Author: cschiwanza

Diara Ramlakan, the Steyn City captain, was in an unforgiving mood. She smashed 24 boundaries on her way to the first century of the inaugural edition of the Schools SA20 competition.

Ramlakan’s 60-ball 118 also helped Steyn City gallop to the first 200-run plus total of the tournament.

Dominique Ferguson backed up that effort with a brilliant four-wicket haul as Steyn City restricted South Hub to 75/7 in 13.3 overs, which left Steyn City the winners by a massive 144-run margin.

It was a big win, one that got social media buzzing. The team basked in the glory of the accomplishment. They had earned it. However, they quickly put that encounter behind them when they went up against Northcliff High School.

“We believe that the key is to try to remain calm, taking things one ball at a time. We also emphasise getting the basics right… If we can do that, we should come out on top,” Rachel Langley, the Steyn City head coach, said.

That approach is particularly important for Langley’s charges who have heard their name being punted as one of the favourites to lift the title in the girls’ section.

“The team is very excited but also a little nervous,” Langley revealed. “There is some pressure. A few noted commentators said that SCS (Steyn City School) is the favourite to win the competition. We are confident that we can go all the way.

Foremost on the minds of Langley and her players is that they need to stick to their gameplans, play their best game, and don’t take their opposition for granted. Fortunately, the coach has a trio of experienced players to ensure matters are composed in the dressing room and on the field.

South Africa u19 stars Diara Ramlakan and Karabo Meso are members of the team and both recently returned from playing in the u19 World Cup. They also have Jenna-Lee Lubbe, who was a non-travelling reserve for the SA u19 Squad.

“Having these players in the team adds great value. Obviously, each player adds value and skill in their own way, but what an SA u19 player can add is through their experience – the ability to stay calm under pressure, to talk the team through tough moments, and the ability to think ahead of the game and play three steps ahead,” Langley shared.

The talented trio will also lead the way with the bat, but that doesn’t mean that they are the only players who can win matches for their side. Ferguson, Samia Essop, Sivaakani Naidoo, and Tyla-Jade Harpur have been sensational with the ball for Steyn City. According to Langley, each bowler has come to the party in one game or another.

She always reminds her charges to enjoy themselves before each match. And while the goal is to lift the national title of the inaugural Schools SA20 competition, the Steyn City coach will repeat that message before their encounter against Victoria High on Thursday afternoon and every match thereafter.

“The main message we tell our students, and one thing that we truly believe is important, is to have fun,” Langley said.

Maris Stella will make their first-ever trip to the KZN Spar Hockey Challenge Grand Finals in July after they scored a stunning victory over Durban Girls’ College (DGC) in a penalty shootout in the final of the Durban Central regional leg of the tournament at DGC on Sunday.

History was made because it will be the first time that DGC misses out on the Grand Finals.

In a tense title decider, Maris Stella and DGC played out a thrilling 0-0 draw in regulation time. Then, in a penalty shootout, Maris Stella triumphed 3-1.

On Saturday, St Mary’s DSG Kloof won the Highway regional title at Curro Hillcrest.

Six teams contested the regional event at DGC on Sunday. Apart from Maris Stella and DGC, Durban Girls High School (DGHS), Inanda Seminary, INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu Schools), and St Henry’s School were also in action.

DGC kicked off the event with a comfortable 3-0 win over St Henry’s and looked like the team to beat. Coach Chardinay Penniston’s charges played exemplary hockey on their unbeaten five-match run, which included a 2-0 win over Maris Stella in their round-robin tie. After the group stage ended, the hosts had accumulated a maximum of 20 points.

Maris Stella also shone. In a key clash, they scored a 1-0 win over DGHS, who also produced some exciting hockey. After their loss to DGC, Maris Stella recorded four wins, including by 10-0 over Inanda Seminary, although the rules of the competition state that a maximum of seven goals are counted in the results. With four victories, Maris Stella tallied 16 points.

In the final, they put aside their earlier loss to DGC and delivered a splendid performance which culminated in their upset win.

