Author: vndudane

One of the most anticipated events on the school sports calendar returns this week when King Edward VII School (KES) hosts its annual Easter Hockey and Rugby Festival.

Known for its rich sporting tradition and fiercely competitive atmosphere, the hockey festival, which runs from 17 to 21 April, excluding Good Friday, will bring together some of the country’s finest hockey talent.

The event, which has played host to a long list of future provincial and national stars, will be contested on the Weinberg Astro, at KES, and on the St John’s College Astro.

The Red Sticks have made a strong start to the season and they’ll lean on their home-ground advantage, bolstered by a passionate home crowd, to continue their good form. Their Nomads Festival results included draws with Maritzburg College and Grey College and a comfortable 5-1 win over Selborne College.

King Edward VII’s traditional rivals, Jeppe High School for Boys, will be one of the teams to keep an eye on. They were undefeated at the Nomads Festival. Their results included a 4-2 win over Selborne and a tight 1-0 defeat of Maritzburg College, who are both part of the KES Festival.

Parktown Boys’ High, recently beaten 4-1 by Jeppe, will also represent Johannesburg’s interests.

Northwood is another side that has made a good start to their 2025 campaign. They were in action at the Founders Festival, where they won three and drew two.

After Thursday’s five games, there will be a pause in the action on Good Friday, with matches continuing on Saturday and Sunday before concluding on Monday.

KES Headmaster, David Lovatt, in a welcoming message to the participating teams, said: “This festival has grown over the past two decades into a hallmark of excellence, sportsmanship, and camaraderie.

“What began as a celebration of schoolboy sport has evolved into a much-anticipated gathering of passionate players, committed coaches, proud parents, and loyal supporters from across the country—and indeed, across generations.

“It is a time when friendships are forged, rivalries are respectfully contested, and the values of integrity, discipline, and teamwork are brought to life on our fields and Astro.”

FIXTURES

Thursday, 17 April

King Edward VII Weinberg Astro                           

13:00 – Jeppe vs Eldoraigne
14:20 – Parktown vs St Charles
15:40 – Maritzburg College vs Helpmekaar
16:50 – KES vs Glenwood
18:10 – Waterkloof vs Northwood

Saturday, 19 April

King Edward VII Weinberg Astro           

07:30 – Jeppe vs Kearsney
08:50 – KES vs St Charles
10:10 – Glenwood vs Helpmekaar
11:30 – Eldoraigne vs Parktown
12:50 – Maritzburg College vs Selborne
14:10 – St Charles vs Queen’s College
15:30 – Pearson vs Glenwood
16:50 – KES vs Kearsney
18:10 – Selborne vs Northwood

St John’s College Astro

07:30 – Maritzburg College vs Queen’s College
08:50 – Waterkloof vs Pearson
14:10 – Jeppe vs Waterkloof

Sunday, 20 April

King Edward VII Weinberg Astro           

7:30 – Glenwood vs Eldoraigne
8:50 – Selborne vs Parktown
10:10 – Waterkloof vs Queen’s College
11:30 – Jeppe vs St Charles
12:50 – Northwood  vs Helpmekaar
14:10 – Maritzburg College vs Parktown
15:30 – KES vs Queen’s College
16:50 – Pearson vs Helpmekaar
18:10 – Selborne vs Kearsney

St John’s College Astro                         

07:30 – Maritzburg College vs Queen’s College
08:50 – Hoërskool Waterkloof vs Pearson High School
15:30 – Jeppe High School For Boys vs Hoërskool Waterkloof

Monday, 21 April

King Edward VII Weinberg Astro

07:30 – Jeppe vs Queen’s College
08:50 – Selborne College vs Glenwood
10:10 – Pearson vs Kearsney
11:30 – Maritzburg College vs Eldoraigne
12:50 – KES vs Northwood
14:10 – St Charles vs Waterkloof
15:30 – Helpmekaar vs Parktown

On Friday, in a spirited clash that blended sport with social consciousness, Parktown High School for Girls delivered a commanding performance to thrash Jeppe High School for Girls 8–0 in a match to raise awareness about gender-based violence.

