Kearsney celebrates rugby win and hockey draw against St Stithians

KEARSNEY College locked horns with St Stithians from Johannesburg at the weekend, winning the rugby, but drew the hockey match.

Kearsney 1st team hosted St Stithians on Saturday, providing spectators with a feast of tries. The first 10 minutes were even, with both teams squandering points scoring opportunities. But it didn’t take Kearsney long before some excellent team play and a series of tries stretched the half-time lead to 33-0.

Cameron Ritchie opened Kearsney’s second half account after receiving a well-timed pass from bullocking Dylan Richardson down midfield. Several more tries followed from the hosts. Saints’ only points of the match came in the 57th minute when their flanker and captain collected a spilled ball on his own 10m line and outsprinted the defenders to score in the right corner.

Kearsney soon took control again. Man-of-the-match Ritchie scored his third try after a rehearsed back line move and wrong footing the full back to score in the left corner. The reliable kicker James Sutherland successfully converted 11 of the 12 kicks. The 1sts full-time score was 82-5. Kearsney lost only one of the weekend’s 16 rugby fixtures against St Stithians.

In hockey news, Kearsney 1st X1 team drew against St Stithians 2-2. The game started well for Kearsney who created numerous goal-scoring opportunities, eventually led to Steven Conway scoring the host’s first goal to put them 1 – 0 up. Cameron Rencken and Lyle Jarvel were finding it really easy to pick passes from centre back. Kearsney was fully in control of the first half, although St Stithians did look dangerous on the counter. Grant Oliver found himself in a good area inside the circle and was able to touch home the second one to put Kearsney 2-0 up at half time.

St Stithians were never going to sit back and started off the second half really strongly although their goal came from a Kearsney error. The game continued to go back and forth with both teams creating numerous chances in a much more even second half. Kearsney were not able to capitalise on any of their chances and this proved to be crucial as Saints finished off the stronger and were able to find that all important equalising goal to end the game at 2-2.