DGHS was the next best team in the group stages. Coincidentally, they also recorded the third-highest margin of victory when they spanked Inanda 7-0. DGC’s biggest win was a 9-0 hammering of INK.

After their 0-1 loss to Maris Stella and a 2-4 defeat against DGC, DGHS finished in third place with 12 points in the group phase of the tournament.

The Grand Final takes place at St Mary’s, in Kloof, and features the champions of the nine KZN regions.

RESULTS

DGC 2-0 Maris Stella
Maris Stella 1-0 St Henry’s
St Henry’s 0-4 DGHS
Inanda 0-3 INK
DGC 3-0 St Henry’s
Maris Stella 1-0 DGHS
St Henry’s 6-0 Inanda
DGHS 7-0 Inanda
DGC 4-2 DGHS
Maris Stella 10-0 Inanda
DGC 4-0 Inanda
Maris Stella 4-0 INK
DGC 9-0 INK
St Henry’s 1-0 INK
DGHS 3-0 INK

After an impressive showing at the Balling Festival, in Bethlehem, last weekend, St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, secured their first piece of silverware of the 2025 hockey season by winning the Spar Highway Regional Finals, the first stage of the Spar KZN Hockey Challenge, at Curro Hillcrest, on Saturday.

The victory secured St Mary’s a place in the Grand Final, which takes place at St Mary’s, in July, where they will defend the title they lifted last year against the winners of the other KZN regions.

Nolwazi Nkabinde, the St Mary’s coach, after her team’s exploits at the Balling Festival, which included wins over Oranje and Eunice, said her team’s goal was to write its own history and to leave footprints on the hockey landscape. Saturday’s victory was a positive step in that regard.

Seven teams took to Curro’s turf, competing in a round-robin before the finalists were decided. St Mary’s met Kloof High for the title and scored a comfortable 3-0 win.

The other teams in action were Curro Hillcrest, Hillcrest High School, Thomas More College, Waterfall College, and Westville Girls’ High School. The Spar KZN Hockey Challenge is now in its 15th year and St Mary’s has dominated the competition in the Highway region, although Westville Girls’ High has also previously lifted the regional crown.

Nkabinde’s charges were in great form on Saturday. They looked comfortable on the ball, but let it do the work, moving it smoothly and effectively using the flanks ed as they pulled and stretched their opposition’s defences. They finished well, too, which led to many convincing victories.

St Mary’s began their campaign with an impressive 5-0 win over Hillcrest High and did not look back, winning all six of their round-robin matches, during which they scored 23 goals and conceded only one.

They also registered the biggest possible margin of victory with a 7-0 walloping of Waterfall College. The tournament rules cap the most goals allowed to be scored by a team at seven.

Kloof High, on the other hand, won four of their six encounters, which included a loss to St Mary’s and a 0-0 draw with Thomas More. They finished the round-robin stage with 17 points, three clear of Thomas More, who ended in third place with 14 points after scoring three wins and two draws.

They were involved in a pair of draws – against Curro and Kloof High -, which were the only games that finished level on Saturday. Hillcrest High round off the top teams with eight points from their six matches.

The Spar Hockey Challenge train pulls in at Durban Girls’ College on Sunday. 9 March. The hosts, who will be the favourites for the title, will compete against Durban Girls’ High School, Inanda Seminary, INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu Schools), Maris Stella, and St Henry’s School for the Durban Central Regional title.

RESULTS

Round-robin

Curro 0-1 Kloof High
Waterfall College 0-3 Hillcrest High
Thomas More 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
St Mary’s DSG 5-0 Hillcrest High
Kloof High 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Waterfall College 0-1 Thomas More
St Mary’s DSG 3-1 Kloof High
Curro 3-0 Waterfall College
Hillcrest 0-1 Thomas More
Waterfall College 0-7 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 1-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Curro
Waterfall College 0-1 Westville Girls’ High
Hillcrest High 0-1 Kloof High
Curro 0-4 St Mary’s DSG
Kloof High 4-0 Waterfall College
St Mary’s DSG 1-0 Thomas More
Curro 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Kloof High
Westville Girls’ High 0-3 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 0-1 Curro

Final

St Mary’s DSG 3-0 Kloof High

The Graeme College players’ bags are packed, and they are ready to make the 10-and-half-hour journey to Pretoria for the Schools SA20 national finals, which take place from 12-15 March. The boys from Makhanda will not be travelling to make up the numbers.

