Author: cschiwanza

Coach Justin Collins and the Northwood hockey first team have reason to look back on their 2025 season with pride. The Knights returned an impressive 63 percent win rate, recording 17 victories, four draws, and only six defeats.

Reflecting on his players’ efforts, Collins told SuperSport Schools Plus: “I was happy with the boys’ performances. I thought we played some good hockey. They showed some good progression and stepped up when needed.”

Northwood, though, began their season on the back foot, when they stumbled in their season-opener. They put up a fight, clawing their way from 2-5 down to lose 4-5 to Michaelhouse, one of the most improved teams of the 2025 season.

The Knights showed their mettle next time out, travelling to Maritzburg College, where they registered a thrilling 4-3 win on Pape’s Astro.

“The boys showed massive fight and character to come back from being 2-0 down in the first 10 minutes and scored four unanswered goals on Pape’s,” Collins said.

That victory was the first positive result in a 14-match unbeaten streak, which included 10 wins, including over Queen’s College, Dale College, Affies, Westville Boys’ High, Waterkloof, Pearson, Helpmekaar, Selborne, and a Queensmead XI. They drew with Rondebosch Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium, King Edward VII (KES), and Kearsney College.

Their unbeaten run was halted by coach Siya Sityana‘s Jeppe, who would go on to compile an outstanding undefeated season. That loss came just before a second trip to Michaelhouse.

Visiting Balgowan again, the Knights had only one thing on their mind: they wanted to exact revenge on coach Nick Bérichon’s charges. They were successful, claiming a hard-fought 3-2 victory with a typically gritty, never-say-die performance.

“That win, after trailing for most of the game, was wonderful. To come back in front of their home crowd and win that game in the dying moments was massive,” Collins recalled.

The Knights followed that triumph with their biggest victory of the season when they steamrolled Glenwood 8-1. However, their best performance was still to come. It arrived late in the season when they hosted coach Keegan Hezlett‘s Durban High School (DHS).

In recent seasons, matches between the two Durban schools have been intensely competitive, with little to separate them. On this occasion, Northwood gave their home fans plenty to cheer, scoring a 2-1 victory. Again, it was a reversal of an earlier loss to the same opposition.

“This was the first time the matric boys had beaten a strong DHS team since they joined as Grade 8 boys. This showed the boys’ progression at Northwood over the years,” Collins shared.

Unfortunately for the Knights, that was one of only two wins for them in their last five fixtures of the season. The other was the aforementioned success against Glenwood.

They completed their season with a Western Cape tour and came out on the wrong end against SACS, Wynberg Boys’ High, and Paul Roos – admittedly some of the best teams around.

The Knights had several matrics in their side, and their skills and experience will be missed in 2026. That said, they have maintained a strong core around which to construct next year’s team.

“We have six guys staying behind, but we’ve got an exciting group of coming through in grade 10 to bolster our team for next year,” Collins said.

That’s good reason to hope for, and to expect, another strong season from the Northwood Knights.

Twelve captains will lead 156 players onto the field to compete in the St David’s Marist Inanda Fasken Time Cricket Festival, from Thursday, 28, to Sunday, 31 August.

The showpiece, which is its seventh year, will feature the hosts St David’s, St Stithians College, St Andrew’s School, King Edward VII School, Clifton College, Hoërskool Nelspruit, St Charles College, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Jeppe High School for Boys, St John’s College, Hoërskool Noordheuwel, and the Lions Invitational XI.

“It’s a massive value to the youngsters to be able to come into a pre-season festival, where they can bat for long periods, bowl for long periods and get time on their feet,” Dave Nosworthy, the St David’s Director of Sports Performance and Cricket, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

Time cricket is school cricket’s version of red-ball cricket at the professional level. Players compete for five days in Tests, for four days in first-class cricket, and for two in time cricket.

Nosworthy said the format gives batsmen time in the middle without the restraints of limited overs’ cricket. Bowlers, meanwhile, learn to bowl longer spells and, also, have the ability to return to the attack for multiple spells. For the captains, it is a learning platform for game management.

“They play on pitches that are wearing and that are older after four days and stuff like that, so it brings in different fielding positions for the captains, to get guys around the bat, and an extra slip, an extra short leg, and silly point.

“The spinners come into the game massively, so there’s a huge number of opportunities for boys to learn a different format of the game and to solidify their platforms and their base,” Nosworthy explained.

The format also helps players to develop their character in the game. As Nosworthy states in the festival programme, “The true test of character isn’t in the easy runs, but in the long spells, the tough sessions, and the moments that demand resilience”.

