NORTHWOOD SCHOOL
The 1 in 3 Match from the Kearsney perspective
“The first game of the hockey season is always an edgy one, especially with 2 tough opponents.
Tracey van den Aardweg feature photo: Kearsney’s Tiago Marques (in-photo) and midfield partner Campbell Duckworth served their strikers well.
‘With the scores at 1-1 with 7 minutes remaining, it was a nail-biting finish’
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“Both teams play an extremely fast-paced game, providing spectators with an exciting, quality match.
“Kearsney gained early control with a few chances and finally found the back of the net through a good finish from Tiago Marques.
“Northwood then gained the upper hand in the 3rd chukka with all the pressure finally resulting in a great deflection goal early in the 4th.
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“With the scores at 1-1 with 7 minutes remaining, it was a nail-biting finish.
“Kearsney seemed to find their rhythm again to control the final 5 minutes, earning a penalty corner from which they scored through Daniel de Kock.
“Players who had a big impact on the game for Kearsney were
“Chris Kiggen in goals
“Calvin Davis who controlled the defence
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“Campbell Duckworth and Tiago Marques… their skills in midfield creating numerous chances for Kearsney’s strikers.”
KZN10.com’s Jono says: “This cracker signposts a thrilling season to come for our great @KZN10com hockey schools.”
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The Kearsney vs Northwood 48-pointer: first XV rugby
Here’s the Kearsney College take on the exciting 24-24 first XV rugby match vs Northwood on Stott Field Saturday.
Tracey van den Aardweg feature photo: Kearsney captain Massimo Fierro evades his Northwood opponents.
“Northwood started with high intensity and after 20 minutes managed a 12-0 lead.
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Kearsney, Northwood share spoils in cracking season opener
https://kzn10.com/kearsney-northwood-share-spoils-in-cracking-season-opener/
“The visitors used their bulky forwards to attack the defensive line and twice managed to score – first in the right-hand corner for an unconverted try and the second after a classy offload from their impressive flyhalf for a seven pointer.
“The hosts looked stunned but all credit for an impressive fightback to end the half on 12-12.
“The first try came from centre Luke Dudley who dived around the ruck fringes after strong carries from captain Massimo Fierro.
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“Luke du Toit converted and Kearsney soon followed this up with another try from prop Cameron van Eck, after a lineout maul.
“Kearsney came out in determined mood after the changeover and were somewhat unlucky not to convert opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“Northwood scored next, somewhat against the run of play after a series of unforced errors by the hosts to go 17-12 up.
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“Shortly after, Kearsney answered with a well-worked try by fullback Trent Coetzee after good territorial play from flyhalf Matthew Hind and a strong carry by centre Connor de Bruyn (17-17).
“The hosts struck again within two minutes, with possibly the try of the match, when De Bruyn produced a good offload to winger Aya Mngaza who outsprinted the opposition for a good 50 metres to score under the posts for Du Toit to convert.
“With Kearsney 24-17 to the good, the final Northwood (and match) try came from a chargedown on the scrumhalf’s clearance kick, which was converted and a tied score of 24-24.
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“The hosts can be disappointed in that they squandered opportunities through bad skill. However, both teams played decent rugby enjoyed by the crowd.
“Outstanding players for the hosts were Fierro, De Bruyn, flanker Derick Marshall and winger Mngaza.”
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2019 Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival day two report
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2019 Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival day one report
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Kearsney, Northwood share spoils in cracking season-opener
Coaches don’t expect perfection in a season opener, but there are other things they hope to see, like character and fight, and by that measure both Northwood coach Grant Bashford and Kearsney coach Nico Breedt will be satisfied with the effort of their charges in a pulsating 24-24 draw on Stott Field at Kearsney on Saturday, writes KZN10.com’s Brad Morgan.
Fortunes and momentum ebbed and flowed in the contest and, ultimately, there was nothing to separate the two sides on the scoreboard, not even at half-time when they turned level at 12-12. Both teams notched two tries and a single conversion in each half.
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Northwood, after a memorable 20-12 victory over Kearsney at home last year, their first win over their Botha’s Hill opponents since 1996, wanted a good follow-up to that performance, but just three members of the side that claimed a sweet win in 2019 are left in this year’s line-up. That didn’t hinder them at all in the early going, though, as they took charge from the first scrum when they turned up the torque and powered over the Kearsney pack to earn a penalty, much to the delight of the travelling supporters.
The Knights were dominating up front and scrumhalf Prolight Shoba was doing a wonderful job in providing a quality, quick service from the rucks, which helped Northwood build up impressive momentum. They were soon rewarded with the opening try when Onyekachi John-Osunkwo powered his way over in the right corner. Luke Dudley put in a desperate smothering tackle, but momentum carried the Northwood centre across the try-line.