Coach Odwa Xonxa’s charges are battle-tested. They took a longer route to the national finals. In their district tournament, they defeated St Andrew’s College and Union High before falling to Pearson High in the semifinals.

That led them down the path of Cricket South Africa’s Focus Schools, where they made short work of their opposition, recording three wins in three outings against Hudson College, Dale College, and Prestige College in December 2024.

Andrew Muir, Graeme’s captain, showed up with the bat and, especially, the ball. He was Graeme’s leading wicket-taker on their way to the finals, while left-handed opener Enrique Strydom led the way with the bat, averaging in the 40s in the preliminary rounds.

Corbin Tidbury was also a revelation during Graeme College’s campaign. The 15-year-old registered a pair of half-centuries for the first team this season, both of them in the 90s.

Tidbury has long shown his potential. Last year, he was a member of the Eastern Province side that lifted the title at the CSA u16 National Week. He dominated his age group, decimating opposition bowling attacks, and he will bring the same energy to the team as his Proteas’ hero, Aiden Markram.

Xonxa has backed Tidbury’s talent and temperament. His stream of centuries at u15 level showed that he was ready to compete against better opponents. He is a coveted 3D player and also bowls leg- or off-spin, keeps wicket, and is excellent in the field.

Graeme College’s young side features four other players – Lisekho Zinyane, Jordan Damons, Andrew Muir, and their first-choice wicketkeeper Zukho Phontshi – from the title-winning Eastern Province u16 side.

Pontshi was also selected for the Eastern Warriors Cubs team as one of two Graeme College players in the side. The other was Luphelo Mdyesha.

Mdyesha has a wealth of experience and is one of the leaders in the team. He turned out for the Eastern Province u19 side at the Khaya Majola Coke Week.

Graeme College doesn’t just bring talent to the national finals, however. They also bring a never-say-die spirit that has carried them far.

“We are going to leave everything on the field. The boys are excited for this opportunity. They will not hold back. They will express themselves and have a lot of fun in the process,” Xonxa said.

St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, arrived home from last weekend’s Balling Festival in good spirits.

In an ideal world, they would have preferred to have won all of their matches in Bethlehem, but three out of four is not a bad return, particularly since two of those victories were over perennial powerhouses Eunice and Oranje.

However, despite their successful outing, coach Nolwazi Nkabinde‘s side is not resting on its laurels. They have bigger dreams. One of their aspirations is to write their own history and leave footprints on the schools’ hockey landscape.

“The Balling Festival was tough and an eye-opener. We learned a lot as a team and have a lot to reflect on, so we become better as the St Mary’s first team moving forward to the next tournaments to come,” Nkabinde told SuperSport Schools Plus.

Nkabinde, who has coached the national u18 team, has taken over the first team coaching duties from Carla Ann Mackay, who was in charge the past two seasons, while Nkabinde looked after the u16s. They’ve worked hand-in-hand over the past few years and read from the same book when it comes to excellence on the Astro.

“St Mary’s has a proud and rich storied history of excellence in hockey. It means a lot to us that a company like Belgotex notices that and chooses to walk this journey with us,” Caryn Springate, the St Mary’s Head of Hockey, shared.

Nicola Forbes will captain St Mary’s this season. The midfielder had an outstanding year with the school and with the KwaZulu Natal Coastal u18 provincial team last year.

“She is one of the most hardworking and unselfish players in the game. She plays her heart out for the team. She is a true reflection of our culture as a school,” Springate commented.

