Author: asawula

A comprehensive 7-2 victory for Eunice High School over Middelburg Hoërskool and a nervy 1-0 win for Oranje Meisieskool over Hudson Park brought the curtain down on the 2025 Synsport Greg Beling Festival in East London on Sunday.

After three days of intense, entertaining, and high-quality hockey, both Bloemfontein teams returned home with four wins each from five matches.

They both lost to Rhenish Girls’ High School. Oranje went down 0-3 on Friday, while Eunice pushed the Stellenbosch girls hard but was beaten 2-3 on Saturday.

The festival’s final day offered both teams a chance to finish strongly and to build confidence ahead of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival next month.

Coach Nika Coertzen’s Eunice side was the first to run out on the park against Middelburg Hoërskool. They played clinical hockey and were rewarded with some top-class goals.

Bianca Rees-Gibbs, who netted twice against Rhenish, was back on the scoring sheet, and this time she scored a whopping four goals on her 150th appearance for the side.

The deadly Anebel Venter also joined the scoring action before goals from Iliana de Gouveia and Storm Harris completed the drubbing.

While Eunice dominated their fixture, their city rivals, Oranje, were almost dealt a massive blow by a gritty Hudson Park team.

Coach Gys van Schalkwyk‘s side was far from their best and entered the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with St Anne’s DSG on Saturday night.

They managed just one goal, scored by Camilyn Parkin early in the first chukka. Thankfully, for the Bloemfontein girls, it proved to be enough. They found themselves stymied by Hudson’s goalkeeper, Mbali Khumalo, who pulled off a series of spectacular saves to keep her side in the contest.

Hudson could’ve sprung a surprise, but a lack of go-forward ball allowed Oranje to hold on for the win.

In other matches on the final day, Collegiate Girls’ High defeated Parel Vallei 3-2 in a thrilling match to finish the festival unbeaten.

Coach Michael Abrahams’ team had picked up wins against Middelburg Hoërskool and Bethlehem Voortrekker the day before.

Sunday’s clash was tightly contested, but Collegiate fired in the winning goal in the final chukka and they head back to Gqeberha in a positive mind frame as they prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

One of the host schools, Clarendon High School for Girls, signed off with a solid 3-0 win over Woodridge College.

Earlier in the day, Hoërskool Sasolburg, who enjoyed a strong festival, outplayed Cradock High 12-0.

It was a commanding victory for coach Jacolene McLaren’s side and was inspired by goals from Tayla-Ann Lee (5), Lezey Bischoff (3), Catlin Erwee (3), and skipper Chana-Dee Gibson.

Voortrekker also won, netting the only goal of the game against Stirling High, while Queenstown Girls’ High beat Glenwood House 2-1.

Merrifield College, guided by coach Antonet Louw, defeated Kingswood College 1-0 to send the Makhanda school packing without a single victory.

Meanwhile, their town rivals, DSG Makhanda, defeated St Anne’s DSG 3-2 in their final match of the festival.

RESULTS 

DAY 3

@Clarendon

DSG Makhanda 3-2 St Anne’s DSG
Eunice 7-2 Middelburg
Oranje 1-0 Hudson Park
Kingsridge 3-1 Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet
Clarendon 3-0 Woodridge College.

@Cambridge 

Union 1-1 Duineveld
Brandwag 2-0 Curro Waterstone
Westering 1-0 Cambridge

@Selborne College

Collegiate 3-2 Parel Vallei.

@Stirling High 

Sasolburg 12-0 Cradock
Jim Fouché 2-0 Framesby
Witteberg 2-1 Alex Road
Voortrekker 1-0 Stirling High

@Merrifield College

Queenstown Girls’ High 2-1 Glenwood House
Merrifield College 1-0 Kingswood College

There were solid victories for Rhenish Girls’ High School, DSG Makhanda, Collegiate Girls’ High, and Clarendon High School for Girls on day two of the Synsport Greg Beling Festival in East London on Saturday.

Out of the four sides, Rhenish has impressed the most, winning each of their outings, despite playing some of the top teams in the country.

After a dominant showing on Friday, which brought them convincing wins over Voortrekker and Oranje, the Western Cape side followed up with victories over St Anne’s DSG (5-1) and Eunice High School (3-2) on Saturday at the Clarendon AstroTurf.

Their meeting with Eunice was arguably their toughest and most challenging fixture of the weekend.

Like Rhenish, Eunice had not tasted defeat. They headed into the clash off the back of an 8-0 hammering of Hudson Park High School earlier in the day.

The Rhenish vs Eunice showdown was, undoubtedly, the match of the day and it lived up to expectations for all the spectators and those who tuned in on SuperSport Schools.

After a pulsating start, the sides went into halftime level at 1-1 after goals scored by Leah du Plessis, for Rhenish, and Bianca Rees-Gibbs, for Eunice.

Rees-Gibbs edged the Bloemfontein side ahead once more with a PC drag flick in the third chukka, much to the delight of the travelling supporters.

