Michaelhouse performs Lazarus act on day one of Coastal Cup
Michaelhouse kicked off the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup in style with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Parel Vallei in one of the two opening matches of the festival at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban, on Friday.
In a stunning turnaround, coach Nick Bérichon‘s came from 1-3 behind to score three times in the final chukka and clinch a remarkable win.
Garsfontein, Paul Roos, and St Alban’s were the other winners on the opening day, with Garsfontein defeating Glenwood 4-0, Paul Roos trouncing Westville 6-0, and St Alban’s overcoming Durban High School (DHS) 2-1.
The festival, which is co-hosted by DHS, Westville, and Clifton, College runs through until Monday. Clifton, unfortunately, had their game against Paarl Boys’ High rained out. Pearson and Menlopark were also unable to take the field.
Bérichon’s Michaelhouse side, after a year in charge for the coach, is more settled and comfortable in their game this season compared to last year. That showed when they did not panic after falling behind in the game. They kept their composure, stuck to their game plan, but raised their intensity and were more aggressive on the attack.
The result was a pulsating 4-3 victory, thanks to goals from Sithsaba Simukonda, Gordon Deutscher, Luke Camerer, and Henry Love were on target for Michaelhouse.
“I was very impressed with the guys, that they kept playing. It’s tough when the scoreboard is not going your way, and the easier thing to do is to start throwing your toys out, but we’ve emphasised just playing hockey and controlling our emotions. That was it. There was a lot of belief that we could eventually get the win,” Bérichon told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The main thing is we want to sort out how we are starting games, but I am super happy that the guys ended with proper control.”
He also had kind words for Parel Vallei, who had made a strong start to the season. “That was an unbelievable team,” he said. “We watched a bit of their footage leading up to the game and, going forward, you can see they are so well drilled. They are really direct when they get the ball high up in the field and they caused up big problems on a few occasions, which we didn’t deal with well enough.”
The Michaelhouse vs Parel Vallei encounter ran concurrently with the fixture between Garsfontein and Glenwood, but shortly after the completion of the matches, the rain, which had been falling all day, increased in intensity, leading to a very wet warm-up for Clifton, Paarl Boys’ High, Pearson and Menlopark, followed by less than a minute of play.
The scoreline in the match between Paul Roos and Westville gives the impression of a one-sided encounter. However, Michael Baker, the Paul Roos coach, did not feel that was so. According to the gaffer, Paul Roos had to weather a tough opening session.
Coach Cameron Mackay’s young Westville side asked tough questions of the Stellenbosch school, but Paul Roos had answers to all the queries. Baker expected a tough challenge and was prepared
“We implemented what was asked in phases and looked really good. We just need to hold those phases for a lot longer,” Baker explained after the match.
Logan Lackay and Matt Cardoza led the scoring for Paul Roos with a brace each, with Ruben Gouws and Charles Lombard slotting a goal each.
In the morning, DHS played a friendly match against Pearson, triumphing 2-0. Coach Keegan Hezlett would have wanted his side to replicate that performance later in the day, however, they fell short when they went up against St Alban’s.
Hezlett’s team had only a single opportunity at goal and they converted it. Beyond that, they did not create chances and St Alban’s made them pay.
Day two kicks off with a mouthwatering contest between St Alban’s and Paul Roos.
RESULTS
Michaelhouse 4-3 Parel Vallei
Garsfontein 4-0 Glenwood
Paul Roos 6-0 Westville
St Alban’s 2-1 DHS.
Saturday, 29 March
Riverside 1
09:30 – St Alban’s vs Paul Roos
11:00 – Clifton vs Pearson
12:30 – Garsfontein vs Michaelhouse
14:00 – Paarl Boys vs Glenwood
15:30 – Menlopark vs Parel Vallei
17:00 – Westville vs St Alban’s
18:30 – DHS vs Paul Roos
Riverside 2
18:30 – Clifton vs Garsfontein
Sunday, 30 March
09:30 – DHS vs Menlopark
11:00 – St Alban’s vs Michaelhouse
12:30 – Westville vs Pearson
14:00 – Garsfontein vs Parel Vallei
15:30 – Menlopark vs Glenwood
17:00 – DHS vs Paarl Boys
18:30 – Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse
Monday, 31 March
08:00 – Pearson vs Glenwood
09:30 – Clifton vs Parel Vallei
11:00 – Westville vs Paarl Boys