Northwood centre Onyekachi John-Osunkwo scored a first half brace. (All photos: Brad Morgan, KZN10.com)
The visitors then more than doubled their lead with a well-worked try, which was, again, rounded off by centre John-Osunkwo. Deep inside the Kearsney half, he profited from running a good line off the shoulder of his flyhalf, Emmanuel Bhiya, to receive a short pass, which pierced the home side’s defensive line and put him in under the posts.
At 0-12 down, it looked as if it might become a long afternoon for Kearsney, but the home team then showed character and resolve to lift their game and put Northwood on the back foot.
Kearsney centre Connor de Bruyn attempts to fight off a tackle from Northwood flyhalf Emmanuel Bhiya.
Kearsney forced a shot at goal from a penalty, but it missed the mark. However, they didn’t have to wait much longer to get on the scoreboard through their centre Dudley, which drew a massive roar from the home side’s supporters.
Four minutes from the break and suddenly Kearsney had drawn level. From a five-metre lineout, they mauled effectively towards the Northwood try-line, splintering the visitors’ defences, before loosehead prop Cameron van Eck crashed over for the five-pointer.
Kearsney forced their way over with a drive from a five-metre lineout to level the scores.
A gutsy, determined stand on their own try-line then stopped Northwood from edging in front once more, just before the half-time whistle.
After the break, Kearsney piled on the pressure and were almost over, but flyhalf Bhiya and towering lock Christopher Viviers combined to hold up the ball-carrier over the line.
The momentum was with the home team, but the pendulum swung when the Knights, who had been under sustained pressure, engineered a thrusting break down the left-wing from a turnover, with fullback Unathi Mayekiso diving over in the corner to put his side ahead once more at 17-12.
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Kearsney, again, turned up the heat and their captain Massimo Fierro was brought down only centimetres shy of the line after a powerful thrust. Stopped there, they quickly shifted the ball from left to right to put fullback Trent Coetzee into plenty of space and he sprinted over for a third five-pointer for the men in maroon.
Centre Luke Dudley makes a break in the second half.
Kearsney’s fourth try, when it came, mixed simplicity with individual brilliance. From a set piece, flyhalf Matthew Hind, attacked the line before flipping a short ball to right wing Ayabonga Mngaza, who was flying up on his inside shoulder. Mngaza then did the rest, his mazy run cutting one way then the other, leaving the Northwood defenders grasping at air as he scythed his way through from 40 metres out to score a stunning try underneath the uprights. The simple conversion put Kearsney 24-17 up.
Winger Ayabonga Mngaza proved a handful for the Northwood defence with his pace and evasive running.
With time running out, Northwood surged onto the attack, but Kearsney’s defence was resolute: Northwood bashed the ball up and Kearsney repulsed them with some stiff tackling.
Then, with only three minutes remaining on the clock, fullback Mayekiso received a pass on the Kearsney 22. Pumping his big thighs hard, he brushed aside two tacklers, forcing his way through a half-gap before breaking clear to fly over and dot down under the uprights. A simple conversion levelled the game at 24-24.
Unathi Mayekiso burst through the Kearsney defence to score Northwood’s fourth try.
The home team tried manfully for the winning points, carrying the ball through a number of phases, but Northwood gave little away to keep Kearsney out of scoring range and when the final whistle sounded a draw was probably a fair result.
“If you’re unemotional about it, it was entertaining. It was back and forth and it could have gone either way,” commented 1st XV coach Grant Bashford afterwards.
“From the start we had, we’re disappointed to draw, but being down then coming back to draw, we showed a lot of character. All in all, there are some mixed feelings.”
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Kearsney coach Nico Breedt, summed the up the clash as “a typical first game of the season. Both sides would have wanted fewer mistakes. I thought they were better than us in the set phases.
“From a Kearsney point of view, we would like to work on that. They put us under a lot of pressure during the set phases. We couldn’t exit our own half with the kicking game, which was quite poor.”
Referencing Northwood’s hot start, Breedt added: “We’ve got a good record at home and we weren’t panicking at 12-0 down, and I thought at one stage we were going to get some momentum after we made it 12-12. Unfortunately, instead of converting that pressure into more points, we let them back into the game.”
A strong showing from the Northwood forwards ensured quality ball for the Knights’ backline.
The performance of the Northwood pack at scrum time pleased Bashford: “They were under pressure, they couldn’t get off of the base of the scrum. [Eighthman] Massimo Fierro and [centre] Connor de Bruyn were their two big carriers, Fierro off the base and Connor running shorter. They never really got that going today and that was from the pressure that was exerted in the scrum. We did enough in our scrum to unsettle them at the base and deny them the momentum that they were looking for from Fierro and De Bruyn.”
