Author: cschiwanza

Maritzburg College and Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) shared the spoils in a closely contested 1-1 draw on Pape’s Astro on Saturday morning in Pietermaritzburg.

There was little to separate the sides for most of the tie.

Throughout the season, College has asserted themselves on the game by controlling possession and, thus, controlling territory, which has led to them creating opportunities. Against Affies, Kyle Emerson’s charges did their best to play their natural game and take control of the contest, but they simply failed to make as many circle entries as they would have liked.

“We didn’t create enough and weren’t effective in our forward movement,” Mark Sanders, College’s Director of Hockey, explained.

One of the reasons for that was Blake Goosen. The Affies’ coach and Head of Hockey is familiar with College’s approach to the game, having spent his teenage years competing against them. Goosen is a Westville alumnus and has first-hand experience.

He arrived prepared. Affies flooded the midfield and didn’t give the College ball carriers the room and space to express themselves. Goosen’s charges did not just develop this method of play with College in mind, it has been part of their new approach all season long.

“It’s been something we’ve been prepping over the season, but specifically coming back into term three, we are focussing on the tactical elements of the game, letting the players play when we go on the attack, but defensively, protecting the house, protecting the areas we want to and need to, especially against a good side with a very good midfield like College,” Goosen explained.

College matched the Affies’ defensive effort. Emerson’s team was equally solid at the back and did not allow the visitors to freely play in the circle or have clear shots on goal. The fewer goals they concede, the healthier the platform College has to create opportunities, Sanders said. This has been a part of their blueprint for the hockey programme across the age groups.

After the teams had gone into half-time at 0-0, Maritzburg College took the lead early in the third chukka.

Affies were on the offence, attacking deep into the College half down the right channel. Then, their midfielders ran into Ryan McKean, close to the College baseline. He won the ball for the home side and displayed silky skills as he carried it towards the halfway line before releasing a counterattack.

Julian Konigkramer took on the Affies defence with a brilliant run and was about to fix his radar on goal when he was tackled by the visitors’ goalkeeper, football style. That tackle earned College a penalty stroke, which Uyanda Dlamini converted.

Over the years, the Red, Black and White has earned a well-deserved reputation of pushing teams until the last second of play. This time around, the tables were turned on them. Affies was relentless as they hunted for an equaliser.

“That’s part of our culture. We will take teams to the end; we will outrun, outsprint, and outfight teams. It’s Affies’ guts,” Goosen reckoned.

With just over two minutes left in the game, the Pretoria side won the ball on the halfway line and launched another attack. Goosen’ charges strung together passes until they reached the edge of the D. A shot was fired off on goal and went it rebounded to Wian van Schalkwyk, the Affies’ captain wasted no time and fired the ball past goalkeeper Nick Holmes.

“Most of the games this season, with this group of players – they’re quite a young team – they’ve shown a lot of character and they’ve done it in many games. Coming back to get draws or victories like this,” Goosen shared.

College’s hunt for a winner in the last minute of play yielded no circle entries and Affies were happy to hold them at bay and claim a hard-earned draw.

RESULTS

u19 – Maritzburg College 1st 1-1 Affies 1st; Maritzburg College 2nd 1-0 Affies 2nd; Maritzburg College 3rd 0-3 Affies 3rd; Maritzburg College 4th 2-2 Affies 4th; Maritzburg College 5th 3-2 Affies 5th

u16 – Maritzburg College A 1-1 Affies A; Maritzburg College B 0-1 Affies B; Maritzburg College C 2-6 Affies C; Maritzburg College D 1-6 Affies D; Maritzburg College E 2-2 Affies E; Maritzburg College F 2-0 Affies F; Maritzburg College G 3-1 Affies G

u14 – Maritzburg College A 2-2 Affies A; Maritzburg College B 1-1 Affies B; Maritzburg College C 2-1 Affies C; Maritzburg College D 0-3 Affies D; Maritzburg College E 1-0 Affies E

Paarl Gimnasium and Bristol’s Clifton College dominated their quarterfinal matches to book their places in the semifinals of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament on Friday.

Paarl Gim breezed past Hoërskool Kempton Park, powering their way to an emphatic 8-0 victory, while Clifton College outplayed Windhoek Gymnasium 5-0 to secure their slot.

