GladAfrica Championship: Title Race Remains Tight as 7 Teams Race for First Place With Promotion Beckoning

• Matters remained as tight as ever in the race for DStv Premiership promotion in the GladAfrica Championship
• Out of eight matches, only two had a victor as six other matches all ended in draws as teams remained blunt in front of goal
• Richards Bay kept marginally ahead of the chasing pack as automatic promotion to the Premier Soccer League beckons

With nine rounds of matches remaining, seven teams in the National First Division, or the GladAfrica Championship can conceivably win the title and automatic promotion to the DStv Premiership.

Log leaders Richards Bay kept their noses in front on 38 points, three points ahead of the nearest chaser Polokwane City. Both teams had to settle for a point in a tense 0-0 draw in a top-of-the table clash.

The University of Pretoria kept within touching distance on 35 points like City, but in third place because of goal difference. Goals by Thabang Sibanyoni and Kamohelo Pheeane were enough for AmaTuks to see off Platinum City Rovers 2-0.

DStv Premiership: Knox Mutizwa scores twice as Golden Arrows defeats Maritzburg United

Football

JDR Stars missed the chance to move to an outright second place, remaining on 35 points, a place below AmaTuks in fourth. Stars was held to a 1-1 draw by Venda Football Academy, as Malebogo Modise's opener was cancelled out by Academy's Rophney Hlungwane. The latter remained in sixth place, two points behind Stars.

Cape Town All Stars continued the trend of fumbling the opportunity to grab second place on the log. They remained in fifth place on 34 points after drawing 1-1 with TS Sporting.

Free State Stars remained stuck on 31 points in seventh spot. They were caught in a 0-0 draw by Uthongathi, missing out on sixth place had they won.

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC defeated Pretoria Callies 2-1. This ended a six-match winless run for TTM, also allowing them to leapfrog Callies into 11th place.

Cape Town Spurs will be highly annoyed after this weekend's action. They were tied up 1-1 by second-from-bottom team Jomo Cosmos.

DStv Diski Challenge: Log leaders Orlando Pirates returns to winning ways, Stellenbosch FC continues chase

Football

However, the most disappointed team of the round will be Hungry Lions FC. Lions' teeth were not nearly sharp enough as cellar dwellers Black Leopards forced a 0-0 draw out of them.

DStv Diski Challenge wrap: Orlando Pirates continues to flounder as Stellenbosch Football Club pounces

The DStv Diski Challenge race is going down the wire.

As reported on Sports Brief, Orlando Pirates, which had led the log table comfortably all season, saw themselves fall into second place after a dreadful run of form lately.

Stellenbosch Football Club replaced them at the top, though it was in an unsatisfactory manner as they couldn't pressurise Pirates by opening a gap.