31 August 2026
KwaZulu-Natal’s traditional all-boys schools found the going tough at the 2026 Jody Momplé FA Cup, which was hosted at Hilton College on the weekend. Maritzburg College, eliminated in the Cup semifinals, fared the best among those schools.
They were well beaten by Carter High, going down 0-3. Carter then went on to capture the title with an even more emphatic performance in the final, where they played their best game of the two-day tournament.
After a long and demanding day of football, they produced a superb performance to beat Edendale Technical High 4-0 on Zungu Field to lift the Jody Momplé FA Cup for the second time.
Carter had previously won the competition in 2014, while their most recent appearance in the final ended in disappointment when they lost to Maritzburg College in 2023. This time, though, there was no denying them.
Edendale had needed a penalty shootout to overcome ML Sultan in their semifinal, and barely 30 minutes separated the end of that contest from the start of the final.
With both sides playing their third match of the day, fatigue was inevitably a factor, but Carter appeared to feed off the challenge rather than succumb to it. They attacked the final with fierce intensity and energy, setting a tempo Edendale was unable to match.
Credit must go to Edendale, who, as a late replacement for Ixopo High, had done remarkably well to reach the final. Many would have regarded them as favourites, particularly after their victory over Carter in the KwaZulu-Natal High Schools Football Association (KZNHSFA) Inland A-League final in June.
That result, when Edendale claimed the Inland A-League title for the first time, had provided a strong indication of the quality they possessed.
On Sunday, however, it was Carter’s turn.
They effectively took control of the final before halftime, scoring twice to establish a 2-0 advantage. Edendale knew they needed to find a way back into the contest early in the second half. Instead, Carter delivered the knockout blow.
Two more goals arrived in quick succession and, with a four-goal mountain to climb, Edendale’s hopes of a comeback disappeared.
Carter’s run to the title was spearheaded by Amukelwa Khuzwayo, who produced a tournament to remember. He scored 11 goals, comfortably surpassing the previous record of eight set by former South African international Bryce Moon.
The remarkable tally earned Khuzwayo the Golden Boot as well as the Player of the Tournament award.
Carter also had the tournament’s outstanding goalkeeper. Inhle Meyiwa collected the Golden Glove after recording the most clean sheets in the competition.
The champions had looked in control from the knockout stages.
In their semifinal, they convincingly dealt with a young Maritzburg College side. Edendale’s route was considerably more dramatic.
Their semifinal against ML Sultan ended goalless, with neither side able to find a way through the other’s defence. The stalemate meant penalties would decide the finalists, and Edendale held their nerve to win the shootout 4-2.
The quarterfinals had produced plenty of drama, too.
Maritzburg College raced into a 3-0 halftime lead, on their way to beating Alexandra High 3-1.
In the pick of the quarterfinal clashes, Edendale edged past the hosts, Hilton College, claiming a 1-0 victory in a contest in which the home side gave as good as they got, but was left to rue some narrow misses.
Hilton smashed the frame of the Edendale goal from a free kick and carved open the visitors’ defence on another occasion, only for a lob over the goalkeeper to drift narrowly wide.
Edendale made them pay for those missed opportunities, breaking forward on the counterattack and scoring the only goal of the match.
Carter’s convincing march to the title began in the quarterfinals, where they dominated Umvuzo to win 4-1, while ML Sultan held off St Charles College 3-2 after an entertaining encounter.
While Carter deservedly took centre stage in the Cup, Treverton College produced one of the stories of the weekend in the Plate competition.
They began Sunday by narrowly eclipsing Michaelhouse, the two-time defending champion, in the quarterfinals after the sides had played to a 1-1 draw. Treverton prevailed 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
There was more drama in the semifinal against Newton. Once again, the teams finished level at 1-1, and again Treverton held their nerve from the spot, winning 4-2.
The Plate final followed the same script.
Treverton and Haythorne Secondary could not be separated after 90 minutes, drawing 1-1, which sent the contest to a penalty shootout.
And once again, Treverton goalkeeper Jon van Coller proved the difference.
The Grade 10 shot-stopper had already played a starring role in the first two shootouts, and he produced more heroics when it mattered most to help Treverton lift the Plate.
Make no mistake, Treverton deserved enormous credit for producing three strong performances, but without Van Coller’s composure and saves when the pressure was at its greatest, they would almost certainly not have finished the weekend with silverware.
St Nicholas Diocesan School provided another memorable turnaround.
After conceding 10 goals across their pool matches on Saturday, they could easily have allowed the disappointment to weigh them down.
Instead, they showed remarkable fighting spirit on Sunday, winning three matches in succession.
They started with a 1-0 victory over Linpark, followed that with a 2-1 win against Greytown, and then produced another 2-1 success in the Bowl final, overcoming Kokstad.
RESULTS
Saturday, 29 August
Group A
Hilton 5-2 Grace
Riverwood 3-1 Grace
Hilton 1-0 Riverwood
Group B
Edendale 2-0 Etham
Etham 3-1 Howick
Edendale 4-2 Howick
Group C
St Charles 4-0 Weston
Nomaswazi 5-0 Weston
St Charles 2-0 Nomaswazi
Group D
ML Sultan 3-2 Kokstad
Haythorne 2-1 Kokstad
ML Sultan (4) 0-0 (3) Haythorne
Group E
Michaelhouse 4-0 St Nicholas
Umvuzo 6-0 St Nicholas
Umvuzo 4-3 Michaelhosue
Group F
Carter 7-1 Treverton
Treverton (4) 1-1 (2) Linpark
Carter 1-0 Linpark
Group G
Maritzburg College 7-0 Wartburg
Newton 3-0 Wartburg
Maritzburg College 2-0 Newton
Group H
Alex 4-0 Greytown
MCS 2-1 Greytown
Alex 4-0 MCS
Sunday, 29 August
Bowl Competition
Quarterfinals
Howick 4-0 Grace
Kokstad 2-0 Weston
St Nicholas 1-0 Linpark
Greytown 3-1 Wartburg
Semifinals
Kokstad 1-0 Howick
St Nicholas 2-1 Greytown
Final
St Nicholas 2-1 Kokstad
Plate Competition
Quarterfinals
Rivewood 2-0 Etham
Haythorne 3-1 Nomaswazi
Newton 3-0 MCS
Treveton (5) 1-1 (4) Michaelhouse
Semifinals
Haythorne 3-1 Riverwood
Treverton (4) 1-1 (2) Newton
Final
Treverton (4) 1-1 (3) Haythorne
Cup Competition
Quarterfinals
Edendale 1-0 Hilton
ML Sultan 3-2 St Charles
Maritzburg College 3-1 Alex
Carter 4-1 Umvuzo
Semifinals
Edendale (4) 0-0 (2) ML Sultan
Carter 3-0 Maritzburg College
Final
Carter 4-0 Edendale