“I am very proud of the girls. They have improved as the season has progressed. We struggled a bit at the start of the season, but we have been able to improve with each game we have played,” Ian Naude, the Paarl Gim coach, said.

At the start of the season, Paarl Gim left a lot of goals on the Astro. They are now leaving fewer goals out there and finishing better. In their last seven games, Naude’s girls have scored a whopping 59 times.

After the completion of Friday’s matches, a total of 153 goals had been scored in the tournament, and 45 of those belonged to Paarl Gim. The other 19 sides had tallied 108 together. No team has come close to the level Naude’s side is playing at.

It appears as if Paarl Gim is aiming for double figures in every match. They achieved that feat against Worcester Gymnasium, overwhelming them 11-0 in their third game of the tournament.

Before their massive victory over Worcester Gim, Paarl Gim smashed 17 unanswered goals past Uppingham and Windhoek High School, winning those games 9-0 and 8-0 respectively. Naude’s team also romped to a 9-0 win over Curro Durbanville in their last group match. They were the only side to not drop a single point in the group stages.

“The best thing about the way we have been scoring goals is that we don’t have a single player dominating the goal scoring. It has been a team effort,” Naude said.

A testament to that is the fact that six players were on the scoresheet in Paarl Gim’s semifinal victory. Marika Neethling and Isabella Nel netted two goals apiece, and Tanya Pieterse, Anine le Roux, Anya Swanepoel, and Alanda Rademeyer struck once each.

So dominant has Paarl Gim been that the top five goal scorers in the tournament are from the team, with Marika Neethling (9), Anine le Roux (6), Karea de Ridder (6), Tanya Pieterse (6), and Alanda Rademeyer (5) leading the way.

Naude’s side has not only been outstanding in the attacking circle, but they have also been rock-solid in defence. They reached the quarterfinals without conceding a goal. In their last seven games, they have given up only two.

“Our cover defence has been really good. Our strikers are reverse-pressing well, our man-marking has been outstanding, and we have not given the opposition sides space to play. We have limited circle entries against us so much so that our ‘keeper has not had much to do,” Naude explained.

In the semifinals, Paarl Gim will square up against Clifton College. Olly Keenan’s charges earned their spot in the final four courtesy of a comfortable 5-0 win over Windhoek Gymnasium.

Meg Titcomb led the scoring with a brace and Alice Holford, Evie Edwards, and Bella Herring added a goal each.

Clifton College’s path to the semifinals was not as smooth as Paarl Gim’s. They finished second in Pool B, one point behind the pool winners, Parel Vallei, who beat Clifton 2-1 in their first game.

“We have a young squad that is not used to playing a lot together. In the first match, they were still adjusting to conditions, which wasn’t difficult because the weather here is similar to the UK in the winter,” Keenan said.

After dusting themselves down, they fired seven unanswered goals past Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool. Then, on day three, after the second day had been called off because of severe storms, Clifton College recorded a 4-0 win over Hoërskool Bellville and then edged out Paarl Girls’ High 1-0 in a must-win contest to lay claim to second place.

“I think our game against Paarl Girls was our best match because we showed good game-management in a tight contest,” Keenan reckoned.

His charges will have their hands full on Sunday when they battle against Naude’s juggernaut. Keenan, however, is unfazed by Paarl Gim’s prolific scoring.

“Our goal has been to outscore our opposition in every match. We are not going to try to contain Paarl Gim. We won’t play negative hockey,” he said. “We have a side that plays fast hockey and that is how we will play against Paarl Gim. We will outscore them.”

RESULTS

Pool A

AKS Lytham 2-0 Durbanville High School
St Paul’s College 0-1 Hoërskool Kempton Park
Durbanville High School 0-1 Somerset College
AKS Lytham 1-2 St Paul’s College
Somerset College 1-0 Hoërskool Kempton Park

Pool B

Hoërskool Bellville 0-4 Clifton College
Parel Vallei 1-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool 0-1 Hoërskool Bellville
Parel Vallei 5-0 Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool
Clifton College 1-0 Paarl Girls’ High

Pool C

Curro Durbanville 0-5 Windhoek High School
Uppingham 2-0 Worcester Gymnasium
Uppingham 1-0 Curro Durbanville
Worcester Gymnasium 0-11 Paarl Gim
Windhoek High 0-2 Uppingham
Paarl Gim 9-0 Curro Durbanville

Pool D

Hoërskool Outeniqua 0–2 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 1–4 Chisipite
Chisipite 1–2 Windhoek Gymnasium
Rustenburg 1–1 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 0–4 Hoërskool Outeniqua
Windhoek Gymnasium 2–2 Springfield Convent School

Quarterfinals

Somerset College 5-2 Uppingham
Parel Vallei 2-0 Chisipite
Hoërskool Kempton Park 0-8 Paarl Gimnasium
Clifton College 5-0 Windhoek Gymnasium

Somerset College and Parel Vallei were the first sides to book semifinals spots at the Cape Town International Hockey Festival on Friday.

