The Mugg & Bean coffee was piping hot and the on-fire Maties from the University of Stellenbosch reflected exactly that in a stunning 6-1 blitzkrieg demolition of an outplayed University of Pretoria Tuks in the finale of day one’s action-packed Varsity Sport men’s hockey fare at a packed Maties Astro Friday night.
Yet the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story as the teams were level-pegging 1-1 at the changeover. That said, in the final analysis had Tuks keeper Estiaan Kriek not pulled off a series of breath-taking saves during this pulsating encounter the Maties mean machine may well have shattered the double-figure mark.
Head coach Ashlin Freddy’s star-studded young Maties play at a blistering pace which has the potency to overwhelm opponents and it is their swarming presence that throttles the life out of even the most talented of teams.
Wave after wave of maroon-shirted warriors poured forward in lightning raids on the counter that were backed by carefully crafted guile borne of countless hours of productive practice on the training pitch.
It’s not to say that Tuks, chock-full of talented ball players boasting an impressive pedigree, were toothless – indeed the Pretorians had their moments but too few and far between to seriously trouble the hometown heroes or their delighted fans.
The biggest crowd seen so far at Varsity Hockey 2016 were treated to passages of exhilarating play that yielded spectacular goals from set-pieces and the field.
It was great to see, too, the mutual respect and indeed camaraderie between the opposing players as they shook hands in the traditional post-match rituals – and if both teams reach the Monday, May 23 grand finale it would be a fitting epitaph to a great event.
FNB Player of the Match: Keenan Horne (Maties)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Kewan Harries (Tuks)
Samsung Super Striker: Daniel bell (Maties)
By Jonathan Cook