For Breedt, the big plus was the character his charges showed when under pressure: “At times our defense was really strong and I was happy with that, because it is the first time that we have been tested, with this being the first game of the season.”
Of concern for Kearsney will be the health of their captain Massimo Fierro, who was seen walking around after the game with an ice pack on his left shoulder, which was also in a sling. His AC joint will be assessed to determine the extent of his injury.
Kearsney eighthman and captain Massimo Fierro (passing the ball) is an injury concern ahead of their match against Clifton College on 14 March.
Casting an eye over Northwood’s performances throughout the day, coach Grant Bashford expressed satisfaction: “For us, for the day, our under-14 A team won, our under-15 A won, our under-16 A won and our first team has drawn, so it’s a good day out, and it’s not all about the first team, it’s the system that we’re doing at home. I think a draw is the best result we’ve had here in a long time, so we’ll take it.”
RESULTS
1st XV: Kearsney 24-24 Northwood
2nd XV: Kearsney 29-3 Northwood
3rd XV: Kearsney 43-29 Northwood
4th XV: Kearsney 25-5 Northwood
5th XV: Kearsney 33-17 Northwood
U16A: Kearsney 14-19 Northwood
u16B: Kearsney 21-21 Northwood
u16C: Kearsney 17-14 Northwood
u16D: Kearsney 5-47 Northwood
U15A: Kearsney 10-17 Northwood
u15B: Kearsney 10-14 Northwood
u15C: Kearsney 14-10 Northwood
U15D: Kearsney 17-19 Northwood
U14A: Kearsney 5-29 Northwood
u14B: Kearsney 10-49 Northwood
u14C: Kearsney 19-12 Northwood
u14D: Kearsney 14-22 Northwood
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DHS come up just short as Northwood claim tight victory
The DHS and Northwood first cricket teams produced a nail-biting clash on Theobald Oval on Saturday. In a match reduced to 45 overs a side after a late start due to heavy overnight rain, Northwood held off a brave DHS effort to win a match played in difficult conditions by a mere seven runs, writes KZN10.com’s Brad Morgan.
“It was a nice tight game, a good game of cricket, especially considering we didn’t think we would be able to play,” DHS Director of Sport, Nathan Pillay, commented afterwards.
If it wasn’t for the cool head of number three batsman Kyle Northend, Northwood would have found themselves well on the wrong side of the result. Thankfully for them, he showed impressive resolve at the crease, working hard on a tricky track to accumulate runs and keep out the DHS bowling attack as all around him his team-mates struggled to deal with the challenge.
Kyle Northend’s stubborn stay at the crease was the difference between a tight victory and a big defeat for Northwood. (All photos: Brad Morgan, KZN10.com)
He contributed just more than half of the visiting side’s total of 176 for 8, finishing unbeaten on 89 fromm 156 deliveries, with seven fours. It was a stand out effort, especially when measuring it up against the other run producers.
Next best was extras with 28, while Jawaad Aziz weighed in with a valuable 26 as he and Northend put on 85 for the sixth wicket to rescue Northwood from a perilous 59 for 5. Adam Chislett, with 10, was the only other player to make it into double figures.
DHS skipper Josh Stride led their attack well, capturing 3 for 39 from his 10 overs. Sonqoba Makhanya shone with a return of 2 for 20 from his eight overs, while the spinners, Muhammed Moosa and Bonga Shezi, with 1 for 28 in 9 and 1 for 24 in 7, put the under batsmen under pressure by keeping it tight.
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Muhammad Moosa enjoyed a strong all-round game for DHS, top scoring in their innings and also bowling tidily with the ball.
Three of the top four in the DHS innings failed to get going, but Moosa, who opened the innings, held things together with a watchful knock. His stay in the middle last until the total had reached 114, but by then he had tallied 53 from 102 deliveries, with four fours. He became the first of a telling three batsmen to be run out.
Corné Nel made some useful runs, hitting 20 in a stand of 41 with Moosa. Unfortunately for DHS, Humphrey van der Merwe joined Moosa back on the side of the field on the same total as the hosts slumped to 114 for 6, leaving the match on a knife edge.
DHS captain Josh Stride did a superb job at number seven of taking the game to the Northwood bowlers, but successive run outs of the number nine and 10 batsmen left DHS down and almost out on 142 for 9, still 35 runs shy of victory.
A win for Northwood seemed inevitable, but Stride and Lloyd Mulligan were not done yet. The skipper hit out, while Mulligan did his bit by adding runs and holding down his end. Unfortunately for DHS, it proved to be a bridge too far. Mulligan was the last man out, LBW to Dylan Ferreira for 10, while Stride finished on 28 not out, made from just 23 balls, with two fours.
