One of Jeppe’s most experienced players, Jarryd Gordon-Watt, celebrated his 100th appearance for the school in style by helping his side to a 4-1 victory over Pretoria Boys High School on Saturday.
Jeppe made the trip from Kensington to Pretoria eager to end the term on a high by claiming another big Gauteng scalp.
Heading into the clash, the boys, led by coach Gareth Heyns, had beaten St John’s College 3-0 and Northwood School 1-0, while Boys High was held to a goalless draw by Michaelhouse and went down 2-3 against Hilton College last month.
It was a heated battle early on, and both teams took time to settle. Jeppe, however, grabbed the lead in the first chukka when Blake Sartor latched onto a loose ball inside the circle and slammed it past the goalkeeper for the opener.
Gordon-Watt doubled Jeppe’s tally in the second chukka, and the visitors went into the break leading 2-0.
Kade Lottering, who’s been a regular scorer for Jeppe, added his name to the scoresheet with six minutes to play in the third chukka after sharply executing another penalty short corner routine.
Jeppe scored their final goal in the last chukka when Mthunzi Msibi showed composure inside the circle to make sure of the win for his side. Pretoria Boys High pulled a goal back immediately, but it was too late to reverse the result.
“Achieving 100 caps is a massive achievement for me,” Gordon-Watt said after the game.
“Many boys achieve 50 caps, but the calibre of our hockey programme does not often see many players reach 100 caps.
“To also score on my 100th game was special, and it was an honour playing Pretoria Boys’ High in their reunion.”
While Jeppe got the job done away from home, St John’s was also a big winner on the weekend.
They took on St Benedict’s College and recorded a 3-1 win thanks to goals by Ben Nagel, Justin Fairley and Max Pitman.
St David’s Marist Inanda also made a tick in the win column, beating the travelling side, St Charles College, 2-1.
Skipper Matteo Stipcevich netted both goals to give St David’s their second win of the week, following a 2-0 victory over Linden.
On Friday night, St Stithians College enjoyed a comfortable 5-0 win over Cornwall Hill College at home in an Edgars Friday Nite Lights clash.
Jason Joiner and Sebastien Pousson both scored braces, while Thakgalo Makola also got his name on the scoresheet for coach Pat Owgan’s side
In another clash in Pretoria, Affies kept their unbeaten run in the league intact by beating Menlopark 2-0.
Results:
Jeppe 4-1 Pretoria Boys High
St Stithians College 5-0 Cornwall Hill
St David’s Marist Inanda 2-1 St Charles College
St David’s Marist Inanda 2-0 Linden
Affies 2-0 Menlopark
St John’s College 3-1 St Benedict’s College
