Pinetown Boys’ High lifts Kloof High Football Tournament title
The Kloof High School Football National Tournament features many high-profile teams and dark horse outfits keen to upset the status quo. It’s a mix that makes the event unpredictable and exciting.
Cup
After three days of enthralling football and fluctuating fortunes, Pinetown Boys’ High was crowned the champion of the 2025 Kloof High School National Football Tournament on Sunday.
In a cracking final, they defeated the Absa Wilderklawer Soccer Champions, Virginia High School 4-3 in a penalty shootout, following a dramatic 3-3 draw in regulation time.
Khulekani Nxumalo from Pinetown, who played a pivotal role in securing the championship title for his team, was honoured with the prestigious title of Player of the Tournament. He was joined in the Team of the Tournament by his teammates Sibusiso Mdlalose, Wandile Ndimande, Ntuthuko Mdlolo, and Alwande Xaba.
Pinetown impressed and revealed themselves to be a formidable force despite starting the season in a somewhat disorganised manner. They missed several fixtures and concluded the Mancosa KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Second Term – Coastal A-League in seventh place, accumulating only five points from one win, two draws, and four losses.
Additionally, Pinetown failed to honour their fixture against Glenwood High at the beginning of May in the Curro Halala Cup, which resulted in their elimination from the competition.
Under such circumstances, one might assume that they stood little chance of performing well, let alone winning the Kloof title. They were ready to challenge for the honours, however, and Cup football differs from league football.
Perhaps Pinetown drew inspiration from their u16 team, which recently won in the inaugural u16 Clive Barker Soccer Festival on 21 June, at Glenwood, beating Maritzburg College 2-0 in the final.
Virginia High had to settle for second place, suffering a tough defeat after they led 3-2 late in the title game. They felt that they could have won had some calls gone for the Free State side.
Nqabakazulu, beaten 1-0 by Virginia in the semi-finals, claimed the bronze medal after a 2-1 victory over TuksSport High School. The goal that Nqabakazulu conceded against Virginia was their first in the past two editions of the tournament.
Plate
Maritzburg College, who were eliminated from the Cup by Carter High in the round of 16, came firing back with a vengeance and with the Plate on the line they overwhelmed New Forest 6-0.
College’s vice-captain Malachi Momple, renowned for his goal-scoring prowess and calm demeanour, was selected for the Team of the Tournament.
The Plate bronze medal went the way of Mondeor High, who downed Nilgiri Secondary School 3-1 in the third place playoff.
Shield
Dayyan Fudu, who featured prominently in the KZNSHFA Coastal A-League, excelled for Westville. He was their top goal scorer in Westville’s KZN Coastal A-League title winning campaign.
On Sunday, Fudu was included in the Team of the Tournament after laying claim to the Golden Boot with 11 goals to his name.
Following a disappointing exit from the Cup, Westville found themselves in the Shield, where they handled the early setback with aplomb, going on to capture the title with a one-sided 6-0 thrashing of Northwood School.
The bronze playoff featured Kearsney College against Hilton College. In regulation time, they played to a 1-1 draw. That sent the contest to the penalty spot and Kearsney emerged the winners, outscoring Hilton 3-1 in the shootout.
Spoon
In the final of the Spoon, Sarel Cilliers won emphatically, handing Howick High a 4-0 loss. Their victory in the title decider followed a 1-0 win over Linpark in the semifinals, while Howick High had upset Hillcrest High 1-0 to book their place in the final.
In the third-place playoff, Linpark had Hillcrest’s measure and rolled to a 5-2 victory.
Blair Thompson, the Director of Sports at Kloof High School, told SuperSport Schools Plus that the Kloof High Tournament is the largest top tier schoolboy tournament in the country, featuring 32 teams along with a qualifying tournament that includes up to 12 teams. The event draws elite teams from across the nation, he said.
“As the hosts, we have a guaranteed place in the tournament which gives our boys exposure playing against the best teams in the country. The tournament attracts sponsors and partners, which also benefits the soccer programme leading up to and after the tournament,” he said.
Thompson observed that schools capable of conducting full-year soccer programmes were among the top performers. He explained: “We have certainly noticed that the teams exhibiting the most structured and fluid style of football are winning matches and progressing through the various rounds.
“The inclusion of the main field games on SuperSport Schools Channel 216 has significantly enhanced this year’s tournament, along with the streaming of the other three fields on the SuperSport Schools App.”
Looking ahead, Thompson said one of the goals of the event is to arrange a tour of England for the Team of the Tournament.
“This would give the top players a chance to have trial games against some of the England top academy teams and create a pathway for them into the professional game,” he said.
RESULTS
Cup
Quarterfinals
Nqabakazulu 1-0 HTS Louis Botha
Virginia High 2-0 Carter High
Tuks 2-1 Vuyiswa Mtolo
Pinetown 1-0 Edendale
Cup
Semifinals
Virginia High 1-0 Nqabakazulu
Pinetown (4) 1-1 (3) Tuks
Bronze Playoff
Nqabakazulu 2-1 Tuks
Cup Final
Pinetown (4) 3-3 (3) Virginia High
Plate
Semifinals
New Forest 2-0 Mondeor High
Maritzburg College (3) 2-2 (1) Nilgiri
Bronze Playoff
Mondeor High 3-1 Nilgiri
Final
Maritzburg College 6-1 New Forest
Shield Cup
Quarterfinals
Northwood 1-0 Alexandra High
Kearsney 3-2 Amanzimtoti
Westville 5-0 Reddam House Umhlanga
Hilton College 4-1 Birdswood
Semifinals
Northwood 1-0 Kearsney
Westville 2-1 Hilton College
Bronze Playoff
Kearsney (3) 1-1 (1) Hilton College
Final
Westville 6-0 Northwood
Spoon Cup
Semifinals
Sarel Cilliers 1-0 Linpark
Howick High 1-0 Hillcrest High
Bronze Playoff
Linpark 5-2 Hillcrest High
Final
Sarel Cilliers 4-0 Howick High
Team of the Tournament
