Jeppe and Saints reignite rivalry under the lights

A clash between Jeppe and St Stithians College will headline the hockey action in Gauteng this weekend when the sides battle for supremacy on the Boden Astroturf on Friday night.

They’re familiar foes, having first started competing against one other in 1969.

Both enter the big clash after lukewarm starts to their season and there’s no clear-cut favourite, with little to separate the teams in recent matches.

They have played against each other twice in the past two years, with both meetings coming in the Southern Gauteng u18 Hockey Tournament, more commonly called the Aitken Cup.

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In 2022, Jeppe reigned victorious, claiming a 2-1 victory to retain the title. Last year, Saints pulled off a penalty shootout win to win the Cup after the match had ended deadlock at 2-2.

However, a lot has changed since then in the playing and coaching ranks, including Jeppe now being coached by former Dale College pupil, Siya Sityana, who has taken over the reins from Gilbert de Villiers. 

Under coach Sityana, Jeppe has taken part in two festivals, Nomads and King Edward VII.

At Nomads, they got off to a slow start, losing by small margins against Hilton College (0-2), Grey College (0-1), and Selborne College (0-1), three of the top teams in the festival.

They did, however, end the event on a high, claiming victories over Wynberg Boys’ High (4-3) and the hosts, Maritzburg College (1-0).

At the KES Easter Festival, Sityana’s troops continued building momentum and picked up wins over Waterkloof (4-1), Eldoraigne (2-0), and St Charles College (2-0). They also went down to Kearsney College and Rondebosch Boys’ High, but they will be high in confidence playing on their home turf.

Saints, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back after a rather disappointing time at their Easter Hockey Festival last weekend, albeit against high-class opposition.

The side claimed only one win, defeating Clifton College (3-1). They were beaten by Hilton College (1-2), and Pretoria Boys High (1-3) and played to a 2-2 draw against St Andrew’s College.

The Jeppe vs St Stithians clash starts at 19:00.

Other games on Friday will see Pretoria Boys High battling St Alban’s College. Hoërskool Waterkloof and Zwartkop are also in action against Transvalia and Marais Viljoen respectively.

On Saturday, Garsfontein welcomes Affies to their home ground, while Beaulieu College and St Peter’s College meet.

King Edward VII takes on St John’s College, while Parktown Boys High travels to Northcliff High, and St Benedict’s College locks horns with St David’s Marist Inanda.

Fixtures

Friday, 5 April

16:00 – Zwartkop vs Marais Viljoen
19:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs St Stithians College
19:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs St Alban’s College
19:15 – Hoërskool Waterkloof vs Transvalia

Saturday, 6 April

09:30 – Garsfontein vs Affies
09:50 –Northcliff High vs Parktown Boys’ High
10:30 – King Edward VII vs St John’s College
10:45 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s Marist Inanda
TBC: St Peters vs Beaulieu College

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Avuyile Sawula

Avuyile Sawula is a multimedia sports journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He possesses a journalism qualification from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. During his time in the media industry, he has worked for various online media publications covering a variety of sporting codes. He also has a broadcasting background having worked as a news journalist at one of Cape Town’s commercial radio stations. His reporting beats include hockey, rugby, water polo, and cricket. Apart from writing, he has a knack for creating sports content, and video editing.

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