Hosted under the theme “Unite Against Gender-Based Violence“, the day’s matches featured four schools using the Boden AstroTurf to shine the spotlight on the scourge of GBV.

The Parktown girls’ relentless attack and solid teamwork enabled them to control the game from start to finish. In the following contest, Jeppe High School for Boys scored a commanding 4-1 victory over Parktown Boys’ High.

Playing on their home ground, Jeppe produced a disciplined performance, highlighted by their relentless high-paced approach.

The host’s midfield dominance paid off early, with a quick goal from Ethan Kapanda setting the tone for the rest of the match.

Parktown fought hard and had a chance in the second chukka to pull a goal back when they were awarded a penalty corner, but they were denied by a brilliant save from the Jeppe goalkeeper. The visitor’s resilience was soon rewarded, though, when they levelled through Breydan Karle.

In the third chukka, Juan Martin, who had been quiet in the first half, showed what is meant by “experience counts” when he converted a half-chance into a brilliant goal. Kapanda compounded Parktown’s woes by netting his second goal and his side’s third.

Jayden Da Silva completed the scoring in the fourth chukka, making it 4-1 in Jeppe’s favour.

Beyond the scoreboard, the day was a reminder of the power of sport to spark dialogue, challenge injustice, and inspire change.

All the schools were commended for their efforts on and off the field, with the coaches emphasising the importance of using their platforms to raise awareness and advocate for safer communities.

The united stand taken by every player, coach, and supporter against gender-based violence made everyone involved a winner.

Jeppe High School for Boys, Jeppe High School Girls, Parktown Boys’ High School, and Parktown High School for Girls will meet on the Boden AstroTurf on Friday at an event to raise awareness about Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Sanitary towels and clothes will also be collected during the event, which begins at 15:00 with the u14A teams in action and concludes with Jeppe Boys versus Parktown Boys at 19:30.

The sanitary items will be donated to less privileged girls while the clothing will go to women’s shelters. Jeppe Girls’ Head of Sport, Joy Toerien, said: “Old clothing or shoes and sanitary products can be dropped off at either Jeppe High School for Girls or Jeppe High School for Boys.”

She emphasised the need to raise awareness of gender-based violence, adding: “We want to create awareness around this topic because we are in a crisis, and we want to create environments where we encourage teenagers to become healthy, functioning adults, where they are kind and caring in their homes as adults, are good role models, where they are good husbands and wives, fathers and mothers,” she said.

Toerien went on to explain how sports can be used to help shape young people into valuable citizens.

“Teenagers love to do adult things but do not have the emotional capacity to deal with the consequences of adult actions,” Toerien said. “Sport creates a competitive but healthy environment where coaches can teach and reach learners beyond the classroom and teach them valuable life lessons.”

She said she would also like to see the drive that the four schools will share extend to other schools. “We would encourage other schools to brand their sports clothing with ‘Say no to GBV’, to host events where we can create awareness within the community, reach out to schools to join up with choirs and bands, it doesn’t have to stop or be sport only.”

Organised under the theme “Unite Against GBV”, Friday’s game will use sport as a unifying force to educate students, promote respectful relationships, and stand in solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence.

The school also said that an outcry about incidents, such as #justiceforCwecwe, has highlighted an urgent need for collective action.

Parktown Boys’ High School has announced the appointment of David Grace as the new head coach of their first hockey team.

Grace takes over the reins from the highly respected Kyle Reddy, who recently stepped into his new role as Head of Sport at the school.

Grace has big shoes to fill. Under Reddy‘s guidance, the Parktown first side reached new heights, succeeding at developing talented players, cultivating a spirit of excellence, and raising the profile of Parktown hockey on and off the field.

In 2024, they also made the final of the Aitken Cup for the first time since 2010.

Grace brings an exciting CV to his position. He explained: “I am a Jeppe old boy. I played for the 1st team in 2006 and started coaching in 2007. I joined Parktown in 2022 as a Geography educator and the u16A coach.

“I am now HOD of Geography and Director of Hockey. Recently, I have been involved with the Joburg Hockey League (JHL) and Southerns.