Forbes isn’t just held in high regard by the coaching staff, her teammates respect and try to emulate her. That’s important given how young the team is. St Mary’s has retained only five players from their very successful 2024 team. Most of the players in the squad are now in Grade 10.

“Our side is eager to grow in the first team space and produce positive results,” Nkabinde said.

She was pleased with how her charges pulled together as a unit at the Balling Festival. It is a template they intend to maintain through the season. They’re a team built on tenacity and sisterhood.

“It is important that we enjoy and learn while on this journey. We will learn through both victories and losses,” Nkabinde said.

The coach and her charges have set themselves a goal: to qualify for the Fairtree Super 12 Tournament. Despite their relative youth, it is not an overly ambitious goal. They have both the talent and drive to succeed. In the meantime, they have the Spar Regional Tournament to focus on this weekend.

The last thing any batter wants is to see Karabo Meso behind the stumps.

Off the field and without the gloves, Meso is an easy-going young lady. She is soft-spoken, always smiling, and humble.

“I am a bit goofy off the field and always try to make people around me smile. On the field, I try to get into the batter’s heads,” Meso revealed.

Give her a pair of wicket-keeping mitts, transplant her behind the stumps, and she transforms into a chatterbox. No one knows this better than Scotland’s Nayma Sheikh.

In 2023, up against South Africa u19, Scotland was on 32/2, needing 81 runs from 78 balls to win. Sheikh, who had just arrived at the crease, found it tough to get off the mark and dead-batted eight consecutive deliveries.

“Welcome to Minecraft. Block. Block. Block,” Meso began her commentary with humour. At one point, she reminded the Scot that she was in a T20 encounter and not a Test match.

When Sheikh misjudged the length of a ball and offered a caught-and-bowled opportunity to Seshnie Naidu, the commentary continued: “She is tired of this, Sesh. She wants to give up. Just give us your wicket, man, I am ready,” Meso urged.

Sheikh was eventually dismissed for 12 off 32 balls. More than anything, she was grateful to no longer have Meso in her ear. Meso is like that with every batter. She assists her bowlers by distracting the opposition. Like all great wicketkeepers, she has a thick skin and is unbothered when the opposition tries to do the same to her.

“I also try to keep my teammates motivated in the field. So, I am always encouraging them, too,” Meso explained.

However, her commentary behind the stumps is far from being her biggest weapon. Meso is lightning-quick. She executes mind-blowing stumpings and completes difficult catches with incredible agility.

She bases her wicketkeeping on another South African star, Trisha Chetty, whom she describes as the real deal. Chetty executed over 180 dismissals in her international cricket, a stat that Meso hopes to come close to matching in her own career. Judging by the quality of her wicketkeeping, it is within range.

“I have to give credit to my coach, Tholang Hlalele. I always wanted to be a bowler. I thought bowling was cool. One day, coach Hlalele took me to the nets and started throwing the ball to me and we did a few ‘keeping drills. That’s when I realised that ‘keeping was fun and unique,” Meso said.

Hlalele has been Meso’s coach since she was five years old. The two met at a KFC Mini-Cricket event at the Elkah Stadium, in Soweto. Back then, Meso wasn’t interested in the sport. She was at the oval escorting her sister, Lehlohonolo Sardick.

“She was sitting on the sidelines, watching the other kids enjoying the game. I handed her a bat and knew immediately that she had talent. She had great hand-eye coordination and picked up length early,” Hlalele, who is also Meso’s coach at Steyn City School, said.

Meso is outstanding with the bat in her hands and in front of the stumps. In one of her best knocks, in October 2024, she carved a sensational century, scoring 128 off 129 balls, with 15 fours and a single six, to lead the Lions’ Women to 296/7 against Free State. Her score was 71 percent of the opposition’s total.

The 17-year-old is a consistent performer with the bat for her school, the Lions, and the South Africa u19 team.

In 2024, she joined Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Chloé Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Suné Luus, Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba, and Tumi Sekhukhune in the ranks of Momentum Proteas players to make their international debuts while still in their teens.