Basil van der Spuy was the pick of the Northwood attack, consistently challenging the batsmen with his accurate bowling and lively pace. He sent down nine overs, two of which were maidens, and accounted for three batsmen. Opening bowler Thulani Chiliza did a good job, picking up 1 for 21 in his nine overs, while three others claimed a wicket each.
Basil van der Spuy (being congratulated) caused all kinds of problems for the DHS batsmen.
In the end, though, three runs outs and the undefeated bat of Kyle Northend proved decisive as Northwood came away, somewhat relieved, with a hard-fought victory.
“Our boys showed a lot of fight. We’ve had two tight games in two consecutive weeks. It’s a bit disappointing to lose the tight ones, but it’s a good learning curve for the boys. Hopefully, next time when they’re in a similar situation, they can pull through,” Sports Director Nathan Pillay said.
“Captain Josh Stride did very well once again,” he added. “He really is turning out to be a good cricketer, and one to watch for the future. He’s always in the runs or taking wickets, and he’s a very good leader.”
A golden era of DHS cricket
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DHS edge Northwood in basketball thriller
DHS, Northwood and their supporters brought the basketball court to a boiling cauldron of passion and emotion on Saturday as the two schools’ first teams engaged in an outstanding back-and-forth clash, writes KZN10.com’s Brad Morgan.
Fortunes ebbed and flowed and as they did the intensity increased and the volume from the spectators grew. This was school basketball at its best.
The spirit on the sidelines was terrific as the DHS supporters and Northwood supporters got behind their teams. (All photos: Brad Morgan, KZN10.com)
Despite playing away from home, Northwood began the contest looking a well-oiled and skilled machine. They moved the ball comfortably up and down the court and, in fact, settled far more quickly than DHS.
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Bena Kabuya, at point guard, dealt well with the pressure exerted by DHS on the ball-handler, while Jason Smith provided an excellent foil for his skills and very quickly Northwood eased into a 17-8 lead.
Bena Kabuya’s superb skills in close quarters made him a handful for the DHS defenders throughout the game.
DHS, though, are relentless in their defence, often double-teaming the man on the ball, which forces the opposition into poor passes and turnovers, and that approach soon began to pay dividends as they clawed their way back into the contest.
Centre Asher Knox-Davis (featured image at the top) was an immense presence around the basket, rebounding powerfully, both defensively and offensively, to help his team wrest control in the paint. Meanwhile, point guard Emmanuel Mayiza soon had the ball moving nicely around the flanks of the Northwood defence.
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From a nine-point deficit, DHS quickly closed to just three down, 22-25 after the first quarter. Alongside the court, the spectators were getting pulled into the spectacle. The DHS boys and a smaller but vociferous group of Northwood boys began to make their presence known.
Northwood’s supporters didn’t take a step back from the greater numbers backing the home team, DHS.
Working their structure well, the home team hauled in and then passed Northwood to take a 35-29 lead at half-time. The momentum was with them.
During the break, a fantastic back-and-forth unfolded between the boys backing their teams from the side of the court, their numbers heaving and bobbing as they shouted out their support.
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In the second half, Northwood point guard, Bena Kabuya, made his presence felt in a big way with his outstanding close skills and smooth shooting. Time after time he was able to outmanoeuvre the double-team trying to stop him, using his skills to split them or his athleticism to round them.
Led by Kabuya, the visitors came roaring back and retook the lead, three points clear at 49-46 at the three-quarter mark.
Bena Kabuya drove for a lay-up as the pressure ratcheted up towards the latter stages of the contest.
As time slipped away, Northwood doubled their advantage, moving six points ahead at 55-49. That’s when DHS captain H. Noncembu (that’s the Christian name he goes by) showed why he had been entrusted with the leadership role.
All hustle and heart, he set the example, despite struggling with cramp, and took the game to Northwood. He challenged them on the boards and drove hard towards the basket, taking the shortest and most direct route possible. When he sank a free throw, he turned to the DHS supporters and let out a roar, which brought huge cheers from the throng packing the sidelines.
Pride and passion: DHS captain H. Noncembu.
Both benches called a series of rapid timeouts as they struggled to deliver messages to their players on court over the wall of sound that had enveloped the game.
With 30 seconds remaining, DHS, spurred on by Noncembu had drawn level at 60-60. It was electric both out in the middle and along the sidelines.
Then, with time almost expired, Noncembu sank a free throw to seal a spectacular 61-60 victory for the home team. As the whistle blew, the DHS supporters bounded onto the court, jumping skywards and shouting with joy.