“Last year, I was the assistant coach to the u14A Southern Gauteng boys’ team that won the first-ever u14 national IPT,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The appointment to take charge of Parktown’s best was a dream come true, he admitted: “Being a first-team coach has always been a dream of mine, and I am honoured to be the first-team coach at Parktown.” he said.

Last year was a season of success for the Parktown first side. They won 19 matches, drew six, and lost nine. More importantly, there was a renewed sense of pride in the school’s hockey and an expectation to challenge the best. They proved with their Aitken Cup run that they ranked among the top teams in the region.

Grace conceded that taking on the new role comes with some pressure. “There is pressure in taking over from such a distinguished coach as Kyle Reddy, but he and James Furlonger, our MIC, have been great supporters of mine over the past four years and back me 100 percent,” he said.

“I am honoured to be the first-team coach at this proud hockey school, and, as Director of Hockey, I am determined to maintain the proud legacy of the school,” Grace continued.

Then, turning his attention to his players, he added an optimistic note, saying: “I have a very good relationship with the boys as I coached them in their u16 year.”

Grace’s coaching will be based on a motto: “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training”.

He and Parktown face a stiff challenge on Friday. They take on Jeppe High School for Boys, who performed well at the recent Nomads Hockey Festival, where they were unbeaten.

Parktown Boys’ High, Jeppe High School for Boys, Parktown High School for Girls, and Jeppe High School for Girls will be in action on the Boden AstroTurf, at Jeppe Boys, playing their matches under the banner “Unite against GBV” [Gender-based Violence). The occasion includes a sanitary pad drive.

The action starts at 15:00 when the u14A sides meet. The u16A teams follow at 16:00, and the 2nd XIs at 17:15. At 18:15, it will be the turn of the Jeppe Girls and Parktown Girls first teams, with the first team clash between Jeppe Boys and Parktown Boys, which starts at 19:30, completing the fixtures.

The 2025 SA Schools Swimming Championships brought three action-packed days of elite youth swimming, hosted by the Free State Province at the Stadium Swimming Pool, Bloemfontein, from April 5th to 7th.

This prestigious event brought together the best school-age swimmers from across the country, with all nine provinces represented in a spirited display of athletic excellence.

A collaborative effort between the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, the event, attended by numerous MECs and provincial department heads, showcased the importance of school sports in developing future champions.
The championship featured top swimmers aged 12 to 18, with heats and finals held daily. Only the top two swimmers per province advance from the heats to the finals, thus ensuring a high level of competition.

The Para swimming events were proudly included, with athletes aged 12–19 competing in multiclass disability events — a celebration of inclusivity and talent and ensuring a fair and level playing field. Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) was on-site throughout the event to uphold clean sport standards.

The young swimmers powered through, proving their resilience and determination despite extreme downpours, mild flooding, and a few lightning delays.

This championship is steeped in legacy, with past participants like Pieter Coetze, Karin Prinsloo, Dune Coetzee, and Christopher Reid—all Olympians—still holding SA Schools records.

Isabeau Coetsee of Western Cape starred in the Junior Victrix Ludorum with amazing results in both the individual and the team contests. In the individual events, Coetsee bagged six medals, five gold and one silver. In the relay, they scooped four medals, two silvers, one bronze, and one gold. Meanwhile, Noah Nice of Gauteng Province won four gold medals, one silver, and a bronze medal. His Gauteng relay team also won 4 gold medals.

At the senior level, Leon Coetzer was the top para-swimming performer from the men’s side, with Josephine Endres taking the top achiever for the female para swimmers. Top performers’ trophies for the able-bodied swimmers went to Janco Grobelaar and Monique Oosthuizen for the highest World Aquatics points scored.

Leila Yazbek (U16) was crowned the SA U16 Champion in 6 events (100m fly, 100m free, 200 IM, 50m fly, and 50m free) at the SA Schools Swimming Championships held in Bloemfontein. Her 100m fly, 100m free, 200 IM, and 50m fly were also the fastest female swimmers, irrespective of the age groups. Leila had the second-quickest 100m breaststroke of all the swimmers. The cherry on top was being awarded the prestigious accolade of Senior Victrix Ludorum at SA Schools!

