Bucks ready to bounce back
Mapompo says Leopards shouldn’t be too confident
MTHATHA Bucks will be counting on the influence of their 12th man and coming out tops against Black Leopards in an NFD encounter at the Mthatha Stadium this afternoon.
The Mthatha outfit will be out to redeem themselves following their first loss of the season which they suffered at the hands of Jomo Cosmos last weekend.
Bucks assistant coach Sibusiso “Phopho” Mapompo said confidence was high in the “Amathol’amnyama” camp and that three points should remain in Mthatha.
But in Lidoda Duvha they meet a side who are full of confidence following THE pinnacle of schools’ adventure racing in the country kicks off on Monday with the SA champs getting under way from Cefane River Mouth.
One hundred participants representing 25 teams from the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and North West Province will be taking on the various courses in the U19, U15 and U13 divisions.
As always with the East Coast beingsuch an amazing place to have these types of events, an interesting race is in store for all teams.
“This is the most scenic race we’ve hosted,” SA Schools’ Ad- their 4-0 drubbing of Milano United in their previous match.
Leopards’ confidence is further bolstered in that they clobbered their Mthatha foes twice last season, home and away.
Mapompo says they are well aware of the danger the visitors pose but they draw confidence in that they have the upper-hand due to their loyal supporters who always pack the venue to the rafters.
He warned Leopards against overconfidence due to their big result last week, saying they were in for a surprise. venture Racing chairwoman and Lilyfontein head of adventure racing, Margaret Mitchell said.
“We have included our natural environment into the challenges so there will be crawling, wading, hiking and climbing.
“There is also a community element, each team will bring a book, appropriate for Grade R to Grade 3, to deliver to a rural school en-route.”
This is the second time that Lilyfontein is hosting the SA schools’ race in the past few years.
Participants will be faced with a completely new route and challenges.
“It's still in the East Coast Resorts
“Because they won with such a big score and beat us twice last season, they are high in confidence but hopefully for their own good they do not become over-confident,” he said.
“Because should they come with that attitude we will teach them a lesson because we find motivation in that we need to bounce back following the loss last week.
“It is without a doubt going to be a tough encounter but we are counting on our 12th man to see us through this mission.” Bucks are yet to lose a match in their own backyard this season, having bagged four points courtesy of a win and draw from a possible six.
The two sides are tied on seven points in third and fourth place respectively, with Leopards occupying the former position owing to their superior goal difference.
Mapompo said maximum concentration by his charges will be vital, especially in the second half.
“As the technical team, we have a perfect plan in place on how Leopards should fall but it will boil down North West's Lichtenburg has teams in the U19 and U15 divisions, while Gauteng Province has three schools – Helpmekaar that has teams in the U19 and U15 divisions as well as Fairland and Krugersdorp who each have a team in the U13 division.
All the schools involved are known for their adventure racing exploits and there should be some exciting racing in the divisions.
“All the teams are fit and have qualified so they are the top SA Schools teams,,” Mitchell said.
In all an exciting day of racing is set for all teams involved as they aim to be crowned SA to execution on the field,” said Mapompo.
Elsewhere in the NFD, log leaders Thanda Royal Zulu welcome Real Kings FC at the Umhlathuze Sports Complex, in what is expected to be a scintillating KZN derby.
Not far from there also tomorrow at the Princess Magogo Stadium, second-placed AmaZulu host FC Cape Town.
Other NFD matches today: University of Pretoria V Jomo Cosmos (Tuks Stadium), Santos V Stellenbosch FC (Parow Park), Royal Eagles V Witbank Spurs (Harry Gwala Stadium) and Magesi FC V Mbombela United (Old Peter Mokaba Stadium). All matches start at 3pm. — zingisam@dispatch.co.za champs.
The U19s will head off first on Monday on their 70km trek at 4.30am, followed by the U15s at 5am on their 50km course and the U13s get going at 5.15am on their 30km course.
The U19s and U15s are expected to take between nine and 12 hours to complete the course, while the U13s are expected to take between seven and nine hours.
“People must please be aware that the athletes will be riding and running in the area and must drive extremely cautiously,” added Mitchell.
The start and finish is at Cefane River Mouth.