The DHS supporters celebrated a heart-pounding victory with unbridled joy.
Northwood’s shoulders slumped. They had played their part in a thrilling contest, but on this day, under overcast Durban skies, it was, painfully, just not enough. DHS 61-60 Northwood.
Westville dominate Durban and District Gala
DHS played host to the annual Durban and District Gala on Tuesday afternoon. The event – featuring DHS, Westville, Northwood, Glenwood, Clifton and Kearsney – consisted of the 4 x 50m relay in all strokes in the under-14, under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 age groups and culminated in the 5 x 50m freestyle ladder relay, writes KZN10.com’s Brad Morgan.
Contested late in the afternoon, a decently sized crowd took in some good competition in pleasant conditions, with the powerhouse Westville team, predictably, dominating proceedings. A total of 26 events were contested with the Griffins excelling and capturing the honours in 22 of the 26 relays.
While Westville ruled the roost in the Durban and Districts Gala, DHS shone in the under-15 age group, picking up wins in three of the five relays (All photos: Brad Morgan, KZN10.com)
They impressed with their depth, not only in the various strokes, but also throughout the various age groups. Westville also swept all relays in the under-14, under-16 and under-17 age groups.
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Clifton picked up a very impressive win in the under-19 freestyle relay, which, obviously, meant their time of 1:40.84 was the fastest recorded in any relay on the day. That was the only race Westville didn’t win in the senior age group.
The competition took place in ideal late afternoon conditions, with a nice crowd in attendance.
DHS were especially strong at under-15 level. In fact, they claimed three wins to Westville’s two, with the hosts giving the crowd plenty to cheer with victories in the backstroke, butterfly and medley relays, while Westville reigned supreme in the freestyle and breaststroke races.
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A hallmark of the gala, which was very pleasing to witness, was the friendly nature of the competition. It echoed days gone by when winning was not all that mattered and the appreciation of challenging oneself and others was as important as the result itself.
So, well done to all the swimmers and the coaches (and moms and dads); besides the excellence of the performances, the good-natured racing stood out.
From the first event to the last, there was no doubt that Westville would claim the silverware as champions of the Durban and Districts Gala. DHS headmaster Tony Pinheiro presented the winner’s trophy to Westville captain Ian Brijlal.
RESULTS
1st: Westville 152 points
2nd: Clifton 107 points
3rd: DHS 90 points
4th T: Glenwood 69 points
4th T: Kearsney 69 points
6th: Northwood 57 points
Glenwood 1st XI’s big win over Northwood on Dixons Saturday
Northwood first XI won the toss and opted to bat on Saturday but came up against a Glenwood first XI that were totally in-sync in dismissing the visitors for 101 in 45.3 overs on Dixons and then hauling in the target with just one wicket down for a comprehensive 9-wicket victory, writes Jono Cook.
(Unfortunately due to a technical glitch the many photos KZN10.com took of the match are unable to be used)
Difficulty in building partnerships proved to be the Northwood Knight’s Achilles heel in this 50-over match.
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The Northwood Knights lost their first 2 wickets to Glenwood first-change bowler Luke Bowley with the total on 21 and then 22. In-form Knights opener Thulani Chiliza was then fated to stand at the non-striker’s end and watch 7 batsmen back in the hat for a combined 17 runs before he was eighth man out, stumped by Glenwood captain SJ de Klerk for a valiant 45 off 126 balls including just 1 four – an indication of how successful the home side’s bowling attack was in building pressure.
Three Northwood batsmen were out for ducks, while a total of 7 batters failed to reach double figures.
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Glenwood director of cricket and first XI coach Brandon Scullard summed up for KZN10.com his team’s performance in the field:
“Jono, we lost the toss on a good batting surface. I have a lot of praise for the way my bowlers went about their work, and the consistency of their execution. I must say that my spinners were excellent, with my front 3 spinners all completing their 10-over allocations and all going for less than 2 runs per over.
“The spinners built pressure whilst continually picking up wickets and the fielders backed them up well, holding onto any chances Northwood gave up.”
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Luke Bowley (6 overs 2 maidens just 16 runs conceded and 2 wickets) got the first 2 wickets before Russell Hein (10-3-13-3) and Erik Hartman (10-1-19-2) dismissed batsmen numbers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 at minimal cost.
Christiaan Els (2.3-1-9-3) then got the prize wicket of opening bat and innings top scorer Thulani Chiliza (45) before mopping up the tail.
Coach Scullard was further impressed by the method in which Glenwood’s top-order batters went about chasing down the target of 102.
“We went about the chase in a positive, yet disciplined manner and proved what a good cricket wicket it was by reaching the Northwood total inside 22 overs.