RESULTS
Men’s and Women’s Medals

Gauteng – 138 medals ( G-65; S-44; B29)
KwaZulu Natal -113 ( G-32; S-36; B45)
Western Cape – 99 Medals (G-24; S-37; B-37)
Free State – 75 Medals (G-24; S-26; B-25)
Northwest – 23 Medals (G-11; S-10; B-2)
Eastern Cape – 38 Medals (G-9; S-12; B-17)
Northern Cape – 20 Medals (G-8; S-4; B-8)
Mpumalanga – 15 Medals (G-5; S-3; B-7)
Limpopo – 18 Medals (G-4; S-7; B-7)

PARA
New Para South Africa record
5th April 2025
100m Backstroke S8 Men

New SA Para record
Old u14 SA record time – Joshua Grob – 1:54.56 – Gqeberha 2010
Old u14 SA record – Nhlakanipho Mabaso – 1:43.94 – Gqeberha – 30th March 2025
New u14 SA record – Nhlakanipho Mabaso – 1:39.74 – Bloemfontien – 5th April 2025
100m Backstroke S7 Women

New SA Para record
Old u14 SA record – Londiwe Khumalo – 2:11.51 – Establish new SA record u14 – Gqeberha – 30th March 2025
New u14 SA record – Londiwe Khumalo – 2:05.97 – Bloemfontein – 5th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
6th April 2025 – Heat
100m Breaststroke SB8 Men
New SA Para record
Old u14 SA record – William le Roux – 2:06.75 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025
New u14 SA record – Ntsikayethu Mtyobile – 1:56.33 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025

100m Breaststroke SB13 Men
New SA Para record
Old u14 SA record – Van Tonder – 1:44.20 – ? – 1984
New u14 SA record – Tiaan Terblanche – 1:33.51 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
6th April 2025 – Final
100m Breaststroke SB8 Men
New SA Para record
Old u14 SA record – Ntsikayethu Mtyobile – 1:56.33 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025 – Heat
New u14 SA record – Ntsikayethu Mtyobile – 1:53.06 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025 – Final

New Para South Africa record
6th April 2025 – Final
50m Butterfly S10 Men
Old u14 SA record – Leon Coetzer – 33.12 – Durban – July 2023
New u14 SA record – Leon Coetzer – 32.24 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
6th April 2025 – Final
50m Butterfly S8 Men
Old u14 SA record – Christian Sadie – 46.04 – ? – September 2011
New u14 SA record – Ntsikayethu Mtyobile – 45.98 – Bloemfontein – 6th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
7th April 2025 – Heat
50m Backstroke S10 Men
Old u14 SA record – Leon Coetzer – 40.13 – Durban – December 2023
New u14 SA record – Leon Coetzer – 37.23 – Bloemfontein – 7th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
7th April 2025 – Heat
50m Backstroke S5 Men
Old Senior SA record – Moeketsi Adams – 50.02 – Durban – April 2023
New Senior SA record – Moeketsi Adams – 48.91 – Bloemfontein – 7th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
7th April 2025 – Final
200m I.Medley SM8 Men
Old u14 SA record – Sebastian Crawford – 4:48.70 – ? – January 2007
New u14 SA record – Ntsikayethu Mtyobile – 4:06.74 – Bloemfontein – 7th April 2025

New Para South Africa record
7th April 2025 – Final
50m Backstroke S7 Women
Old u14 SA record – Londiwe Khumalo – 1:03.23 – Establish new SA record u14 – Gqeberha – 31st March 2025
New u14 SA record – Londiwe Khumalo – 59.65 – Bloemfontein – 7th April 2025

In a thrilling conclusion to the Plate competition at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool (Affies) held off Clarendon High School for Girls to claim the title after a hard-fought 2-1 penalty shootout win.

Both sides started the tournament slowly. In the first pool stage, Affies finished in fifth spot in Pool B after winning three of their seven matches, while Clarendon, in Pool C, also placed fifth, with a similar record.