The event kicked off on Wednesday, 10 July, and the semifinals and final will be held on Sunday, 14 July.

Somerset College secured their place with a 5-2 win over UK-based Uppingham in the last eight, while Parel Vallei overcame Zimbabwe’s Chisipite 2-0 in their quarterfinals’ clash.

“I am ecstatic for the team. We did not have the best preparation for the tournament and for the girls to fight like this is wonderful for me to see,” Kyran Fortuin, the Somerset College coach, shared after the match.

The side had managed only a single training session ahead of the tournament, with the team’s players dealing with exams and then holidays in the lead-up to the showpiece.

In addition to that, Somerset was missing their talisman captain, Julia Brown, who sustained a toe injury at the SASHOC U18 National Week. In her absence, Lara Gouws, the vice-captain, has taken over the leadership reins.

In the first chukka, Somerset fell 0-1 down, but Gouws showed her leadership acumen as she rallied her side. They bounced back and equalised, before running away with the win. Gouws, who is in grade 10, led the side with a brace, while Annabelle Hamel, Siena Kontopirakis, and Evi Benson also scored as Fortuin’s side rallied and roared their way to an emphatic victory.

“Special mention should also go to Jessica du Toit and Caroline Morris,” Fortuin said. “They were outstanding in all the matches we played. Jessica held the defence together, while Caroline was at the heart of all our moves. She is an exceptional ball carrier.”

Fortuin’s charges are peaking at the right time. They started their campaign with a scrappy 1-1 draw against St Paul’s College, of Windhoek, but then recorded three wins on the bounce.

They defeated the English side, AKS Lytham, 2-0 to close out day one on four points. That victory was followed with a pair of 1-0 wins over Durbanville High School and Hoërskool Kempton Park respectively. That brought their total to 10 points and the top spot in Pool A.

Parel Vallei punched their ticket to the last four with a solid 2-0 win over Chisipite after a tightly contested tie. Jarred Pitout’s side has conceded only two goals in the tournament so far.

“We came into the tournament prepared and in high spirits and with a positive outlook. Our first match set the tone,” Pitout said.

The Jordan Boer-captained team overcame Bristol’s Clifton College 2-1 in their opener and didn’t look back from there. They registered a 3-0 win over Hoërskool Bellville to finish the day in second place in Pool B. On day three, they were held to a 1-1 draw by their neighbours, Paarl Girls’ High, before an emphatic 5-0 win over Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool fired them to the top of the Pool B standings.

“The girls stuck to the gameplan really well when we faced Chisipite in the quarterfinals,” Pitout explained. “Chisipite is very good on the counter, so we had to make sure that we were solid at the back.”

Parel Vallei’s success has been led by outstanding performances from their skipper Jordan Boer and Eva Blaauw, and they were, once again, to the fore in the quarterfinals. They managed the game well, providing a solid platform for Parel Vallei’s dynamic forwards to run at the opposition, and it paid off. Michaela Birch and Grace Taylor converted two opportunities into goals to put them through to the last four.

Parel Vallei takes on Somerset College in the semifinals in a mouthwatering tie that will be a rematch of a league game in which Pitout’s side triumphed 1-0.

In the other semi-final, Paarl Gimnasium, who have been in imperious form, take on Clifton College. Both romped to big wins in their quarterfinal clashes. Gimmies outplayed Hoërskool Kempton Park 8-0 and Clifton defeated Windhoek Gymnasium 5-0.

