Sports news of the match between St. Charles College and Clifton College
Sharks Day 2025 (as reported by Head Coach, Craig Dwyer)
St Charles College 1st XV travelled to Hilton College on a crisp Friday morning to take on Clifton College in the highly anticipated Sharks Day Trials. With an unusual 09:30am kick-off, the boys were faced with a unique challenge—shifting from their usual 3pm game rhythm to a much earlier start, all while coming off the back of an emotional and high-energy Old Boys Day the previous weekend. Despite these hurdles, the squad rose to the occasion. After a focused week of preparation, the team came out firing from the first whistle. Within the opening 15 minutes, the boys in Blue and Gold had already raced to a commanding 19-0 lead, showcasing clinical execution and high intensity. However, a lapse in concentration allowed Clifton back into the game, and by halftime the scoreboard read 19-14 in favour of St Charles College. The halftime message was simple: trust the systems, stick to structures, and deliver the knockout blow.
The second half was a testament to that message. The team regrouped, found their rhythm, and took control of the game. They played with hunger, urgency, and cohesion, ultimately running away with the fixture. Tries were spread across the team, with Agape Nyawo crossing the whitewash twice, while AJ Bosman, Carl Chekera, Matthew Ludick, and Likuthi Mbalana also stood out with commanding performances. Credit must go to the full match-day 23, who all made an impact and contributed to a comprehensive team effort.
The final score: St Charles College 47 – 14 Clifton College
It was a performance full of character and maturity—one that firmly placed St Charles College on the radar at this year’s Sharks Day Trials. Importantly, it also marked significant improvement in the set piece and game management from the previous week. As the team heads into a well-deserved mid-term break, they’ll be looking to carry this momentum into their next outing against St Stithians College. Sincere thanks to Clifton College for the spirited competition, and we look forward to welcoming all their teams to St Charles College for Supporters Day in the coming weeks.
1st Team Hockey (as reported by Head Coach, Matthew Coombes)
The St Charles College 1st team hockey travelled down to Durban to play Clifton on Friday afternoon. St Charles College tried to play with high energy and put the Clifton players under pressure early on, which worked to an extent and created one or two chances for them to go up.
Clifton, on the other hand, opted to apply less pressure, which the St Charles players handled well in the beginning, and were able to get through and maintain possession. The match was evenly poised in the opening stages, and it wasn’t until St Charles’ defence overcommitted and allowed numbers in behind where Clifton capitalised and scored the opener of the game.
The game then continued to be evenly poised. Clifton rotated their players well and caused some confusion down the right-hand tough line. It was this confusion that allowed the overlap that resulted in the 2nd goal. It wasn’t long after that that the Clifton players got behind the defence again and outnumbered the St Charles players, and they again managed to convert well, making it 3 to the home side.
The boys in Blue and Gold had their opportunities, and it wasn’t until the 3rd chukka that they managed to convert, taking the score to 3-1. With a chukka and a bit to play, St Charles knew that with one more goal, they would be back in it, and the momentum would shift. They pushed hard for the goal, but unfortunately, it didn’t come. Clifton remained cool and calm under the pressure, and the score stayed at 3-1. Well done to a controlled performance by Clifton. St Charles College is looking forward to hosting them in 3 weeks time.