Rhenish, however, came from behind again and scored twice to clinch an intense victory. Du Plessis completed her brace with a deadly PC drag flick, which was similar to her first goal, before Lily Newton converted a penalty stroke late in the game to seal the win.

Rhenish will return to the Western Cape unbeaten while Eunice plays Middelburg Hoërskool in their final match on Sunday. DSG Makhanda, after losing 0-2 to Eunice and 1-3 to Oranje on Friday, bounced back impressively on Saturday.

They were dominant against Parel Vallei, and, after a slow start, outscored their opponents 4-1 to secure a much-needed win.

On the scoresheet were Lauren Mènage, Anna Olivier, Jocelyn Appel, and skipper Abigail Holderness.

Collegiate Girls’ High maintained their unbeaten run at the festival with two more wins.

After beating Hudson Park 5-0 on Friday, they swept the floor with Middelburg Hoërskool (4-0) and Bethlehem Voortrekker (6-0).

Joining them in the winning column were the hosts, Clarendon High School for Girls. They beat Hoërskool Witteberg 1-0 before ending the day’s play with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Alexander Road.

Kingswood College continued to struggle and suffered losses against Hoërskool Sasolburg and Queenstown Girls’ High.

RESULTS

DAY 2

@Clarendon

Sasolburg 2-1 Kingswood College
Collegiate 4-0 Middelburg
Clarendon 1-0 Witteberg
Rhenish 5-1 St Anne’s DSG
Parel Vallei 3-0 Middelburg
Eunice 8-0 Hudson Park
Sasolburg 3-1 Union High
DSG Makhanda 4-1 Parel Vallei
Oranje 1-1 St Anne’s DSG
Rhenish 3-2 Eunice
Clarendon 3-0 Alex Road

@Cambridge High

Montana 2-1 Brandwag
Jim Fouché 1-0 Cambridge High
Cradock 2-1 Lilyfontein
Montana 1-0 Westering
Witteberg 3-0 Woodridge College
Jim Fouché 2-1 Westering

@Selborne College

Curro Waterstone 2-1 Lilyfontein
Oranje 3-1 DSG Makhanda

@Stirling High

Stirling High 4-0 Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet
Queenstown Girls’ High 1-0 Kingswood College
Pearson 1-0 Voortrekker
Glenwood House 3-0 Hoër Volkskool Graaff-Reinet
Collegiate 6-0 Voortrekker
Duineveld 2-1 Stirling High

@Merrifield College

Alex Road 3-0 Glenwood House
Merrifield 2-2 Woodridge College
Kingsridge 5-0 Brandwag
Duineveld 4-0 Curro Waterstone
Merrifield 3-0 Framesby

FIXTURES

DAY 3

@Clarendon

08:15 – DSG Makhanda vs St Anne’s DSG; 09:30 -Eunice vs Middelburg; 10:45 – Hudson Park vs Oranje; 12:00 – Kingsridge vs Volkskool; 13:15 – Clarendon vs Woodridge College.

@Cambridge 

09:30 – Union vs Duineveld; 10:45 – Brandwag vs Curro Waterstone; 13:15 – Cambridge vs Westering.

@Selborne College

09:30 – Collegiate vs Parel Vallei.

@Stirling High 

07:00 – Cradock vs Sasolburg; 09:30 – Framesby vs Jim Fouché; 10:45 – Alex Road vs Witterberg; 12:00 – Stirling High vs Voortrekker.

@Merrifield College

08:15 – Queenstown Girls’ High vs Glenwood House; 13:15 – Merrifield College vs Kingswood College.

Hoërskool Sasolburg defeated Union High School 3-1 on Saturday to end day two of the Synsport Greg Beling Festival in East London as one of the unbeaten sides.

The annual event began on Thursday and concludes on Sunday.

The school from the Northern Free State began their festival with a nail-biting 2-1 victory over Queenstown Girls’ High on Friday.

On Saturday morning, they took on Kingswood College, from Makhanda, in a match in which they were regarded as the underdogs.

Sasolburg, however, defied the odds and came from behind to claim a 2-1 win.

Union High School, from Graaff-Reinet, stood in the way of coach Jacolene McLaren’s side in their final match of the day.

As had happened in the Kingswood game, Sasolburg conceded an early goal but showed grit and clawed their way back into the game.

They used their chances and scored when it mattered through captain Chana-Dee Gibson before Lize Bischoff added a brace to seal the two-goal victory.

Reacting to her team’s performances so far at the festival, McLaren said she’s pleased with how the team had continued to step up.

“We came into this tournament very excited for the season, and we started well with a win in our first game, and we’ve been stepping up and delivering every game,” she told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We had played in two tournaments before this one, so the preparation was quite good.”

McLaren’s players have had to dig deep and show their character, which they did in successive come-from-behind wins.

