Paul Roos downs Affies while Parel Vallei and Durbanville lay down a marker
There was early-season joy for Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), Parel Vallei, and Hoërskool Durbanville on the first weekend of schoolboy hockey action in the Western Cape.
Paul Roos put on a spirited performance to beat Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) 4-2; Parel Vallei edged out Bishops 2-1; and Durbanville claimed the massive scalp of Paarl Gimnasium 5-4.
While the matches ran concurrently, all eyes were on the Edgars Friday Nite Lights clash between PRG and Affies at the Maties AstroTurf.
It was the first competitive outing for both sides after a handful of pre-season encounters.
The match got underway at full throttle when the hosts opened the scoring with seconds played through skipper Seth Paterson.
Paterson intercepted the ball 10 metres into the Affies’ half and dribbled into the circle untouched before slamming it past Erik Botha for the game’s opener.
Affies went on the attack and were rewarded in the third minute after Ruahardt Nienaber found himself in space to tap the ball in on the far post.
The score remained unchanged until the third chukka, where both sides upped the ante.
Affies grabbed the lead after a thunderbolt drag flick from Rudolf Thiart before PRG responded with two goals by Louis Kriel and the ever-present Caleb Cilliers.
Logan Lackay added the final nail to the coffin in the fourth chukka to seal the win.
https://youtu.be/aQLllGwFCr4?si=wcncqJhEGJKR_hZd“We knew it would be tight because it’s an interschools derby, and it’s Affies, a school that has history and tradition,” PRG head coach Michael Baker told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“I’m happy with the character the boys showed and how we responded when we were down. I promised that every game we play this year would be exciting, and we lived up to that.”
Paul Roos will head to Durban for the annual Coastal Cup next week. Coach Baker says there are areas in their game that need improvement.
“We definitely need to work on attacking PCs,” he added.
“I think we had nearly 15 and didn’t score one clean. Most teams might press deep like Affies did tonight, so we need to get more prepared for those scenarios at Coastal Cup.”
Other matches:
While PRG battled Affies in Stellenbosch, Parel Vallei hosted Bishops in Somerset.
The boys, led by coach Michael van Rensburg, were aiming to maintain their strong start to this season.
At their pre-season festival, PV racked up three wins against Reddam House Constantia 3-0, Outeniqua 2-0, and Worcester Gimnasium 6-1.
They backed those performances up with the 2-1 win against Bishops courtesy of goals by the dangerous Luka Meets.
In Paarl, Hoërskool Durbanville made history after beating Paarl Gimnasium 5-4.
It was Noah Jansen at the forefront of it all, and he scored a hat-trick while Sven Gouwsventer and Robbie Wilson joined the scoring action.
Paarl Boys’ High bagged a win against Outeniqua, while Worcester Gimnasium were also on the right end of the scoreboard after edging Hoërskool Upington 4-2.
Western Cape Results
Paul Roos 4-2 Affies
Parel Vallei 2-1 Bishops
Paarl Boys’ High 2-0 Outeniqua
Durbanville 5-4 Paarl Gimnasium
Worcester Gimnasium 4-2 Hoërskool Upington
