RUGBY
Kearsney College 1st XV lost to Hilton 1st XV 12-28
The curtain came down on Kearsney’s rugby season with a clash against old foe Hilton College. Hilton showed their class as they gave away nothing in the first half, starting and ending it with a clinical display of forward power and territorial dominance.
Being 16-0 down at halftime, Kearsney had to dig deep to stage a fight back.; and with only 35 minutes remaining, fight is exactly what they did. Following a scrum on the half-way line, an accurate backline strike sparked their revival.
Dan Eager sliced through the Hilton defence, feeding the ball to Cameron Veenstra who raced for the corner. Desperate defence from Hilton kept Kearsney from a spectacular try. However, this was the momentum which the hosts needed.
Pressure on the ensuing Hilton lineout led to a turnover for Kearsney. Hammering away at Hilton’s goal line, tighthead prop Anele Cele stormed over with a powerful carry for Kearsney’s opening try. Eager slotted the conversion.
The next 15 minutes was all Kearsney, as Hilton had to repel wave after wave of attacks. As displayed all season, the visitors’ defence held firm and, after absorbing all the pressure, they struck back with a powerful display of forward play, to take the wind out of Kearsney’s sails and the score to 23-7.
Kearsney immediately struck back with a try from the impact player off the bench, Sange Mdunyelwa. However, a penalty from the kick-off resulted in another opportunity for Hilton’s forwards to power over, taking the game out of reach.
The final whistle came as Kearsney was again throwing everything at Hilton on their try line. Hilton College was an excellent opponent and deserved victors, walking away with a 28-12 win.
HOCKEY
Kearsney College 1st X1 beat Hilton 1st X1 1-0
Hilton travelled to Kearsney College on Saturday in the hope of protecting their season’s unbeaten local record. But Kearsney had other plans as their unbeaten home record needed one more scalp.
A first quarter of equal goal-scoring opportunities ensued, as both teams squandered their chances of taking the lead. Kearsney’s Joel Steyn hit Hilton’s goal post following a swift counter attack at the end of a saved shot on the other end of the field.
In the second quarter Kearsney put their stamp on the game. Captain Asande Nwayose picked up a loose ball in the final attacking third. His movement into the D was halted by a Hilton defender, pushing him wide of the goals.
Asande pulled the ball onto his reverse, putting all his strength through the ball. It was a phenomenal shot, to put the ball in the back of the net from such a tight angle. Kearsney had broken the deadlock and were rewarded for their dominant display this far.
Hilton came back strongly at Kearsney for the following two quarters, but it was not enough. Kearsney soaked up the pressure in a display of calm defensive prowess, making life difficult for the visitors.
The final five minutes of the game went the way of Hilton as they realised their unbeaten local record was in danger. A flurry of penalty corners ended with a final shot being cleared off the line by Kearsney’s Dylan Wigget, for the home side to win 1-0 and retain their season’s unbeaten home record.
SQUASH
Two Kearsney squash players have been selected to compete for KwaZulu-Natal in the U19 IPT during the holidays.
Bryce Blomquist has been selected for the U19A team, and Keagan Coetzee the U19B side to play in Paarl from 24-28 June.
Sports report compiled by Sue Miles at Working Words.
Photographer: Hannah Shirley
