ante with two goals in quick succession, scored by Chree and captain Luke Tait.
Two goals to the good, Grey refused to rest on their laurels and finished the game off in the final chukka. Athi Voigt, who made his 50th appearance against Wynberg Boys’ High earlier this month, got his name on the scoresheet.
Queen’s responded late through Liso Mtalaliso, but Dante Elkington, who was in fine form all night, deservedly scored a goal to seal a 5-2 win.
While Grey dominated in Komani, Selborne College pulled off an upset in Makhanda.
Coming off an impressive 5-1 win over Dale College, coach KJ Friend’s boys entered the St Andrew’s game as the underdog but came out on top.
It was a close encounter, with very little between the sides, which is usually the case when they meet.
It took a third chukka drag flick by the reliable Reid Drake to seal the win for Selborne, and they’ll travel to Bloemfontein next weekend to face Grey College in high spirits.
In an East London derby, Hudson Park High School scored a 4-0 victory over Merrifield College.
Helio Ruiters, who netted a hat-trick a week ago versus Victoria Park, was back to his old ways and scored three again. Hlomla Ndlovu netted to complete the drubbing.
Dale College also got back to winning ways with an emphatic 5-1 triumph against Cambridge High School.
Coach Andrew Senekal’s charges were clinical and made good use of their chances. Captain Sibongisile Nzima led from the front and scored four goals, while Lihlumelo Nchukana also netted.
In Friday’s final match, Kingwood College beat Stirling High 2-1 in East London.
RESULTS
Grey High 5-2 Queen’s College
Selborne College 1-0 St Andrew’s College
Hudson Park 4-0 Merrifield College
Kingswood College 2-1 Stirling High School
Dale College 5-1 Cambridge High School
