Pearson hunts a big win vs DSG in Makhanda
Two of the Eastern Cape’s top teams, DSG Makhanda and Pearson High School, will reignite their rivalry this weekend when they square off in a provincial derby in Makhanda on Saturday afternoon. The hosts will be eager to reverse a 1-2 defeat in last year’s clash.
The action begins at 13:00, LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
The sides have experienced different fortunes in 2024, but they have still managed to play their best hockey against some of the country’s best teams.
For the Makhanda side, it’s been about bouncing back after a sub-standard start to their season at the Greg Beling Festival in East London, in March. There, coach Geowynne Gamiet’s side played six matches, lost four, drew one, and managed a solitary win.
Context is important, however, and those losses came against some of South Africa’s best sides. They lost 1-2 to Eunice, 0-6 to Oranje, 0-1 to Rhenish and 0-1 to St Anne’s DSG. One big defeat and three one-goal losses to top teams. Now, that looks a little better.
In their other matches in East London, they played to a 2-2 draw with a very good Voortrekker Bethlehem team before beating Linden 5-0 in their final match of the weekend.
Since then, DSG has been on a superb run that has seen them beat Hudson Park 2-1, Stirling High 7-0, and Cambridge High 7-1 in recent weeks.
Last weekend, they stumbled and went down 1-2 against Gqeberha’s Collegiate Girls’ High, who showed at the All Girls Festival that they’re a formidable team.
Point one on the agenda for DSG will be getting back to winning ways against a tough Pearson outfit.
The Gqeberha school has impressed in 2024, continuing to build on the upward trajectory that has been evident in recent years.
They were also in action at the Greg Beling Festival and at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival where, up against the best teams from around the country, they finished 15th out of 32 sides.
They’ve been in good form recently, too. This week, they defeated Framesby 2-0 in the last four of the u18 EP Knockout Cup to reach the final.
Last weekend, they enjoyed a fruitful outing down to George, where they picked up a 4-1 win over York High and a 2-1 win over Outeniqua.
Before that, they held Collegiate to a 0-0 draw at Collegiate’s 150th reunion, beat Kingswood College 2-0, and last tasted defeat against Rhenish Girls’ High last month.
Saturday’s contest will be an indicator of which team lies at the right end of the provincial standings. Finishing, as always, will be the key to victory.
The visitors, Pearson, will look to their provincial representatives, Annemi De Villiers, Jody van Aardt, Zoey Mostert, Nyssa Slabbert, and the influential Zanika Coetzer, to steer them in the right direction.
Among those to keep an eye on in the DSG side will be Kayleigh Clayton, Hannah Lowe, and Abigail Holderness.
Other matches
While the clash in Makhanda is the pick of the provincial matches, there are plenty of others that look like they’ll be good contests.
The action starts on Friday, when Woodridge College visits Victoria Park. That game gets underway at 16:00.
The following day, East London will be treated to a clash between Cambridge High School and Clarendon High School for Girls.
Hudson Park is away at Queenstown Girls’ High, and Kingswood College is set to battle Framesby at home.
Fixtures
Friday, 24 May
16:00 – Victoria Park vs Woodridge College
Saturday, 25 May
10:50 – Cambridge High vs Clarendon
12:00 – Kingswood College vs Framesby
13:00 – DSG Makhanda vs Pearson High
13:00 – Queenstown Girls’ High vs Hudson Park