He added: “I think everybody that’s played the game agrees, and speak to any current international, 99 percent of them have played the longer format before they just head on into white ball cricket. Knowing your defence and knowing the game a lot better helps players massively, and that is what Time Cricket brings.”

Nosworthy’s assertion is backed up by the many players who have participated in the festival and have gone on to play cricket at provincial and national level. Over 100 players adorn their honours board, including Gerald Coetzee, Bryce Parsons, Wandile Makwetu, and Curtis Campher, who were part of the 2017 cohort.

Proteas’ all-rounder, Marco Jansen and his brother Duan, along with Michael Copeland, took part in 2018, while 2019’s group of players included Connor Esterhuizen and Andile Simelane. Teenage sensations Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, and Richard Seletswane were part of the 2022 group, and junior Springbok star Riley Norton played in 2023.

The next wave of stars, who have represented the South Africa u19 team, include the hosts’ Jason Rowles and Armaan Manack, while Waterkloof’s lineup includes Titans u19 star Wian Ruthven.

The festival wouldn’t be possible without the support St David’s receives from their various sponsors, most notably, the event’s title sponsor, Fasken Law. “Their investment into the pathway of South African cricket has been invaluable,” Nosworthy stated.

“There aren’t too many of these types of festivals for the youngsters, so when sponsors like Fasken commit to invest in our youth and are prepared to go the extra mile, it is awesome.”

Blaize Vance, a managing partner at Fasken Law, said the company sees its partnership with St David’s and the festival as a good fit with their core values.

“I think we judge talent wrongly. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent.

“Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent,” Vance said in the festival programme.

MATCHES

28/29 August

Waterkloof vs St David’s (La Valla Oval)
Clifton vs Noordheuwel (Gier Oval)
St Andrew’s vs Jeppe (La Rosey)
St Charles vs KES (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Nelspruit vs St John’s (Mitchell Oval)
Lions XI vs St Stithians (Dlamini Oval)

30/31 August

St David’s vs Lions XI (La Valla Oval)
St John’s vs St Charles (Mitchell Oval)
St Stithians vs St Andrew’s (Dlamini Oval)
Jeppe vs Waterkloof (Gier Oval)
KES vs Clifton (Temba Bavuma Oval)
Noordheuwel vs Nelspruit (La Rosey)

Graeme College is determined to establish itself as one of the leading cricket-playing schools in the country. Towards this goal, they have partnered with the Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department (HKE).

The HKE is assisting Graeme College to enhance player development through scientific testing.

The institution has been on a steep development curve over the last few years. They had six players in the title-winning Eastern Province u16A team at the National Week last year, and they also made it to the finals of the inaugural Schools SA20. They hope to go all the way and clinch the title this season.

“We are excited about this partnership; the HKE is designing personalised programmes for our boys based on their body physique and composition,” Odwa Xonxa, the Graeme College coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The programme, which has been running for three weeks, is assisting Graeme College’s players to develop better athleticism, balance and body literacy, which will in turn help with performance on the cricket field. According to Xonxa, this will help to bridge the gap between the school system and professional sport.

The collaboration was realised after Xonxa had approached the HKE with a vision for a programme that would ensure that every boy, one day, left Graeme College knowing that the school cared about them and their physical development.

“It was an obvious space for collaboration between us and the school,” Andrew Todd, from Rhodes University’s HKE department, said.

“For a start, we identified the cricket programme as a sensible launch pad from which our students could provide high-performance and strength and conditioning support to the high-performing cricketers.”

According to Todd, his team conducted baseline motor fitness assessments, focusing on power, flexibility, strength, balance and agility—key components of cricket performance. They tested players using countermovement jumps, centre of pressure and plyometric push-ups.

“The tests helped players to gain insights into their physical capabilities. The data that we collect enables us to customise their training programmes to better suit their individual profiles and performance goals,” Todd said.

For batters, a major area of work focuses on balance, their ability to shift weight from the front to back foot effectively and efficiently, while for fast bowlers, the HKE is deploying strengthening programmes to support them.

“We use force plate technologies to identify asymmetries and key areas to focus on for each player and will use this to track the efficacy of the programmes implemented, for example, through tracking counter movement jump characteristics,” Todd explained.

While the programme will help batters and bowlers improve their skills, it does not end there.

Todd’s team will also focus on other aspects of performance enhancement, including balancing training load with recovery. His team will work with the cricketers to understand their sleeping patterns and why adequate sleep is vital for recovery post-performance. This side of the programme will receive guidance from Prof. Jono Davy, a leading expert in sleep and performance.

“The exercises will be embedded into the training routines of the cricketers through collaborating with the coaches so that the programme becomes self-sustaining in the future,” Todd said.