She praised her side for never giving up and staying in the fight. “Against Kingswood, we came from behind after we trailed 0-1, and that took some guts,” McLaren said. “It was tough, but we stepped up to get the two goals. We got the ball into the circle and made sure we got the outcome from our opportunities. The girls did well in that regard.”

The final day of the festival will see Sasolburg taking on Cradock High School at 07:00. McLaren said they want to end on a high, adding that they’re also planning to “keep things simple”.

She explained: “We want to do well, but we won’t make changes. We will just make sure we play our brand of hockey, make sure we maintain the consistency and get our connections right, and work to get better,” she concluded.

Hoërskool Sasolburg’s results at Synsport Greg Beling Festival

Sasolburg 2-1 Queenstown Girls’ High
Sasolburg 1-0 Kingswood College
Sasolburg 3-1 Union High School

There is a sense of excitement and optimism surrounding the Collegiate Girls’ High School‘s first hockey team ahead of the 2025 season.

The girls from Gqeberha, led by coach Michael Abrahams, will kick off their campaign at the Synsport Greg Beling Festival in East London on the weekend.

The annual festival starts on Thursday, 20 March, and ends on Sunday, 23 March.

Matches will be played at Clarendon High School for Girls, Selborne College, Merrifield College, Cambridge High, and Stirling High.

Collegiate plays Hudson Park High, Bethlehem Voortrekker, Middelburg Hoërskool, and Parel Vallei at the festival.

Those will be their first matches of the year and Coach Abrahams said his team is eager to see action.

“There is a lot of excitement around the 2025 season,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “Last year had its challenges, and we learnt so much throughout last season. We are looking forward to what the new season has in store.”

The school, which is located in Parsons Hills, produced a promising season last year and racked up some big wins against their provincial counterparts, defeating top sides that included Clarendon, DSG Makhanda, Pearson High, and Woodridge College, all while fielding a relatively young side.

“Last year was very much a rebuilding year for us, with the majority of the team being u16,” Abrahams explained.

“We’ve retained 13 players this year and, with that said, the goal is to build on last season’s performances and try to be better in all aspects.”

Abrahams emphasised that he wants his team to play an attacking brand of hockey that allows his players to express themselves while maintaining their defensive discipline.

He also wants to challenge the most competitive teams in the country.

“There are many talented teams across the country, and we look forward to competing with them throughout the season,” he concluded.

Collegiate faces Hudson Park on Friday before playing two matches on Saturday. They close off their schedule at the festival when they play against Parel Vallei on Sunday morning.

Friday, 21 March
13:30 – Collegiate vs Hudson Park

Saturday, 22 March
08:30 – Collegiate vs Middelburg Hoërskool
17:00 – Collegiate vs Voortrekker

Sunday, 23 March
09:30 – Collegiate vs Parel Vallei

With just under a month to go before the annual St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival, teams in the Western Cape are already putting stick to ball in preparation for the prestigious tournament, which runs from 4-6 April in Johannesburg.

After two weeks of playing in pre-season games, some of the province’s top guns will assemble at Bloemhof Girls’ High School, in Stellenbosch, on Wednesday, to face one other in the first round of a mini-tournament.

The event has been organised to help the teams to work on their structures, build combinations, and get in enough match minutes before the St Mary’s Festival.

The hosts, Somerset College, Herschel Girls School, and Paarl Girls’ High will be in attendance. Paarl Gimnasium will miss the first round of matches but will participate in the second round on 26 March.

Matters in the province have been evenly matched after two pre-season events, the Spar Hockey Festival, and the Springfield Festival.

The hosts, Bloemhof, impressed at the Spar Festival, where they racked up victories against DF Malan, Stellenberg, Springfield, and Herschel.

Coach Jenny King’s side finished joint-seventh at last year’s St Mary’s tournament, tied with Die Hoërskool Menlopark.

Paarl Girls’ High and Herschel have also shown promising signs early on in the season.

Girls’ High began the season with a new head coach, Marc Landman, and he is slowly but surely stamping his authority and philosophy on the team.

Last weekend, they took part in the Springfield Festival and defeated Wynberg Girls’ High 1-0 before playing to a goalless draw with their town rivals, Paarl Gim.

Herschel, captained by Hannah Henderson, is another side that’s coming to life this season.

They were far from convincing at the Spar Festival but showed glimpses of their potential. With further match practice, they’ll be a team to watch out for.

Somerset College, meanwhile, has had a disappointing start to 2025. They’ll aim to use the outing to build up some confidence before making the trip  to Gauteng for what is considered to be the biggest and most prestigious girls’ hockey tournament in South Africa.

FIXTURES

Wednesday, 19 March

17:00 – Bloemhof vs Somerset College; 17:25 – Herschel vs Paarl Girls’ High; 17:50 – Paarl Girls’ High vs Somerset College; 18:15 – Bloemhof vs Herschel; 19:00 – Paarl Girls’ High vs Bloemhof; 19:25 – Somerset College vs Herschel.

