Raiders defend title in final against Northerns Blues
JONATHAN COOK
Port Elizabeth
WITH a few lopsided scores aside, the closest of pool rounds between the A Section teams and the most dramatic semi-finals have come to a close at the SA Men’s Inter Provincial Hockey Tournament, and the title match will feature Northerns Blues and defending champions KZN Coastals Raiders at the KC March Stadium in Gelvandale, Port Elizabeth late Saturday afternoon.
Western Province and Northerns Blues met in the first semi-final and SA skipper Austin Smith put WP in front through a neat penalty corner just before half-time.
Further penalty corners by Justin Reid-Ross and Francois Pretorius and a Michael Sykes action goal gave Northerns a 3-1 lead. David Wilson got one back for WP with a minute left but a few moments of frenetic action at the end wasn’t enough to stop Northerns’ title march.
In a replay of last year’s final, KZN Coastals Raiders were up against 2009 finalists Southern Gauteng in the other last-four match and won 7-6. The scores were 2-2 at full-time and then 4-4 on penalty strokes when it went into sudden death, and Gareth Carr netted the decider. Carr had scored both Raiders’ goals in regulation time with penalty corners. Miguel da Graca and Ricky West had done the same for Southerns.
In the fifth to eighth place playoffs, KZN Inland will meet Eastern Province for fifth on Saturday after they beat Peninsula 8-1.
EP beat Border 3-2 with the East London fellows netting through Ashwin Betchoo and Julian Hykes but EP captain Peter Bailey, Caleb Syce and Darren Kimfley prevailed for the home province..
Border and Pens are in the relegation match Saturday.
The B Section promotion match will be between Wits and KZN Mynahs.
RESULTS
A Section playoffs (5/8): Eastern Province 3 Border 2; KZN Inland 8 WP Peninsula 1. (1/4): Western Province 3 Northerns Blues 2; KZN Coastal Raiders 7 Southern Gauteng 6.
B Section: SA Country Districts 5 KZN Inland B 2; Free State 9 Mpumalanga 0; North West 4 Northern Cape 2; EP Settlers 6 Southern Cape 0.
