Author: cschiwanza

Thirty-two of the country’s top hockey-playing schools will converge at St Mary’s Waverley, Johannesburg, for the prestigious annual Standard Bank St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival, which runs from 3-6 April.

The hockey showcase has come a long way since its modest beginnings. Only 12 teams participated in the inaugural event in 2000. It has since grown exponentially over the years to become, arguably, the most prestigious girls’ hockey event on the South African sporting calendar.

Fifty-one festival participants have gone on to represent South Africa, and another two have donned the colours of Namibia, on the international stage.

The defending champions, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), will kick the festival off with a tie against Penryn on Thursday morning. Coach Chardinay Penniston‘s charges are aware that they carry a target on their back as the title holders. They are, however, not focusing on their previous success. It’s a new team and a new season, and they’re eager to write their own history at the event.

DGC is in Pool A and will face Die Hoërskool Menlopark, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pearson High School, The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC), Somerset College, the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, and Penryn in the group stage.

The 2023 champion, Eunice High School, is bristling with excitement ahead of the festival. Coach Nika Coertzen‘s charges also begin their campaign on Thursday morning when they take on Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School.

It will be the third match in Pool B, which also features, Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies), St Andrew’s School for Girls, Hoërskool Garsfontein, St John’s DSG, Roedean School, and Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High.

The hosts, St Mary’s Waverley are on the hunt for their first title since 2011. They have lifted the trophy five times but there have been slim pickings in recent years. They’ll get Pool C’s action underway with a tricky test against Cape Town’s St Cyprian’s School, which has made a strong start to the season.

Standing in St Mary’s Waverley’s way in Group C are St Stithians College for Girls, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Rhenish Girls’ High, St Cyprian’s, Clarendon High School for Girls, Windhoek High, and Pretoria High School for Girls.

The seven-time winners, Oranje Meisieskool, are on the hunt for another trophy to adorn their resplendent trophy cabinet. However, they last lifted the title in 2022, so, given their record of success, it’s been a while since they came out on top. Coach Gys van Schalkwyk‘s charges face Durban’s Our Lady of Fatima in their opener.

Their opposition in Pool D includes Paarl Gimnasium, St Anne’s Diocesan College, Herschel Girls School, Paarl Girls’ High School, Collegiate Girls’ High School, Our Lady of Fatima, and Kingsmead College.

DAY 1 FIXTURES

07:45 – DGC vs Penryn, 07:45 – St Andrew’s vs Garsfontein, 08:10 – Pearson vs Wykeham, 08:10 – Affies vs St John’s DSG, 08:35 – Waterkloof vs Somerset, 08:35 – Bloemhof vs Roedean, 09:00 – Menlopark vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 09:00 – Eunice vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 09:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs St Cyprian’s, 09:30 – Paarl Gim vs Kingsmead, 09:55 – Oranje vs Our Lady of Fatima, 10:20 – Rhenish vs Clarendon, 10:20 – Herschel vs Paarl Girls, 10:45 – St Stithians vs Pretoria High School, 10:45 – St Anne’s vs Collegiate, 11:15 – Waterkloof vs TWC, 11:15 – Affies vs Garsfontein, 11:40 – Pearson vs Penryn, 11:40 – Bloemhof vs St John’s DSG, 12:05 – Eunice vs Roedean, 12:05 – St Andrew’s vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 12:30 – Menlopark vs Somerset, 12:30 – DGC vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 13:00 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs Pretoria High, 13:00 – Herschel vs Kingsmead, 13:25 – Paarl Gim vs Our Lady of Fatima, 13:25 – Rhenish vs St Cyprian’s, 13:50 – St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, vs Clarendon, 13:50 – Oranje vs Collegiate, 14:15 – St Anne’s vs Paarl Girls, 14:15 – St Stithians vs Windhoek, 12:40 – Bloemhof vs Garsfontein, 14:45 – Eunice vs St John’s DSG, 15:05 – DGC vs Somerset, 15:10 – Menlopark vs TWC, 15:30 – Affies vs St Andrew’s, 15:35 Waterkloof vs Pearson, 13:55 – Roedean vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 16:00 – St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI vs Penryn, 16:20 – Paarl Gim vs Collegiate, 16:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs Rhenish, 16:45 – Oranje vs Paarl Girls, 16:55 – St Mary’s DSG vs St Cyprian’s, 17:10 – Windhoek vs Pretoria High, 17:20 – St Stithians vs Clarendon, 17:45 – St Anne’s vs Herschel, 18:15 – Eunice vs Garsfontein, 18:40 – Bloemhof vs St Andrew’s, 19:05 – Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High vs St John’s DSG, 19:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs St Mary’s DSG, 20:00 – Affies vs Roedean, 20:25 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Kingsmead.

Parel Vallei, Glenwood High, and Paarl Boys’ High wrapped up the action at the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup with a trio of wins in the last three matches of the festival at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban, on Monday.

Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, and Clifton College co-hosted the four-day hockey extravaganza.