Wednesday, 26 March

17:00 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Herschel; 17:25 – Bloemhof vs Paarl Girls’ High; 17:50 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Somerset College; 18:15 – Herschel vs Paarl Girls’ High; 18:40 – Somerset College vs Bloemhof; 19:05 – Paarl Girls’ High vs Paarl Gimnasium; 19:30 – Somerset College vs Herschel; 19:55 – Bloemhof vs Paarl Gimnasium.

Hockey enthusiasts in East London can expect a buzz of activity, top talent and quality clashes with two major hockey tournaments grabbing the spotlight in the city this weekend.

The action will come thick and fast as the annual Synsport Greg Beling Hockey Festival and the Tony Godding Hockey Festival signal the start of a new season.

Both events run from Thursday, 20 March, to Sunday, 23 March.

The matches will be played at five venues: Selborne College, Clarendon High School for Girls, Stirling High, Cambridge High, and Merrifield College.

Annually, the Greg Beling Festival welcomes some of the top girls’ teams from across South Africa, and this year is no different.

Last year’s winner of the Fairtree Super 12 Hockey Tournament, Rhenish Girls’ High School, will be in attendance, looking to get their season off on a high note.

In 2024, coach Chris Gerber’s side dominated at the Greg Beling Festival. They racked up five convincing victories, thumping Clarendon 4-1, DSG Makhanda 3-0, Eunice 5-1, Pearson High 4-0, and Affies Girls 4-0.

They head into this year’s event high in confidence after beating Rustenburg Girls’ High School twice in recent weeks.

Bloemfontein powerhouses, Eunice, and Oranje Meisieskool, will also be in action in East London.

They both began the 2025 season at the Balling Festival late last month, in Bethlehem, and have played a series of matches since then.

Last weekend, they hosted Pretoria’s Die Hoërskool Menlopark and Hoërskool Waterkloof in a dual derby weekend that featured the season’s first Hyundai Friday Night Lights match.

Oranje scored a 3-1 victory over Menlopark on Friday evening but were held to a goalless draw by Waterkloof on Saturday.

Eunice, meanwhile, defeated Waterkloof 3-1 on Friday night but was stunned by Menlopark the following day, going 0-1 down.

The Eastern Cape will have extensive representation at the festival. Top teams that stand out, excluding the hosting schools, are Collegiate Girls’ High, Pearson High, DSG Makhanda, Hudson Park High School, and Kingswood College.

Collegiate and Pearson had promising seasons in 2024, and kicking off 2025  strongly will be on their to-do list.

DSG Makhanda, meanwhile, will be led by Abigail Holderness this season, and they defeated Woodridge College 4-0 in their season opener last week.

Hudson Park will face stiff competition against both Eunice and Oranje, two teams they faced and against whom they did relatively well last year.

Another side to keep an eye out for will be St Anne’s DSG. The girls from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, led by coach Morne Odendaal, are brimming with confidence after winning the Spar KZN Hockey Challenge Pietermaritzburg North title last week.

They defeated The Wykeham Collegiate 2-0 in the final, but coach Odendaal knows competition at the Greg Beling Festival will be tougher and they’ll need to bring their A-game.

Parel Vallei is fresh off competing in the Springfield Festival, while Bethlehem Voortrekker defeated Hoërskool Sentraal 10-1 in the WesGrow league last weekend. Both teams head to East London in an optimistic mood.

Gqeberha’s Framesby and Westering will be keen to test themselves against the best.

The schedule is littered with entertaining matchups, and it all starts on Thursday when Eunice takes on DSG Makhanda and Clarendon faces Rhenish.

Stirling High will host Pearson on their home turf.

The action ramps up on Friday and Saturday, with Friday’s action including a much-anticipated clash between Oranje and Rhenish.

Merrifield College will end their games at home against Kingswood College on Sunday.

Follow SuperSport Schools Plus Hockey for all the results. See fixtures below:

@Clarendon

Thursday, 20 March

18:00 – Eunice vs DSG Makhanda; 19:15 – Clarendon vs Rhenish.

Friday, 21 March

08:30 – Hudson Park vs Parel Vallei; 09:45 – Rhenish vs Voortrekker; 12:15 – Kingswood College vs Witterberg; 13:30 – Hudson Park vs Collegiate; 14:45 – Lilyfontein vs Brandwag; 16:00 – Eunice vs Parel Vallei; 17:15 – Clarendon vs Glenwood House; 18:30 – Oranje vs Rhenish.

Saturday, 22 March

07:00 – Kingswood College vs Sasolburg; 08:15 – Collegiate vs Middelburg; 09:30 – Clarendon vs Witterberg; 10:45 – Rhenish vs St Anne’s DSG; 12:00 – Parel Vallei vs Middelburg; 13:15 -Hudson Park vs Eunice; 14:30 – Union High vs Sasolburg; 15:45 – DSG Makhanda vs Parel Vallei; 17:00 – Oranje vs St Anne’s DSG; 18:15 – Rhenish vs Eunice; 19:30 – Clarendon vs Alex Road.

