Hilton and Kearsney make strong starts at the Michaelhouse Hockey Tournament
Hilton College and Kearsney College recorded victories in their first outings at the inaugural Michaelhouse Hockey Tournament in Balgowan on Thursday.
Hilton edged out Maritzburg College 3-2, while Kearsney started their campaign with an impressive 3-0 win over Paarl Boys’ High.
The new showpiece features 10 of the country’s most exciting hockey-playing schools, with the sides split into two groups, Pool A and Pool B.
The hosts, Michaelhouse, are in Pool A, alongside Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies), St Andrew’s College, Northwood, and St Charles College. Pool B features Hilton College, Maritzburg College, Paarl Boys’ High, Kearsney College, and Reddam House Constantia battling it out for top honours.
The competition got underway with a bang on the Punchbowl Astro, where Hilton College and Maritzburg College delivered a hotly contested encounter.
Hilton’s Santi Matroos, Ethan Maltby, and Ross Hill etched their names into the tournament’s annals by being among the first scorers in the history of the tournament. Greg Hosking and Liyemikhaya Sishi netted for Maritzburg College.
The 3-2 win landed Hilton in second place in Pool B, behind Kearsney, whose three answered goals against Paarl Boys’ High lifted them into the top spot. Although they have made a mixed start to the season, the men from Botha’s Hill stitched together a clinical performance, which suggested they could be a dark horse contender.
The hosts, Michaelhouse, took on Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in their first outing, a 2-2 draw, which provided plenty of entertainment for the crowd.
Preston Greene and Henry Yeadon were on target for Michaelhouse, while Ruben Steenberg and Rudolph Thiart scored for Affies.
In another fantastic tussle, Northwood and St Andrew’s College shared a 3-3 draw, with Matthew Kirkwood, Luke Mason, and Liam Painter on target for the Eastern Cape side.
The tightly contested match was a perfect way to wrap a successful first day of the tournament, and it meant the teams would have to wait until day two for there to be a first winner in Pool B.
The action on Friday begins at 10:00, with Michaelhouse and Northwood going at it on the Punchbowl Astro, and Maritzburg College and Reddam House Constantia meeting on Aitkens Astro.
RESULTS
1st XI
Hilton 3-2 Maritzburg College
Michaelhouse 2-2 Affies
Kearsney 3-0 Paarl Boys
St Andrew’s College 3-3 Northwood
u16
Northwood 7-0 St Charles
Maritzburg College 7-1 Clifton
Kearsney 1-0 Hilton
Michaelhouse 4-0 Somerset College
FIXTURES
1st XI, Friday, 24 April
10:00 – Michaelhouse vs Northwood, 10:00 – Affies vs St Charles, 11:30 – Maritzburg College vs Reddam Constantia, 11:30 – Hilton vs Kearsney, 17:30 – Kearsney vs Reddam Constantia, 17:30 – Northwood vs St Charles, 19:00 – Michaelhouse vs St Andrew’s College, 19:00 – Hilton vs Paarl Boys’ High.