“It was incredible and it is definitely going from strength to strength,” Westville’s Cameron Mackay, one of the event’s organisers, said after four days of action-packed hockey.

“This weekend we saw a great display of some of the incredible talent we have in schoolboy hockey at the moment.”

Glenwood edged out Pearson 1-0, Parel Vallei overcame Clifton 2-0, and Paarl Boys won 1-0 against Westville on the final day.

It was a morale-boosting festival for Paarl Boys’ High, who closed it with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Westville Boys’ High early on Monday afternoon.

“I’m a proud coach. We took our opportunities when they were presented to us and I believe that was the difference at the end of the day,” Rowan McLachlan, the Paarl Boys’ High coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus after the final game.

He knew the Booishaai defence would be tested at the Coastal Cup,  said McLachlan, so they worked hard to fortify it before leaving Cape Town. The results of that work showed on the AstroTurf, with Boys’ High conceding only three goals in four games. In two of their outings, they kept clean sheets.

McLachlan’s charges beat Glenwood 3-0, registered a 4-2 victory over Clifton College, drew 1-1 with Durban High School (DHS), and edged out Westville 1-0 in their last match to finish the event with an undefeated record.

“I’m very happy with how our players performed,” he declared. “Travelling up to Durban and playing in this humidity against some of the best in the country was never going to be an easy task, but I’m very happy with the professional manner in which our team approached every game.”

Parel Vallei was clinical with their circle entry conversions to outcomes. They scored 13 times on their way to three wins in four games. Four of those 13 goals came in their contest against Garsfontein on Saturday. Liyema Jijana and Luka Meets netted twice each in a closely contested 4-3 win.

Jijama was on target again on Monday in their 2-0 win over Clifton, with Luca Jordaan adding the other goal.

“We are happy with the way the festival went. As a coaching staff, we are happy with the brand of hockey we are playing,” Michael van Rensberg, the Parel Vallei head coach, said after his team signed off with the victory over Clifton.

Parel Vallei finished with the second-most goals scored at the festival. However, while Van Rensberg was happy with the team’s efficient attack, he wasn’t as happy with the defensive efforts.

“We have some work to do on our defence,” he said. “We leaked too many goals and showed a lack of composure at times, which we will need to improve on heading back home. This cost us being 3-1 up against Michaelhouse with a quarter to go, and losing 3-4 in the end. We learned the hard way that games are played over 60 minutes, not 45,” Van Rensberg reckoned.

Glenwood had a difficult start to their campaign. The KwaZulu-Natal side suffered losses to Garsfontein and Paarl Boys’ High on Friday and Saturday. Braydon Naidoo, the Glenwood head of hockey, chalked those defeats down to what they had gone through as a team over the past two weeks.

“The first two days of the festival were challenging for us given what happened to our hockey programme and the tragedy,” he said, referring to the passing of grade 10 learner, Kaden Moodley, who collapsed while preparing for a match on 18 March. “I think we were still feeling the after-effects of that,” he explained.

Glenwood found their feet, though, and played a fast-paced brand of hockey, utilising space and quick movement on and off the ball. That was the key to their 2-0 win over Menlopark on Saturday and it again proved the right recipe in a 1-0 victory against Pearson on Monday.

Xaydon Kariko led the Green Machine to victory over Menlopark with a brace, while Murray Wicks slotted the winner against Pearson.

“Suffering two losses early in the festival isn’t easy, but the boys showed resilience and grit to bounce back,” Naidoo said.

The 2025 edition of the Coastal Cup was the third installment of the festival. The event, which attracted 10 schools in its first two years, was bolstered to 12 schools in its third edition. With an outstanding collection of top teams, this year’s programme set a benchmark for future events to match or even outdo.

“Our goal is to bring like-minded schools together to get four competitive games and have all three age groups in one place, so directors can have a chance to see all their teams play,” Mackay explained.

RESULTS

1^st XI

Glenwood 1-0 Pearson
Parel Vallei 2-0 Clifton
Paarl Boys 1-0 Westville

U16

Clifton 4-4 Parel Vallei
Westville 0-0 Paarl Boys
Glenwood 5-2 Pearson

U14s

Paarl Boys 2-1 Westville
Glenwood 4-0 Pearson
Paul Roos 13-0 St Alban’s

Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) and Durban High School (DHS) finished their Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup campaigns on a positive note, while Westville Boys’ High found their groove and recorded their first win of the festival on Sunday at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban.

The festival, which is co-hosted by DHS, Westville, and Clifton College, finishes on Monday when Westville and Clifton will complete their schedules.

Paul Roos beat Michaelhouse in a showdown of sides unbeaten at the festival, Glenwood won against Menlopark, Parel Vallei held off Garsfontein by the odd goal in seven, Westville edged out Pearson, and DHS drew 1-1 with Paarl Boys’ High.

Paul Roos has been a juggernaut, demolishing everyone in their path, and coach Michael Baker’s side maintained its 100 percent win record at the Coastal Cup with a 4-2 victory over an in-form Michaelhouse, thanks to goals from Jeandré van Zyl, Caleb Cilliers, Callum van Oudtshoorn, and Logan Lackay in Sunday’s last game.