RESULTS

Pool A

AKS Lytham 2-0 Durbanville High School
St Paul’s College 0-1 Hoërskool Kempton Park
Durbanville High School 0-1 Somerset College
AKS Lytham 1-2 St Paul’s College
Somerset College 1-0 Hoërskool Kempton Park

Pool B

Hoërskool Bellville 0-4 Clifton College
Parel Vallei 1-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool 0-1 Hoërskool Bellville
Parel Vallei 5-0 Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool
Clifton College 1-0 Paarl Girls’ High

Pool C

Curro Durbanville 0-5 Windhoek High School
Uppingham 2-0 Worcester Gymnasium
Uppingham 1-0 Curro Durbanville
Worcester Gymnasium 0–11 Paarl Gim
Windhoek High 0–2 Uppingham
Paarl Gim 9-0 Curro Durbanville

Pool D

Hoërskool Outeniqua 0–2 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 1-4 Chisipite
Chisipite 1-2 Windhoek Gymnasium
Rustenburg 1-1 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 0-4 Hoërskool Outeniqua
Windhoek Gymnasium 2-2 Springfield Convent School

Quarterfinals
Somerset College 5-2 Uppingham
Parel Vallei 2-0 Chisipite
Hoërskool Kempton Park 0-8 Paarl Gimnasium
Clifton College 5-0 Windhoek Gymnasium

Western Cape sides, Somerset College, Paarl Girls’ High, and Paarl Gimnasium took charge of Pools A, B, and C, while Chisipite, from neighbouring Zimbabwe, rose to the top of Pool D, after the first day of action at the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament on Wednesday.

The 19^th edition of the annual event has 64 teams split between u19 boys’ and girls’ sides participating, with 20 teams competing for the honours in the Elite Girls section.

Last year’s finalists, Millfield Green Stripe and Kingston Grammar, did not return to this year’s tournament, which left Paarl Gim as the top-ranked side from 2023 ahead of the event.

On day one, Ian Naude‘s charges lived up to their billing, kicking off their campaign in style, with back-to-back emphatic victories.

In their first outing, they tackled the UK side, Uppingham, and overran them 9-0. Karea de Ridder led the scoring with the first hattrick of the tournament. Anya Swanepoel netted a brace, while Marika Neethling, Jone de Winnaar, Alanda Rademeyer, and Isabella Nel, also found the back of the net.

They followed up that big win with a comprehensive 8-0 demolition of Windhoek High. Neethling scored twice. Anine le Roux matched her, while Ridder and Rademeyer were again on the scoresheet, where they were joined by Tanya Pieterse and Minke Botha.

Unsurprisingly, those results have left Paarl Gim perched on top of Pool C.

Paarl Girls’ High kicked off their challenge with a 5-0 drubbing of Bellville. Nina Cilliers led the scoring with a double, while Halle Williams, Rouxne Pentz, and Lisa Craven also scored.

A few hours later, they hammered Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool 7-0. As she did in the morning, Cilliers led the scoring with a brace. Williams, Craven, and Pentz, who also scored in their side’s opener, were again on the score sheet, where they were joined by Elize Janse van Vuuren and Charlotte Louw.

Coach Anri Keevy’s charges finished ninth last year, but based on their showing on the opening day they have their sights set on loftier heights this time around.

Those big victories catapulted Paarl Girls’ High to the top of Pool B, which they lead on goal difference over Parel Vallei, who scored five goals and conceded one in their victories over Clifton College (Bristol, UK), and Bellville.

The two Paarl girls’ schools were the only sides to finish the opening day without conceding a goal.

Somerset, the winners of the Belgotex Easter Hockey Tournament, entered the tournament as the second-highest-ranked team after finishing fourth last year, just behind Paarl Gim.

However, they didn’t enjoy as strong a start as Paarl Gim and Paarl Girls’ High, with Ainsleigh de Kock‘s charges kicking off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against last year’s Evolve section winners, St Paul’s. Lara Gouws found the back of the net for Somerset while Leila Grogli scored for the Windhoek school.

De Kock’s team found its range when they faced AKS Lytham. Annabelle Hamel and Nina Benson scored a goal each to lead them to victory.

Unlike the other groups, the competition in Pool A is tight after the opening day’s play. Somerset College is tied on four points with Hoërskool Kempton Park but enjoys a better goal difference. The Western Cape side scored three and conceded one goal, while Kempton Park scored two and conceded one.

Behind them are Durbanville High and St Paul’s, who drew both of their matches, scoring two and conceding two

Zimbabwean side Chisipite cantered to the top of Pool D with wins over Springfield Convent School and Hoërskool Outeniqua.