The programme will run for the rest of the 2025 academic calendar. However, Graeme College and HKE’s goal is to create a sustainable relationship that continues to build on the blocks put in place each year. This will result in a mutually beneficial relationship between the school and the department.

A triumphant St John’s College was in high spirits when they touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday evening. The Blues were returning home from a successful 12-day preseason excursion to Sri Lanka that took them to Colombo, Kandy, and Galle, where they won six of their eight matches.

“The tour provided not only tough cricket but also a platform to test new combinations, blood younger players, and experience the culture of a proud cricketing nation,” Bongani Ntini, the St John’s coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The Blues began their expedition with a three-match series, two 50-over contests and a single T20, against Wesley College, St Peter’s College, and St Joseph’s College in Colombo. Their first assignment was against Wesley, who won the toss and elected to field first.

Darshik Lutchman lashed a brilliant 59-ball 77 to help The Blues reach 251 in 50 overs. His effort was well-supported by James Yuill’s 39 runs from 47 balls. Alec Loveland, the skipper, and Aiden Barberini bagged two wickets apiece as they bowled St John’s to a thrilling 8-run victory.

Unfortunately, The Blues couldn’t maintain that momentum as they fell to a one-wicket loss to St Peter’s in their second outing. The visitors made 214 in 50 overs batting first, courtesy of half-centuries from Lutchman (55 off 61) and Yuill (55 off 65). However, the milestones were not enough to lead The Blues to an unassailable total.

Loveland produced his best innings of the tour in the visitors’ first T20 encounter. The captain rinsed a 56-ball 100 to lift The Blues t 183/6, before Nkosana Sibiya, Malan Du Plessis, and Joshua Nyamaropa took two wickets each, to ensure a commanding 66-run win.

“The tour was invaluable for building squad depth — with the squared rotation policy ensuring every player had the chance to make contributions deep into the tour. Even in match seven or eight, energy levels and the will to win remained high,” Ntini explained.

From Colombo, St John’s headed to Kandy, where they jostled against the RSA Academy and Maliyadeva College. Herman Basson put his all-round skills on display against RSA with a fluent half-century (82 off 61) and a three-wicket haul (3/32), as The Blues secured a 29-run win.

With the bat, Basson was supported by Aiden Barberini, who thrashed an unbeaten 89 (113), as he shepherded St John’s to 254 in 50 overs. Connor van der Walt complimented Basson with the ball with 3/30 in eight overs.

Maliyadeva put The Blues on trial by spin in their fourth 50-over fixture. However, despite their best efforts, including some resistance with the bat, Maliyadeva made light work of the total set by St John’s and registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory.

“The match against Maliyadeva proved to be a crucial learning experience about playing quality spin in subcontinental conditions,” Ntini reflected.

From Kandy, The Blues headed to Galle, where they played Richmond College in a 50-over tie and then duelled with Foundation of Goodness and Holy Cross College in T20 encounters.

Basson showed his quality with the bat again with a well-played half-century, 53 off 82, on a tough wicket as he guided The Blues to a six-wicket win over Richmond. Joshua Hall ensured that an end remained intact with a patient 58-ball 38 in the chase. St John’s victory was set up by David Ireland’s outstanding bowling spell that produced three wickets for 31 runs in 10 overs.

“The tour allowed younger players to gain confidence without the immediate pressure of local rivalries, while combinations for the coming season were tested with success,” Ntini said.

Conquering tough conditions against Richmond gave St John’s confidence as they went into their last two matches. Lwazi Khupe (3/19) and Ireland (2/18) took five wickets between them as The Blues bundled Foundation of Goodness out for 119 in a T20 tie. Michael Stubbs then lashed a 16-ball 30 as St John’s raced to a four-wicket victory.

The match against Holy Cross was supposed to be a 50-over encounter; however, it was reduced to 20 overs a side due to conditions. Hall starred with the bat, spanking an unbeaten 68 from 43 balls as he steered The Blues to 161.

Basson and Barberini, who both returned figures of 2/17, dictated terms during Holy Cross’ chase as they helped St John’s close the tour with a 25-run win.

“Beyond the matches, the squad also enjoyed valuable educational excursions that gave the boys deep insight into the humility, care, and generosity of the Sri Lankan people. They learned vital life lessons: the boys were humbled by the generosity, love, and respect of a community that, despite not having much materially, gave selflessly at every opportunity,” Ntini shared.

The Blues will put the skills they sharpened and learned during their tour in their first local assignment, the Fasken Two-Day Festival on the 28th of August, where they face Clifton and Nelspruit. After that, they will head to KwaZulu-Natal for the Michaelmas Festival from 4–7 October. Michaelmas will be the final showcase for this year’s matric group.

