SA School Sports

In a match played in hot Queenstown conditions, Selborne had the better of what is always a tough encounter against one of the top Border hockey schools to emerge with what was their best away win over Queen’s for some years.

On the 29th May, 2015, the Xerox Selborne College 1^st XI were expecting a stern challenge from a much-improved Cambridge team which has had a run of good results of late. And so it proved. It was an extremely well-contested encounter in which neither side ever gained a clear advantage.

The Xerox Selborne College 1^st XI entertained St Andrew’s College in a match played in hot berg-wind conditions which were not ideal for top-level schoolboy hockey.

The Xerox Selborne College 1^st XI delighted a good Friday night home crowd with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Grey College to record their 4^th successive victory in this long-standing fixture. But it was by no means easy; there was never much separating the 2 well-matched sides and the match was always in the balance until the very end.

The Big question; Can Dale College create history make it 100 First XV Rugby wins against ‘Old” arch rivals Selborne College at the Reunion rugby match on Saturday. 9 May 2015 and will the Heron fly high?

The game was always going to be a cracker with the Queen’s side having won the first encounter at Reunion 1-0.

Selborne went to Bloemfontein on the 16th May, 2014 looking for their 3^rd consecutive victory over their old rivals, Grey College.

For much of the year the race for the No.1 spot was a three horse race with Waterkloof taking the early lead with a powerful start to the first term and going into the last month of the season it looked like the Pretoria team might have done just enough to secure the top spot for 2013.

BORDER SCHOOLS TREATED AS FAIR POACHING GAME- A Headmaster's Prospective

Some students of English may remember the ‘Faust Legend’ in which Mephistopheles sold his soul to the devil for the mortal life gains of immense wealth, unbounded knowledge and skills, and success in all pursuits on earth. The short-term gain during this worldly life clearly came to an abrupt end when the realities of the price to pay for all eternity inevitably saw Satan claim payback. One may wonder how this legend may have any relevance to education in general, and sport in particular, in South Africa now and in recent years. Let the rest of the article paint the picture for the reader to be the judge.

With the start of the final cricket season of 2013 there is plenty of cricket that is about to be squeezed into a few very competitive months and if the weather plays the game we are in for a treat of schoolboy cricket.

A season of some of the world’s best school boy rugby has all but come to a close and for the players who ran out for the last time for their school they will be left with that supreme pride that comes from wearing their teams badge and playing to their best ability. A memory that will live with them for decades.

It was a tightly fought season which saw three teams vying for the top spot almost from the start of the season and at various stages all three, Affies, Outeniqua had a taste at being the number one side in the country.

However it is perhaps fitting that it is Affies who can lay claim to the top team in South Africa after completing the season without being defeated, without drawing and winning every single match. It is a supreme effort by a side that played the country’s most powerful teams and still remained competitive scoring heavily in most of their matches.

It is perhaps a pity that somewhere along the line Affies and Paarl Gim never met, as on paper there was very little to choose between the two teams, however Gimmies were held to a surprise draw by Oakdale in what was their only ‘blemish’ on an otherwise spotless season so perhaps finishing in second spot is justified.

A strong finish by Grey College, after an indifferent start to their season put pressure on Outeniqua for the third spot, but the consistency of Outeniqua helped them to finish in the Top three after suffering just the one defeat at the hands of Paarl Gim.

It was another great season and our thanks to the thousands of players, coaches and the avid fans of schoolboy rugby that showed sustained interest in the rankings, offered advice and suggestions and supported us. Rankings are not an absolute science but by factoring in the strength of the opponents, margin of victories and the actual results it is hoped that a team’s current form can be judged.

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The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI capped a great night for their school’s hockey when they came out on top on a wet and chilly Friday evening at Grey High School by a score of 2-1. Following excellent wins by their U14A and U16A teams, the Selbornians were determined to finish their outstanding season with something that had never been achieved before, a victory for the 1st team at the Grey Astro. The last Selborne success in PE had been a 4-0 win in 2005 before Grey laid their own turf at the school.

Selborne College were pushed all the way by Dale College who produced one of their better performances this season but at the end succumbed to the overall skill shown by Selborne.

The Xerox Selborne College 1^st XI came out on top in an excellent game of fast-paced schoolboy hockey against their old rivals from King William’s Town when they edged home 3-2 to complete their second single-goal victory over Dale College this season.

In what was a tense and closely fought encounter, on a warm windy Saturday afternoon on the 27th July, 2013, which saw Queen’s beat their traditional rivals Selborne by 14 points to 13.

The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI suffered their first loss since March 2012 when they went down 2-1 at Queen’s College on Saturday. It was a closely- contested match in which Queen’s made better use of their opportunities and defended with composure when protecting their lead.

The unbeaten run continue for Paarl Gim and Affies who brushed aside this week’s opposition with very little worries.

Rondebosch were in a rampant mood at the Cape Town International Festival as they swept all and sundry aside, handed Wynberg their first defeat of the season and won the final to move them ever closer to the top spot.