Meso will display and utilise her wide array of skills and experience to lead Steyn City’s bid to win the inaugural Schools SA20 girls’ title.

Jason Rowles pressed the restart button. It is not a physical button, it is in his head, and he did so just after he reached 50 in a Youth Test contest between the South Africa u19 team and England u19 in February. In his mind, his scoreboard was wiped clean, and he was on zero again.

This is a practice he does regularly. It helps the 16-year-old avoid falling into the trap of thinking he has reached his goal whenever he reaches a milestone with the bat. Doing that helps batsmen to refocus and not fall into the “milestone relaxation phenomenon” and lose concentration, as a result.

That practice has helped Rowles pile on the runs. One of his favourite innings was the 150 he blasted against Bishops in a Fasken Time Cricket Festival match in September 2024. It was one of numerous “daddy hundreds” the 16-year-old has scored for St David’s Marist Inanda in the past two years.

“As a coach, there are batters who make you hold your heart in your hands when they walk out to bat. Jason has the opposite effect. He looks the same whether he is on 51 or just arrived at the middle,” Malibongwe Maketa, the SA u19 coach, shared.

Rowles did not lose concentration while facing England’s army of talented spinners and their battery of pace bowlers in Stellenbosch’s hot and windy conditions. He added 40 more runs and was dismissed for a well-played 90 off 118 balls. It was the first of three half-centuries from the teenager in four innings.

“It is my favourite outing with SA u19,” he revealed. “It was great learning and a good challenge against a high-quality attack.”

His pride in the knock didn’t come just from the fact that he achieved a milestone, but because it contributed to a successful outing by the team. Rowles, who named Steve Smith as his favourite international player because of the Australian’s work ethic and dedication to continuous improvement, also admires Smith’s team-first philosophy. Rowles will forego a milestone if it means that his team wins a match.

His contributions with the bat for the SA u19 side earned him the Player of the Series award. No other batsman was as consistent as he was. The trophy that he received for his outstanding contributions has now been afforded pride of place in the Rowles’ home.

When he was younger, he spent hours in the backyard, training until nightfall. When his parents turned on the outside lights, he would convert his cricket games into day-night matches. He would have played all night if anyone had dared him to do so.

“Jason has an incredible appetite for the game. Our training sessions go on for hours. But don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t just want to aimlessly hit balls. He is an incredible learner. He wants to walk away with new information from every session,” Bongani Ntini, who has taken him for private coaching over the past six years, said.

“Jason is forever looking for opportunities to get into the nets and always finds someone to throw or feed balls to him, even if it is for five minutes,” Jeff Levin, his coach at St David’s, weighed in.

This drive for continuous improvement is the reason why Rowles does not focus too much on previous accolades. He loves his Player of the Series award from the u19 series against England, but he won’t let that define him as a cricketer. As far as he is concerned, it is recognition for the work he put in before that. After he received the award, he pressed the reset button because other milestones await in the future.

That is the 16-year-old’s mindset as he represents St David’s in their Schools SA20 final round campaign.

It helps that the school has strict guidelines. St David’s doesn’t allow athletes to bring provincial or national training or match kit onto the school grounds.

Rowles leaves the acclaim and success at home in the same manner. His current focus is to help his side fight for the title, whether it’s with the bat, ball, or through his fielding.

Eunice High School’s first team returned to Bloemfontein with their heads held high and was back training on the Astro on Monday afternoon following a successful Balling Hockey Festival campaign in Bethlehem over the weekend.

“The hockey season kicked off with a confident start, showcasing strong performances and a positive team spirit,” Coach Nika Coertzen said ahead of the session.

Eunice won four of their five matches in Bethlehem. They defeated The Wykeham Collegiate 3-0 in their first match, followed it up with a 1-0 win over St John’s DSG, but then suffered a 0-2 loss at the hands of St Mary’s DSG (Kloof). Coertzen’s charges bounced back with victories over Our Lady of Fatima and Noordheuwel, whom they overcame 2-1 and 4-0 respectively.