Raffael Abrahams and Chelsey McGregor scored a brace each as South Africa u17A completed a clean sweep of their Allistar Fredericks Africa Challenge four-match series with a 5-0 win over Zimbabwe u18A at St David’s Marist Inanda, in Sandton, on Friday.

The margin was South Africa’s largest, after previous back-to-back 4-0 victories in their first and second matches, then a 3-0 win in the third game.

After their second match, coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer stated that the team’s main focus was on improving. There was no better testament to that than the fact that her charges were more clinical and had the Zimbabweans chasing shadows after four days of action.

“We grew massively as a team,” Pienaar-Geyer told Supersport Schools Plus.

“We focused on our structure during outlets and played around with different shapes. We also worked on our press, and turning over the ball in specific areas, which made a big difference.”

The visible strides the girls made imbued Pienaar-Geyer with confidence that the team would be able to hold their own and challenge strongly at the Dato Mirnawan Cup, in Malaysia, later in the year. She coached the outfit that contested the annual event last year and has a full understanding of the tournament’s demands.

Pienaar-Geyer also said that while the spotlight and credit for the team’s success falls on her, it had been a team effort. She leaned on the wisdom and experience of her coaching staff: assistant coach, Illse Davids; Damian Kimfley, who served as the team’s video analyst; the goalkeepers’ coach, Shaun Laubscher; and Nonnie Mtolo, the team manager.

“We worked super well together. I also want to thank the SASHOC executive team, specifically Sharmin Naidoo and Wayne Marsden, for creating this opportunity for the kids and staff,” Pienaar-Geyer said.

On Friday, the match seemed like a continuation of the teams’ Thursday encounter, which finished 3-0 in favour of the hosts. For much of the contest, South Africa flooded the Zimbabwe final third in search of a goal, while the visitors had a sea of white shirts defending against South Africa’s incursions.

The initial breakthrough came five minutes before the end of the first chukka when Raffael Abrahams scored from a penalty corner when the ball somehow evaded everyone else and she tapped in at the far post.

South Africa could have gone 2-0 up in the last minute of the quarter, when Chelsey McGregor forced a turnover on the edge of the Zimbabwe circle. But the visitors scrambled well to keep the home team out. However, the reprieve was only momentary. Azania Petersen kept the attack alive and fed McGregor, who would not be denied on the second time of asking a few seconds later.

Petersen, then, turned from provider to scorer shortly after the resumption of play in the second chukka. After Emihle Wulana found Petersen unmarked in the circle, the St Andrew’s schoolgirl made no mistake from close range.

In the final chukka, Petersen was again in the thick of things. She closed down a Zimbabwean player immediately after the restart, won the ball, and threaded a pass to Abrahams, who showed nifty skills, putting her indoor hockey experience on display, as she beat the Zimbabwe goalkeeper to score her second goal of the day.

That strike brought Abrahams’ tally for the tournament to three, making her the joint-highest scorer, alongside Jemma Ferreira, who scored her three goals in the first two matches.

Timari Jonker, Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Zezethu Kunene, and McGregor combined beautifully for South Africa’s fifth goal. It began when Jonker forced a turnover in South Africa’s half. She, then, slid a pass to Groenewald, who dribbled past a handful of Zimbabwe defenders before playing the ball into the opposition’s circle.

Kunene screened the advancing Zimbabwean ‘keeper well and helped the ball on to McGregor, who scored her second and South Africa’s fifth.

While South Africa’s forwards will get the plaudits for consistently finding the back of the net, their defence deserves mention for the manner in which they held the visitors at bay. They denied Zimbabwe circle entries and in the odd moments that the visitors sneaked through, they were stonewalled by South Africa’s goalkeeping pair of Annika Kloppers and Peyton Marais, who took turns in goal.

“We aimed to play with intent and have fun, and we ticked all the boxes,” Pienaar-Geyer said.

Results

South Africa u17A: 5 (Raffael Abrahams (2), Chelsey McGregor (2), Azania Petersen). Zimbabwe u18A: 0.
SA u16A: 3. Zimbabwe u16A: 0.

South Africa u17A faced a tough test and prevailed with a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe u18A in their third Allistar Fredericks Africa Challenge match at St David’s Marist Inanda, in Sandton, on Thursday evening.

Catch the Allistar Fredericks Africa Challenge action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer’s charges have displayed good goalscoring instincts, netting 11 goals in three matches against Zimbabwe, while their backline has shown composure and skill, keeping three consecutive clean sheets.

