Northwood continues strong run with victory over Clifton
Northwood, recently crowned the inaugural winners of the Michaelhouse Hockey Tournament title, continued their positive run of results with a 3-1 win over Clifton College at the Riverside Club on Friday night.
The Knights, who were missing their coach, Justin Collins, put together a polished performance that would have made the gaffer proud. Collins is at the senior men’s Interprovincial Tournament with the KwaZulu-Natal Raiders.
“Despite not being there on the night, the boys still executed his game plan, his philosophies, and the brand of hockey he has worked hard to instill in them,” Chris Stewart, who stood in for Collins, told SuperSport Schools News.
“I think that speaks volumes about both his coaching influence and the buy-in from the players,”
The Knights arrived at Riverside with a plan. They aimed to make a high-tempo start to the game, thus making Clifton work hard without the ball.
Explaining the thinking behind that idea, Stewart said: “We felt our depth off the bench was one of our strengths, and the idea was that by the fourth quarter we’d be able to control longer periods of the game, which I think we managed to do well.”
Northwood was rewarded for their high intensity with a goal in the first chukka when Caleb Phipson executed a brilliant post-up play, rolled the ball off brilliantly to Jordan Hatcher under pressure, before Sisekelo Sibeko finished it off.
Clifton emerged from the first break determined to wrestle control from the Knights. They fought fire with fire and grabbed an equaliser in the second chukka. Northwood, though, stuck to their processes and didn’t react to the pressure exerted by Clifton.
“We spoke a lot about taking care of the little things, because if you do that well, the bigger moments tend to look after themselves,” Stewart explained.
That approach paid off in the third chukka when they retook the lead through a Luc Boyall goal. Clifton gave as good as they got. They were relentless and broke Northwood’s press a few times, but the Knights stood firm in defence and limited the home’s attacking opportunities. When the defence faltered, Dean Hart executed brilliant saves in goal for Northwood.
Phipson, who starred for Northwood in the final of the Michaelhouse Hockey Tournament, put the game beyond Clifton with a strike in the fourth quarter.
“It was a very tightly contested fixture last night and, full credit to Clifton, they’re a very strong side with one of the best starting XIs around and some exceptional players.
“The boys put up a strong performance against quality opposition, and there are plenty of positives for the boys to take forward,” said Stewart.
Northwood, who will host their Old Boys’ Day next week, will focus on carrying their positive momentum into their forthcoming fixtures.
“There should be a real sense of excitement around this group,” Stewart reckoned.
“They’re playing some very good hockey at the moment, and if they can continue building on performances like this, combined with Justin’s leadership and experience, it creates a strong platform for them to keep progressing and carry real momentum forward,” Stewart shared.
Result
Northwood 3-1 Clifton
