By Joshua Hendricks/ April 15, 2022, 19:45pm
The return of the newly named Hollywoodbets Mayambela Community Cup on Easter Friday was a different experience filled with raw talent who played with a lot more freedom and expression.
Held at the Khayelitsha Stadium, you would find an awful lot of conventional wingers, something that is very rare in South Africa. Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi scouts were in attendance too, moving from the Bayhill Premier Cup to catch a glimpse of Kasi football in Cape Town.
And the tournament, named after the local heroes, Mark and Mihlali Mayambela, was not short of action as some of the promising under 21 footballers in the region showcased their talents.
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Among the many eye-catching encounters on Day One was the game between Goal Hunters in green and Site Sea United in blue, which was a very evenly matched tie. A bit of a basketball match, to put it precisely. Even though Hunters walked away with maximum points, the score line is not an actual reflection of the end-to-end action that was on display. Eventually, Hunters won the match with a 2-0 full time scoreline.
One of the key players in the first eleven was their towering centre back Shaun Botile, who was as commanding and vocal as ever. We caught up with him after the match and this was his assessment of the clash.
“We won today because we followed the instructions of our coach. As a young player I never used to talk a lot but my coaches told me to talk more.”
His presence and skills to organise his team in transition between attack and defence will surely make him a vital player in this tournament. We then carried on with our conversation and he had this to say about his individual plans.
“I want to improve as a player and move to bigger clubs who can offer better facilities to help me develop further. My dream is one day to play for either Cape Town City or Kaizer Chiefs but I love the style of play of Maritzburg United. Also, the person I look up to is AmaZulu defender, Tapelo Xoki, who also started his career in these fields,” said the 19 year old, who is nicknamed Tower.
Below are some of the results from Day One:
United 0 Academia 0; Happy Stars 0 Royal Citizens 5; La Masia 1 United Brothers 0; Zimasa 1 Trinitarians 2; Everton 4 Trevor United 0; Khaya Pro 2 Cape Citizens 1; Real Madrid 0 Helderberg Rovers 3; Lokxion Stars 2 Masikhanye 0; Pro Stars 1 Myrmidon 1; Hlubi Lite 0 Ithemba Sporting 0; Fire Fighters 0 Young Pirates 0; TACC United 0 Fast XI 1; Young Stars 2 Khayelitsha United 0.