On Friday and Saturday, in the second round of lower-ranking pool games, both sides reversed their fortunes, with Affies going three for three and Clarendon winning two and drawing another.

Affies edged out both Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School and Pretoria High School for Girls 1-0 before scoring an impressive 3-0 win over St Stithians College.

Clarendon paved their route to the Plate final with a convincing 3-0 over Windhoek High School, which they followed with a narrow 1-0 victory over Roedean School and a goalless draw against St Andrew’s School for Girls.

The final was a closely contested affair, as many of the playoff matches proved to be, bringing evenly matched teams together.

The game was fiercely contested, but neither side was able to break the deadlock during regular time. That meant the pressure was dialled up for the penalty shootout, but Affies held their nerve to secure the win, thanks to their goalkeeper, Cara Bouwer, who pulled off a crucial save.

Cara Knott, the captain of Clarendon, took the first penalty and scored, but Mia Pretorius delivered a fine response, making it look easy by scoring in style in the bottom left corner.

Next up for coach Luaan Sedras‘s Clarendon side was Caroline Kretzmann. This time Bouwer reacted superbly to deny Kretzmann’s attempt. When Anouk du Plessis found the back of the net for Affies, she doubled their advantage.

Holly McClure handled Clarendon’s third penalty. She fired off a shot, but it struck the goalkeeper’s leg. McClure took possession of the rebound, however, and snapped off a second shot. It was wide of the mark and Affies claimed the win.

TOP 20 RESULTS

1st/2nd
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof 1-0 Bloemhof

3rd/4th
Rhenish 0-0 Eunice

5th/6th
Our Lady of Fatima 1-0 Menlopark

7th/8th
Paarl Gim 3-0 Durban Girls’ College

9th/10th
Oranje 2-3 Waterkloof

11th/12th
Pearson 0-0 St Mary’s Waverley

13th/14th
St Anne’s 0-0 St Cyprian’s

15th/16th
Garsfontein 1-0 St John’s DSG

17th/18th
Affies (2) 0–0 (1) Clarendon

19th/20th
Collegiate 2-0 Herschel

The second day of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival proved to be challenging for some of day one’s front runners, with Hoërskool Waterkloof and St Anne’s Diocesan College falling down the standings.

Waterkloof didn’t fall too far, though, finishing in second spot in Pool A after losing one match, drawing two, and winning two, but St Anne’s dramatically tumbled to third in Pool D. The KwaZulu-Natal side mustered only one victory on Friday, along with two draws, and a loss.

Meanwhile, Die Hoërskool Menlopark stormed to the top of Pool A after a dominating run on Friday.

With strong performances both in attack and defence, they brushed aside Penryn College 4-0 and edged out Gqeberha’s Pearson High School 2-1.

In a big Pretoria derby, they claimed a 1-0 win over Omari Pienaar Geyer’s Waterkloof, while they also shared a goalless draw with the St Mary’s Festival XI.

The victories solidified Menlopark’s status as a serious contender for the title. With momentum on their side, they’ll be in the spotlight in the next round of the festival.

In Pool D, Oranje took over at the summit of the group from St Anne’s, who had scored three wins from three outings on Friday.

Oranje, the seven-time champions, were boosted by a surprisingly comfortable 5-1 victory over Herschel and a 1-0 win over Kingsmead College.

They bagged another point in a 1-1 draw with St Anne’s and one more from a goalless stalemate against Paarl Gimnasium.

Gim finished in second position, followed by St Anne’s and Durban’s Our Lady of Fatima. Both Gim and Our Lady of Fatima bagged two wins and two draws on Friday.