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“Chad Laycock showed his class again, ending on 47* after numerous attempts by the Northwood fielders to get into his head.”
Number 3 Chad Laycock’s unbeaten 47 was scored off 40 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes; his innings coming off a decent 37-run platform laid by openers Banele Cele (19 46b 3×4) and Russell Hein.
Russell (13 not out off 45 balls) was content to rotate the strike and the reward came in his returning victorious to the pavilion alongside Chad after an unbeaten second-wicket partnership of 65.
The tall Chad Laycock is an impressive batsman to watch – I recall a Chad Laycock knock at the Jack Hart-Davis Oval in the fourth term last year against arguably the best bowling attack in the country in 2019 – that of Hilton College – (the pace, seam and swing of John Turner, Michael Booth, Matt Boast, Ethan Bain and Tom Dixon; the left-arm orthodox spin of Mike Frost and the leg-spin and googlies of Colby Dyer) in which this top-order batter looked at ease.
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It wasn’t about the runs Chad made that day, it was more about his comfort out in the middle against accurate, hostile, clever and artful schoolboy bowling.
Coach Brandon Scullard’s final assessment of his Glenwood side on the day?
“Jono, it was a complete performance that I have been waiting to see from my boys.
“We have a huge amount of talent within our team and I’m happy to see that transferred onto the field.
“We need to aspire to be more consistent in the weeks to come.”
Thanks Brandon, there can be few more satisfying experiences for a coach than when he witnesses a near-flawless all-round effort from his charges.
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KZN School Boy Rugby – Match report Northwood vs Westville
KZN School Boy Rugby match report – Northwood vs Westville
Featured Picture Credit – Northwood School
In a game that was marked by ferocious froward exchanges Northwood triumphed over a formidable Westville 1st XV. It was a memorable day for the Northwood Knights as they recorded their first win over the Westville Griffons in many a year winning 19-15.
Northwood learnt from last weeks encounter against Hilton College and their play was more varied. With field position being key Northwood elected to kick far more than the week before. The margins at this level are fine and in the process now kicked away far to much handing possession to the dangerous Westville backs.
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It was from one of their kicks out of hand, however, that Northwood scored their 1st try. Luke Cornelius spotting space behind the Westville defence opted for a short box kick which Northwood captain Nldovu collected and dotted down for a try. The conversion was missed making the score 5-0 to the Knights.
Exciting Westville talent, Mambo Mkhize, impressed greatly on the day and looks to be settling into his new roll of inside centre. The rampaging centre got over the advantage line almost at will and placed the Northwood defence under tremendous pressure. Regrettably, Westville were not able to capitalise on these and missed all their kicks at the posts in the 1st half.
It wasn’t as if Mkhize had it all his own way, opposite number Tapuwanashe Nyangani had an outstanding game of his own.
His elusive running created a number of opportunities to release centre partner Linamandla Majola to punch further holes in the Westville lines. Northwood will be kicking themselves as their decision making was not of a very high standard and, as was the case last week against Hilton College, would hold onto the ball when a simple pass would be more effective.
Those missed opportunities came back to haunt Northwood as a late Westville try in the 1st
half levelled matters at 5-5.
From the way the two teams started the second half the message in the respective huddles was clear: gain forward supremacy. The minutes after half time were brutal as the front eights from both teams piled into each other as they battled to get over the advantage line.
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It was during one of these passages of play that Northwood scored their second try. A neat little chip into space caught Westville a little flat footed and Northwood raced onto the ball. The Knights secured possesion and made towards the line and, after receiving a cracking pass, ever present Mpendu scored under the poles. With the conversion the score was 12-5 to Northwood. Just rewards for Mpendu whose work rate and nose for the ball were marked features of his play.
Westville roared back into life and came straight back on the attack and scored a converted try of their own making the score 12-12 midway through the 2nd half. A few minutes later Westville again scored via penalty kick making the score 15-12 to the visitors marking the first time that they had led in the whole match.
It was going down to the wire as the Northwood faithful urged their team on and with 7 minutes remaining their beloved knights delivered. A Knights scrum created the perfect platform for a set piece move and, with exquisite timing, Nyangani once again stepped up for Northwood as he sliced through the Griffons defence. Showing great awareness he fed the ball to Makhaza who scored under the poles. With the conversion the scores were now 19-15 in Northwoods favour.
Westville were not done, however, and back they came as the searched for a try to win the game. The tension was palpable as the spectators anxiously watched play move up the field.
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With a few seconds remaining Northwood spotting the ball carrier run a little upright into contact latched onto the player and attempted to hold him up in the tackle and force a maul. Westville frantically tried to get a knee on the ground to make it a tackle but to no avail as the referee called maul handing the possession back to the Knights much to the elation of the home fans.