With one game to go in the four-match series, South Africa leads 3-0. It’s been good preparation for the home side, which will contest the annual Dato Mirnawan Cup, in Malaysia, in November.

In their first meeting with Zimbabwe, on Tuesday, South Africa registered a 4-0 win. They followed that up with another 4-0 win on Wednesday.

Early on, in Thursday’s clash, South Africa dominated and earned five penalty corners in the first chukka without conceding one. They converted two of those into goals.

Timari Jonker, who was recognised as the Player of the Match for her industrious and effective performance, gave South Africa the lead when she converted their second PC of the match by deflecting a ball from Raffael Abrahams into the back of the net.

Claire Volschenk made it 2-0, also from a short corner. Zimbabwe thought they had done well to parry a South African shot on goal, but Volschenk pounced on the rebound and executed a brilliant tomahawk to score four minutes before the end of the chukka.

There was enough time for South Africa to add another before the quarter came to an end. Busiwe Mayekiso, who scored three times at the SASHOC National Week for Border, recorded her maiden international goal when she received a wonderful pass in the circle and made no mistake from close to the penalty spot.

Two minutes before halftime, Zimbabwe had an opportunity to pull a goal back when they were awarded a penalty stroke. Jodie Anderson tried to fire the ball into the top right corner. However, instead of finding the back of the net, the ball was met by goalkeeper Peyton Marais, who pulled off a brilliant save.

After conceding three times in the opening chukka, Zimbabwe improved in the second and third chukkas, enjoying more possession than they had been afforded in the early going. However, they struggled to create goal scoring opportunities. South Africa, on the other hand, caused problems in the Zimbabwe final third, but lacked the last touch.

The final chukka was hotly contested. Zimbabwe mustered some enterprising sprints into the South African half and final third. But they were met by a stubborn and composed defence. SA goalie, Annika Kloppers, didn’t have much to do, needing to make only one save.

At the other end of the field, South Africa launched several forays into the Zimbabwean half, but they were slowed by a sea of white shirts, with the Zimbabweans determined not to concede any more goals. Pienaar-Geyer’s side gave it a good go, but there was no give in the Zimbabwe defence.

On Friday evening, the South Africa u17 side will have one more opportunity to fine-tune their combinations. The fourth and final match of the series takes place at 17:00 at St David’s Marist Inanda.

Results

SA u17A: 3 (Timari Jonker, Claire Volschenk, Busiwe Mayekiso). Zimbabwe u18A: 0.
SA u16A: 7. Zimbabwe u16A: 0.

South Africa u17A carbon copied their result from Tuesday, when they cantered to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Zimbabwe u18A in their Allistar Fredericks Africa Challenge contest at St David’s Marist Inanda, in Sandton, on Wednesday evening.

The win gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the four-match series, which they’re using as part of their preparation for the annual Dato Mirnawan Cup, to be played in Malaysia in November.

“I think we definitely improved from yesterday,” Omari Pienaar-Geyer, the SA u17A coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus. “I am so excited to see what we can do tomorrow with a few more tweaks and combos,”

South Africa aimed to pick up from where they left off on Tuesday and quickly asserted themselves, enjoying the lion’s share of the possession. However, that advantage failed to translate into a goal in the face of a stubborn Zimbabwean defensive effort, despite several circle entries from the home team.

In fact, Zimbabwe almost took the lead, against the run of play, in the latter part of the second chukka when Joice Mandozana received a through-pass that put her in a one-on-one with Annika Kloppers, in goal for South Africa. Mandozana, though, was unable to get a shot off, although South Africa conceded a short corner.

“It was a slow start, but our fundamentals improved, and our tactical play and playing together got better,” Pienaar-Geyer said.

Three minutes later, South Africa made the visitors pay dearly for missing their goal scoring opportunity. After a couple of re-awards of a penalty corner, they went the direct route, and Jemma Ferreira unfurled a flick to goalkeeper Janelle Wightman‘s left, which ricocheted off the stick of the player on the post and into the back of the goalbox.

That goal raised Ferreira’s tally to three goals in the tournament after she struck twice on Tuesday, with those two also coming from penalty corner conversions.

Three minutes later, South Africa made 2-0 when Jamie da Silva drilled the ball into the back of the net off South Africa’s sixth penalty corner.

Zimbabwe started the third chukka brightly, enjoying long attacking phases in the early going. However, the core of South Africa’s defence, Katherine Sickle, Ella Bowyer, and Ferreira, held firm and frustrated the visitors.

Soon, South Africa had reestablished control. They had Zimbabwe chasing shadows as they strung together passes, moving the ball smartly in their own half before attacking with flair in the opposition’s half.