The Kanyiwe Tafuma-coached side registered a 2-0 win over Springfield in their first match, thanks to goals from Alexia Pitcher and Zarina Makwarimba. Later in the day, Chisipite again won by a 2-0 margin, this time over Outeniqua, with Emma Reilly and Tanya Masamba striking for the Zimbabweans.

Chisipite’s two wins has left them equal on points with Windhoek Gymnasium, who also recorded two victories, defeating Outeniqua 2-1 and Rustenburg 1-0. However, Chisipite, with plus-four goals, tops the standings on goal difference from Windhoek Gymnasium, which was plus-two after their two wins.

Unfortunately, day two’s fixtures have been cancelled after the South African Weather Service issued a level 8 weather warning for some areas of the Western Cape, including Cape Town. The organisers will revise the playing schedule, which will be updated once those changes are available.

RESULTS

Pool A

Somerset College 1-1 St Paul’s College
Durbanville High School 1-1 Hoërskool Kempton Park
Somerset College 2-0 AKS Lytham
St Paul’s College 1-1 Durbanville High School
Hoërskool Kempton Park 1-0 AKS Lytham

Pool B

Hoërskool Bellville 0-5 Paarl Girls’ High
Clifton College 1-2 Parel Vallei
Hoërskool Bellville 0-3 Parel Vallei
Clifton College 7-0 Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool
Paarl Girls’ High 7-0 Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool

Pool C

Worcester Gymnasium 1-0 Curro Durbanville
Paarl Gimnasium 9-0 Uppingham
Windhoek High School 0-8 Paarl Gimnasium

Pool D

Windhoek Gymnasium 2-1 Hoërskool Outeniqua
Chisipite 2-0 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 0-1 Windhoek Gymnasium
Chisipite 2-0 Hoërskool Outeniqua

Eastern Province A was exceptional, winning seven out of seven games, on their way to their first SASHOC National Week u16 girls’ title since 2017 with a 1 – 0 triumph over Boland A in the final. The tournament ran from 28 June to 3 July in Bloemfontein.

“We worked so hard to achieve this,” an elated Hanna Potgieter, the Eastern Province A captain, shared after the victory.

⁠”My message to them at the start of the week was to enjoy the hunt and that message remained the same – ‘enjoy the hunt and opportunity to play. Go out and express yourself,’” Andrew Beynon, the Eastern Province A coach, explained.

Eastern Province A had an outstanding unbeaten campaign. They scored 21 goals, 16 of which came in the group stages where they won four and drew one match on their way to the top of Pool B. In the semifinals, they overcame Western Province A 4 – 1. And then beat Boland A 1 – 0 in the final. The two sides played out a 1 – 1 draw in the last match of the pool stages

Despite the team being the youngest outfit at this year’s IPTs, Beynon’s team showed a lot of growth. In 2023, they scored the ninth most goals in the tournament.

⁠”It is a young side but well-balanced, and their commitment has been exceptional. They were focused from when we assembled as a group and they continued to grow as a group throughout the week,” Beynon said.

This year, they finished with the joint-most goals by a side at the tournament. Southern Free State A is the other team with as many goals. However, Unlike Southern Free State A who have one outstanding goal-scorer, Chanette van Vuuren Jansen who has 10 goals to her name, Eastern Province A has three players in the top five scorers list. Jana Prinsloo and Lucy Holderness are in second place with six goals each and Kerrin Gillies is in joint fourth with five goals.

“It was definitely a collective effort. Different players were able to express themselves at certain times because of the hard work of the team,” Beynon explained his team’s approach.

The trio of Prinsloo, Holderness, and Gillies has been outstanding in the D and was a constant threat to Boland A’s defence throughout their contest in the final. They made several circle entries thanks to Eastern Province A’s dominating possession in the first two chukkas.

Boland A scored the third most goals but has been the best defensive team in the tournament. They conceded only two goals in their campaign, both to Eastern Province A. Staying true to form, Chris Gerber‘s charges repelled all the attacks launched towards their goal.

However, Boland A did more than just defend. They relied on the counter for most of the contest but wrestled control and were more energetic and attacking in the last five minutes of the third chukka and into the final quarter. The newfound verve turned the match from a one-sided affair to a hotly contested one that saw action swing from end to end, attacks and counter-attacks.