“We had a really positive weekend,” Baker told SuperSport Schools Plus after PRG’s fourth win on the trot. “We are a super young team and got asked a lot of questions, which hopefully we can manage better in the season.

“I think we played some beautiful hockey. We have really focused on our style of play. Hopefully, we can start playing it for longer periods. All in all, it was very positive,” Baker shared after the Stellenbosch side’s final outing.

With the game against Paul Roos, Michaelhouse’s campaign also came to an end. Despite the loss, it was a solid showing from the boys from Balgowan. They weren’t as prolific as PRG in front of goal – Paul Roos netted 22 goals in four games and ‘House only eight – but they found ways to win, with a strong dose of character bringing them victories. Of the three goals Baker’s side conceded, two of them were scored by Michaelhouse.

Coach Nick Bérichon‘s side came into the contest with three wins under their belt, which included a 4-3 victory over Parel Vallei in their opening fixture in which they overturned a 1-3 deficit to snatch a morale-boosting win.

There was a section of fans half-expecting them to repeat that feat when they were 2-4 down against Paul Roos. The Stellenbosch school’s defences proved to be made of sterner stuff, however, and they repelled Michaelhouse’s attempts at adding further goals to their tally.

DHS had relatively few hours to rest their feet after their 1-3 defeat against Paul Roos on Saturday night. However, that was not enough to knock the wind out of coach Keegan Hezlett’s men’s sails.

Josh Mungherera, the DHS captain, led from the front, both with his work rate and goal-scoring, which included executing a simple tap-in after a well-worked team move broke down the Menlopark press.

“The boys did really well to make the game big by transitioning into different channels through midfield,” Hezlett said after their 3-0 victory.

Their effort on and off the ball helped them force numerous turnovers. Elchaan Lubbe was responsible for one of them and then fired the ball into the Menlopark D for Bonga Maphanga to finish off with a deflection at the far post to secure a 2-0 lead.

Sithsaba Siyoyo hammered the final nail in the coffin when he beat the Menlopark goalkeeper with a drag flick on the whistle at the end of the third chukka.

“It was tough to get ourselves back up after a short turnaround since last night’s fixture against Paul Roos,” Hezlett admitted. “The boys put in a big effort and were struggling with some fatigued legs.”

DHS headed into their final match determined to finish strongly and they did so with a 1-1 draw with Paarl Boys’ High, thanks to a strike from Tyrique Cloete.

Westville did not begin their Coastal Cup campaign well. They were the first victims of the marauding Paul Roos side on Friday, suffering a 0-6 loss, which didn’t do their efforts justice.

On Saturday, they found their way back with a 2-2 draw against St Alban’s. Then, on Sunday, they got into the groove of things with a 2-1 win over Pearson, with captain Seth Simpson slotting both goals.

“We were really good in the press and dominated most of the game, created lots of chances, but really were poor with the finishing,” Cameron Mackay, the Westville coach, stated.

Glenwood High scored an encouraging 2-0 win over Menlopark, which suggested that the upward trajectory of the Green Machine is continuing.

Paarl Boys’ High, too, exhibited encouraging signs and a 4-2 win over Clifton was evidence that their hockey, also, is on the up.

RESULTS

1st XI

Paarl Boys’ High 4-2 Clifton
DHS 3-0 Menlopark
Michaelhouse 1-0 St Alban’s
Westville 2-1 Pearson
Parel Vallei 4-3 Garsfontein
Glenwood 2-0 Menlopark
DHS 1-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Paul Roos 4-2 Michaelhouse

U16

DHS 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Glenwood 2-0 Menlopark
Paul Roos 2-0 Michaelhouse
Clifton 2-0 Garsfontein
Pearson 1-0 Westville
DHS 6-0 Menlopark
St Alban’s 0-0 Michaelhouse
Garsfontein 2-1 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 2-1 Paarl Boys’ High

U14

Paul Roos 6-0 DHS
St Alban’s 3-3 Michaelhouse
Clifton 1-1 Parel Vallei
Westville 3-0 Pearson
Glenwood 2-1 Menlopark
DHS 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Parel Vallei 2-1 Garsfontein
Paul Roos 17-0 Michaelhouse
St Alban’s 1-0 Westville
Menlopark 4-1 Pearson
Clifton 0-0 Garsfontein

FIXTURES

Monday

08:00 – Pearson vs Glenwood
09:30 – Clifton vs Parel Vallei
11:00 – Westville vs Paarl Boys’ High

Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) delivered two polished performances in victories on Saturday over St Alban’s College and Durban High School (DHS) at the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, being played at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban.

Michaelhouse beat Garsfontein, Parel Vallei won against Menlopark, Paarl Boys’ High saw off Glenwood, and Garsfontein edged out Clifton College. Westville Boys’ High and St Alban’s drew 1-1, while Clifton and Pearson played to a 2-2 draw.