“In the last chukka, we really stepped up our aggression in the press to turn over the ball. With most of the ball possession, we need to keep a solid structure at the back,” Pienaar-Geyer explained.

While South Africa’s aggressive pressing caused headaches for the visitors, it wasn’t the source of the home side’s third goal. That came from an intercept by Timari Jonker close to the halfway line. After briefly carrying the ball forward, she picked out Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, who cut left and then fired a sweetly-struck tomahawk past the Zimbabwe ‘keeper with six minutes remaining in the contest.

Her goal put the game out of Zimbabwe’s reach. However, the hosts were not done yet. They grabbed their fourth from a penalty corner, with the captain Phillipa Viljoen converting from the second castle.

South Africa has another date with Zimbabwe’s u18A side on Thursday at 17:00. While coach Pienaar-Geyer is not focused on the scoreline, she is hoping to see a more clinical performance from her team.

“Our biggest focus is to keep getting better. Every match is a chance to improve,” Pienaar-Geyer said.

Result

South Africa u17A: 4 (Jemma Ferreira, Jamie Da Silva, Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Phillipa Viljoen). Zimbabwe u18A: 0.
South Africa u16A: 7. Zimbabwe u16A: 0.

Fynn Campbell signed off his 107-cap hockey career with King Edward VII School‘s (KES) 1st XI in style on Saturday, scoring the final goal in his side’s stirring 4-2 victory over Durban High School (DHS), at The Coliseum, in Durban.

“It feels amazing. I started playing first-team hockey in Grade 9, and I have loved every moment,” Campbell told SuperSport Schools Plus after the game.

“I have been looking forward to this game. I knew it was going to be a good game. We desperately wanted to win.”

The skipper wasn’t the only one playing in his last match for the Red Sticks, with KES bidding farewell to 10 other players on Saturday.

The home side, meanwhile, watched four of their best players run out on the Blue and Gold Astro for the final time. Before the start of play, a guard of honour was formed for DHS captain Josh Mungherera, Bhavesh Naicker, Tyrique Cloete, and Sithsaba Siyoyo. all of whom were selected for national teams during their school careers.

Unfortunately for the hosts, the visitors executed their game plan superbly and hit DHS on the counterattack to seize the initiative. Once in front, they maintained control of the contest.

While KES was able to make some incisive forays into the DHS circle, when the home side attacked, they did a good job of shepherding DHS into comfortable zones for their defence to handle the home side’s forwards, directing the action towards the flanks of the field. When School brought the ball inside, KES flooded the central area, forcing the locals to run laterally without making meaningful circle entries

“We did a good job of guiding them to the outside, where it’s least dangerous for us. We did plan on that. It is one of the things we practiced this week,” Campbell explained.

The visitors drew first blood with a goal from Reece Small in the final seconds of the first chukka. After a sharp counterattack down the right, he provided a diving finish on the far post to give his side the lead.

Then, towards the end of the second chukka, KES intercepted a pass close to the halfway line and went on the offensive. A defence-splitting pass opened up an opportunity for a shot on goal, but it was parried DHS goalkeeper Dilan Ebrahim. Small, though, was in the right place at the right time and he slotted the rebound to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Eight minutes into the second half, DHS cut into KES’s lead when Thanda Ngejane pounced on a short corner rebound, pivoted and fired home. The Horseflies had started the second stanza with their intensity raised, and they had KES on the back foot. However, after KES had conceded, they quickly struck back.

They caught out DHS with a scything counterattack to win a penalty corner. A variation was stopped on the right-hand post by DHS, but the ball fell favourably for Kamohelo Tsoka, who slapped it into the backboard to make the score 3-1.

DHS never rolls over, however, and they kept up the fight. Five minutes into the last chukka, they pulled to within a goal of KES. A penalty corner trap was bobbled, but Christopher Abrahams picked up the ball, pulled it to his left and unleashed a sweet tomahawk to make it 3-2 to the Red Sticks.

DHS had hope, trailing by a goal, but it was left to the KES captain, Fynn Campbell, a calm presence in an at times fractious contest, to decide the outcome.

He stepped up to take a penalty stroke, with four minutes left on the clock. Cool as a cucumber, he dispatched the chance to make the game safe for his team.

Result

King Edward VII School: 4 (Reece Small 2, Kamohelo Tsoka, Fynn Campbell). Durban High School: 2 (Thanda Ngejane , Chris Abrahams).

Alanda Rademeyer scored a brace to lead Paarl Gimnasium to their maiden Fairtree Super 12 title at Oranje Meisieskool, in Bloemfontein, on Saturday.

