Overview Sporting Achievements
This past weekend Maritzburg College welcomed the boys and staff of King Edward VII (KES) to our campus for a full sporting exchange. In addition to rugby and hockey matches, College’s soccer, golf, tennis and table tennis teams were in action.
On the penultimate weekend of 2022 winter fixtures, there were victories for both the 1st XI hockey and 1st XV rugby, a great day for the Red Black White.
Rugby
College fielded 19 rugby teams against KES, with 12 teams winning their matches, including good wins for the U14A, U15A, 2nd XV and 1st XV teams. In a nailbiting final game of the day our 1st XV played a courageous and gutsty outstanding game winning 34-30.
At this weekend’s FNB Classic Clash, 1st XV and SA U18 rugby star Lihle Bester crashes over the tryline to score against KES. College won the match 34-30.
Credit: Dan Becket
1st XV match report – Mr Tim Orchard (1st XV coach)
In an absolute humdinger of a match, Maritzburg College emerged the victors by the slimmest of margins against their foes KES, on Saturday. It was a match that was always going to be a tight affair, but no one would have imagined that it would be a big scoring one as well. Both sides were intent on playing a high tempo game much to the delight of all in attendance.
The first moments of the match belonged to KES as they attacked the College try line with serious intent but some stoic defending by the College boys prevented KES from claiming the first points of the match. Fortune swung the way of College when M.Kweyama poached a loose pass from KES which allowed the College team to get some purchase in the match. The ball was recycled through a number of phases until Spha Ngcobo managed to burst free from a ragged KES defence to race away and score the first try of the match. The kick was duly converted and the College boys in attendance were in full voice as they demanded more of the same. The game was all College as they were now on the front foot, looking for their second try of the match. This came when M.Chirengende fielded a kick in back play and surged forward through a crowd of players in the midfield. From the resulting breakdown, the ball was shifted quickly into the hands of Spha Ngcobo who broke free from the KES defenders and with one man to beat passed the ball on his inside to Lihle Bester to finish a very well executed team try. The kick was not converted but College now had a twelve-point lead within the first ten minute of the match. KES hit back with a penalty of their own after some good rugby of their own which caught the College defence flatfooted and resulted in a very kickable penalty being knocked over to reduce the deficit and get KES into the match. From the resulting kickoff, KES came into the match more and more and looked very likely to score again. After a well-executed lineout drive, KES now were deep in the College half and after a bright passage of play scored a try in the let hand corner to further reduce College’s lead. The conversion was missed, and College’s lead was now a mere four points. From the resulting restart College was awarded a scrum which allowed them to strike deep within the KES half. A high tackle allowed College to kick the penalty to the corner and set up a lineout drive of their own. Their lineout drive was successful and from the resulting drive, K.Wilken clutching the ball with a wide grin on his face as College extended their lead now to nine points after the kick was converted. The score stood now at 17-8 in College’s favour. KES hit back soon after with a penalty kick of their own to reduce the score to 17-11. The score remained the same for the rest of the first half and both sides went into the halftime break believing they could win the match.
The second half started with both sides intent on scoring first so that they could grab the momentum and swing the match in their favour. The honours of scoring the first points of the second half fell to Maritzburg College when after a number of phases, the ball was passed to Ngcobo on the blindside who had the smallest of margins to work with. This was not an issue for him as he used his trademark acceleration and rapid footwork to leave KES for dead and race away for his second try of the match. With the try converted, College now had a comfortable 24-11 lead. KES managed to get the ball back from the kick off but a wayward pass allowed Liam Prinsloo to scoop up the ball and race away to score in the right hand corner. The kick was converted, and College now had a healthy twenty-point lead with twenty-six minutes remaining on the clock. The match was not over by any stretch of the imagination as KES looked dangerous with ball in hand and were finding pockets of space in the College defence. KES hit back with an extremely well worked lineout drive of their own in the right-hand corner of the College try line. The score now stood at 30-16 and KES had their tails up and looked very likely to make a game of it. A number of College infringements allowed KES to march into the College half as the College defenders began to scramble in the face of a wave of red jerseys hell bent on scoring again. They duly did just that after a smart move caught the College defenders on their heels and allowed KES to score under the uprights for a very easy converted try. The score was now 30-23 and some very nervous glances were being shared by the College spectators as the match had now swung the way of KES and it looked as if they would sneak a famous comeback on Goldstones. KES were the ones to score again after College could not keep possession and allowed KES to capitalise on their mistakes which allowed them to crash over next to the uprights to make the margin now a single point at 31-30 with ten minutes to play. College hit back with a penalty from the boot of captain AJ Knoetze to make the score 34-30 with a mere five minutes left in the match. College now was camped within the KES half as they tried to land the killer blow to take the match away from their opponents. They almost did just that as Knoetze took a quick tap penalty on the KES five metre line and lunged for the try line. Unfortunately for the College faithful, he was adjudged to have not grounded the ball. KES won a crucial tighthead at the next scrum and looked to breakout from deep within their own half, but College managed to get sufficient numbers back in defence and win a penalty at the breakdown. College opted to kick at poles and the ball struck the upright and off went KES again. With mere seconds remaining KES were adjudged to have gone off their feet at the breakdown and once again College had a kickable penalty to seal the match. This proved to be the last moment as the penalty was missed and the ball went dead ending a very enthralling match on Goldstones.