Paul Roos re-affirmed their standing as the team to beat at the festival with a masterclass in a one-sided 9-0 victory over St Alban’s in the first fixture of the day. Charles Lombard led with a brace, while Caleb Cilliers, Christo Swanepoel, Matthew Cardoza, Francois Mouton, Daniel de Waal, Ruben Gouws, and Callum van Oudtshoorn each added a goal.

Coach Michael Baker‘s side followed up with a 3-1 win over DHS, whom he coached before moving to Paul Roos. Tylor Carter, Jeandre van Zyl, and Callum van Oudtshoorn were on target for PRG. After two days of action and three games, the Stellenbosch side has scored 18 goals and conceded only one. No other team has come close to reaching double figures.

Parel Vallei is a distant second with a tally of seven. Four of those seven goals came in their 4-0 win over Menlopark on Saturday afternoon. It was a great comeback after their 3-4 defeat at the hands of Michaelhouse on Friday.

In another case of a coach facing his former side, Elliot Springate was on target for Michaelhouse as the Nick Bérichon-led side registered a 1-0 win over Garsfontein. He was most pleased by his players achieving a first clean sheet of the season.

“We’ve been conceding way too many goals, giving way too many chances away,” Bérichon told SuperSport Schools Plus. “I’m happy for the defence. They’ve been under the pump in the video talks, and today they set the foundation for us.”

Paul Roos and Michaelhouse are two of the four sides that are yet to lose a match at the festival. The other two are Pearson and Paarl Boys’ High. Pearson, whose opener was rained out, has played a single match in which they came back from 0-2 down to earn an entertaining 2-2 draw with Clifton.

Paarl Boys’ High, who also have a single game under their belt, scored a penalty stroke on the final whistle to secure a 3-0 win over Glenwood.

Garsfontein dusted themselves off after their 0-1 defeat to Michaelhouse and put in a better performance to beat Clifton with an identical scoreline later in the day.

Westville endured a tough first match on Friday evening when they went down 0-6 to Paul Roos. Coach Cameron Mackay’s side put that game behind them and produced a far better performance to register a 2-2 draw with St Alban’s.

Sunday’s fixtures kick off with a good-looking clash between DHS and Menlopark. Both sides are smarting from defeats and will be keen to turn their fortunes with a win first thing in the morning.

1ST XI RESULTS

Paul Roos 9-0 St Alban’s
Clifton 2-2 Pearson
Michaelhouse 1-0 Garsfontein
Paarl Boys 3-0 Glenwood
Parel Vallei 4-0 Menlopark
Westville 2-2 St Alban’s
Paul Roos 3-1 DHS
Garsfontein 1-0 Clifton

FIXTURES

Sunday, 30 March

09:30 – DHS vs Menlopark
11:00 – St Alban’s vs Michaelhouse
12:30 – Westville vs Pearson
14:00 – Garsfontein vs Parel Vallei
15:30 – Menlopark vs Glenwood
17:00 – DHS vs Paarl Boys
18:30 – Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse

Monday, 31 March

08:00 – Pearson vs Glenwood
09:30 – Clifton vs Parel Vallei
11:00 – Westville vs Paarl Boys

U16 RESULTS

Michaelhouse 1-0 Garsfontein
Paul Roos 5-0 DHS
Pearson 3-0 Clifton
Westville 0-0 St Alban’s
Michaelhouse 2-1 Parel Vallei
Garsfontein 1-1 Glenwood
Pearson 1-0 Menlopark
DHS 3-0 St Alban’s
Paul Roos 3-1 Westville
Paarl Boys’ High 3-0 Clifton

U14 RESULTS

DHS 1-0 Menlopark
Pearson 2-1 Clifton
Michaelhouse 4-1 Garsfontein
Paarl Boys’ High 6-1 Glenwood
Menlopark 1-0 Parel Vallei
DHS 5-0 St Alban’s
Paul Roos 8-0 Westville
Glenwood 2-0 Garsfontein
Parel Vallei 3-1 Michaelhouse
Clifton 0-0 Paarl Boys’ High

Michaelhouse kicked off the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup in style with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Parel Vallei in one of the two opening matches of the festival at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban, on Friday.

In a stunning turnaround, coach Nick Bérichon‘s came from 1-3 behind to score three times in the final chukka and clinch a remarkable win.

Garsfontein, Paul Roos, and St Alban’s were the other winners on the opening day, with Garsfontein defeating Glenwood 4-0, Paul Roos trouncing Westville 6-0, and St Alban’s overcoming Durban High School (DHS) 2-1.

The festival, which is co-hosted by DHS, Westville, and Clifton, College runs through until Monday. Clifton, unfortunately, had their game against Paarl Boys’ High rained out. Pearson and Menlopark were also unable to take the field.

Bérichon’s Michaelhouse side, after a year in charge for the coach, is more settled and comfortable in their game this season compared to last year. That showed when they did not panic after falling behind in the game. They kept their composure, stuck to their game plan, but raised their intensity and were more aggressive on the attack.

