JONATHAN COOK

Rock star hockey came to Cape Town as a three thousand strong crowd cheered the world’s 12th-ranked South African men’s team on to a historic 5-3 win over world number 4 Great Britain after leading 2-1 at half-time at Hartleyvale on Friday night.

As the Mexican wave moved around the packed stand, hundreds of youngsters, some dressed in SA captain Austin Smith replica shirts, lined up to congratulate their heroes after the game and clamour for autographs.  With the last men's Test having being played in the Mother City eight long years ago, the crowd was treated to an eight-goal thriller as both teams entertained the crowd with fast paced, attacking hockey.

The SA goals came from a Smith penalty corner in the 24th minute to level the scores after a Nick Catlin action goal opened the scoring.
Julian Hykes put SA 2-1 up five minutes from half-time before fellow striker Ian Haley made it 3-1 eight minutes after the changeover. Simon Mantell pulled one back for GB a minute later.

At 3-2 to SA with 24 minutes left it was still anyone’s game but striker Lloyd Norris Jones made it 4-2 to SA three minutes later before Hykes made the game safe six minutes from the final whistle. At 5-2 up it was all over and Rob Moore’s goal in the final minute was not enough for a disappointed GB.

It was a disappointing start to the test series,” GB team manager Andy Halliday told England Hockey. “We were slow out of the blocks and were punished by a clinical South Africa team, but we had plenty of chances to get back into the game which we didn’t take.”

England Hockey reported that Reading’s Nick Catlin put Great Britain into the lead after 12 minutes when he followed up on a penalty corner by Richard Mantell.

After a sloppy start GB came back into it and looked dangerous on the counter-attack but they couldn’t get the final touch, and it was instead South Africa who scored next, Catlin’s former team-mate at Reading Austin Smith – the South African captain – scoring from a 24th minute penalty corner.
Indecision in the GB defence let their hosts in after 30 minutes, Julian Hykes pouncing on the ball to beat Brothers in goal.

Shortly after play resumed South Africa doubled their lead with Ian Haley scoring a good individual goal on 43 minutes, attacking down the right and scoring from the top of the circle. However, GB were not finished and they pulled it back to 3-2 the very next minute, Reading’s Simon Mantell following up his own shot which had rebounded out.

GB pushed for an equaliser, but they left themselves overstretched at the back, and on 49 minutes Lloyd Norris-Jones scored to make it 4-2 to the home side. Hykes scored his second goal on 64 minutes after good work down the right, and left GB with too much to do.

Surbiton’s Rob Moore smashed home a 70th minute consolation after good work by Harry Martin in getting into the circle, but it was too little too late for GB, who head to Stellenbosch on Tuesday for the second match of the series.

The second and third Test matches are at the Stellenbosch Astro on Tuesday, February 7 and on Saturday, February 11.

Captain Austin Smith’s world number 12 SA line-up will also play two international matches against top Dutch club Pinoke on Thursday, February 9 at 7 pm and Sunday, February 12 at 12 pm.

FIXTURES

07 Feb SA vs GB at Stellenbosch at 19h00
09 Feb SA vs Pinoke at Hartleyvale at 19h00
11 Feb SA vs GB at Stellenbosch at 19h00
12 Feb SA vs Pinoke at Hartleyvale at 12h00

SA MEN’S TEAM

Rassie Pieterse, Lance Louw, Clint Panther, Thornton McDade (all Southern Gauteng); Andrew Cronje, Austin Smith (capt), Ian Haley, Lloyd Norris-Jones (all Western Province); Brendon Botes (Eastern Province); Justin Reid-Ross, Rhett Halkett, Jonty Robinson (all Northern Blues); Wade Paton, Lloyd Madsen, Gareth Carr, Tim Drummond, Marvin Harper (KZN Coastal Raiders); Julian Hykes (Amatole-Border). Head coach: Gregg Clark.