Up against their Boland rivals, HMS Bloemhof, Gim recorded a comfortable 4-1 victory to claim the coveted trophy.

Rademeyer, Gim’s star forward, added three awards to her winner’s medal, collecting the Player of the Tournament, Best Forward, and Top Goal Scorer accolades.

With their victory, Paarl Gim became the fifth team to win the Super 12 title, joining Rhenish Girls’ High, Eunice High, Die Hoërskool Menlopark, and Oranje.

Previously, their best finish was second place in 2023. Before that, they oscillated between fourth and fifth positions in six appearances, with a sixth-place finish in 2018 being the outlier.

“We had some learning experiences during the tournament. Being ahead 2-0 (against Collegiate) and drawing the match, and being behind (versus St Anne’s) 3-0, and drawing the match 3-3. So, there were definitely some lessons learned through this tournament, and the girls really dug deep to fight till the end,” Danelle van Zyl, the Paarl Gim coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.

In the semi-finals, Gimmies proved they had the mettle to go all the way when they stopped last year’s winners, Rhenish, who had won all of their matches up until then, dead in their tracks. Paarl Gim was tested to the hilt, but they pulled through.

Leah du Plessis broke open a tight contest in the 33rd minute to give Rhenish the lead, and it appeared as if the defending champs would march on until Rademeyer kept Paarl Gim’s campaign alive with a goal six minutes from full-time. That strike sent the match to a penalty shootout and Van Zyl’s charges triumphed 3-1.

While taxing, their semifinal win left Gim invigorated for the final, where they met a well-organised Bloemhof side which boasted the second-best defensive record at the tournament. They had conceded only three times on their way to the final, which was bettered only by Rhenish’s two.

By contrast, Paarl Gim had conceded the second-most goals in the group stages, with nine, trailing only the 12 given up by Our Lady of Fatima. Paarl Gim, however, balanced matters by slotting 12 goals in the group stage, with Alanda Rademeyer setting the standard. In the final, she unlocked Bloemhof’s defence twice.

“Alanda is incredible. When she gets the ball, you wait for something to happen. This is the most consistent she has been throughout a tournament, and for an u16 player getting the Player of the Tournament award, that’s very special,” Van Zyl shared.

In the eighth minute of the title decider, Rademeyer broke loose after receiving a through pass from the back. Then, after outpacing the defenders, she had no trouble beating the advancing Bloemhof goalkeeper to open the scoring.

Marili Walters made it 2-0 barely a minute later with a touch of individual brilliance to put Gim firmly in control.

She forced a turnover in the Bloemhof half, then carried the ball into the circle before tucking the ball in at the far post.

In the 31st minute, Rademeyer fired in her 11th goal of the tournament and her second of the match when, after receiving a through-ball, she uncorked a shot on the move.

Imke Koegelenberg put the game beyond Bloemhof’s reach when she netted another field goal seven minutes later.

Despite trailing 0-4, Bloemhof kept working hard, trying to set an unlikely comeback in motion. Coach Jenny King‘s charges picked up a goal seven minutes from full-time through Elré Oosthuizen, who converted a penalty corner, but the result was not in question.

“Our girls really surprised me. I didn’t think they could run that much after a tough Rhenish semi. I am so proud of every single girl in our team, and they deserve that gold medal,” Van Zyl said.

“I told them to just go out and enjoy every moment of our last match together because this is a special group of girls.”

Results

Final: Paarl Gim: 4 (Alanda Rademeyer 2), Marili Walters, Imke Koegelenberg). Bloemhof: 1 (Elré Oosthuizen).
3/4: Rhenish: 3 (Chelsey Woolf, Leah du Plessis, Frankie Henn). DSG Makhanda: 0.
5/6: Waterkloof: 2 (Mieke van Antwerpen, Lenique Vogel). Eunice: 1 (Mia Oertel).
7/8: Collegiate: 2 (Kerrin Gillies, Tayla Paxton). St Anne’s: 0.
9/10: Menlopark: (2) 1 (Zoe Badenhorst). St Mary’s DSG, Kloof: (1) 1 (Jenna-Leigh Freese).
11/12: Oranje: (2) 1 Anné Prinsloo. Our Lady of Fatima: (0) 1 (Stella Fourie).

Semifinals

Bloemhof: (3) 0. DSG Makhanda (2) 0.
Paarl Gim: (3) 1 (Alanda Rademeyer). Rhenish: (1) 1 (Leah du Plessis).

