21 July 2026
Urban Academy captured the Kearsney Soccer Tournament title for the first time on Saturday after finishing as the runner-up in 2025. The girls’ event also had a first-time winner, with Danville Park Girls’ High lifting the title.
It’s been an excellent year for Urban Academy, which had already claimed three titles before the Kearsney Soccer Tournament: the Victoria Park Soccer Challenge, the Freedom Cup at Wynberg Boys’ High, and the Super Soccer Schools Eastern Cape title.
They faced Glenwood High, the Mancosa KZN Coastal A-League winners, in the final, and a single goal from Aqhama Ndibaza was enough to clinch victory.
In their first game, Urban Academy laid down a marker by thumping Westville Boys’ High, the runner-up to Glenwood in the Coastal League, by four goals to nil in a Group B game. They subsequently beat Glenwood 1-0 in their second group game, a foreshadowing of the final.
In Group A, Durban High School (DHS), the runner-up at the Kloof High National Football Tournament, where they played a very physical, hard-edged and effective defence, suffered a shock to the system when Khabazela High breached their defence five times in School‘s opener, winning 5-2.
That was the beginning of a tight tussle for quarterfinal places, with Queensburgh downing Khabazela 2-0, but Queensburgh, then, fell 1-2 to DHS, who followed their opening loss with a goalless draw against Siyajabula High. Siyajabula subsequently claimed a comfortable 4-1 win over Queensburgh, but were held to a goalless draw by Khabazela.
In the most competitive group of the four, Siyajabula took first place with five points. Khabazela placed second, ahead of DHS on goal difference, with four points. Queensburgh, in fourth place, finished with three points, only two behind the group winner.
While Westville was well beaten in their opener, they bounced back well with a 2-0 win over Ashton, but Glenwood had the Griffins‘ number, handing them a 3-1 loss. Urban Academy won 3-1 against Ashton.
Those results put Urban Academy and Glenwood through to the quarterfinals, in first and second place, respectively.
Maritzburg College also got off on the wrong foot, going down 1-2 to KwaDinabakubo in their opener. That was the beginning of an excellent opening day for KwaDinabakubo, who followed up with a 5-2 win over Sutherland High and a 6-1 thumping of Northwood, whose top team was in action at the Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa (APBSA) Festival at Pretoria Boys High.
Northwood did well to hold Sutherland to a 3-3 draw, but College outplayed them 5-1. They also overran Sutherland 6-0.
Both KwaDinabakubo and Maritzburg College put plenty of space between them and their challengers to secure places in the quarterfinals.
Clifton College let slip a 3-0 lead in their first match in Group D, finishing with a 3-3 draw against Maqhutshana. Later in the day, they beat Kearsney College 1-0.
The hosts had opened with a 2-1 win over Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge, who also fell to a 0-2 defeat against Maqhutshana. In a key clash, Kearsney and Maqhutshana drew 1-1, which left Kearsney on the outside looking in when the quarterfinal places were determined.
Clifton won the group with seven points, while Maqhutshana edged out Kearsney by a single point for the second spot in the last eight.
In the quarterfinals, College and Siyajabula shared a 2-2 draw, but College booked a place in the semi-finals with a 3-1 win in a penalty shootout.
Urban Academy fired a shot across the bows of the other title contenders, running roughshod over Maqhutshana in a 7-0 victory, while a penalty shootout was needed to separate KwaDinakbakubo and Khabazela, with Khabazela advancing 3-2 from the spot.
Clifton and Glenwood played to a 1-1 draw, with Glenwood edging out Clifton 3-2 in a penalty shootout. It was, nonetheless, an encouraging showing from Clifton, who, unlike Glenwood, didn’t have the advantage of the match experience the Green Machine had by playing in the KZN Coastal A-League.
Glenwood subsequently beat College 2-0 in the semi-finals, while Urban Academy got by Khabazela 2-1.
In the Plate, DHS edged out Sutherland 1-0 in the quarters, Westville beat Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge 2-1, Queensburgh dealt Northwood a 2-0 loss, and Kearsney saw off Ashton 3-1.
Westville then made the final with a 2-0 win over Queensburgh, while Kearsney and DHS drew 1-1 before DHS won 5-4 from the spot.
The Horseflies went on to lift the Plate, beating Westville 2-1 in the title game.
Danville beat Ashton 1-0 in the girls’ final, with Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge scoring a 3-2 win over St Mary’s DSG Kloof, who had won the first two editions of the girls’ competition, to take third. St Henry’s beat Durban Girls’ High 3-2 to take fifth.
FINAL STANDINGS
Urban Academy
Glenwood High
Maritzburg College
Khabazela
Clifton
Maghutshana
KwaDinabakubo
Siyajabula
DHS
Westville
Kearsney
Queensburgh
Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge
Northwood
Ashton
Sutherland