The WP B fairytale continues at SASHOC National Week
When the Western Province u18B boys arrived at the SASHOC National Week – hosted by Maritzburg College and St Anne’s DSG – their primary objective was simple: avoid relegation.
They were drawn in Pool B alongside Northern Gauteng A, Boland A, Southern Free State A, Southern Gauteng B, and KZN Coastal A.
Peninsula or Pens, as they’re affectionately known, had a disastrous start to the tournament, going down 0-5 against Boland A on the opening day.
That result served to inspire rather than demoralise coach Gary Stevens’ charges, who understood the challenge of competing against A-teams.
On day two, Pens looked like a different outfit. They balanced the ledger with a convincing 5-0 victory over Southern Gauteng B, and that proved to be the start of something special.
When they defeated KZN Coastal A 2-1 in their next outing, they started to believe and played with vigour, confidence, and aggression.
On Wednesday, the Western Cape boys claimed the scalp of a Grey College-laden Southern Free State A side, winning 3-0, and they led Pool B overnight with nine points and one game remaining.
Their remaining fixture, on Thursday, was against Northern Gauteng A. Prior to their showdown, Northerns, who also faced Southern Free State on Thursday, were unbeaten and needed at least one point to progress to the semifinals.
It was a close encounter, and it came down to fine margins, with both teams defending strongly and not allowing many goalscoring opportunities. But Cameron Cordeiro made the difference with a 54th minute strike for Pens to seal a tightly contested 1-0 win.
“I’m massively stoked for the boys,” head coach Gary Stevens told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“This group has been amazing. The boys are good together, and as a coach, I’m enjoying the experience with them.”
Reaching the semifinals of the tournament is a massive bonus for Pens, whose primary focus was staying in the A-Section.
To provide some context, Western Province B narrowly avoided relegation in 2024, edging out Border A 5-4 in the 11th/12th playoff in Bloemfontein to retain their A-section status.
In the past five editions of the tournament, they’ve also been relegated, so to bounce back in emphatic fashion is no mean feat, said coach Stevens.
“Initially, as a Pens’ side, you want to avoid relegation, and you want to play for the top five, and that was our objective coming here,” he said.
“This team has had some tough tournaments in the past, and we just wanted the guys to believe in themselves and enjoy the tournament.
“We are taking each game as it comes. Every day brings a different challenge, and we take those head-on and focus on the next goal and objective,” he added.
Western Province B will take on Southern Gauteng A in the semifinals, while Northern Gauteng A is set to battle Western Province A.
Developments in Pool A and B on Day 4
Pool A
Western Province A entered day four with their spot in the last four already secured after racking up maximum points from their previous outings.
Southern Gauteng A, meanwhile, had one foot in the door after a big 8-1 win on Wednesday over Boland B, who were forced to play without a goalkeeper after Joe van Coller was injured in an upset win over KZN Inland A.
On Thursday, Southerns outplayed KZN Coastal B 5-1 to secure second place in the group.
Boland B, after gaining promotion by winning the B-Section last year, finished in third place, above Eastern Province A, KZN Inland A, and KZN Coastal B.
Pool B
There were several permutations at play in Pool B as Thursday dawned and an early match proved pivotal.
When Southern Free State A played to a 1-1 draw with Boland A, both teams were taken out of the running for a semi-final place.
Boland finished with seven points after five matches, while Southern Free State, despite having a game in hand, still couldn’t get to nine points and trouble Western Province B and Northern Gauteng A, who occupied the top two places.
After going down to Province B, Northerns still had a chance to finish atop Pool B, but they needed to defeat Southern Free State A by three or more goals in their second match of the day. That proved to be a hill too high to climb and they came away with a narrow 3-2 win.
Boland A, just like their B-side, finished in third, above KZN Coastal A, Southern Free State, and Southern Gauteng B.
Day 4 | Results and scorers
Pool A
Southern Gauteng A 5: Zeyad Davids, Jared Beilings, Aidan Blatch, Ezray Stadt, Ethan Kapanda. KZN Coastal B 1: Krian Jugoo.
Eastern Province A 2: Athi Voigt, Luke Tait. Boland B 0.
Western Province A 5: Litha Kraai (3), Mohlodi Maseko, Zachary Gibbon. KZN Inland A 1: Gordon Deutscher.
Pool B
Boland A 1: Christo Swanepoel. Southern Free State A 1: Matthias Visser.
Western Province B 1: Cameron Cordeiro. Northern Gauteng A 0.
KZN Coastal A 0. Southern Gauteng B 0.
Northern Gauteng A 3: Luken Brunette, Duardt Tollig, Tyler Trower. Southern Free State A 2: Neilyandro van Schalkwyk, Cobus van Wyk.
DAY 5 FIXTURES
08:00 – KZN Coastal B vs Southern Free State A (9th/12th playoff)
09:25 – KZN Inland A vs Southern Gauteng B (9th/12th playoff)
10:50 – Eastern Province A vs Boland A (5th/8th playoff) @ St Anne’s DSG
13:40 – Southern Gauteng A vs Western Province B (Semi-final 1)
13:40 – Boland B vs KZN Coastal A (5th/8th playoff) @ St Anne’s DSG
15:05 – Western Province A vs Northern Gauteng A (Semi-final 2)