The result was a pulsating 4-3 victory, thanks to goals from Sithsaba Simukonda, Gordon Deutscher, Luke Camerer, and Henry Love were on target for Michaelhouse.

“I was very impressed with the guys, that they kept playing. It’s tough when the scoreboard is not going your way, and the easier thing to do is to start throwing your toys out, but we’ve emphasised just playing hockey and controlling our emotions. That was it. There was a lot of belief that we could eventually get the win,” Bérichon told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“The main thing is we want to sort out how we are starting games, but I am super happy that the guys ended with proper control.”

He also had kind words for Parel Vallei, who had made a strong start to the season. “That was an unbelievable team,” he said. “We watched a bit of their footage leading up to the game and, going forward, you can see they are so well drilled. They are really direct when they get the ball high up in the field and they caused up big problems on a few occasions, which we didn’t deal with well enough.”

The Michaelhouse vs Parel Vallei encounter ran concurrently with the fixture between Garsfontein and Glenwood, but shortly after the completion of the matches, the rain, which had been falling all day, increased in intensity, leading to a very wet warm-up for Clifton, Paarl Boys’ High, Pearson and Menlopark, followed by less than a minute of play.

The scoreline in the match between Paul Roos and Westville gives the impression of a one-sided encounter. However, Michael Baker, the Paul Roos coach, did not feel that was so. According to the gaffer, Paul Roos had to weather a tough opening session.

Coach Cameron Mackay’s young Westville side asked tough questions of the Stellenbosch school, but Paul Roos had answers to all the queries. Baker expected a tough challenge and was prepared

“We implemented what was asked in phases and looked really good. We just need to hold those phases for a lot longer,” Baker explained after the match.

Logan Lackay and Matt Cardoza led the scoring for Paul Roos with a brace each, with Ruben Gouws and Charles Lombard slotting a goal each.

In the morning, DHS played a friendly match against Pearson, triumphing 2-0. Coach Keegan Hezlett would have wanted his side to replicate that performance later in the day, however, they fell short when they went up against St Alban’s.

Hezlett’s team had only a single opportunity at goal and they converted it. Beyond that, they did not create chances and St Alban’s made them pay.

Day two kicks off with a mouthwatering contest between St Alban’s and Paul Roos.

RESULTS

Michaelhouse 4-3 Parel Vallei
Garsfontein 4-0 Glenwood
Paul Roos 6-0 Westville
St Alban’s 2-1 DHS.

Saturday, 29 March

Riverside 1

09:30 – St Alban’s vs Paul Roos
11:00 – Clifton vs Pearson
12:30 – Garsfontein vs Michaelhouse
14:00 – Paarl Boys vs Glenwood
15:30 – Menlopark vs Parel Vallei
17:00 – Westville vs St Alban’s
18:30 – DHS vs Paul Roos

Riverside 2

18:30 – Clifton vs Garsfontein

Sunday, 30 March

09:30 – DHS vs Menlopark
11:00 – St Alban’s vs Michaelhouse
12:30 – Westville vs Pearson
14:00 – Garsfontein vs Parel Vallei
15:30 – Menlopark vs Glenwood
17:00 – DHS vs Paarl Boys
18:30 – Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse

Monday, 31 March

08:00 – Pearson vs Glenwood
09:30 – Clifton vs Parel Vallei
11:00 – Westville vs Paarl Boys

The Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, one of the biggest annual showcases of talent on the schoolboy hockey calendar, is almost upon us.

This year’s event, which starts on Friday, will feature 12 of the country’s top hockey-playing schools, up from 10 teams last year.

Included in the line-up are KZN’s Clifton College, Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, Michaelhouse, and Glenwood High. Gauteng is represented by Die Hoërskool Menlopark, St Alban’s College and Hoërskool Garsfontein. Paarl Boys’ High and Paul Roos Gimnasium fly the flag for the Western Cape, and Pearson represents the Eastern Cape’s interests.

It is from them that we have identified some of the players to keep an eye on:

Josh Mungherera – Durban High School (DHS)

The DHS centre-forward was identified as someone with high potential at a young age and has lived up to that hype. He hails from Amanzimtoti and now, in his third season in the DHS 1st XI, he captains the side and leads from the front.

“Josh posts up as a forward exceptionally well and has a great eye for goal,” Keegan Hezlett, the DHS coach, shared.

Mungherera had an exceptional season in 2024, but he didn’t shine his brightest at the SASHOC National Week, thus missing out on the national squad after being selected for the SA u16 squad in 2023. His response was to put in more hours honing his craft in the off-season. The results are showing. Mungherera has started the season well, netting three times in DHS’s first two fixtures of the year.

Thandanani Zuma – Michaelhouse

The Michaelhouse midfielder, who is in grade 11, has a firm handle on the engine room. Zuma is lightning-quick and has exceptional control. He also has a penchant for getting into good positions, which makes him outstanding in one-on-one situations when defending. His tall and imposing figure lends him an excellent physical presence, which adds to his defensive game.

