Kearsney and Hilton dish up an eight-goal thriller
Kearsney College and Hilton College locked horns in an eight-goal humdinger on the Mansergh Astro on Saturday.
Ashley Kemp’s charges arrived at Hilton College fresh after a two-week break. The last time that Kearsney had played competitive hockey was at the KES Easter Festival.
When they picked up their sticks on Monday morning to prepare for their weekend fixture, they focussed on the same aspects they had focussed on in the preseason, fortifying their defence and working from that base in their excursions up the field.
“There is a healthy competition between us and Hilton. This is always a big fixture for us,” Kemp said.
Both sides were frenetic in the early stages of the game, but Hilton got a handle on the contest first and dominated possession in the first chukka, entering the Kearsney D a couple of times. However, they couldn’t do more than apply pressure because of the visitors’ defensive strength, an area of the game in which Kemp takes pride.
Jonty Wiggett‘s goal, scored after he capitalised off a penalty corner rebound, helped Kearsney compose themselves and play themselves into the game in the second chukka. The visitors’ confidence grew as they enjoyed longer spells of possession. But the home side wasn’t going to be kept out of the contest for long and they equalised and then took the lead before the visitors could muster a reply to their opener.
Hilton’s 2-1 advantage set the stage as a thrilling contest unfolded. With both teams launching attacks into their opposition’s territory, momentum swung back and forth.
Kearsney crafted a sensational field goal to level. In the build-up, almost every member of the team had a touched the ball before Liam Johnson executed a sensational reverse stick shot to equalise.
Their continued dominance of possession led to their third goal, with James Peirson providing the finish after another good passage of play.
The visitors’ lead did not last long, however, and Hilton nullified it two minutes later with a penalty corner. Buoyed, the home side launched wave after wave of attack and, with four minutes left on the clock, they took the lead for a second time in the match.
Kearsney captain Matthew Mendes de Oliveira performed superbly, and it was fitting that he had the final say in the contest. The young man made the SA Schools team last year and he showed why when he scored with a minute-and-a-half left in the game with a well-targeted drag flick to the keeper’s stick side from a penalty corner.
“It was a very good game. The boys fought hard to come back twice,” Kemp said afterwards.
“The most impressive part of the match was that it was a complete performance by my team. No individual outshone others. They covered for each other well.
“Our goalkeeper kept us in the game a couple of times with good saves and our defence was solid,” he added.
The Kearsney coach also complimented Hilton, who maintained their defensive structures well, despite Kearsney putting the hosts under pressure in the midfield and restricting go-forward ball.
Kemp also applauded Hilton’s forays that overloaded Kearsney’s left and right channels.
The contest was one of those matches where either side could have bagged a victory but neither deserved to lose.
Elsewhere in the province, Calvin Price’s Clifton College romped to a 3-1 win at St Charles.
Clifton found the back of the net through Ryde Brisset, Zach Williamson and Daniel Hompes and their performance pleased Price.
“The boys stepped up nicely against a well-structured SCC team, under Mathew Coombes. We showed character, took our chances, and pressed really well,” Price said.
The victory bodes well for the young Clifton side. Price, in his first season with the team, has identified an exciting attacking brand of hockey built from the base of good defence as one of his goals for the season. His charges showcased that against St Charles.
Results: Hilton 4-4 Kearsney, St Charles 1 – 3 Clifton