Sunday, 23 March

08:15 – DSG Makhanda vs St Anne’s DSG; 09:30 -Eunice vs Middelburg; 10:45 – Hudson Park vs Oranje; 12:00 – Kingsridge vs Volkskool; 13:15 – Clarendon vs Woodridge College.

@Cambridge High School

Thursday, 20 March

18:00 – Cambridge High vs Union.

Friday, 21 March

09:45 – Lilyfontein vs Duineveld; 11:00 – Cambridge vs Volkskool; 14:45 – Framesby vs Duineveld; 16:00 – Cambridge vs Curro Waterstone; 18:30 – Queenstown Girls’ High School vs Union High.

Saturday, 22 March

08:15 – Brandwag vs Montana; 10:45 – Cambridge vs Jim Fouché; 12:00 – Lilyfontein vs Cradock; 13:15 – Westering vs Montana; 14:30 – Woodridge College vs Witterberg; 18:15 – Westering vs Jim Fouché.

Sunday, 23 March

09:30 – Union vs Duineveld; 10:45 – Brandwag vs Curro Waterstone; 13:15 – Cambridge vs Westering.

@Selborne College

Friday, 21 March

08:30 – Queenstown Girls’ High vs Sasolburg; 14:45 – DSG Makhanda vs Voortrekker.

Saturday, 22 March

07:00 – Lilyfontein vs Curro Waterstone; 08:15 – DSG Makhanda vs Oranje.

Sunday, 23 March

09:30 – Collegiate vs Parel Vallei.

@Stirling High School

Thursday, 20 March

16:00 – Stirling High vs Pearson.

Friday, 21 March

09:45 – Stirling vs Framesby; 12:15 – Pearson vs Middelburg; 13:30 – Kingsridge vs Westering; 17:15 – Stirling HIgh vs Woodridge College; 18:30 – Pearson vs St Anne’s DSG.

Saturday, 22 March

08:15 – Stirling High vs Volkskool; 10:45 -Queenstown Girls’ High vs Kingswood College; 12:00 – Pearson vs Voortrekker; 14:30 – Glenwood House vs Volkskool; 17:00 – Collegiate vs Voortrekker; 19:30 – Stirling High vs Duineveld.

Sunday, 23 March

07:00 – Cradock vs Sasolburg; 09:30 – Framesby vs Jim Fouché; 10:45 – Alex Road vs Witterberg; 12:00 – Stirling High vs Voortrekker.

@Merrifield College

Friday, 21 March

08:30 – Kingsridge vs Cradock; 09:45 – Merrifield College vs Montana; 12:15 – Union vs Jim Fouché; 13:30 – Cradock vs Montana; 16:00 – Merrifield College vs Alex Road.

Saturday, 22 March

07:00 – Alex Road vs Glenwood House; 09:30 – Merrifield vs Woodridge College; 12:00 – Kingsridge vs Brandwag; 13:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Duineveld; 14:30 – Merrifield vs Framesby.

Sunday, 23 March

08:15 – Queenstown Girls’ High vs Glenwood House; 13:15 – Merrifield College vs Kingswood College.

While their town rivals, Paarl Gimnasium kicked off their season at the Parel Vallei Hockey Festival, Paarl Boys’ High was also in action this past weekend at the annual Cape Co-Ed Hockey Festival.

The event ran over three days, from 14-16 March, in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.

Boys’ High played their matches at Settlers High School, while Edgemead, Fairbairn, Stellenberg High, Durbanville, and Tygerberg High played host to other matches.

It was the team’s first outing of the year after a gruelling 10-week off-season programme led by Matt Smith, who’s taken over the technical skills profile at the school, that began late last year.

Coach Rowan McLachlan‘s side played four matches, against Settlers, Stellenberg, Bellville High, and Durbanville.

They played to a goalless draw in their opener against Stellenberg but upped the ante in their other three matches to beat Settlers 9-1, Bellville 4-0, and Durbanville 3-1.

Reacting to his team’s performances, McLachlan said he was pleased with how his young side bounced back from the draw against Stellenberg to claim three comfortable wins.

“We had nine young players joining the first team, and there were always going to be those first game jitters, which happened against Stellenberg,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “It was not our greatest performance or the start we were looking for, but perhaps [it was] the start we needed.

“From there, we worked on things that needed to be improved on and luckily got three good results.”

After their goalless start, Boys’ High hit their stride and found the back of the net with relative ease. They capitalised on their circle entries, scored most of their penalty corner, and were comfortable in defence for most of the weekend.

Their creativity in the final third impressed McLachlan. “It was nice to see the boys score some goals and create those positive moments out on the field,” he enthused.

“I was most happy with how we transitioned from counter defence into counterattack. I’m also happy with how we’re pressing teams and the areas of the field [where] we’re winning the ball. It’s a positive start, and we can only look to improve from here.””

