Luke Payne and Bongai Vuyeqaba were at the forefront of Pretoria Boys High‘s brilliant comeback, which secured a pulsating 2-1 win over Maritzburg College in their derby encounter on the Hill Astro at Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) on Saturday.
“The boys played with grit and put their bodies on the line to get the win,” Jacques Klopper, the PBHS coach, told SuperSport Schools News.
College headed into the contest off the back of a hard-fought 3-2 win over Affies at home.
They were hoping to pick up their second win in succession against Pretoria opposition and showed their intent with a positive start. Early in the contest, they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession. At the same time, they closed down PBHS’s attacking attempts, leaving the home side struggling to find a rhythm.
The visitors’ efforts bore fruit when they struck from an attack that began on the halfway line. A defence-splitting pass picked out Heath Hackland in the circle, and he netted five and a half minutes before the end of the first chukka.
Boys High, coming off a 1-1 draw with King Edward VII (KES) last week, responded well to that setback, taking the game to College, but the men from KZN repelled every attack.
With time ticking away, coach Mark Sanders‘ side held onto their narrow lead until deep into the fourth chukka.
Pretoria Boys High kept plugging away, though, and they were eventually rewarded seven minutes from full-time, when Luke Payne unleashed a shot from close to the penalty spot, which left College goalkeeper, Viwe Ndlovu, with no chance.
The equaliser set the game up for a thrilling finish as both sides launched concerted efforts to snatch victory. Boys High got their way, giving their supporters plenty of reasons to cheer.
Bongai Vuyeqaba was on hand to pounce onto a loose ball after a Boys High attack was repelled, firing a late winner to give the home team the edge over the Red, Black, and White after they previously drew 1-1 in Pietermaritzburg.
PBHS will be keen to carry their form into their contest against Affies next week, while College will aim to get one over Glenwood after the sides drew 2-2 in Durban in April.
Result
Pretoria Boys High 2-1 Maritzburg College