Last year. Coertzen led one of the younger sides at first team level. They endured ups and downs, but their performances at the Balling Festival showed how far they have come as a unit.

The results of the building phase they underwent in 2024 are evident in their good start to 2025, Cortzen reckoned.

However, despite her team’s good run, Coertzen doesn’t want her side to get too far ahead of themselves. “The team must stay focused and committed as the real test begins,” she explained.

“The journey ahead will require continued dedication and hard work to maintain momentum and overcome the challenges that lie ahead.”

Bianca Rees-Gibbs was selected to be Eunice’s captain this year. Unfortunately for the ladies from Bloem, Rees-Gibbs was unable to take part in matches in Bethlehem due to an injury. However, she did play a part in the team’s games, captaining from the bench, while Cale Potgieter, the vice-captain, took charge on the Astro. Coertzen was impressed by how the pair communicated and supported each other.

Their ability to lean on each other was the difference in some matches, Coertzen said. Rees-Gibbs’ contribution was invaluable given the high standard of hockey that was played at the showpiece, she felt.

“Being part of this team is truly a privilege, and I am filled with excitement for what lies ahead.” Coertzen enthused.

“The opportunity to collaborate with such talented and driven individuals is something I deeply value. With the support of our coaches, management, and everyone behind the scenes, we are motivated to give our best and continue moving forward.”

The coaches and technical staff who made the trip to Bethlehem for the 11th edition of the Balling Hockey Festival will journey back to their bases on Sunday with a better idea of where their teams stand as they prepare for the 2024 hockey season.

The annual showpiece included many of the top teams in the country, but none emerged with a clean record

Oranje sailed through the first three days, winning all of their games. That run was halted, though, by St Mary’s DSG on Sunday morning when the girls from Kloof, in KwaZulu-Natal, beat the Bloemfontein powerhouse 2-1 in a much-anticipated clash.

Unfortunately for Union High School, they failed to record a win over the four days of competition. However, they played well against St Dominic’s and ended their festival with an encouraging draw. That result was routine for St Dominic’s. They drew all four of their matches.

Emile Odendaal, the festival director, was also there with The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC), whom he started coaching last month. One of his goals was to help turn around the school’s hockey programme, and the Pietermaritzburg school certainly made progress during the event. They finished on a high note, with a 3-2 win over Menlopark, which was the team that kept St Mary’s from going undefeated.

Eunice was another side that finished strongly. Coach Nika Coertzen’s side registered a 4-0 win over Noordheuwel. The girls from Krugersdorp experienced all three results over the four days they spent at Voortrekker and will travel back to Gauteng with their heads held high.

Sasolburg finished their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Noordheuwel’s archrivals, Monument. That was also the outcome of the game between St Dominic’s and St John’s DSG. Draws don’t sting like losses, so none of the four teams will be too dispirited by those results.

The Balling Festival, the first of the 2025 season, is now in the books. The hockey season is here and the action will soon come thick and fast. Buckle up!

RESULTS

Oranje 1st XI 1-2 St Mary’s
Oranje 2nd XI 4-1 Witteberg
Union 1-1 St Dominic’s
Our Lady of Fatima 1-1 Oranje 1st XI
TWC 3-2 Menlopark
Eunice 4-0 Noordheuwel
Sasolburg 0-0 Monument
Oranje 2nd XI 2-0 Goudveld
St Dominic’s 0-0 St John’s

6:30 – Union vs St Dominic’s
06:30 – Oranje 2 vs Witteberg (New Horizon)
08:10 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Oranje 1
09:05 – Sasolburg vs Monument
10:00 – St Dominic’s vs St John’s
10:55 – Eunice vs Noordheuwel
11:50 – TWC vs Menlopark
12:45 – Oranje 1 vs St Mary’s Kloof
14:25 – Oranje 2 vs Goudveld

Two age group events – u14 and u16 – will be run concurrently with the u19 competition with most matches being played at New Horizon