The opening match of the much-anticipated second leg of the 2016 Varsity Sports men’s hockey competition delivered a 12-goal bonanza early Friday afternoon that had the fans engaged throughout.
The Maties Astro in the picturesque gem that is gorgeous Stellenbosch saw defending champs University of Johannesburg rally after a sluggish start to eventually prevail to the tune of 8-4 after the scoreboard had reflected an edgy 3-2 UJ scoreline at the changeover.
Defences were leaky as the rigours of the Greenfields Senior Interprovincial Nationals was followed hot on its heels by the UJ opening leg of Varsity Hockey 2016.
And it was UJ who were caught napping as early as the fourth minute when the alert Wits striker Brandon James pounced. UJ leveled matters nine action-packed minutes later when Kingsley Botes finished with an impressive economy of movement after Rayner York’s enterprise and foresight had carved up the Wits defence.
Just four minutes later the adjective “topsy-turvy” took on new meaning when marksman Amkelwa Letuka edged UJ ahead from field play. It was hardly a surprise when Wits made it 2-2 five minutes into the second quarter via the trusty stick of Sean Donaldson.
However, the portents of doom boomed out loud and clear five minutes before half-time when the formidable UJ penalty corner machine kicked into gear, the lethal drag-flick expertise of skipper Gareth Heyns simply too much to handle.
At 3-2 up the momentum was almost entirely with the reigning champs and Heyns completed a stunning PC hat-trick inside 10 minutes of mayhem to race his team to 5-2. Field goals (FGs) from James Gilbert and Nicolas Rowe established a five-goal cushion before another successful penalty corner (PC) strike – this time by Courtney Halle – put UJ out of sight against shell-shocked opponents.
Wits redeemed themselves somewhat with the last two goals of an entertaining – if loose – encounter that delighted the casual hockey fan but disturbed the purists.
Craig Daniel (FG) and Dylan Murray (PC) were the last two players to get on the scoresheet to turn 8-2 into 8-4 but in the final analysis it was UJ’s match.
FNB Player of the Match: Brandon James (Wits)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Craig Daniel (Wits)
Samsung Super Striker: Gareth Heyns (UJ)
By Jonathan Cook