Zuma is also lethal up front. He was one of the top three goal-scorers at the u16 SASHOC National Week last year, with seven goals to his name. His exploits earned him a spot in the SA u16 team, and he was also included in the SA u17 side.

While he is yet to open his account this season, his first goal is, no doubt, just around the corner, and he has been in fine form for Michaelhouse in their opening two matches.

Luken Brunnette – Garsfontein

Luken Brunnette is a magician with long passes. With excellent judgement and deft touch, the Garsfontein defender is able to pick out any player on the turf. This makes him an invaluable team member when the Gauteng side goes on the counterattack, and he often catches the opposition flatfooted with his insightful passes. He is also one of the best drag flickers in schoolboy hockey in South Africa.

However, those are not his biggest strengths. Brunnette, who represented the SA u17 team in 2024, is in his third year with the Garsfontein first team because of his unparalleled defensive work. He is a rock-solid wall on defence, a presence that other teams have to circumvent rather than try to go through.

Zach Williamson – Clifton

Williamson has been part of the first team since grade nine and has over 70 caps for the first team. The Clifton captain was also a member of the KZN Coastal u18B team at the SASHOC National Week last year.

A midfielder, he displays outstanding leadership qualities on the field, rallying his teammates to lift their levels of performance by the example he sets each time they take to the field.

Williamson is a workhorse in or out of possession. His vision is an asset for Clifton when going forward, but he is equally as effective on defence. He is also a dangerman man as one of Clifton’s primary drag flickers.

Christo Swanepoel – Paul Roos

Swanepoel is into his third year with the Paul Roos first team. He’s an established midfield maestro, which earned him a place in the Boland u18A team that reached the final at the SASHOC National Week last year.

Towards the end of the year, he represented the SA u17 side in the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia. He also led Paul Roos to an unbeaten and dominating run at the Parel Vallei Festival earlier this month

Swanepoel is a calm, composed and experienced player. With those attributes, the Paul Roos skipper controls the midfield well, and links with the forwards excellently.

The consensus with all the above players is that they can lift the level of their teams with the examples that they set. They’re players to watch, both during the festival and further into the future.

The Grey College hockey team enjoyed a successful Synsport Tony Godding Festival campaign in East London, completing the four-day event with an unbeaten record under the leadership of coach Dallan Phillips after a sound 5-0 win over Hudson Park on Sunday.

Grey High joined their Bloemfontein brother school as the only other side to emerge from the early season event with a clean record.

“The boys started the festival a bit slowly but grew stronger as the event progressed. As a group, we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made, especially in terms of our team build-up play,” Phillips told SuperSport Schools Plus after his team’s last game.

Besides beating Hudson Park, the Bloemfontein boys also recorded wins over Pearson, St Andrew’s College, and Queen’s College. They tallied 16 goals, with Waldo Konig‘s four leading the Grey College goal scorers. Phillips’ charges also conceded four goals, which came in their first two matches.

“Now, we shift our focus back to Bloemfontein, where we will work on sharpening our defensive discipline and improving our one-v-one defence ahead of the Nomads tournament in Johannesburg next weekend,” Phillips said.

Grey High wrapped up their campaign on Saturday. They beat Cambridge High, Jim Fouché, Hudson Park, and St Andrew’s School. Their biggest test came in a 1-0 win over Saints on Saturday morning.

“The game was played in some tough conditions. It was also our fourth game of the festival and only their second, so physically quite tough on us, but we coped,” Andrew Beynon, the Grey High coach, shared with Supersport Schools Plus after the game. “It was good to get a positive result, but we need to be more consistent in phases.”

While there was work to do, the gaffer stressed the need for patience. “We understand that with nine boys making their Tony Godding debuts, we are in a transitional period, and so we need to be patient and supportive as a coaching staff,” he explained.

Despite their inexperience, Beynon’s charges acquitted themselves well, scoring 13 goals and conceding only one.

Dale College stumbled in their first outing at the event, going down 3-6 against Middelburg Hoërskool. They responded well to that setback, though, and bounced back with three consecutive victories over Westering, Alexander Road, and Curro Waterstone. They got better as the festival progressed and registered the highest margin of victory with a 10-0 hammering of Curro Waterstone.

St Andrew’s College also finished on a high note, with a 4-1 win over St Andrew’s School. Selborne College completed their schedule with a 3-2 win over, while  Jim Fouché, who endured a mixed run of results, ended with a convincing 4-1 defeat of Westering in their last appearance.

RESULTS

Hudson Park 0-5 Grey College
Framesby 1-2 Sasolburg
Cambridge 2-0 Duineveld
St Andrew’s College 4-1 St Andrew’s School
Selborne College 3-2 Middelburg Hoërskool
Westering 1-4 Jim Fouché
Merrifield 0-2 Kingswood
Dale College 10-0 Curro Waterstone
Cambridge 2-2 Witteberg
Queen’s College 1-1 Woodridge
Stirling 5-2 Alexander Road

Hilton College and Durban High School (DHS) recorded superb victories away from home on Saturday afternoon. Hilton delivered an outstanding performance in a 2-0 victory over Kearsney College at Kearsney, while DHS defeated their hosts, Michaelhouse, 4-1.

