Safa Chatsworth wraps up junior season
THE curtain came down on the 2017 Safa Chatsworth junior calendar with the Tyran Naidoo Memorial Junior KO Cup finals which were held on Saturday at the Road 1016 Grounds.
The glorious weather provided an ideal backdrop for the young stars to showcase their talent and the huge support the final drew made it a memorable day.
The day kicked off with fierce rivals Moorcross Sporting and Crossmoor Crusaders in the U13 final.
Moorcross applied pressure from the start and a first half brace from Mbheiwami Shezi and a goal from Tebutho Mahlaba had Moorcross 3-0 up at half-time.
Crossmoor Crusaders came back fighting in the second half and managed to get one goal back but Moorcross sealed the win when they managed a 4th goal to win the tie 4-1.
Ten-year-old Ntando Ngwenya was once again the architect of Moorcross’s dominance.
The U15 final saw Bayview United overcome Meadford 2-1 with goals from Siwela Mongezi and Andile Zituta.
The U11 final was the match of the day which saw Galaxy FC bring a fitting end to their excellent season. Galaxy quickly established a two-goal lead with the little genius Saafik Jooma producing some breathtaking individual skill. Desai Vedanta stormed back in the 2nd half, but Galaxy held on for a 2-1 win.
The U9 final pitted Summerfield Dynamos against Manning Rangers with the classy Summerfield side running out comfortable 3-0 winners with Mnqobi Ndlovu once again showing his class with a Man of the Match performance. The U7 final was the closest game of the day with Summerfield Dynamos edging Dimes United 4-3 in a penalty shootout with both goalkeepers showing amazing skills.
The U17 final between Crossmoor Crusaders and the all-conquering Bayview United was a bruising physical affair and it was no surprise that this game was decided by a solitary goal – a thunderbolt from Lizwi Chiliza of Bayview United. Crossmoor piled on the pressure in the second half but some gritty defending from Bayview saw them lift the U17 crown in the end.
Abdul Mola was adjudged Man of the Match.
“We would like to express our gratitude to our sponsor Colin Naidoo for his generosity in making this tournament possible and for his commitment to developing junior football and to all the clubs, supporters and officials of Safa Chatsworth for their combined efforts in ensuring a hugely successful tournament” said Safa Chatsworth chairman Spinx Kuppen.
“We had a successful junior season and we will continue to concentrate our efforts on junior football in 2018 to ensure more children play the game in Chatsworth.”