Victories by Paarl Gim, Affies and Grey College consolidated their status as the leading teams in the country as the second half of the school rugby season kicked off this past week.

A high pedigree Cape School’s Week dominated proceedings in the SA School Rugby scene this past week where there were one or two surprise results and some expected victories for the big names.

The top five all recorded wins over the weekend which ensured that their positions didn’t change and it is a pity that the much anticipated Kearsney v Maritzburg College had to be cancelled due to a flu epidemic.

Please note that two outstanding results for Pretoria Boy’s High have been included which had a small bearing on this week’s rankings. This weekend there is the big “Battle of the Jukskei” when Pretoria Boy’s meet St. John’s College which will give both teams a chance to move up the table.

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St Andrew’s College faced their second long away trip in as many weeks as they travelled to East London to face Selborne College. East London has not been a happy hunting ground for St Andrew’s College and it was good to see the other sides step up to the plate and set the tone early.

As the first team were about to kick off the wind suddenly picked up and was swirling around the ground making conditions difficult for rugby. Selborne hit the ground running and applied early pressure through good pick and goes by their forwards and some clever kicks. They converted this pressure after their scrumhalf tapped a quick penalty and dived over next to the uprights, 7-0 to Selborne. St Andrew’s College playing into the wind battled for field position, but once they achieved this they applied some pressure of their own. This eventually resulted in a try for winger Ben Dovey after a good break by scrumhalf Jason Baggott. Ryan Horne converted the difficult kick and the scores were tied up again at 7 all. A St Andrew’s College indiscretion would hand the lead back to Selborne after their flyhalf converted the penalty, but St Andrew’s College went back on the attack and after a number of efforts at the Selborne line fell just short St Andrew’s College were awarded a penalty, Horne converted and the teams went into the break at 10 all.

The second half started much the same as the first with Selborne launching attack after attack on the St Andrew’s College line, but the defence held firm and so did the discipline as St Andrews did not concede. Finally College got off their line and began to play some good rugby as they passed the ball around and began to counter attack off stray Selborne kicks. One of these counter attacks led to a great break by captain Sintu Manjezi and the quick ruck allowed Lelo Mama a mismatch as he stepped the prop and finished brilliantly in the corner. Ryan Horne converted again and St Andrew’s College took the lead for the first time 17-10. Although St Andrew’s College played some brilliant rugby in this period they failed to convert it into more points and found themselves defending as the game drew to a close. Selborne attacked the St Andrew’s College line mercilessly and eventually the pressure paid off a the left winger dived over 15m in from touch. Time was up and the resultant conversion would mean that the match ended in a draw.

A brave effort by the 1^st XV and great to see them back to their old style of play.

A huge effort by Oakdale finally has brought the mighty Paarl Gim bulldozer to a temporary halt although they will no doubt feel the 17-17 draw was more of a speed hump than an arrestor bed.

The Wynberg machine continues on its merry way with yet another victory in what is turning out to be an outstanding season for the Cape Town outfit.

The Xerox Selborne     Selborne College 1^st X1 totally dominated their gallant but out-gunned opponents from

Port Rex to compile a massive 19-0 victory at Selborne on Saturday morning. From the start, the

Selborne pressure resulted in Port Rex giving the ball away too easily and after Dylan Billingham

had opened the scoring by converting a penalty-stroke, the margin was extended to 10-0 at half-time

through field goals from Craig Morgan (4), Reece Pienaar (2), Dylan Thatcher and Dylan Savage,

plus a well-struck penalty-corner by Sarvesh Naidoo.

In the early stages of the second half, Port Rex showed good resistance and Selborne dropped their

level by over-carrying of the ball instead of the quick distribution that had marked their play in the

first period, but soon regained their pattern and the goals started to flow again. Morgan and Pienaar

each added 2 more goals and the scoring was rounded off by Billingham, Thatcher, Tyler Sims,

Daniel Smal and a well-worked drag-flick by Alex Penhall.

Features of the match were Selborne’s good structure and efficient finishing. It was a very competent

performance by the home team who took advantage of the frequent turnover opportunities afforded

them by their opponents who, although never giving up, gave away possession too frequently, allowing

Selborne to control the midfield and apply continual pressure on the Port Rex defence.

It was yet another emphatic win by Paarl Gim who managed to steam roll their way over Wynberg to keep their dream of remaining unbeaten very much alive at this stage of the season.

There is some massive hockey taking place this week and it is the Girl’s in particular that will be very busy with several high profile matches on the go and the much anticipated ISSF Festival taking place in Pietermaritzburg.

The weather played its role in what turned out to be a top class tennis event, in which some of South Africa’s leading players were seen in action.

 The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI was expecting a tough encounter on Friday night, 24th May, as the matric boys in the team had never experienced victory over Cambridge,

having lost in their U14 year and drawn at U16.

And how right they were – Selborne had to pull out all the stops to come away with a 5-4 win in an exciting and free-flowing match which kept the crowd entertained for the full 60 minutes.

