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KZN School Hockey. Clifton College, Durban, made the journey to Pietermaritzburg to face St Charles College for the second time this season following a tightly contested first encounter, which Clifton narrowly edged. With both teams eager to assert dominance, the stage was set for another thrilling clash, and it didn’t disappoint.
From the opening whistle, the game was played at a high tempo with both sides displaying structured and intelligent hockey. Clifton adopted a disciplined, defence-first approach, allowing St Charles time on the ball at the back. The hosts took full advantage, building up confidently and earning a string of early short corners. One such opportunity was expertly converted, giving St Charles an early 1–0 lead. Clifton responded almost immediately, showing resilience and grit. They forced a short corner of their own and made it count, levelling the score.
The tit-for-tat nature of the contest continued throughout the first half. Clifton was next to strike, taking a 2–1 lead. St Charles replied in kind through yet another short corner. Their momentum continued with a third short corner goal. Rowen Rajah completed his hat-trick, to give the home side a 3–2 lead at halftime.
Clifton capitalised clinically
After the break, Clifton began to control more possession and territory, but St Charles remained disciplined in defence and dangerous on the counterattack. The deadlock persisted until the final chukka, when a flurry of drama unfolded. A series of cards saw St Charles reduced to nine men, and Clifton capitalised clinically, scoring twice, one of which completed a hat-trick for their own penalty corner specialist, to take a 4–3 lead. St Charles, undeterred, fought back valiantly. A sweeping move down the left channel ended with Blake Francis firing a superb backhand shot from a tight angle to bring the score to 4–4.
As the final seconds ticked down, the excitement wasn’t over. A lapse in concentration from the Clifton defence allowed St Charles in behind, resulting in a short corner awarded on the final buzzer. With the crowd holding its breath, the decisive flick flew just wide of the post, and the pulsating encounter ended in a dramatic 4–4 draw.
A big thank you to Clifton for making the trip up the hill. It was a fantastic day of hockey between two highly competitive teams, and we look forward to the next chapter in this growing rivalry.
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