Defending champions Mpumalanga will be hoping to retain their title when they take on hosts KwaZulu Natal in the final of the 2017 SAFA Inter-provincial Beach Football Championship currently underway in Richards Bay.

North West will be up against the Western Cape in the 3rd/4th Place Play Off.

Both the final and the bronze medal match will be played on Saturday, 13 May 2017.

KZN booked their place with an 11-2 demolition of North West in the first semi-final on Friday, 12 May 2017, while Mpumalanga won 5-2 against the Western Cape in the second semi-final.

It was one way traffic from the onset for KZN as the NW was no match for the hosts.

Playing three halves of 12 minutes each, NW failed to come to the party, with KZN cruising to a convincing victory.

The second semi-final started as a strong contest between the Western Cape and Mpumalanga, but the latter proved their mettle as they surged ahead with goals going in at regular intervals.

In the end it was clear that Mpumalanga was the stronger of the two as they earned their spot in the final.

KZN has now scored 25 goals in four matches, and conceded just eight, while Mpumalanga has found the back of the net 21 times and let in seven goals.

Mpumalanga has the tightest defence, closely followed by KZN – but in terms of goal scoring, the positions are reversed.

Both teams have finished top of their groups, Mpumalanga in A and KZN in B.

They have perhaps the best goalkeepers in the tournament – which makes the final all the more interesting and an epic battle for gold can be expected.

The final is scheduled to kick off at 12h00, while the 3rd/4th Place Play Off is set for an hour earlier.

Four provinces have departed the tournament after they were knocked out on Thursday, 11 May 2017 – Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo.

Northern Cape did not enter the tournament.

 

RESULTS:

DAY 3 – FRIDAY, 12 MAY 2017

SEMIFINALS

  1. KwaZulu Natal 11 – 2 North West

(WINNER GROUP B)                             (RUNNER-UP GROUP A)

  1. Mpumalanga 5 – 2 Western Cape

(WINNER GROUP A)                            (RUNNER-UP GROUP B)

 

FIXTURES:

DAY 4 – SATURDAY, 13 MAY 2017

3rd/4th PLACE PLAY-OFF

  1. North West vs Western Cape – 11h00

(LOSER #MATCH 13)                           (LOSER #MATCH 14)

FINAL

  1. KwaZulu Natal vs Mpumalanga – 12h00

(WINNER #MATCH 13)                      (WINNER #MATCH 14)