Mixed fortunes in sports derby

In a fast-paced game of high intensity, Victoria Park defeated Alexander Road 5-1 in their soccer encounter on Saturday.

VP had the better of the first half and Tyrique Julius, their top goal-scorer this term, opened their account when he used his speed to beat the Alex defence, netting inside the first 10 minutes.

VP captain Thabo Mbem gave the defence-splitting diagonal pass to Julius, who calmly found the net.

Alex’s defence was constantly tested by VP and centre forward Marcus Seale outsprinted their defenders to score the second goal.

Unabantu Pali provided the assist as VP dominated their opponents in the midfield.

The first half ended with Julius getting his second for VP to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.

After the break, Alex came out with all guns blazing following a pep talk and soon scored their first goal.

VP were forced onto the defensive against a spirited attack as Alex pushed more of their players forward.

However, Mbem was rewarded for his exceptional contribution throughout when he scored VP’s fourth goal against the run of play.

The cherry on the cake came when Julius, arguably the best player on the field, banged in his hat-trick with clinical precision to ensure a 5-1 result over their fiercest rivals.

There was end-to-end action throughout the girls’ soccer matches.

Alex failed to convert their chances after dominating the first half and VP seized their chance late in the game to win 1-0.

The second team girls’ match ended in a tense 0-0 draw.

The U15 boys’ fixture ended in a 2-2 draw after Alex failed to hold on to a 2-0 lead.

Alex’s second and U16 sides recorded 3-1 and 2-1 wins respectively.

● Alex’s hockey teams were in good form, scoring some convincing victories.

In the boys’ matches, Alex U16 put six goals past VP to win comfortably, while the U14 side held on for victory.

After taking a 4-0 lead, they watched as VP came charging back to score three second-half goals before eventually winning 4-3.

In a rare win, the Alex first team scored five goals to defeat VP in an entertaining game.

● After a defeat to Woodridge last week, the Alex girls’ first hockey team bounced back with a polished 6-0 win on Saturday.

The second, U16 and U14 sides all recorded wins in their respective matches.

● In the rugby contests, the Alex U15 side lost 14-5, while the second team went down 48-20.

The U16 side continued their run of form with a fine 42-14 win over VP, while Alex U14 won 34-17.

In the first team game, Alex opened with two early tries and followed up with another to take a comfortable 21-0 lead.

Both teams scored tries after the break as VP narrowed the score to 28-14.

Two late tries by VP were not enough as Alex wrapped up the match in an exciting finish, winning 33-26.

● Alex pulled off a near clean sweep in the netball matches.

The U16A and B sides won 16-8 and 10-6 respectively.

The U18A team’s goal shooters were in top form as they set up a 33-15 win, while Alex U18B also ended on top.

The Alex U14A side were the only team to lose, going down 12-2.

The only tennis match of the derby ended in a 5-5 tie.