RESULTS

POOL A

DGC 1-0- Menlopark
St Mary’s Festival XI 0-1 TWC
Penryn 0-2 Waterkloof
Somerset College 0-1 Pearson
Waterkloof 0-0 DGC
St Mary’s Festival XI 0-1 Pearson
TWC 1-1 Somerset College
Penryn 0-4 Menlopark
Somerset College 0-0 St Mary’s Festival XI
Menlopark 1-0 Waterkloof
Pearson 0-0 DGC
Penryn 0-0 TWC
Waterkloof 3-0 St Mary’s Festival XI
Menlopark 2-1 Pearson
DGC 1-0 TWC
Somerset College 1-0 Penryn

POOL D

Paarl Girls’ High 0-2 Our Lady of Fatima
St Anne’s 2-0 Kingsmead
Herschel 1-1 Collegiate
Oranje 0-0 Paarl Gim
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Herschel
Paarl Gim 0-0 St Anne’s
Paarl Girls’ High 0-2 Collegiate
Oranje 1-0 Kingsmead
Paarl Gim 2-1 Herschel
Kingsmead 0-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Collegiate 1-1 Our Lady of Fatima
Oranje 1-1 St Anne’s
Paarl Girls’ High 0-1 Paarl Gim
Kingsmead 0-2 Collegiate
Our Lady of Fatima 1-0 St Anne’s
Herschel 1-5 Oranje

Thursday’s pool stages of the St Mary’s Waverley Festival loaded up on action, with Hoërskool Waterkloof taking an early lead in Pool A after winning all three of their matches.

They showcased skill, teamwork, and a devastating counterattack to claim maximum points.

The Pretoria school started their run of victories with a 2-0 win over Somerset College.

They were given a scare by The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC) in their second game but pulled off a 1-0 win.

In their third clash, they found Pearson a tough nut to crack, but two stunning length-of-the-field goals took them into a 2-0 lead and, ultimately, a 2-1 victory.

Durban Girls’ College (DGC) was not far behind after two impressive victories and a draw. Their strong play kept the defending champion in contention as the battle for the top spot intensified.

The KwaZulu Natal girls beat Penryn 3-0 in their opener before edging out the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI 1-0. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Somerset College.

Die Hoërskool Menlopark also grabbed two wins and a draw. They occupied third place with seven points at the end of the day.

Coach Brad Brook‘s team had a slow start as they finished their first match against the St Mary’s Festival XI in a goalless stalemate. However, they stepped up their game against Somerset College in their second outing, scoring a 2-0 victory, and they repeated that scoreline in a win over TWC.

In Pool D, St Anne’s Diocesan College strung together three wins on the trot to sit atop the standings. The games themselves were tight, however.

Coach Morné Odendaal‘s side scored narrow 1-0 wins over Collegiate Girls’ High School and Herschel Girls School before a more emphatic 3-1 victory against Paarl Girls’ High, who failed to pick up a win in three matches. They struggled to find momentum and will be eager to reverse course on Friday.

Paarl Gimnasium and Oranje are lurking should St Anne’s experience any setbacks on day two. Both teams won two and drew one on Thursday.

RESULTS

POOL A

POOL D

Paarl Gim 5-0 Kingsmead
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Oranje
Paarl Girls’ High 0-5 Herschel
St Anne’s 1-0 Collegiate
Kingsmead 0-2 Herschel
Paarl Gim 1-0 Our Lady of Fatima
Collegiate 0-1 Oranje
Paarl Girls’ High 1-3 St Anne’s
Collegiate 1-1 Paarl Gim
Oranje 3-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Herschel 0-1 St Anne’s

Zwartkop Hoërskool is thrilled to be among the 96 teams that will be heading to the southern suburbs of Cape Town for the 2025 Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament.

Coach Connor Flowers‘ side will be making their debut at the tournament, which runs from 1-5 April.

Zwartkop’s Director of Hockey, Marthinus Gouws was excited about the school earning an invitation to the event: “This will be our first Belgotex,” he said. “We attended the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament in July 2024, and I believe our good showing at that event got us an invite to the 2025 Belgotex Easter Hockey Tournament.”

The Pretoria side has shown tremendous improvement in their game and has run up some big scores already this season.

They opened it with a big 13-0 triumph over Hoërskool Klerksdorp. In the past week, they outplayed Hoërskool Hugenote 7-0 in the pool stages of the NWU Prestige Sport Series and followed up with a 10-0 romp against Hoërskool Wagpos.

The competition in the Western Cape will, undoubtedly, be tougher, and Gouws said Zwarries will not set targets for themselves.

