SACS pushes past Bishops, heavy rain puts paid to several matches
South African College High School (SACS) continued their perfect start to the Western Cape season after beating their southern suburbs’ rival, Bishops, 4-2, at the Brewery AstroTurf on Friday night.
The Edgars Friday Nite Lights clash was played in tough conditions, with rain bucketing down from the first whistle to the last.
The heavy rain also forced several matches to be abandoned because of flooding and waterlogged pitches.
At Newlands, however, the game was on.
After a slow start, SACS opened the scoring in the second chukka, with the experienced duo of Mohlodi Maseko and Litha Kraai firing in from the top of the circle to give the home side a 2-0 lead at halftime.
In the third chukka, Troy Loots got in on the scoring action after linking up with Kraai, which made it 3-0.
Kraai, the SACS’ skipper, was at the heart of their game, and he scored his second soon after Loots had struck. At 4-0 up, it appeared as if SACS would run rampant.
Bishops dug deep, however, exhibiting grit and fight, and the final chukka belonged to coach Ryan Julius‘s men.
They responded with two goals – the first from Litha Mbiko and the second from Luc Dicey, who converted a penalty stroke to ensure the final score was respectable.
“It was very competitive, very cagey, and a dogfight,” SACS head coach Sam Holmes told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The conditions were super hard, and at one stage in the second and third chukka, I really thought the turf was going to get flooded and waterlogged.
“Credit to the guys. They showed a tremendous amount of spirit in tough conditions. They managed to do enough, and we took our chances when they arose to get the result.”
Last weekend, SACS recorded successive wins on Friday and Saturday, beating Durbanville 6-0 and Grey High 3-1.
Holmes felt the double-header was good preparation for his side. “It was nice to get some momentum from Durbanville and Grey,” he said.
“I think the first team landscape this year is ultra-competitive. You don’t have two front-runners or a group of three front-runners.
“There are 10 to 12 schools where anyone can win on the day. I think that’s exciting, and it’s what schoolboy sports should be about.”
SACS will next turn its attention to the Standard Bank Hibbert Shield, which takes place at Grey High School in Gqeberha next weekend.
Last year, the Cape Town school won the tournament, defeating Paarl Gimnasium 6-3 in the final.
“The Hibbert Shield is always lots of fun and very competitive, and I’d say right now, it’s the premium tournament,” Holmes commented.
“Obviously, we have a lot of festivals throughout the school calendar, but it’s cool to have a tournament format, which makes things very interesting
“It’s a stacked field of teams, and it’s anyone’s tournament. It will be nice to get down there, play some good hockey, and improve as a group and individuals, and have a great time while doing it.”
Other Matches
In other matches played in the Western Cape on Friday, Paarl Gim got by Grey College 3-2 in Paarl.
Goals from Dian Vorster, Rikus de Kock, and Mikal Janse van Rensburg sealed a hard-fought win for coach Jacques Grobler‘s side.
Worcester Gimnasium was on the road, in Mossel Bay, to take on Punt. In challenging windy conditions, they bagged a 3-0 win.
Dylan Purdon converted a penalty stroke while Raïel le Roux netted from a short corner. Janu Lambrechts put the final nail in the coffin late in the game.
Parel Vallei continued their impressive start to the season, blanking DF Akademie 5-0. Luka Meets finished with a hat-trick while Nathan Nissen and Luca Jordaan also found the back of the net.
Reddam House Constantia bounced back from their 0-6 loss to Grey High last week with a 3-0 win over Durbanville.
Three matches fell foul of the bad weather and were called off.
Western Cape results:
Langa Hockey Club vs Stellenberg – Abandoned due to bad weather
Paarl Gimnasium 3-2 Grey College
Worcester Gimnasium 3-0 Punt
Paarl Boys’ High vs Wynberg Boys’ High – Abandoned due to bad weather
Reddam House 3-0 Durbanville
SACS 4-2 Bishop
Rondebosch vs Fairmont High – Abandoned due to bad weather
Parel Vallei 5-1 DF Akademie