Crosspool

Waterkloof: 2 (Hayle Stigling, Lenique Vogel). Collegiate: 1 (Kerrin Gillies)
Eunice: 3 (Bianca Rees-Gibbs, Anebel Venter, Claire Volschenk). St Anne’s: 2 (Georgie Davis, Holly Hofmeyr).

On Friday, Rhenish Girls’ High, Bloemhof Girls’ High, DSG Makhanda, and Paarl Gimnasium emerged as the top four sides at the Fairtree Super 12 Tournament after two days of outstanding hockey action at Oranje Meisieskool, in Bloemfontein.

Defending champions, Rhenish, will meet Paarl Gim in the first semifinal of the tournament at 09:30 on Saturday. The second semifinal, between DSG Makhanda and Bloemhof, starts at 10:40.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Rhenish will be aiming to overcome a familiar Western Cape foe, which would put them into the title game, with an opportunity to go back-to-back as the champions.

Coach Chris Gerber’s charges have been in fine form. They played five in Group A and won all five.

“The main thing will be to stick to what we have been doing and stay calm in pressure situations. However, the Rhenish girls live for these moments, and they really want to play well and perform,” Gerber told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The coach stressed that his side would need to be firm on defence and be prepared to capitalise on all opportunities up front. Gerber understands the threat that his opponents possess. Paarl Gim boasts the most prolific forward at the tournament.

Alanda Rademeyer is top of the pops on the top scorers’ list, with a haul of sparkling eight goals in five outings. She is one of the reasons why Paarl Gim was beaten only once in Group B. Rademeyer has been the spearhead of the Gimmies‘ attack, and her goals account for two-thirds of all the goals Paarl Gim has recorded in the tournament.

In addition to the single loss, against DSG Makhanda, Paarl Gim won two and drew two in the pool stages to grab second spot in their group.

Coach Danelle van Zyl’s charges will be motivated to outdo their 2023 performance. That year, they finished as the runners-up, going down to Eunice in the final. Last year, they weren’t in top form last year and finished fifth.

DSG Makhanda, like Rhenish, completed their group assignments with an unbeaten record, winning three and drawing two to top Group B.

Geowynne Gamiet’s side scored 13 goals, six of which came off the stick of Abigail Holderness. The DSG captain is the second-highest individual scorer in the competition, and she will be eager to extend her tally as her side makes its bid for a spot in the final and a shot at their maiden Super 12 title.

However, DSG will be in for a tough challenge when they cross swords with Group A runners-up, Bloemhof, the third school from the Boland to make the final four. Coach Jenny King’s charges failed to make the semifinals in 2023 and 2024, finishing only ninth last year.

This year, though, they are a motivated bunch and showed off their ability to rise to the occasion in tough tournament play when they finished as the runners-up at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, in April.

“Our wins can be attributed to a good defensive structure and scoring the goal that counted,” King said.

Her message to her players ahead of the semifinals was that a great team effort would be needed to overcome DSG. That’s what has brought Bloemhof success thus far in the tournament. They have also defended as a unit and attacked en masse.

Results

Group A

Rhenish: 3 (Leah du Plessis, Nicola van der Merwe, Katherine Sickle). Oranje: 0.
Eunice: 1 (Claire Volschenk). Bloemhof: 0.
Waterkloof: 2 (Mia Rodenburg 2). St Mary’s DSG Kloof: 0.
St Mary’s DSG Kloof: 0. Oranje: 0.
Bloemhof: 1 (Leila van Zyl). Waterkloof: 0.
Rhenish: 2 (Phillipa Viljoen 2). Eunice: 1 (Bianca Rees-Gibbs).

Group B:

Our Lady of Fatima: 1 (Stella Fourie). Collegiate: 0.
St Anne’s: 3 (Iminathi Ngxola, Emma Thomas, Willow Crawford). Paarl Gim: 3 (Alanda Rademeyer 3).
DSG Makhanda: 1 (Jessica Stevens). Collegiate: 1 (Jana Prinsloo).
Paarl Gim: 2 (Anya Swanepoel, Isabella Nel). Menlopark: 1 (Not Supplied)
St Anne’s: 1 (Belle Hofmeyr). Our Lady of Fatima (Gabby Hall).
St Anne’s: 0. Collegiate: 0.
Menlopark: 2 (Monique Gerber, Zoe Badenhorst). Our Lady of Fatima: 1 (Bella Slater)
DSG Makhanda: 3 (Abigail Holderness 2, Anna Olivier). Paarl Gim: 1 (Alanda Rademeyer)

Crosspool matches

St Mary’s DSG Kloof: 1 (Jenna-Leigh Freese). Our Lady of Fatima: 0.
Menlopark: 1 (Chanette Jansen van Vuuren). Oranje: 0.