The boys from Paarl will return to the turf next weekend in an unofficial pre-season festival hosted at the Maties AstroTurf in Stellenbosch.

There, they will face stiff competition from Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), Wynberg Boys’ High, and Paarl Gim.

McLachlan said they’ll use the forthcoming event to continue working on their systems without the pressures of winning.

“We want to focus on continuing to move the ball well and into threatening areas of the field and hopefully continue creating some goal-scoring opportunities.

“In saying that, those three teams are well coached, so we’ll also need to make sure that our defensive principles are fine-tuned.

“Overall, I think these pre-season warm-up games are a great initiative and great prep before we all start travelling across the country to compete against the best.”

Paarl Boys’ High is captained by AJ Mostert, with goalkeeper, Luan Bornman serving as his deputy. The duo both reached 75 caps for the school over the weekend.

Players to look out for this season include Tiaan Liebenberg, who made his 1st XI  debut in grade 9. Martin de Bruyn and Ullrich Drotchie, who have moved up from the u16A side, could become significant contributors.

At the end of March, Boys’ High will travel to Durban to play in the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup.

PAARL BOYS’ HIGH RESULTS

Paarl Boys’ High 0-0 Stellenberg
Paarl Boys’ High 9-1 Settlers High School
Paarl Boys’ High 4-0 Bellville High School
Paarl Boys’ High 3-1 Durbanville High School

OTHER BOYS’ RESULTS

GIRLS’ RESULTS

GIRLS	EDGEMEAD U19A	0-0	BRACKENFELL U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	FAIRBAIRN U19A	1 -2	REDDAM CONSTANTIA U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	HTS DROSTDY U19A	0-2	THE SETTLERS U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	PAARL GIM U19B	2-1	TYGERBERG U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	MILNERTON U19A	2-2	ELKANAH HOUSE U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	REDDAM DURBANVILLE U19A	3-1	JAN VAN RIEBEEK U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	REDDAM CONSTANTIA U19A	3-0	BELLVILLE U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	DF MALAN U19A	3-0	HTS DROSTDY U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	HERSCHEL U19B	0-5	STELLENBERG U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	PAARL GIM U19B	2-0	PINELANDS U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	WYNBERG GIRLS U19B	0-0	MILNERTON U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	BELLVILLE U19B	9-0	MELKBOSSTRAND U19B	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	FAIRMONT U19B	0-6	TYGERBERG U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	PINELANDS U19A	0-4	DURBANVILLE U19A	PANORAMA
GIRLS	STELLENBERG U19B	0-1	BRACKENFELL U19A	CURRO HS
GIRLS	EDGEMEAD U19A	0-0	ELKANAH HOUSE U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	STELLENBOSCH U19A	6-0	CURRO LANGEBAAN U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	MILNERTON U19A	2-2	PAARL GIM U19B	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	WESTERFORD U19A	3-0	SOMERSET COLLEGE U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	REDDAM CONSTANTIA U19A	1-0	STELLENBERG U19A	PANORAMA
GIRLS	PINELANDS U19A	0-0	HTS DROSTDY U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	BELLVILLE U19A	1-0	BRIDGE HOUSE U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	REDDAM CONSTANTIA U19A	1-0	PAARL GIM U19B	PANORAMA
GIRLS	SOMERSET COLLEGE U19B	0-2	DURBANVILLE U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	JAN VAN RIEBEEK U19A	1-1	BELLVILLE U19B	PANORAMA
GIRLS	FAIRMONT U19B	1-4	EDGEMEAD U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	PAREL VALLEI U19B	3-0	FAIRBAIRN U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	ELKANAH HOUSE U19A	4-0	CURRO LANGEBAAN U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	WESTERFORD U19A	2-2	TYGERBERG U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	MELKBOSSTRAND U19B	0-6	DE KUILEN U19A	PANORAMA
GIRLS	BELLVILLE U19A	0-0	BRACKENFELL U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	STELLENBOSCH U19A	1-2	THE SETTLERS U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	MILNERTON U19B	0-3	STELLENBERG U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	MILNERTON U19A	1-4	DF MALAN U19A	PANORAMA
GIRLS	HTS DROSTDY U19A	0-11	STELLENBERG U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	DURBANVILLE U19B	0-1	PAREL VALLEI U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	DF MALAN U19B	3-0	WYNBERG GIRLS U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	DURBANVILLE U19A	2-0	HERSCHEL U19B	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	JAN VAN RIEBEEK U19A	5-1	MELKBOSSTRAND U19B	PANORAMA
GIRLS	BRIDGE HOUSE U19A	0-0	DF MALAN U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	REDDAM DURBANVILLE U19A	0-0	DE KUILEN U19A	PANORAMA
GIRLS	FAIRBAIRN U19A	0-4	DF MALAN U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	HERSCHEL U19B	0-1	THE SETTLERS U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	MILNERTON U19B	0-2	DF MALAN U19B	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	BELLVILLE U19B	0-0	REDDAM DURBANVILLE U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	BELLVILLE U19A	2-2	WESTERFORD U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	STELLENBERG U19B	0-3	PAREL VALLEI U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	DURBANVILLE U19B	0-1	STELLENBOSCH U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	FAIRBAIRN U19A	0-2	SOMERSET COLLEGE U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	CURRO LANGEBAAN U19A	1-2	FAIRMONT U19B	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	SOMERSET COLLEGE U19B	3-1	WYNBERG GIRLS U19B	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	BRIDGE HOUSE U19A	2-2	MILNERTON U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	DE KUILEN U19A	0-1	BELLVILLE U19B	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	DF MALAN U19B	4-0	STELLENBERG U19B	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	THE SETTLERS U19A	2-1	REDDAM DURBANVILLE U19A	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	CURRO LANGEBAAN U19A	0-7	TYGERBERG U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	EDGEMEAD U19A	0-1	DURBANVILLE U19B	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	WESTERFORD U19A	1-5	DURBANVILLE U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	ELKANAH HOUSE U19A	0-1	STELLENBOSCH U19A	TYGERBERG
Girls	PAREL VALLEI U19B	5-0	MILNERTON U19B	THE SETTLERS
GIRLS	WYNBERG GIRLS U19B	0-3	BRIDGE HOUSE U19A	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	DE KUILEN U19A	1-1	JAN VAN RIEBEEK U19A	TYGERBERG
GIRLS	BRACKENFELL U19A	0-2	HERSCHEL U19B	EDGEMEAD
GIRLS	DF MALAN U19A	1-2	DURBANVILLE U19A	FAIRBAIRN COLLEGE
GIRLS	FAIRMONT U19B	9-0	MELKBOSSTRAND U19B	THE SETTLERS

