The action in the second edition of the Kearsney Soccer Tournament started bright and early in Botha’s Hill on Friday morning, with the hosts playing to a 1-1 draw with Paul Roos Gimnasium, while Pinetown posted a 2-0 victory over Northwood.
That was the start of a very good day for Pinetown, who didn’t concede a single goal in the Matterson Field Group and also claimed three wins.
They followed up their victory over the Knights with a 3-0 defeat of Maqhutshana 1 and a 1-0 win over Tuks, last year’s beaten finalists.
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It wasn’t a good day for Tuks, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Maqhutshana 1 and were also beaten 2-0 by Northwood.
Siyajabula enjoyed a strong start in the group, powering their way to a 4-0 victory over Ashton International Ballito, which they followed up with a 2-0 win over Lebone II College.
Lebone, from Rustenburg, sneaked a 4-3 victory over Clifton College in a thrilling opener for both teams. The Durban school was involved in a second goal-fest later in the day, but they held on for a 3-2 win over Ashton.
Durban High School (DHS), who lost 0-5 to Tuks in their opener in 2023, before upsetting the same team 1-0 in the final, enjoyed a much better start to their 2024 challenge. Faced with a tricky opener, they recorded a 2-1 win over Gqeberha’s Urban Academy.
Later in the day, they dominated against Curro Hazeldean, but had to settle for just a 1-0 victory.
The hosts, Kearsney, who are also in the Roberts Field Group, had a good day. After their draw with Paul Roos, they beat Maqhutshana 2 3-1 and completed their assignments with a convincing 4-0 defeat of Thomas More College.
Paul Roos, who claimed the Plate at the Kloof High School Football Tournament, just down the road, in mid-June, after scoring twice in the last five minutes against Pinetown, overran Thomas More 6-0.
In the girls’ competition, St Mary’s DSG grabbed a 2-1 win over Curro Hazeldean in their 08:00 opener, but later cruised to a 4-0 win over Durban Girls’ High.
Kloof High won twice, too, beating Lebone II College 2-0 and Ashton 2-1.
Danville Park remains undefeated, but not perfect, after a 1-1 draw with Curro Hazeldean and a 1-0 defeat of Durban Girls’ High.
It was a busy day for the boys’ primary school teams, with 10 matches being played.
Highbury Prep, a leading feeder school for Kearsney, was one of the top performers, with their A team scoring eight goals while conceding only one, in two victories.
Their rivals from Pietermaritzburg, Merchiston Prep, also went two for two, beating the Highbury Prep B team comfortably, before being pushed hard by Hillcrest Primary.
RESULTS
Boys’ High School
Roberts Field
Kearsney 1-1 Paul Roos
DHS 2-1 Urban Academy
Thomas More 2-5 Maqhutshana 2
Sutherland 1-1 Curro Hazeldean
Kearsney 3-1 Maqhutshana 2
DHS 1-0 Curro Hazeldean
Thomas More 0-6 Paul Roos
Urban Academy 2-1 Sutherland
Kearsney 4-0 Thomas More
Matterson Field
Pinetown 2-0 Northwood
Lebone II College 4-3 Clifton College
Tuks 1-1 Maqhutshana 1
Siyajabula 4-0 Ashton
Pinetown 3-0 Maqhutshana 1
Lebone II College 0-2 Siyajabula
Northwood 2-0 Tuks
Clifton College 3-2 Ashton
Pinetown 1-0 Tuks
Girls’ High School
St Mary’s DSG 2-1 Curro Hazeldean
Ashton 2-0 Thomas More
Kloof High 2-0 Lebone II College
Curro Hazeldean 1-1 Danville Park
Thomas More 2-1 Lebone II College
Durban Girls’ High 0-4 St Mary’s DSG
Ashton 1-2 Kloof High
Danville Park 1-0 Durban Girls’ High
Boys’ Primary School
Ashton Ballito 1-0 Thomas More
Atholl Heights 1-2 Reddam Ballito
Highbury Prep A 3-0 Kloof Senior Primary
Hillcrest Primary 2-3 Merchiston Prep
Kloof Senior Primary 2-2 Ashton Ballito
Atholl Heights 1-4 Hillcrest Primary
Thomas More 3-1 Winston Park
Reddam Ballito 1-2 Highbury Prep B
Highbury Prep A 5-1 Winston Park
Highbury Prep B 0-3 Merchiston Prep