With only a few seconds remaining a solid scrum and clearance into touch ushered in the end of the game with the referees shrill blast of his whistle. Game over and a superb 19-15 win for the Knights of Northwood over the Griffons of Westville.
Northwoods fine season continues and this team is certainly leaving its mark as one of the finest to have ever come out of the Durban North School. Next up for Northwood is a home fixture in a schools exchange with Parktown Boys from Johannesburg.
Westville’s up and down away form this season will again be tested as they make a trip up to Tshwane to take on a powerhouse Affies team.
Northwood vs Hilton College match Report 27 April
Hilton College beat hosts Northwood 31-15 on a picture perfect day in Durban
Saturday 27 April was a type of day that’s made Durban famous, clear blue skies and an even bluer ocean and a slight South Westerly to keep the temperature down. With the Indian ocean as a breathtaking backdrop, Northwood school hosted Hilton College from the Natal Midlands in an epic inter schools match.
Northwood came into the fixture quietly confident after a successful Easter festival. A late change on Friday though saw influential pivot Juan-Pierre du Preez ruled out because of a stomach bug. In the resultant reshuffle, fullback Ntokozo Makhaza shifted in to cover at flyhalf.
Hilton College started the brighter of the two teams and with what was to become a trend through the afternoon, made much inroads through their forwards.
After working the ball up to the Northwood line the ball was quickly recycled to Michael Booth who, with some deft footwork, spun through a tackle to score under the poles. Wilmans converted putting the visitors up 7-0 after 5 minutes.
Stung by the early pressure, Northwood launched attacking forays of their own and made their way up to the 22 metre, in their attempt to slow Northwood down the Hilton boys were penalised for being offside. Captain Ndlovu elected to kick at the posts and Makhaza stepped up to slot the penalty to make the scores 7-3 after 15 minutes.
After the ensuing kick-off Northwood got pinned in their own half and this gave the Hilton pack the necessary impetus to start taking matters into their own hands. Wave after wave of ball runners in the midfield pushed the Northwood defence further and further back until they were defending for their lives on the goal line. A special mention must be made to the discipline and technique of the Hilton boys during this passage of play, it was something to behold as they marched purposefully up to the Northwood line.
The Hilton pack were a well oil machined against Northwood. (C) Hilton College
Under the relentless assault on their line Northwood were again caught offside as their midfield scrambled to cover the ever increasing holes in their defence. A shrill blast on the whistle and the referee raised his arm in front of the poles. Northwood thinking that Hilton were going to take the 3 easy points momentarily lost concentration. In a flash SA 7’s player Liteca Nela spotted the Northwood boys out of alignment and taking a quick tap penalty, dived over under the poles. Wilmans Converted to make the scores 14-3. A body blow for Northwood.
Hilton again received the kick-off and after some great tactical kicking from Wilmans saw Hilton pin Northwood in their half again. Hilton College were quite simply on fire at this stage with the cohesion between backs and forwards a marked feature. After another clinical clean out at a ruck, the ball was spun through the hands and as the defence rushed up Nela put a deft dink behind the on rushing defenders. Fullback Thabiso Dlamini, reading the play, showed a great turn of pace to beat the cover defence to score 10 metres for the uprights. Wilmans again converted making it 21-3 to Hilton. Northwood were reeling and not a moment to soon the half-time whistle blew.
It was marked how differently the two teams approached the 1st half of the game. Hilton were quite happy to kick out of hand and on countless occasions moved play 30 metres up field by simply kicking into space and allowing Northwood to run it back. When Hilton did have the ball it seldom passed outside centre preferring rather to keep it close to the forwards.
Northwood on the other hand kicked quite little but instead tried to run the ball at almost every opportunity. Against a team like Hilton you need some variation to keep their defence thinking. There were occasions where Northwood created opportunities to get the ball down the line with an advantage of an overlap or a mismatch. All to often though the ball would either stick too long in the hands when a simple draw and pass would suffice or the ball would be knocked on. Frustrating for players and supporters alike.
Hilton started the 2nd half the same way that they ended the 1st and after receiving the kick-off, worked their way up to the 22 before Northwood were penalised for coming in from the side at ruck time. Captain Armstrong elected to kick for poles and Wilmans obliged to make it 24-3.
Up to this stage Northwood hadn’t had any ball to play with and it was from the resultant kick-off that one could see the change in the Northwood game plan. Where as in the first half they were content to throw the ball around, in the 2nd half they kept the play a lot tighter with the ball seldom going down the line in any expansive back line play.
