Cape Town to Stellenbosch Transfer & Matches v Bryanston School

Cape Town to Stellenbosch Transfer & Matches v Bryanston School

On checking into the Hotel Greame the tour party found themselves sharing the with the staff of Bryanston School Dorset and during an informal chat they asked Miss Kenyon if the girls were interested in playing two matches against them as their opposition had cancelled, seemingly unwilling to play in the rain.

The opportunity to play against a large and prestigious English School was not to be missed, so early the next morning, having enjoyed another hearty breakfast the whole group, under threatening skies returned to Bergvleit School; the boys to train while the girls played.

St Edward’s 2^nd X1 v Bryanston

Written by: Clare Royle

In the first half of the match St Edward’s found that they had to adapt to the windy conditions. The squad defended well but the team were unlucky to concede an early goal. The team started to improve their game but so did the opposition. Whilst St Edward’s were in possession of the ball Emily Shea ran forwards and tripped falling awkwardly. A visit to the local hospital led to Emily being diagnosed with a broken wrist. Emily is well and able to par-take in the remaining tour activities. The team re grouped at half time despite being two nil down, they regained focus finding pace and direction to create chances against their opponents. This positive play enabled them to attack the D. Accurate passing was seen from Katie Paul, Amy Jones, Amy Lawrence, Mimi Pincott and Lottie Cooper preventing the opposition from gaining possession. Katie Paul and Amy Lawrence worked together passing at pace. The ball was crossed to Mimi Pincott who comfortably slotted the ball home. High spirits led a surge forward by Amy Jones, linking with Vicki Harris who placed the ball accurately to waiting forward Amy Lawrence, once again in the right place at the right time. The team worked hard to achieve the draw and was a result of positive play and hard work.

1^st X1 v Bryanston

The first 5 minutes of the game suggested that this was going to be an exhilarating, end to end game of hockey. Due to the horrendous weather, gale force winds and horizontal rain which was strong enough to lift and move the goal posts, the game was sadly abandoned after only 10 minutes for safety reasons, much to the disappointment of the team members. St Edward’s like to believe that they would have been successful over such a prestigious school.

Having been defeated by the elements it was important for the party to regroup slightly. Fortunately the violent storm abated but the chaos it had created was further compounded by 70,000 eager football spectators, the majority not unusually claiming to be genuine supporters, clamouring to see “their heroes” Manchester United. As a result the passage back to our hotel became complicated by roadblocks and hordes of people. Having packed the coach, while dodging the occasional heavy shower, the group left the hustle and bustle of Cape Town for the more sedate university town of Stellenbosch.