Alecia Louw broke the deadlock with five minutes remaining in the contest. It was not a glorious goal, but her third goal of the tournament turned out to be her most important goal of the tournament. After a period of trading volleys, Eastern Province A enjoyed a good phase of play, where an attack resulted in a penalty corner. Prinsloo teed up a shot which Louw deflected past the defenders and goalkeeper to take the lead.

The only concern for Beynon would be around his charges’ penalty corner conversion rate. They won nine short corners and only converted one. In the end, that was the only conversion that mattered.

Three members of the title-winning 2024 Eastern Province A team, Prinsloo, Louw, and Linathi Goniwe, were selected for the SA Schools u16.

KwaZulu Natal Coastal A, Western Province A, Eastern Province A, and Boland A, punched their tickets to the semifinals of the u16 SASHOC National Week girls’ event on Monday in Bloemfontein.

The four teams dominated their pools, with three of them remaining unbeaten.

Keamogelo Baakaleng scored her first goal of the tournament as Coastal A swooped to claim first place in Pool A with a 1-0 win over Western Province A. In Pool B, Eastern Province A fought out a 1-1 draw with Boland A.

Western Province A’s loss to Coastal A was their first of the tournament. The KZN side, Eastern Province A and Boland A are all yet to lose, and all sport records of four wins and one draw.

In a battle of two Pool A powerhouses, Baakaleng’s 43-minute strike broke the deadlock. Heading into the match, Western Province A, the defending champions, looked like the team to beat in their group. They had scored 14 goals, 10 of which were field goals, and conceded only three while going unbeaten.

Coastal A, meanwhile, did not look as menacing in the D. They had scored nine goals on their way to three wins and one draw. However, they had a better defence and had, in fact, not conceded a single goal in the competition. It was, therefore, a battle of the best defence in the Pool A going up against the best strikers in the group. The team with the best defence triumphed.

Coastal A will next face Boland A in the semi-finals, while Western Province A will go toe-to-toe with Eastern Province A.

Pool B’s action on Monday had a similar slant, with the penthouse dwellers fighting it out for the top spot on the last day of group matches. They provided a thrilling contest.

Both sides were already guaranteed a place in the next round when they squared up, but there was no letting up from either team as they gave it all they had.

Before the match, Eastern Province’s goal difference was better by only a single goal. After their 1-1 draw, that proved enough to earn them first place in the pool.

The game began fantastically for Boland, with Nicola van der Merwe striking in the third minute to give her side the lead. It was her third goal of the tournament.

The Western Cape side held on to their slender advantage for 25 minutes, but Lucy Holderness then scored her fourth goal of the tournament to level matters.

That goal tied Holderness with four other players – Raffael Abrahams, Chanette van Vuuren Jansen, Jana Prinsloo, and Asanele Zuma – who occupy second place on the tournament’s goal scoring chart. Holderness’s team-mate, Kerrin Gillies leads the way with five goals.

Day four was not only about the log leaders, but it was also about the basement dwellers in both groups.

In Pool A, KZN Coastal B faced Southern Free State A. Coastal B has endured a trying campaign in which they have conceded 23 goals and scored only three in reply. Two of those three came in their final group match, which they lost 2-5. Southern Free State A’s five goals helped them complete the pool stage with a goal difference of 0.

Boland B and Border A, who anchored Pool B, played to a 0-0 draw, which left both with negative goal difference.

Like Coastal B, Boland B has managed only three goals in the tournament. However, their defence has been little less porous. They conceded 15 goals, for a goal difference of -12.

Border, on the other hand, struggled as much as Coastal B on the defence, also giving up 23 goals. At the other end of the field, they mustered only two goals. And that’s why they finished last in the group.

RESULTS

Boland B 1-3 Southern Gauteng B
Southern Gauteng A 6-0 Border
Boland A 1-1 Eastern Province A
Western Province A 0-1 KZN Coastal A
Southern Free State A 5-2 KZN Coastal B
Northern Blues A 3-0 KZN Inland A
Border 0-0 Boland B

Four teams – Boland A, Eastern Province A, KwaZulu Natal Coastal, and defending champions, Western Province A – remain unbeaten after the third day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.

