On Saturday 6th May Northwood took on St Charles in the midday slot in Pietermaritzburg. It was a hot afternoon and the pitch was tricky, however the Northwood boys didn’t let this bother them and began the game at a blistering pace with good movement off the ball and solid ball-speed as well. It was St Charles who had the first few opportunities but Taine Bird was equal to the challenge and cleared his line well. It was Tyrone Stanley who opened the scoring midway through the half with an excellent finish after a strong carry from the left hand side of the field. Stanley then doubled the score after an excellent bit of skill from Slater Capell saw his shot hit the post and land at Stanley’s feet for a tap in goal. At half time it was clear that Northwood had come to play, and to add another team victory to the growing list this season. The second half started much the same with St Charles pushing but not able to convert their possession which lead to an excellent attack from Northwood that saw Thomas King completely bundled over in the D which resulted in a penalty flick. Captain Ross Venning-Pridham calmly slotted the flick. Northwood then pushed for a 4th but just couldn’t convert, and as the heat and pace of the game disintegrated through the half, it was St Charles who scored the last goal of the game after a wayward shot deflected off a Northwood stick, wrong footing Taine Bird in goal. However the win was never in doubt, with another amazing performance from the Northwood Knights. They will be tested this weekend against Pretoria’s finest with a match on Friday night against Pretoria Boys High and on Saturday against St Alban’s.