“Obviously, we would like to end up as high as possible at the end, but coach Connor and I believe in a game-for-game and quarter-by-quarter mindset. If we accomplish this, the rest will take care of itself,” he explained.

Zwartkop has built up a solid squad, including captain Handré Coetzee and vice-captain Roché Oberholzer, who have both been in the first team for three years and are closing in on 75 matches for the side. Douw Nel and Jordan Cooks, both in grade 11, are in their second year in the 1st XI.

Gouws said the quartet offers different qualities to the first side: “All four bring different personalities and playing styles to the team that complement each other, with a balance of natural defending and all-out flare.”

Zwarries have been drawn in Pool 10 where they will face Hermanus and Curro Durbanville. They open their challenge on Wednesday, 2 April, against Hermanus.

Gouws said he would have liked better preparation before the big event. He explained: “We are not where we should be as two of our games before this, our Klerksdorp and Wagpos games, were stopped at halftime as we were already up past 10 goals.

“The other game, against Hugenote, we won 7-0 with no real competition from them. I don’t want to sound or seem high, but they did not give us any realistic test in the game. It’s nothing against them or their schools, our hockey programme is just farther along than theirs.

“So, I am worried we might be entering this a bit under-cooked, but I feel we might just see real character come out in such times,” he concluded.

The hosts of the Founders Hockey Festival, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) made good use of their home-ground advantage by registering back-to-back wins on the opening day of the event, in Pretoria, on Saturday.

They began their campaign with an outing against Kearsney, who hosted the Founders Festival in 2024 and went unbeaten.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

In a high-intensity clash, Affies netted their first goal when they converted a penalty corner in the first chukka. They doubled their advantage in the second chukka to take a healthy lead into the halftime break.

Kearsney strung some good sequences of play together, but they were unable to break through the home side’s stubborn defence.

They were made to pay when the hosts struck once more in the third chukka, which led to a solid 3-0 victory, courtesy of a double from Gunther Schubert, with the other goal coming from the stick of Rudolf Thiart.

In their second match, Affies took on Parktown Boys’ High School. Coach Colin Mendoza’s side picked up where they left off against Kearsney and were rewarded with a deserved 3-1 victory.

St Stithians College also went two from two, with their hard work bringing them a 3-1 win over Queen’s College, which they followed with a nail-biting 4-3 defeat of Paarl Gimnasium.

Northwood School, after a slow start to the day in a goalless draw against Rondebosch Boys’ High, found the back of the net twice against Dale College to secure a 2-0 win. Rondebosch followed their morning draw with a tight 1-0 victory over Kearsney.

Dale suffered two losses on the day, also going down 0-4 to St David’s Marist Inanda. They’ll attempt to reverse course on Sunday when they take on Kearsney and Parktown Boys’ High.

Paarl Gim is still in search of a first win at the festival. After their narrow loss to St Stithians, they played to a 2-2 draw with Parktown.

Queen’s College is also chasing a first victory. Apart from their 1-3 loss to Saints, they shared a high-scoring 3-3 draw with St David’s.

Sunday’s schedule features 10 matches.

DAY 1 RESULTS

Affies 3-0 Kearsney
Bosch 0-0 Northwood
Paarl Gim 2-2 Parktown
Saints 3-1 Queens
St David’s 4-0 Dale
Northwood 2-0 Dale
St David’s 3-3 Queens
Rondebosch 1-0 Kearsney
Saints 4-3 Paarl Gim
Affies 3-1 Parktown

FIXTURES

Sunday, 30 March

07:30 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Paarl Gim
08:35 – St Stithians v Affies
09:40 – Northwood vs Queen’s
10:45 – Parktown vs Rondebosch
11:50 – Kearsney vs Dale
13:00 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Affies
14:05 – Northwood vs Paarl Gim
15:10 – St Stithians vs Rondebosch
16:15 – Parktown vs Dale
17:20 – Kearsney vs Queen’s

Monday, 31 March

07:30 – Parktown vs Queen’s
08:35 – St Stithians vs Dale
09:40 – Northwood vs Affies
10:45 – St David’s vs Rondebosch
11:50 – Kearney vs Paarl Gim