Boland A and Eastern Province A, the runaway leaders of Pool B, have set the stage for a thrilling encounter on day four after they shrugged off the challenges of Southern Gauteng A and Boland B respectively on Sunday.

Andrew Beynon’s Eastern Province side delivered a statement of intent when they walloped Border 8-1 on the opening day of the interprovincial tournament, and they have been on fire ever since then.

On Sunday, they finally conceded a goal, in their fourth game, but it was just the one in a convincing 4-1 victory over Boland B.

Lucy Holderness opened the scoring in the 15^th minute before Kerrin Gillies struck twice in the space of five minutes in the second quarter to give her side a three-goal lead. That double vaulted Gillies to the top of the goal scoring charts, with five goals, moving her above her teammate Jana Prinsloo (4) and Asanele Zuma (4).

Boland A also surrendered a goal for the first time on Sunday. It came in a tightly contested clash with Southern Gauteng A, which went down to the wire.

Chris Gerber‘s charges took an early lead through Phillipa Viljoen in the seventh minute, who converted a penalty corner for the second time during the week. Then, Nicola van der Merwe, who scored a last-minute goal against Southern Gauteng B on day two, extended Boland’s lead with a 25th minute goal.

Kirsten Cikes pulled Southerns back into the contest with a 39th minute goal, but Boland held onto their one-goal lead until the end.

Those results confirmed Eastern Province A and Boland A as the semi-finalists from Pool B. However, the winners of the pool will be decided on Monday when the sides go head-to-head.

In Pool A, Western Province A triumphed 4–2 over Southern Free State A to maintain their hold on top spot and guarantee themselves a place in the final four.

Emma Hibbert starred for the Louise Conradie-coached outfit with a brace, while Kira Totaram-Jacobs and Chelsey McGregor pitched in with a goal each. Chanette Jansen van Vuuren struck twice in the fourth chukka as Southern Free State mounted a fightback. It was, however, too little too late.

Second-placed KwaZulu Natal Coastal A played to a 0-0 draw against their neighbours KZN Inland A. That draw, and a win later in the day, has opened a window of hope for Inland A, who, mathematically, still have a shot at the next round.

In their second outing, Phillip Smerdon‘s charges registered a 2-1 win over Southern Free State A. Beayu Chiang and Kate van Breda found the back of the net for Inland in the 24^th and 30^th minutes before Claire Volschenk pulled one back in the 49^th minute, which made for a tense finish to the match.

Inland’s chances for making the semi-finals now depend on Western Province maintaining their unbeaten run when they play KZN Coastal A on day four, while Inland A would also need to convincingly beat Northern Blues A.

RESULTS

KZN Coastal A 0-0 KZN Inland A
Western Province A 4-2 Southern Free State A
KZN Coastal B 0-3 Northern Blues A
Border 1-6 Southern Gauteng B
Eastern Province A 4 -1 Boland B
Southern Gauteng A 1-2 Boland A
KZN Inland A 2-1 Southern Free State A

The defending champions, Western Province A, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A, and Eastern Province A registered big wins on the first day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein on Friday. The event runs through to 3 July.

Province’s title defence got off to a smooth start as they chalked up two wins on the first day.

Louise Conradie‘s charges shrugged off a challenge from KwaZulu Natal Inland A, capturing a 3-0 victory. Camryn Corner found the back of the net in the second and third chukkas before Kate Naiker buried the KZN side with a third goal with five minutes remaining in the game.

Province’s victory over Inland A was a precursor for a dominant performance in the afternoon, which brought them a 5-0 win over KwaZulu-Natal Coastal B. Naiker opened the scoring in the sixth minute, with her second goal of the tournament. From there, it was all Province, with Bea van den Berg netting twice, and Sarah Ashbolt and Chelsey McGregor joining her on the score sheet.

The beating KZN Coastals B received at the hands of Province was their second drubbing of the day. Shannon Demsey’s charges suffered a heavier defeat in the morning at the hands of their compatriots, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A.

KZN Coastal A finished fifth in 2023, but their opening salvo on Friday suggested they will be in for a higher finish this time around, with plenty of goals to boot.

Last year, they scored 16 goals, which was the fifth-highest tally by any team, with five of those coming off the stick of Nicola Forbes, who was a member of the u18 team that finished third last week.