 

The level of schoolgirls’ hockey in the Western Cape is rapidly rising, and the weekend’s action at the Springfield Convent School Pre-Season Festival proved that.

Seven top teams assembled at the school on St Johns Road, for a series of pre-season matches on 14-15 March.

It was another opportunity for the hosts, Paarl Girls’ High, Wynberg Girls’ High, St Cyprian’s School, and Parel Vallei, to get match minutes under their belts after they participated in last week’s Spar Hockey Festival.

Paarl Gimnasium was in action for the first time, while Rustenburg Girls’ High School had already faced Rhenish Girls’ High School twice.

Gim, who played three matches on Friday, began their season with a goalless draw against Parel Vallei before playing to a 1-1 stalemate with Springfield. They ended the day with a 1-0 win over St Cyprian’s School.

Day two delivered a much better showing from coach Danelle van Zyl‘s side. They scored eight goals, beating Rustenburg Girls’ High 2-0, and Wynberg Girls’ 6-0 before being held to a goalless draw by their rivals, Paarl Girls’ High.

“We have a young team that still needs a lot of experience in pressure situations,” coach Van Zyl told SuperSport Schools Plus after the second day’s play.

“We played better as a team together as the weekend progressed, but, with that said, we have to use our opportunities, especially in short games.”

After going unbeaten at the Spar Hockey Festival last weekend, St Cyprian’s School impressed again. Coach Natalie Esteves’s girls lost just once, against Gim.

They, also, played to a goalless draw against Paarl Girls’ High before beating Parel Vallei 2-0, Rustenburg Girls’ High 1-0, and Wynberg Girls’ 5-1.

It was competitive all around, with almost nothing to separate some of the teams, which was best demonstrated in the results of Springfield, who drew five of their six matches before a 0-1 loss against Rustenburg Girls’ High.

Parel Vallei, led by coach Wayne Coetzee, also scored an impressive 1-0 win over Wynberg Girls’ High on Friday before edging out Paarl Girls’ High 1-0 on Saturday.

Only 29 goals were scored in the 21 matches, which was evidence of the slim margins, if any, that there were between the teams. There were nine goalless draws, with six of those occurring on the first day.

The Western Cape girls teams will return to turf action next weekend. Stay glued to SuperSport Schools and SuperSport Schools Plus for more updates.

DAY 1

Rustenburg Girls’ High School 1-1 Wynberg Girls’ High
Paarl Girls’ High 0-0 St Cyprian’s School
Paarl Gimnasium 0-0 Parel Vallei
Springfield Convent School 0-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Rustenburg Girls’ High School 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High
St Cyprian’s School 3-2 Parel Vallei
Springfield Convent School 1-1 Paarl Gimasium
Paarl Girls’ High 1-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Rustenburg Girls’ High 0-0 Parel Vallei
Paarl Gimnasium 1-0 St Cyprian’s School
Springfield Convent School 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High

DAY 2

Parel Vallei 1-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Paarl Gimnasium 2-0 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Springfield Convent School 0-0 St Cyprian’s School
Parel Vallei 1-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Paarl Gimnasium 6-0 Wynberg Girls’ High
Rustenburg Girls’ High 1-0 Springfield Convent School
Paarl Gimnasium 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High
St Cyprian’s School 1-0 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Springfield Convent School 0-0 Parel Vallei
St Cyprian’s School 5-1 Wynberg Girls’ High

Parel Vallei High School, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), and Paarl Gimnasium completed a clean sweep of their opposition at the Parel Vallei Hockey Festival in Cape Town over the weekend.