Tadi Hove continued his goal-scoring form for Hilton College as he fired them to victory on the AH Mason Astro, where not many visitors come away with wins.

Hove was one of the scorers in Hilton’s 4-0 win over Westville Boys’ High last week. On Saturday, he took his tally to three goals in two games, striking twice in the space of three minutes shortly before the halftime break.

The teams traded jabs through the first 26 minutes of play before Hove deflected a shot from one of his teammates from the edge of the D past the goalkeeper.

One of Hilton’s targets for the season is to be a great defensive team. It’s an area that they have dedicated a lot of time and attention to, according to their coach, Damian Kimfley. That showed on the field. Matt Thomas and Rob Berman, the two senior figures in defence, rallied the juniors around them into creating an impregnable wall.

Unfortunately for Hilton, their captain, Xavier Enslin, suffered an injury in the first chukka, which led to a hospital visit. Regan Mudau took over operations and ran a steady ship.

Hilton pressed hard and one of those presses resulted in a turnover at the halfway line. From there, Ethan Malthby made an incisive run to the edge of the D before laying off to Hove, who slotted his second goal just before the halftime break.

“The senior players have done well in their leadership roles, and the youngsters stepped up to the plate brilliantly. They look a lot more like the team we want them to be,” Kimfley shared after the encounter.

At Michaelhouse, DHS took the lead over Michaelhouse on the Punchbowl Astro and refused to cede control of the match.

The visitors went ahead shortly before the end of the first chukka when they converted a penalty corner. There was a good response from the home team, who flipped the field and piled pressure on the DHS goal.

Both sides traded attacks, but it was DHS who found the back of the net again, after a fine build-up, only seconds from the break, to go into it with a 2-0 advantage.

The frenetic nature of the contest opened the door for errors to happen and one of those mistakes resulted in DHS being awarded a penalty stroke three minutes before the end of the third chukka. Keegan Hezlett‘s charges made good use of the opportunity and went three goals clear.

Despite trailing 0-3, Michaelhouse kept taking the game to the visitors. Their industry was rewarded when they earned a penalty stroke of their own seven minutes into the fourth quarter. A successful conversion brought coach Nick Bérichon‘s charges back to two goals down at 1-3.

Three minutes later, though, DHS closed out the contest with their fourth goal.

Grey High and Grey College have proved themselves to be two of the most in-form teams through the first three days of action at the 2024 edition of the Synsport Tony Godding Hockey Festival.

The Festival, which started on Thursday and concludes on Sunday, is being played across three East London venues, Stirling High, Merrifield College, Cambridge High, and Selborne College.

Grey High remains unbeaten through four outings. They opened their account with a 6-1 win over Cambridge on Thursday evening and have been unstoppable ever since. On Friday, they breezed past Jim Fouché and Hudson Park, before adding a tight 1-0 win over St Andrew’s School on Saturday afternoon.

Their Bloemfontein counterparts, Grey College, has also been in great form. They pressed the pause button on Pearson‘s run of wins in their lone outing on Friday, scoring a 4-2 win before following that up with a 3-2 victory over St Andrew’s College 24 hours later. In their last fixture of the day, coach Dallan Phillips’ charges cruised to a 4-0 win over Queen’s College. Grey College faces Hudson Park on Sunday morning with a chance to complete the festival undefeated on the line.

St Andrew’s College, meanwhile, bounced back from their defeat at the hands of Grey College with a 2-1 win over Hudson Park. Pearson, on the other hand, dusted themselves off, put the loss to Grey College behind them, and fought their way to a 1-1 draw with Queen’s College. With that result, the Gqeberha school completed their schedule, finishing their Tony Godding campaign with two wins, one draw, and a single loss.

After their big loss to Grey High, Cambridge eked out a 1-0 win over Montana on Friday morning and then exploded for an emphatic 8-0 win over Curro Waterstone later in the day. On Saturday, they added a 2-1 win over Framesby. They have dates with Duineveld and Witteberg on Sunday.

Duineveld, from Upington, had a slow start. They lost their opening match 1-2 to Framesby, on Friday. On Saturday, they were in better form, beating Montana 2-0 and Curro Waterstone 6-1. They will carry the confidence accrued from those wins into their encounter against a suddenly red-hot Cambridge team on Sunday morning.

St Andrew’s School played the last match on Saturday night, and they redeemed themselves with a gripping 3-2 win over Selborne College. They have a date with their namesake, St Andrew’s College at 09:30 on Sunday. They will need to play every bit as well as they did against Selborne to overcome their counterparts from Grahamstown.

Selborne College, on the other hand, has work to do. They will need to put the loss to St Andrew’s School behind them as they head into Sunday. They have a couple of wins under their belt, downing Jim Fouché 4-2 and Woodridge 6-1. They close with a match against Hoërskool Middelburg on Sunday.

