Paul Roos and DHS finish strongly, Westville finds its groove at Coastal Cup
Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) and Durban High School (DHS) finished their Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup campaigns on a positive note, while Westville Boys’ High found their groove and recorded their first win of the festival on Sunday at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban.
The festival, which is co-hosted by DHS, Westville, and Clifton College, finishes on Monday when Westville and Clifton will complete their schedules.
Paul Roos beat Michaelhouse in a showdown of sides unbeaten at the festival, Glenwood won against Menlopark, Parel Vallei held off Garsfontein by the odd goal in seven, Westville edged out Pearson, and DHS drew 1-1 with Paarl Boys’ High.
Paul Roos has been a juggernaut, demolishing everyone in their path, and coach Michael Baker’s side maintained its 100 percent win record at the Coastal Cup with a 4-2 victory over an in-form Michaelhouse, thanks to goals from Jeandré van Zyl, Caleb Cilliers, Callum van Oudtshoorn, and Logan Lackay in Sunday’s last game.
“We had a really positive weekend,” Baker told SuperSport Schools Plus after PRG’s fourth win on the trot. “We are a super young team and got asked a lot of questions, which hopefully we can manage better in the season.
“I think we played some beautiful hockey. We have really focused on our style of play. Hopefully, we can start playing it for longer periods. All in all, it was very positive,” Baker shared after the Stellenbosch side’s final outing.
With the game against Paul Roos, Michaelhouse’s campaign also came to an end. Despite the loss, it was a solid showing from the boys from Balgowan. They weren’t as prolific as PRG in front of goal – Paul Roos netted 22 goals in four games and ‘House only eight – but they found ways to win, with a strong dose of character bringing them victories. Of the three goals Baker’s side conceded, two of them were scored by Michaelhouse.
Coach Nick Bérichon‘s side came into the contest with three wins under their belt, which included a 4-3 victory over Parel Vallei in their opening fixture in which they overturned a 1-3 deficit to snatch a morale-boosting win.
There was a section of fans half-expecting them to repeat that feat when they were 2-4 down against Paul Roos. The Stellenbosch school’s defences proved to be made of sterner stuff, however, and they repelled Michaelhouse’s attempts at adding further goals to their tally.
DHS had relatively few hours to rest their feet after their 1-3 defeat against Paul Roos on Saturday night. However, that was not enough to knock the wind out of coach Keegan Hezlett’s men’s sails.
Josh Mungherera, the DHS captain, led from the front, both with his work rate and goal-scoring, which included executing a simple tap-in after a well-worked team move broke down the Menlopark press.
“The boys did really well to make the game big by transitioning into different channels through midfield,” Hezlett said after their 3-0 victory.
Their effort on and off the ball helped them force numerous turnovers. Elchaan Lubbe was responsible for one of them and then fired the ball into the Menlopark D for Bonga Maphanga to finish off with a deflection at the far post to secure a 2-0 lead.
Sithsaba Siyoyo hammered the final nail in the coffin when he beat the Menlopark goalkeeper with a drag flick on the whistle at the end of the third chukka.
“It was tough to get ourselves back up after a short turnaround since last night’s fixture against Paul Roos,” Hezlett admitted. “The boys put in a big effort and were struggling with some fatigued legs.”
DHS headed into their final match determined to finish strongly and they did so with a 1-1 draw with Paarl Boys’ High, thanks to a strike from Tyrique Cloete.
Westville did not begin their Coastal Cup campaign well. They were the first victims of the marauding Paul Roos side on Friday, suffering a 0-6 loss, which didn’t do their efforts justice.
On Saturday, they found their way back with a 2-2 draw against St Alban’s. Then, on Sunday, they got into the groove of things with a 2-1 win over Pearson, with captain Seth Simpson slotting both goals.
“We were really good in the press and dominated most of the game, created lots of chances, but really were poor with the finishing,” Cameron Mackay, the Westville coach, stated.
Glenwood High scored an encouraging 2-0 win over Menlopark, which suggested that the upward trajectory of the Green Machine is continuing.
Paarl Boys’ High, too, exhibited encouraging signs and a 4-2 win over Clifton was evidence that their hockey, also, is on the up.
RESULTS
1st XI
Paarl Boys’ High 4-2 Clifton
DHS 3-0 Menlopark
Michaelhouse 1-0 St Alban’s
Westville 2-1 Pearson
Parel Vallei 4-3 Garsfontein
Glenwood 2-0 Menlopark
DHS 1-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Paul Roos 4-2 Michaelhouse
U16
DHS 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Glenwood 2-0 Menlopark
Paul Roos 2-0 Michaelhouse
Clifton 2-0 Garsfontein
Pearson 1-0 Westville
DHS 6-0 Menlopark
St Alban’s 0-0 Michaelhouse
Garsfontein 2-1 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 2-1 Paarl Boys’ High
U14
Paul Roos 6-0 DHS
St Alban’s 3-3 Michaelhouse
Clifton 1-1 Parel Vallei
Westville 3-0 Pearson
Glenwood 2-1 Menlopark
DHS 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Parel Vallei 2-1 Garsfontein
Paul Roos 17-0 Michaelhouse
St Alban’s 1-0 Westville
Menlopark 4-1 Pearson
Clifton 0-0 Garsfontein
FIXTURES
Monday
08:00 – Pearson vs Glenwood
09:30 – Clifton vs Parel Vallei
11:00 – Westville vs Paarl Boys’ High
