The future of soccer in South Africa looks promising if the weekend’s inaugural Kearsney Soccer Tournament is anything to go by.
The three-day event, in which nearly 500 aspiring soccer players from around the country participated, was “a brilliant success” according to Patrick Lees, headmaster of Kearsney College.
Kearsney vs Paul-RoosSt-Annes-blue vs Lebone-ll-CollegePenalty shootouts decided the winners in all three divisions: Durban High School (senior boys), Edendale Technical High from Pietermaritzburg (senior girls) and Hillcrest Primary School (junior boys).
“It’s been three fantastic days of fun, friendship and competition and we thank all the participating boys and girls for joining us for this wonderful event. We can’t wait for next year’s Kearsney Soccer Tournament,” Lees said.
Twenty-eight school soccer teams took part with 12 teams from boys’ high schools, nine from girls’ high schools and eight primary schools’ teams demonstrating their skills at this new tournament on the schools’ soccer calendar.
Boys Teams
The senior boys’ teams which participated were DHS and Clifton College (both Durban), Maqhutshane Secondary and Siyajabula High (both KwaNyuswa), Curro Grantleigh (Richards Bay), Ashton Ballito, Port Shepstone High, Paul Roos (Stellenbosch), Urban Academy (Gqeberha), Tuks Sport High School (Pretoria), Lebone ll College (Rustenburg) and hosts Kearsney College.
Girls Teams:
The teams from girls’ high schools were Durban Girls High, Danville Park Girls and SAFA eThekwini (all Durban), Ashton Ballito, Curro Hilcrest, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Edendale Tech, St Anne’s Diocesan College (Hilton) and Lebone ll College (Rustenburg).
Primary School Teams:
They were joined by eight local primary school teams from Hillcrest Primary, Kloof Senior Primary, Atholl Heights, John Wesley, Ashton Ballito, Merchiston and two teams from Highbury.
RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS:
| BOYS HIGH SCHOOLS | |
| 1 | Durban Boys High |
| 2 | Tuks High |
| 3 | Urban Academy |
| 4 | Paul Roos Gym |
| 5 | Maqhutshane |
| 6 | Kearsney College |
| 7 | Port Shepstone |
| 8 | Siyajabula |
| 9 | Clifton College |
| 10 | Lebone II |
| 11 | Curro Grantleigh |
| 12 | Ashton Ballito |
| GIRLS HIGH SCHOOLS | |
| 1 | Edendale |
| 2 | Safa Thekwini |
| 3 | St Anne’s |
| 4 | Danville |
| 5 | Lebone II |
| 6 | Durban Girls High |
| 7 | St Mary’s |
| 8 | Ashton Ballito |
| 9 | Curro Hillcrest |
| PRIMARY SCHOOLS | |
| 1 | Hillcrest Primary |
| 2 | Merchiston |
| 3 | John Wesley |
| 4 | Ashton Ballito |
| 5 | Kloof Senior Primary |
| 6 | Highbury B |
| 7 | Atholl Heights |
| 8 | Highbury A |
Sport report compiled by Sue Miles at Working Words
Photographers: Robert Carpenter and Hannah Shirley