RESULTS

Montana 0-2 Duineveld
Stirling 1-0 Westering
Alexander Road 4-1 Glenwood House
Witteberg 3-1 Curro Waterstone
Cambridge 2-1 Framesby
Kingswood 1-2 Sasolburg
Selborne College 6-1 Woodridge
Merrifield 1-1 Middelburg
St Andrew’s College 2-3 Grey College
Grey High 1-0 St Andrew’s School
Queen’s College 1-1 Pearson
Framesby 1-1 Witteberg
Dale College 3-1 Alexander Road
Kingswood 2-1 Jim Fouché
Curro Waterstone 1-6 Duineveld
Merrifield 0-1 Woodridge
Hudson Park 1-2 St Andrew’s College
Westering 1-4 Sasolburg
Queen’s College 0-4 Grey College
Stirling 2-3 Middelburg
Selborne College 2-3 St Andrew’s School
Montana 3-0 Glenwood House

FIXTURES

08:15 – Hudson Park vs Grey College, 08:15 – Framesby vs Sasolburg, 08:15 – Cambridge vs Duineveld, 09:30 – St Andrew’s College vs St Andrew’s School, 10:45 – Selborne College vs Middelburg, 10:45 – Westering vs Jim Fouché, 12:00 – Merrifield vs Kingswood, 12:00 – Dale College vs Curro Waterstone, 12:00 – Cambridge vs Witterberg, 13:15 – Queen’s College vs Woodridge, 13:15 – Stirling vs Alexander Road.

Grey High School, St Andrew’s College, and Cambridge High School were among the highest goal-scorers on Friday, the second day of the Synsport Tony Godding Festival, in East London.

The festival kicked off on Thursday and finishes on Sunday. Matches are being played at Stirling High, Merrifield College, Cambridge High, and Selborne College.

Pearson and Grey High kicked off the festival with comprehensive victories.

Pearson played first and registered a comprehensive 6-1 win over Stirling on Thursday. Then, on Friday morning, they continued their good form with a 3-0 win over St Andrew’s School. Pearson’s run of victories came to a halt in the afternoon, however, when Grey College handed them a 4-2 defeat

Grey High went one better than their Gqeberha neighbours and won all three of their matches.

On Thursday night, they opened with a commanding 6-0 win over Cambridge. Coach Andrew Benyon’s side faced Jim Fouché on Friday morning and shrugged off the determined challenge of the Bloemfontein side, winning 3-1. They maintained that momentum in their game against Hudson Park, whom they defeated 3-0.

St Andrew’s College recorded the joint-highest margin of victory with a 9-1 walloping of Glenwood House on Friday morning. Cambridge matched that when they overwhelmed Curro Waterstone 8-0 on Friday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the East London school scored a narrow 1-0 win over Montana in their first outing of the festival.

Grey College was one of the teams with a single match under their belt, they went up against Pearson and beat them 4-2. Coach Dallan Phillips’ side is one of the outfits to look out for in the festival.

Saturday promises another day of entertaining hockey action. Some of the matches to look forward to are Grey High’s duel with St Andrew’s School, Queen’s College‘s clash with Grey College, and Pearson’s showdown with Queen’s.

RESULTS

Thursday

Pearson 6-1 Stirling
Grey High 6-0 Cambridge High

Friday

Cambridge 1-0 Montana
Pearson 3-0 St Andrew’s School
St Andrew’s College 9-1 Glenwood House
Grey High 3-1 Jim Fouché
Queen’s College 1-1 Kingswood
Dale College 3-6 Middelburg Hoërskool
Hudson Park 1-1 Alexander Rd
Framesby 2-1 Duinveld
Montana 2-1 Witteberg
Merrifield 2-1 Sasolburg
Pearson 2-4 Grey College
Stirling 0-2 Woodridge
Dale College 5-0 Westering
Cambridge 8-0 Curro Waterstone
Hudson Park 0-3 Grey High
Selborne College 4-2 Jim Fouché

FIXTURES

Saturday

07:00 – Montana vs Duineveld, 07:00 – Stirling vs Westering, 08:15 – Alex Rd vs Glenwood House, 09:30 – Witteberg vs Curro Waterstone, 09:30 – Cambridge vs Framesby, 09:30 – Kingswood vs Sasolburg, 10:45 – Selborne College vs Woodridge, 10:45 – Merrifield vs Middelburg, 12:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Grey College, 13:15 – Grey High vs St Andrew’s School, 13:15 – Queen’s College vs Pearson, 14:30 – Framesby vs Witteberg, 15:45 – Dale College vs Alex Rd, 15:45 – Kingswood vs Jim Fouché, 15:45 – Curro Waterstone vs Duineveld Boys, 15:45 – Merrifield vs Woodridge, 17:00 – Hudson Park vs St Andrew’s College, 17:00 – Westering vs Sasolburg, 18:15 – Queen’s College vs Grey College, 18:15 – Stirling vs Middelburg, 19:30 – Selborne College vs St Andrew’s School, 19:30 – Montana vs Glenwood House.