The three sides were in action for the first time in 2025 and put on a show, which suggests another entertaining season of top-class hockey awaits in the Western Cape.

The hosts, led by coach Michael van Rensburg, entered the festival aiming to fine-tune their structure and systems while also impressing their supporters.

They got off to a wonderful start, dominating their opponents, Hoërskool Hermanus, 6-1, on the opening day.

Parel Vallei’s good form continued on the second day with a convincing 3-1 win over Worcester Gimnasium, which they followed with a 4-2 defeat of Outeniqua in their last outing.

The three victories on home soil mean Parel Vallei will face Bishops (Diocesan College) in a mid-week clash brimming with confidence.

Following that, they will turn their focus to the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, which takes place in Durban at the end of March.

Paul Roos is another side that was on song during the two-day event. Coach Michael Baker‘s troops quickly found their rhythm and scored goals with ease in their three matches.

They netted 13 times and, as importantly, returned to Stellenbosch without having conceded a single goal.

Somerset College, Outeniqua, and Reddam House Constantia, who put on a valiant fight, were on the receiving end of PRG’s efforts.

Their next assignments will also be at the Coastal Cup, where they will face Westville Boys’ High, St Alban’s College, Durban High School, and Michaelhouse.

Paarl Gimnasium didn’t sit back and watch their rivals dominate. They, also, got in on the action.

Led by new skipper Juan Swanepoel, they laid on a blistering attack, scoring a whopping 16 goals in their three matches.

A 6-0 victory over Worcester Gimnasium sealed a near-perfect weekend for coach Jacques Grobler‘s players.

They have some tough tests ahead of them., though. Next week, they play in another pre-season festival before travelling to Pretoria for the Founders Hockey Festival, which will be played at Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) from 28-31 March.

RESULTS

DAY 1

Paarl Gimnasium 5-0 Reddam House Constantia
Paul Roos 5-0 Somerset College
Parel Vallei 6-1 Hermanus
Worcester Gimnasium 3-0 Outeniqua

DAY 2

Paarl Gimnasium 5-1 Hermanus
Parel Vallei 3-1 Worcester Gimnasium
Paul Roos 5-0 Outeniqua
Reddam House Constantia 6-0 Somerset College
Hermanus 1-0 Somerset College
Parel Vallei 4-2 Outeniqua
Paul Roos 3-0 Reddam House Constantia
Paarl Gimnasium 6-0 Worcester Gimnasium

Die Hoërskool Menlopark‘s first girl’s hockey side claimed a big scalp on Saturday in Bloemfontein by outmuscling Eunice to record an impressive 1-0 victory.

The girls from Pretoria were far from their best on the day but dug deep and produced the goods and the all-important goal when it most mattered.

They had kicked off their Bloemfontein excursion with a clash against Oranje Meisieskool in the first of 2025’s Hyundai Friday Night Lights showdowns.

That match ended in a 1-3 defeat. Earlier in the season, their clash with Oranje at the Balling Festival in Bethlehem produced eight goals.

Menlo had to quickly move on from their loss on Friday night and they had plenty of motivation, knowing a win over Eunice would give them something to show for their Bloemfontein excursion.

It was a tightly contested affair, with both teams showcasing strong defensive systems.

The visitors applied relentless pressure throughout the contest and they were rewarded in the final chukka when, after a strong drive along the baseline, 15-year-old Monique Gerber laid off a teasing ball for Naidene Bouwer, who scored a tap-in goal at the far post to secure the victory.

It was a significant win for coach Brook’s team, considering the calibre of their opponents.

“The trip to Bloem is always a tough one,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus. “When you come here, you’re not just playing the best teams in the Free State, you’re playing two of the best powerhouses in the country.

“We went into the matches with a clear vision, and to walk away with a loss and a win is not what we were hoping for, but we will take it.”

Menlopark didn’t have much turnaround time from Friday’s game but finetuned certain areas of their game for the clash with Eunice.

“We were a bit loose on our press against Oranje, so we had to tighten up there,” Brook explained.

“We also worked on our connections and, once we moved the ball, we looked pretty good.

“It wasn’t our most polished performance, but that’s because they are a well-coached side and have great personnel. With that said, we are very happy to walk away with the win,” he said.

The Pretoria school has already played a whopping 13 matches this season and they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

They will play their first league match against Montana in the coming week before shifting their attention to the NWU-Reeks semifinals.

In April, they’ll chase silverware at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival.

RESULTS

Menlopark 1-3 Oranje
Menlopark 1-0 Eunice