Maritzburg College and Westville still top KZN leagues
Maritzburg College and Westville Boys’ High continued their winning streaks in the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Coastal and Inland Second-Term A-Leagues, although their closest challengers kept up the pressure on the table-topping sides.
Coastal A
On Tuesday, the Coastal A-fixtures were played at Queensburgh High School, where Westville defeated Port Shepstone High 2-1 in a key clash to bolster their points’ haul by another three.
Dayyan Fudu, who has been a standout player for the Griffin, scored both goals.
Players, like Fudu have excelled, with Westville’s outstanding work ethic and positional and tactical awareness being hallmarks of their game, which have contributed to their strong showing in the league. With two goals against Port Shepstone, Fudu lifted his total to five for the season.
Port Shepstone, after starting the season with three victories on the trot, has now gone down in their last two outings, also losing 1-3 to Glenwood last week. Sheppie takes on Pinetown Boys’ High next Tuesday, needing to right the ship.
Glenwood, the two-time defending champion, occupies third place in the standings, with 12 points. They’re level with Hillcrest High in points, but Hillcrest is in second. Westville tops the table with 13 points.
On Tuesday, Glenwood secured a 2-1 victory over the struggling Northwood School, with goals from Mbuso Gumede and Ukwazi Dludla. Despite the win and the acquisition of three vital points, the coach of the Green Machine, Khaya Mgwengwe, wasn’t satisfied with his charges’ performance.
Although pleased to have picked up three points, he expressed concern about Glenwood’s third place on the log, acknowledging that circumstances could change rapidly.
Hillcrest High continued their good run with a 3-1 defeat of Bechet High.
Banele Ngongoma has been one of the players at the forefront of Hillcrest’s success and he added another goal to his tally.
He was set up by an inviting cross from his captain, Thingo Shezi, who also got his name onto the score sheet by converting a penalty.
Jason Carter, who came off the bench, made an immediate impact by scoring the final goal for Hillcrest, also from the spot.
After a series of recent disappointments, Pinetown Boys’ High snatched a close 3-2 victory over Empangeni High School.
Inland A
The Inland A-League log leaders, Maritzburg College, hosted Newton on Barns Field. With Carter High, only two points behind them, the Red, Black, and White produced a composed, winning performance to score a 3-0 victory.
Sphelele Sibiya, Mazithi Qasha, and Malachi Momple provided the finishes, which left College with 13 points after the game.
After suffering a 0-1 loss to Maritzburg College last Tuesday, Edendale Technical High reversed their fortunes with a 2-0 victory over Ixopo Secondary School, with Wandile Madlala netting both goals.
Carter High kept up the pressure on College with a tight 1-0 win over Linpark, while the Alexandra High School A Team played to a 1-1 draw against Haythorne Secondary.
RESULTS
Coastal A
Pinetown Boys’ High 3-2 Empangeni
Hillcrest 3-1 Bechet
Glenwood 2-1 Northwood
Westville 2-1 Port Shepstone
Inland A
Carter 1-0 Linpark
Edendale 2-0 Ixopo
Alexandra High School A Team 1-1 Haythorne
Maritzburg College 3-0 Newton
Forthcoming Fixtures
Thursday, 22 May: Coastal B
Queensburgh High School
Field 1
15:10 – Amanzimtoti vs Grosvenor
16:15 – Queensburgh High School vs Ashton Ballito A Team
Field 2
15:10 – New Forest vs Durban High School
16:15 – Redwood vs Sastri
Friday, 23 May: Coastal C
Queensburgh High School
Field 1
15:10 – Durban Academy vs George Campbell
16:15 – Canaan College vs Birdswood
Field 2
16:15 – Brettonwood vs Ashton Ballito B Team
Thursday, 22 May: Inland B
Alexandra High School
Field 1
15:00 – Alexandra High School B Team vs Maritzburg Christian School
16:05 – Northbury vs Heritage Academy
Field 2
15:00 – ML Sultan vs Maritzburg College B Team
16:05 – Riverwood vs Thornhill
Note: Inland C fixtures scheduled for this Friday, 23 May, have been moved to Wednesday, 28 May.
Venue: AB Jackson
15:00 – Umvuzo vs Maritzburg College C Team
16:05 – Newton B Team vs Michaelhouse
