Despite challenging weather conditions caused by rain, Team Eastern Cape’s hockey and rugby teams kickstarted their Winter National School Sport Championships on a high note.
After a delayed start in the morning the EC under-14 boys’ hockey team won 3-2 against Northern Cape U14 in a hard-fought game.
Selborne College’s Ryan Croney broke the deadlock for Team EC via a deflected shot in the early minutes of the encounter.
Northern Cape had a strong start to the second half as they scored two quick goals to grab a 2-1 lead.
But Team EC regrouped to pull off a spirited comeback in the last five minutes to win the game 3-2.
Luca Fraser and Utha Mazantsi slotted the winning goals.
The team’s head coach Louelle Botha said: “We started off confidently though the boys were a bit rusty at the start. But I think they did actually very well.”
The team went on to have a resounding 7-1 triumph over Northwest in their next game, a 7-0 loss against KZN and a 7-2 win over Limpopo.
The Team EC under-15 boys’ rugby team won 12-0 against KZN in a game heavily affected by the rain. The weather conditions forced both teams to make several handling errors throughout the game.
The hosts eventually got their first try through Hoerskool PJ Olivier’s Siphelele Ncanywa midway through the first half.
The game’s second and last try only came in the final minutes of the second half as McDonald Buchata of Hoerskoel Hangklip dotted down and converted the try to give team EC their win.
Head coach Ashwell Strider said despite the handling errors, he still has trust in his team.
The rugby team capped off their afternoon against Limpopo, winning 32-0.
The EC under-14 girls’ hockey team had a positive day on the field as they won all of their games.
They started their campaign with a 4-1 win against Gauteng. A brace from Clarendon’s Morgan Graham gave the team their second victory, beating Free State 5-3.
Claire Samery applauded her team for managing the pressure of the tight game against Free State.
“The first half very intense. It kept going back and forth like tennis. In the second half, we definitely had a whole game changer,” Samery said.
“I told them that they must just focus and play for themselves and that they mustn’t worry about the score.
“Our aim is to get a medal and be on the podium, so, I think that’s what motivated them.”
Samery’s team ended off the afternoon with 17-0 and 8-1 wins against Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
The EC under-15 girls’ rugby team only played a single game in which they beat Mpumalanga 10-5. Both tries for Eastern Cape were dotted down by scrumhalf Zizibele Dyalomi.
“The game was good. We were a bit disappointing in the second half as we had a lapse of concentration on defence. Nonetheless we won and are happy for the result,” said head coach Thandile Mzukwa.