College 34
Tries: Ngcobo x2, Bester, Wilken and Prinsloo
Conversions: Knoetze x3
Penalties: Knoetze
KES 30
Summary of Results:
| Team | Opposition | Venue | Result | Score |
| 1st | KES | Goldstone’s | Won | 34-30 |
| 2nd | KES | Goldstone’s | Won | 32-17 |
| 3rd | KES | Goldstone’s | Won | 24-17 |
| 4th | KES | Goldstone’s | Lost | 5-10 |
| 5th | KES | Goldstone’s | Lost | 19-33 |
| 6th | KES | Goldstone’s | Won | 3-0 |
| 16A | KES | Goldstone’s | Lost | 12-15 |
| 16B | KES | Snow’s | Won | 24-11 |
| 16C | KES | Lamond’s | Won | 17-10 |
| 16D | KES | Leach’s | Lost | 14-19 |
| 15A | KES | Snow’s | Won | 17-14 |
| 15B | KES | Snow’s | Won | 29-12 |
| 15C | KES | Lamond’s | Lost | 12-14 |
| 15D | KES | Lamond’s | Won | 38-7 |
| 14A | KES | Snow’s | Won | 22-12 |
| 14B | KES | Snow’s | Lost | 14-15 |
| 14C | KES | Leach’s | Won | 31-16 |
| 14D | KES | Leach’s | Won | 5-3 |
| 14E | KES | Lamond’s | Drew | 5-5 |
Hockey
Fourteen College hockey teams were in action against KES over the weekend; with College winning 7 of the matches, losing just 2 and drawing 5. Our 1st XI were on top form and displayed a dominant performance winning their match 3-0.
1st XI match report – Kyle Emerson (1st XI coach)
KES travelled down to take on the 1st XI, hoping to cause an upset on Pape’s. The game got off to a fast start and KES earned an early circle entry but were unable to get a shot off. This would be one of the few times they threatened College’s goal.
College’s first penalty corner was cleared off the like by the postman and the goalkeeper made a few saves to keep the score at 0-0 going into the quarter break.
College increased the intensity in 2nd quarter and found their first goal through a right hand side circle entry which saw Cameron van der Vliet on the far post sweep the ball into the back of the net with a backhand shot.
Three minutes from the half time break, College had another penalty corner which saw a good variation fall to Matthew Ponter who made no mistake from close range. It took just 30 seconds after that, to make the score 3-0 after brilliant interplay between Ponter and Alex Styan which allowed them to break the press line. The first shot was saved but Connor Fulton picked up the rebound and squeezed the ball into the back of the net.
College searched for more goals in the second half but the KES team did well to keep the score the same. College had a few shots saved and missed the target, and were unable to convert another penalty corner. The final score was 3-0 after a dominant performance by the College 1st XI.
Summary of Results:
| Team | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score |
| 1st | KES | Pape’s Astro | Won | 3-0 |
| 2nd | KES | Pape’s Astro | Drew | 0-0 |
| 3rd | KES | ABJ Astro | Won | 2-0 |
| 4th | KES | ABJ Astro | Won | 2-0 |
| 16A | KES | Pape’s Astro | Won | 2-1 |
| 16B | KES 15A | Pape’s Astro | Drew | 1-1 |
| 16C | KES 16B | ABJ Astro | Drew | 1-1 |
| 16D | KES 16 C | ABJ Astro | Won | 2-1 |
| 16E | KES 16D | Barns’ A | Won | 2-1 |
| 16F | KES 16E | Barns’ A | Lost | 1-2 |
| 14A | KES | Pape’s Astro | Drew | 1-1 |
| 14B | KES | Pape’s Astro | Won | 2-0 |
| 14C | KES | ABJ Astro | Drew | 1-1 |
| 14D | KES | ABJ Astro | Lost | 0-5 |
Other Sports vs KES
- Cross Country vs PBHS:
Juniors: 1st – 5th KES , 6th – 11th College
Seniors: 1st-2nd – KES, 3rd – College, 4th – KES, 5th-6th – College - Soccer vs KES: 1st XI won 3-0
- Tennis vs KES: College lost 3-6
Other Sport
Soccer
College’s soccer teams played against Hillcrest over the weekend, winning all their matches.
U14B won 13 – 0
U14A won 2 – 0
U15A won 5 – 0
U16A won 4 – 2
2nds won 2 – 0