Gauteng Miners vs Gauteng Colts - 13 September

The first game of the 2011 Inter provincials was played at Festival Mall in Kempton park last night. Both teams have been preparing for 3 weeks and the quality of the game was testament to the build up that both teams have had. Most of the game took place in the Colts defensive zone with the Miners holding possession very well and generating scoring chances with regularity. The defensive zone coverage and basic positioning of the Colts was encouraging however the sheer experience, speed and strength of the Miners made it difficult for the younger team to contain them. 9 of the Colts team were members of the U18 SA Team which participated in the 2010 World Championships in Monterrey and 9 of the Miners team were members of the Senior Team which took part in World Championships this year. The final score in the game was 13-0 and the goals were evenly shared between the winning team. Burton Matthews was on fire scoring 4 goals and 3 assists, Dave Watson also had a pair as did Andre Marais and Zane du Plessis however the stand out player for the night was man of the match Grant van Eeckhoven who played extremely well. Grant's effort, distribution and defensive work earned him the accolade which he deserved. The Colts man of the match was Nicholas Graf with good performances by goalies Farrell Foy and Steven Ryan who both faced a barrage of shots. On the other end of the ice Ashley Bock had a shutout and although he did not have a huge amount of work to do he saved every shot with excellent rebound control. The young goalie from Benoni seems to be recapturing the form which saw him almost single handedly take South Africa to the 2009 Inline World Championships. 

Certainly very encouraging signs for both teams ahead of the away leg of the inter-provincials to be held in Cape Town on the 25th and 26th of September 2011. Nicky Beukes and the Colts Team should be proud of their efforts and without doubt the Colts team have a very good chance of winning a medal this year. Both sets of players are eager, excited and prepared to go down and give a good account of themselves next week.