29 June 2023
The second last day of the 2023 u18 Inter-provincial Hockey Tournament in Bloemfontein began with a stiff examination for KZN Inland A from Northern Gauteng A.
It was an evenly contested fixture, with the Inland boys doing an excellent job of absorbing pressure and rejecting Northerns’ attacking forays.
With just six minutes remaining, Saint Charles College’s Rearden Dicken and Hilton College’s Akha Mda (photo above from Hilton vs Michaelhouse), both SA Schools selections in 2022, combined to construct the only goal of the game, scored by Mda, which was enough to secure Inland A a spot in the playoff for fifth and sixth on Friday.
They’ll face Western Province B who escaped KZN Coastal B with a 3-2 victory. Coastal B maybe shaded the play between the two circles, but Province scored from three penalty corners and that was the difference in the game.
The two aforementioned results mean KZN Coastal B will tackle Northern Gauteng A in the 7th and 8th place playoff.
KZN Coastal A, meanwhile, locked horns with Southern Gauteng A in a big clash of traditional rivals for a place in the final.
Coastals took the lead in the third chukka when Leruo Dithlakanyane stole possession deep in Southerns’ territory as the Coastal team applied a heavy and high press. He, then, found his DHS team-mate Lumi Matwele in the circle, and Matwele provided a calm finish to give his team the lead.
Southerns responded well and immediately put KZN Coastal A under pressure. One thing the boys from the Durban region have proved throughout the competition, though, is that they have a stingy defence. In fact, the stingiest defence of all.
Southerns, though, have the event’s leading goal-scorer, penalty corner specialist Jaydon Brooker, in their ranks, and just over seven minutes from time he levelled for the Johannesburg boys with a pinpoint finish from the set piece.
Penalty shootout
Neither side could break the deadlock and the match proceeded to a penalty shootout. Southerns managed a stop first up of Kyle Thomas, and they led 4-3 with Veeshan Govender next up for Coastals.
The Northwood striker was initially stopped at he approached the goal but, utilising his exceptional speed, he regathered the ball and fired off a shot under heavy pressure from the goalie. It was on target. However, a metre before the ball crossed the goal line, the eight-second whistle sounded. Southerns were through.
They’ll meet Western Province – 4-2 winners over Boland A in the other semi-final – in the title-decider, while KZN Coastal A will take on a side that they comfortably beat 3-0 in their Pool B clash. Second time around, though, that will count for nothing.
A match with serious implications
KZN Inland B faced Amathole in an important match; the loser would play in a relegation match on Friday. Unfortunately for Inland B, they came out on the wrong side of the result, going down 0-3.
They’ll battle Eastern Province for a place in the A section in 2024. When the sides met earlier in the tournament, EP recorded a 4-2 victory.
Unfortunately, the livestream failed part way through, so we don’t have the YouTube highlights of the KZN Inland B game against Amathole.
Results
KZN Inland A 1-0 Northern Gauteng A
Western Province B 3-2 KZN Coastal B
Southern Free State A 3-2 Eastern Province A
Southern Gauteng A 1-1 KZN Coastal A (4-3 SO)
Amathole 3-0 KZN Inland B
Western Province A 4-2 Boland A
Friday matches
08:45 – KZN Inland B vs Eastern Province A, 11th and 12th
09:00 – Amathole vs Southern Free State A, 9th and 10th
10:25 – KZN Coastal A vs Boland A, 3rd and 4th
10:25 – KZN Coastal B vs Northern Gauteng A, 7th and 8th
11:50 – Western Province B vs KZN Inland A, 5th and 6th
13:50 – Western Province vs Southern Gauteng A, 1st and 2nd
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