KEARSNEY College sportsmen across the sports codes had a highly successful July, being selected for South African age group teams in rugby, hockey, hockey 5s and tennis, following the recent selections for national water polo and bass angling teams.

Kearsney’s 1^st X1 hockey captain Guy Morgan is currently competing in the SA U18 hockey 5s in the Youth Africa Games taking place in Algeria. The team is hoping to qualify for the Youth Olympics to be held in Argentina during October. Morgan is captain of the SA U18 5s team, where the coach is Sihle Ntuli, also Kearsney’s 1^st X1 coach.

Feature image: Kearsney College loose forward Sibu Sangweni selected for SA Schools.
Photo Tracey van den Aardweg

Outstanding centre back and leader Guy Morgan captained the KZN Coastals team that won the Old Mutual iWYZE U18 Hockey Nationals title over finalists KZN Inland in front of the biggest crowd ever seen at Maritzburg College’s Pape’s Astro. His KZN Coastal team-mates also included the excellent trio of Liam Maguire, Steven Conway and Ben Proctor.

Conway made the SA U18 A team who were edged 1-0 in a thrilling international series against Australia Schoolboys, a trio of action-packed clashes watched by big hockey crowds at the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus Astro. The internationals went 3-3 then 4-4 then 6-3 to Oz.

Guy Morgan and Ben Proctor were selected for the SA U18B tournament team. Both can be considered most unfortunate not to have made the SA U18 A team while Liam Maguire was another in-form player who didn’t get the nod from the national selectors in an admittedly strong pool of players to choose from.

It is gratifying to see a number of the successful Kearsney College first hockey team doing so well in the KC firsts soccer side, Maguire, Proctor and goalkeeper Jethro Strydom among them.

 

Kearsney’s 1^st XV captain and loose forward Sibu Sangweni has been selected for the SA Schools rugby team following the Coca-Cola Craven Week in Paarl. He is one of four players selected from KZN, the others from Glenwood (2) and DHS.

Confirming the quality of rugby played at the Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, 10 players in the SA Schools squad of 30 played at this year’s festival. The SA Schools team meet Wales in their opening game on 10 August, followed by France in the second round on 14 August and England on 18 August.

Soccer

Kearsney had a good start to the soccer season, winning 15, drawing 2 and losing 3 of the 20 games played at Hilton at the weekend.

A report suggests that both teams were fairly rusty and skills were not what they would usually be, with both teams making many errors.

In the first half Kearsney crossed the ball from the right, Hilton made a defensive error, allowing the visitors to take another shot which hit the bar. Kearsney’s Finn Mclean latched on to a bouncing ball and headed it into the net to give Kearsney a 1-0 lead.

Hilton pushed hard in the last 10-15 minutes for the equaliser, but without much luck.  Kearsney continued to defend well, thereby ensuring a 1-0 win.

Kearsney College firsts soccer team

1 Jethro Strydom
2 Aidan Bossert
3 Luke Gibbon
4 Gcina Gumede (capt)
5 Christopher Kiggen
6 Fin McLean
7 Joshua Barrett
8 Jordan Kellaway (vice-capt)
9 Ayoola Morakinyo
10 Liam Maguire
11 Ben Proctor
12 Jordan Baker (sub)
13 Thobani Xhakaza (sub)
14 Lwazi Gwebu (sub)
15 Cameron Whittaker (sub)
16 Nkateko Khoza (sub)
17 Menzi Mhlungu (sub)

Coach: Dean Moodley

7s Rugby

Crawford La Lucia hosted their annual 7s festival at the weekend. Kearsney were methodical and efficient in the pool matches, with the experience and composure from the senior players making the difference.

 

Kearsney comfortably beat Hillcrest 47-0, Amanzimtoti 34-0 and Crawford La Lucia 56-7. A special mention must go to Scott Couzens for scoring 9 tries in total in the three pool matches.

Kearsney then played Northwood in the Cup semi-final and had to work hard for the final 15-5 win.

In the final Kearsney met Michaelhouse, taking the lead early on. But Michaelhouse capitalised on turnovers and scored three unconverted tries. Kearsney fought back with a great converted try in the last minute, to take the score to 15-12 with 30 seconds to go. Kearsney regained possession but Michaelhouse kept them out.

 

* Kearsney’s top 1^st team tennis player Kade Mindry also represented South African in last week’s ITF U17 championships in Nairobi and at the Wanderers.

* These selections follow Tyson Andrews making the SA U16 water polo team and Wesley Marshall the SA U16 development water polo team earlier this year; whilst Bryce van der Merwe made the SA Junior Bass Angling team.