Both teams played their part in this enjoyable game with Selborne dominating possession and territory and producing some quality inter-passing movements and

Cambridge always dangerous on the counter-attack and making the most of their opportunities.

Selborne seemed to have things under control after 20 minutes with a 2-0 lead through a skillfully-taken field goal from Reece Pienaar and a penalty-corner

strike by Sarvesh Naidoo. But Cambridge came back well and had equalized by half-time with an own-goal through an error of judgment by the Selborne defence,

followed by a field goal after a goalmouth scramble just before the break. Cambridge then went into the lead with a well-taken field goal early in the second

period with Selborne seemingly switched off.

This galvanized the home team into action and they replied with 3 goals in the space of 8 minutes with a powerful reverse-stick shot by Dylan Billingham, a good drag-flick by Alex Penhall and a

deflection at the right post by Damon Thompson, to take a 5-3 lead. But Cambridge were not finished and scored with a well-placed drag-flick 9 minutes from the end.

Selborne controlled the closing minutes but had to be on their guard against the quick-breaking Cambridge side. No further goals were scored, leaving the final tally

at 5-4 to Selborne.

Facing the possible thought of slipping out of the Top 10 Maritzburg College faced a mighty challenge from Glenwood who on their day are able to mix it with the best in the business.

Waterkloof fought bravely in their match against Affies and almost pulled off one of the upsets of the season this past weekend.

For the 18^th consecutive year, Kearsney College at Botha’s Hill will host the country’s top tennis playing schools at a three-day invitation festival this weekend (24-26 May, 2013).

Wynberg clinched two comfortable victories in the past week to cement themselves on the No.1 spot although the chasing pack is not far behind.

 The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory on a chilly Friday night 17th May, 2013,  in King William’s Town with a disciplined defensive effort against a talented and motivated Dale team.

Affies didn't play this weekend which gave their players what many would say was a well earned break after playing several gruelling matches on the trot. Even though this was apparently not Affies choice they did get the opportunity to recharge the batteries for a demanding season that lies ahead.

There are now two unbeaten teams occupying the top two positions and virtually nothing separates them at this stage of the season.

Wynberg continue to rule the roost after completing another resounding win and now stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches as underline just how dominant they are at present.

  The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI put in a solid performance to come through a hard-fought encounter with a

   2-0 win over the talented Queen’s College team in a match which featured constructive hockey from

   both sides.

   The first half was a fairly even affair with both teams working hard to create opportunities which

   they were unable to finish. Selborne were more measured in their approach and used the width of the

   field well in keeping possession, while Queen’s were effective in transferring play from the back to their

   forwards with accurate direct passes.

After the interval, Selborne stepped up a gear and gained an edge in midfield which 10 minutes into the

half, brought them a field-goal by Mark de Lacy, who worked space for himself in the circle and finished

with a good shot. 5 minutes later, Craig Morgan scored the second goal after excellent lead-up play by

Tyler Sims and Reece Pienaar. With no further scoring, the match ended at 2-0 to Selborne. The game

was played in a good spirit and credit must go to both teams for their part in making it an attractive

match to watch.   

Paarl Gim managed a clean sweep at the Wildeklawer tournament to keep their number one spot secure after having now strung together a run of eight wins on the trot.

A highly successful KZN tour by Rondebosch Boy’s High which saw the Cape outfit thrashing Maritzburg College, earning a solid win against Michaelhouse and drawing against Northwood has helped boost them into the Top 10.

A supreme effort from Paarl Gim against Outeniqua over the weekend catapulted Gimmies into pole position and in the process extended their unbeaten run this season.

The Xerox Selborne 1^st XI had won of their best wins over Grey College in recent years when they achieved a 4-1 victory in their home Derby on Saturday.

The match between Northwood and Maritzburg College was billed as the “Battle for KZN”, the undisputed Kings of KZN for the past few decades, Maritzburg College and the new kids on the block Northwood.

Yet another crushing victory for high riding Outeniqua see the Kwagga’s firmly entrenched at the top of the table and few will argue that it is well deserved.

Yet another win for Northwood this time over Hilton College saw the KZN outfit extend their unbeaten run to 11 matches and leap in to the No. 1 spot!

The majority of the teams have now played the minimum of four matches to be included in the rankings and this saw several teams make some steady advancement.

Among the many matches that were played out over the past week it was perhaps the Wynberg v Rondebosch and Pretoria Boy’s High v Maritzburg College clashes that were the most eagerly anticipated.

For most schools action resumes on the rugby fields across the country although several of the big name teams are taking a rest after an intensive Easter campaign.

The rugby season is in full swing with most of the teams having started their 2013 campaign and as the second school term starts there is going to be nonstop action for several months to come.

The hockey season has exploded into a very tight contest this season with several teams causing some shock results against the traditionally stronger teams. The many festival matches that have been recently played were hotly contested and allowed us to get a feel for the type of form in the teams.