St Andrew's down Graeme in a test match
After what had been a pleasant day in Grahamstown, it was very different when the St Andrew’s College and Graeme first XVs ran out onto Somerset Field late on Saturday afternoon. Cold, windy and gloomy conditions greeted the two teams in what was always expected to be a tight encounter.
Graeme found themselves on the scoreboard first, after a good break by the Graeme right wing, Matthew Robertson, which was finished off by their hard running outside centre, Lelethu Cekiso. The try was converted and Graeme had an early 7-0 lead.
Graeme continued to pile on the pressure, but the St Andrew’s College defence was excellent and they forced a turnover in midfield. The resulting penalty was converted by Matthew More.
A fantastic break from Charlie Fleming up the midfield soon after the restart resulted in a great attacking opportunity close to the Graeme line, which ultimately saw Matthew More going over under the poles, which he converted, to take St Andrew’s into a 10-7 lead. Graeme levelled the scores with another penalty before St Andrew’s College regained the lead right on half-time with a try by their hard working prop, Chulumanco Mngxaso, following a good maul close to the line.
The second half was a tight affair with neither side giving anything away.
Following a further penalty to College and the resulting eight point advantage, Graeme continued to pile on the pressure. However, given that they lost all momentum in the line-outs, they were never able to use this attacking platform to their advantage, with College making a number of crucial turnovers.
The final try of the game was again scored by the hard running and physical St Andrew’s centre, Matthew More, who converted for a personal tally of 20 points. It was a wonderful derby between two physical and hard running teams, with St Andrew’s College ultimately winning the fixture 25-10.
Scorers:
For Graeme College:
Try: Lelethu Cekiso
Con: Sivuyisiwe Ngqiyaza
Pen: Sivuyisiwe Ngqiyaza
For St Andrew's College:
Tries: Matthew More 2, Chulumanco Mngxaso,
Cons: Matthew More
Pen: Matthew More
Teams
Graeme College: 15 Bukhosi Mhlambiso, 14 Matthew Robertson, 13 Lelethu Cekiso, 12 Siphelele Ngoma, 11 Odwa Basson, 10 Sivuyisiwe Ngqiyaza, 9 Cameron Amos, 8 Thandwefika Mgidlana, 7 Mhlangabezi Ntwanambi, 6 Julian Gardner (captain), 5 Donovan Brits, 4 Arnouw Nel, 3 Wonga Wakashe, 2 Mijean Annandale, 1 Athenkosi Nkewana
St Andrew's College: 15 Byron Sharwood, 14 Jack Allanson, 13 Matt More, 12 Charlie Flemming, 11 Will M Adam, 10 Murray Koster , 9 Oscar Evans, 8 Zadok Makani, 7 Christian Roebert, 6 Graham De Vos, 5 Jason Brown , 4 James Quarmby, 3 Callum Dugmore, 2 Dean Jenkins, 1 Chulumanco Mngxaso
Replacements: 16 Chris Renwick, 17 Matt Barlow, 18 Alex Menage, 19 Miles Dankwerts, 20 Brett Harvey, 21 Gareth De Vos, 22 Dave Rushmere, 23 Ant More