For FN Rangers coach Arreshaat Daniels, it’s a blessing that the team finished above Glendene United in Stream B, and qualified for the ABC Motsepe League Western Cape play-offs. But they’re going to do their homework before they face the Stream A champs.
For FN Rangers coach Arreshaat Daniels, it’s a blessing that the team finished above Glendene United in Stream B, and qualified for the ABC Motsepe League Western Cape play-offs. But they’re going to do their homework before they face the Stream A champs.
For FN Rangers coach Arreshaat Daniels, it’s a blessing that the team finished above Glendene United in Stream B, and qualified for the ABC Motsepe League Western Cape play-offs. But they’re going to do their homework before they face the Stream A champs.
For FN Rangers coach Arreshaat Daniels, it’s a blessing that the team finished above Glendene United in Stream B, and qualified for the ABC Motsepe League Western Cape play-offs. But they’re going to do their homework before they face the Stream A champs.
The Bayhill Premier Cup has come to a spectacular end. But successful tournaments aren’t just about fantastic footballers – it takes a village, after all. So let’s celebrate the selfless service, on the field and on the sidelines, that made it all possible.
By Joshua Hendricks Images: 021 Footballers / April 19, 2022 21:05
The Bayhill Premier Cup came to a thundering conclusion, with Cape Town Spurs dominating the final match against Stellenbosch, taking home a slew of trophies – and reaffirming their reputation as a top football academy.
The Bayhill Premier Cup saw some incredible performances, but the biggest winners of the tournament had to be Cape Town Spurs, who not only downed Stellenbosch 2-0 in the final match, but also reaffirmed their reputation as a top football academy.
Spurs Coach Duncan Crowie got into the tactics that helped his team attain such success against a star-studded Stellies team.
“What we did was we actually nullified the space behind our defence,” he said. “So any ball that was played over, the goalkeeper got it. You didn’t see those three runners. Throughout the tournament, those three runners were on everyone’s lips.”
This is to say that as a team they had to take up a slightly deeper position in order to decrease the space between the defence and the goalkeeper – meaning any ball played behind automatically needs to be of a perfect weight.
The common trend of this Spurs team was that they seemed to score at the end of the first half or at the end of the second half. That wasn’t necessarily a tactic so much as a factor of Big Match Temperament.
“You see this is a young team, and when we play in front of a crowd like this it’s going to get to them,” said Crowie, who ought to know – he is the Head of Youth Football, after all.
“As the game grew, they grew – so that’s most probably why.”
Young or not, they had an incredible tournament: in the end Cape Town Spurs walked away with the Roger Clayton trophy, and were named as the Team of the Series. Meanwhile, Player of the Series was won by their Holding Midfielder, Shuaib Martin, who wore jersey number 18, and Coach of the Series was won by Duncan Crowie.
With that, Spurs have reaffirmed their position in football as an academy that doesn’t just win competitions, but continues to produce so many great football players from the Ajax Cape Town System (as they were formerly known).
The overwhelming feeling as the Cup concluded was of elation and pride for a well-run tournament, as well as joy at getting to share it with supporters, as we celebrate the return to some semblance of normality in community football in South Africa.
By Myolisi Gophe / 17 April, 2022 20:30
The battle for this year’s coveted HollywoodBets Mayambela Community Cup Under 21 has come down to just four clubs: Reigning Khayelitsha Local Football Association (LFA) champions Goal Hunters; Nyanga-based Everton; and Helderberg LFA warriors Bazuka United and Myrmidon.
The tournament, named after local legends Mark and Mihlali Mayambela, has seen talented young footballers playing their hearts out in Khayelitsha since Friday, and nowhere was that more evident than in the last 16 and quarterfinals at Khayelitsha Stadium today (17 April).
Myrmidon, formerly Strand Hotspurs, beat Lokxion Stars from Stellenbosch 3-1; Hunters won 1-0 against Helderberg Rovers from Strand; Bazuka triumphed 1-0 over United Brothers of Langa; and Everton overcame Trinitarians from Uitsig in Elsies River 7-6 on penalties after the two sides were locked at 1-1 after regulation time.
The Hunters-Rovers match, which was played at the same time as the Myrmidon-Loxion encounter, was a scintillating, tightly-contested affair, which drew the attention of many supporters.
Rovers created better scoring opportunities in the first stanza. Their number 11, Ayabulela Machasa, in particular, dazzled the Hunters defence from the left flank on a number of occasions but his side could not make those opportunities count.
They were left to rue the missed chances as Litshaba Phakathi scored a left-footed stunner from just outside the box midway through the second half to ensure the host LFA has a representative in the semis.
Hunters coach Anela Jerry Bota had this to say about the game.
“The game was very tough – we played a number of games in a short space of time, and we were up against a very strong team. But we have done our homework in terms of training and fitness, and the boys fought hard and stuck to the game plan. I think that is what put us through.”
It also helped to have something worth playing for – a tournament that is worth the effort.
“This tournament is very good for the community. The Mayambela Foundation and the Mayambela brothers did well by giving back to the community. In our townships that is very rare, and as a community we are very grateful. And also for the fact that there are scouts from professional clubs. The boys are motivated by that.”
Hunters is going into the semifinals with a lot to prove – but they’re ready for it.
“To be the sole representative of Khayelitsha in the semifinals is pressure but I think we are up for the challenge because we know that teams from Khayelitsha that bite out of the tournament are supporting us. We will do our best not to let them down.”
Hunters will take on Myrmidon in the second semi-finals at 13h00 tomorrow (18 April) after Bazuka clash with Everton at 11h00. The winners will go on to compete for the ultimate pride and glory – and R30 000.
The up-tempo game between Stellenbosch and Hellenic was one of the highlights of the Bayhill Cup thus far, and drew one of the biggest crowds surrounding the D Field behind the stadium.
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.
smart
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.
Day two of the Bayhill Premier Cup brought the wind but raised the level of intensity and support, as the defending champions made their presence known with their physicality and efficacy in front of goal.