The strategy immediately paid dividends as Northwood started making inroads into the Hilton defence as the forwards took to their task. They were fierce and fiery in ploughing into the rucks and mauls and ran with purpose and commitment. And it was after Northwoods best passage of play that Hilton were caught offside 5 metres out right in front of the poles. Some quick thinking from Makhaza caught Hilton off guard and the slippery flyhalf dived over to score a try. He converted to make the scores 24-10.
In a almost carbon copy of the first half, Hilton’s forwards again decided to up the tempo and set up a ruck in mid field. Northwood expecting the ball to be taken up close to the ruck, got to narrow in defence and paid for it dearly. The ball was quickly moved left and some slick handling released winger Joshua Cox(Featured image (C)HIlton College).
With nothing between him and the goal line except empty grass the winger pinned his ears back and raced 40 metres down the touchline to score in the corner as the defenders raced to cut him off. Wilmans attempting his most difficult kick of the afternoon lined up the conversion and dissected the up rights from the touchline, 31-10 to Hilton with 14 minutes to play.
A series of penalties pushed Hilton further and further into their half and some smart inter play between the Northwoods backs and forwards forced a line out 5 metres from the Hilton line. The resultant maul was sacked by Hilton but the ball was spun to the back line with Northwood looking like they were about to breach the Hilton defence. Some great work at the breakdown by the Hilton forwards, however, resulted in them stealing the ball and with space spotted on left the ball was again given to Cox to stretch his legs.
In a split second the gap closed and in trying to keep the ball alive a wild pass was thrown which bounced ever so close to the touchline. Mpendu showing great dexterity and skill picked up the ball before it could go out and headed for the try line. As the cross cover defence was about to bundle him in to touch he neatly offloaded to Ndlovu who crashed over to score. Unfortunately Makhaza missed the extras and the score stayed 31-15 to Hilton with 9 minutes to play.
That was the end of the scoring for the day as the action moved between the two 22 metre lines for the remainder of the game. That Northwood won the 2nd half 12-10 is an indicator that the Knights stepped up mightily and showed that the final 31-15 scoreline to Hilton was a little more flattering to the visitors than it should have been.
KZN Schoolboy Hockey Results – kzn10 13 April
KZN Schoolboy Hockey results
A busy weekend for the boys, hat tip to Westville, big win against a quality school. KZN schoolboy Hockey is certainly something that we can be proud of.
Westville versus Jeppe
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | ~ | 2 | 0 | ~ | 6 | 1 | ~ | 1 | 4 | ~ | 3 | 1 | ~ | 6 | ||||||||||||
| U16A | U16B | U16C | U16D | U16E | U16F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 2 | 2 | ~ | 1 | 0 | ~ | 1 | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| U14A | U14B | U14C | U14D | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | ~ | 5 | 1 | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ | 1 | |||||||||
| Played | Win | Draw | Loss |
| 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
Maritzburg College versus Pretoria Boys
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | ~ | 1 | 2 | ~ | 1 | 0 | ~ | 0 | 4 | ~ | 1 | 0 | ~ | 0 | ||||||||||||
| U16A | U16B | U16C | U16D | U16E | U16F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 1 | 3 | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ | 1 | 1 | ~ | 0 | 4 | ~ | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| U14A | U14B | U14C | U14D | U14E | U14F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | ~ | 1 | 4 | ~ | 2 | 5 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 3 | 3 | ~ | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Played | Win | Draw | Loss |
| 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 |
DHS versus Northwood
| 1st | 2nd | |||||||
| 1 | ~ | 3 | 0 | ~ | 9 | |||
| U16A | U16B | U16C | ||||||||||||
| 0 | ~ | 3 | 0 | ~ | 2 | 1 | ~ | 5 | ||||||
| U14A | U14B | U14C | U14D | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | ~ | 2 | 0 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 1 | 3 | ~ | 0 | |||||||||
| Played | Won | Draw | Loss | ||||||
| 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||||||
Glenwood versus Monument
| 1st | 2nd | U16A | U14A | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | ~ | 0 | 10 | ~ | 0 | 2 | ~ | 1 | 5 | ~ | 0 | |||||||||
| Played | Won | ||
| 4 | 4 |
Clifton College Versus Glenwood
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | ||||||||||||
| 3 | ~ | 0 | 2 | ~ | 1 | 0 | ~ | 1 | ||||||
| U16A | U16B | U16C | ||||||||||||
| 1 | ~ | 0 | 2 | ~ | 1 | 3 | ~ | 0 | ||||||
| U14A | U14B | U14C | U14D | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | ~ | 0 | 3 | ~ | 2 | 3 | ~ | 0 | 1 | ~ | 0 | |||||||||
| Played | Win | Draw | Loss | |||||
| 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Till next time,
Zeke