Asanele Zuma appears to be a worthy successor to Forbes. The 14-year-old Durban Girls’ College learner was on target four times on day one. She opened her account with a brilliant hat-trick against KZN Coastal B as the Coastal A side powered their way to an emphatic 6-0 win over their compatriots. The other goal scorers included Chelsey Woolf, who struck twice, and Liyanda Memani.

Later in the day, Zuma scored the only goal of the match as Coastal A edged out Northern Blues A 1-0.

Western Province A and KZN Coastal are top of the pile in Pool A, with both on six points, but separated by goal difference.

Eastern Province A were the other big winners on Friday. Coach Andrew Beynon‘s charges hammered Border 8-1 in the fourth contest of the day.

They opened the scoring 11 minutes into the tie and did not stop. Jana Prinsloo struck four times, while Kerrin Gillies contributed a hat-trick. Alecia Louw added another goal as EP A romped to victory.

Border’s consolation goal came from Megan Phillips in the 41^st minute. They were already 0-5 down when she found the back of the net. That emphatic win has left Eastern Province A top of Pool B after the opening day

RESULTS

Northern Blues A 1-3 Southern Free State A
KZN Coastal A 6-0 KZN Coastal B
KZN Inland A 0-3Western Province A
Border 1-8 Eastern Province A
Southern Gauteng B 0-4 Southern Gauteng A
Boland B 0-5 Boland A
KZN Coastal A 1-0 Northern Blues A
Western Province A 5-0 KZN Coastal B

The KwaZulu-Natal Coastal u16 side was trailing 0-1 and had only a minute and 20 seconds to find an equaliser. Coach Chardinay Penniston pulled off Ella Carstens, her goalkeeper, and sent on another striker.

The Western Province players had possession and were taking the most pragmatic path; if they launched an attack towards the Coastal goal, they ran the risk of exposing themselves to a counterattack. They were better served running down the clock.

Ruby Kraus pressed the Province player in possession. The player stumbled. Kraus won the ball on the edge of the D, quickly scanned her surroundings, teed up, and unfurled a shot that flew into the top right corner of the goal.

“She has determination and the willingness to go the extra mile, testing boundaries, and taking risks,” said Penniston. The coach’s eyes light up when she talks about Kraus, one of her leading strikers. The young woman has made Penniston do cartwheels in celebration after burgling goals and helping her team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

“Ruby is a great leader, and this shows with the relationship she has with her teammates,” Keegan Hezlett, who began coaching the Durban Girls’ College striker when she was 10, said.

“Often people at a young age can get the captaincy wrong, but Ruby’s ability to put her team’s needs above hers is evident. She loves success, whether it be for the team or herself personally. She is always trying to hold herself and her team to a high standard.”

Welcome to the Rubyverse.

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Ruby Kraus was one of those kids. Not the ones who play under the stands while the match was being contested on the astro. She perched herself on the top seat and watched the game intently. By the time she was eight, she understood the game enough to have opinions on right and wrong calls. She was right more often than not.

Kraus spent her early years on the side of the hockey pitch cheering on her brothers, Ethan and Byron. They played for KwaZulu-Natal Coastal’s age group sides and for Clifton. Her parents, Mike and Charmaine Kraus, have tried to attend every sporting event their children have been involved in, so Ruby Kraus went on every tour and they did not miss a match.

“From around five or six, Ruby was on the side of the pitch every time. She would run on the pitch to hit goals at halftime. There was a very good hockey-playing family in Durban, the Montgomery brothers, the younger Montgomery brother was always with Ruby, hitting balls,” Mike Kraus said.

When she was not playing cheerleader for her brothers, Kraus competed against them in the backyard. According to sports scientists, participating in informal play with older siblings forces the development of more advanced skills at a younger age to keep up with their teammates. Having older brothers also means a greater physical discrepancy, so girls must smarten up and toughen up.

One of her brothers was a goalkeeper and the other a defender. They did not make it easy for her to score goals. Kraus had to be at her attacking best to score.

Younger siblings often develop ‘superior perceptual-cognitive skills, more creativity and highly refined technical skills’ than older siblings, researchers have noted.

The other advantage of competing against older siblings is that the younger siblings lose more often than they win. Those experiences force children to become adept at dealing with failure, harnessing their competitiveness and mental resilience.

“When I first started coaching her, I was amazed to meet a young player of her nature, you know, a forward/striker that did not present a big physical presence and outspoken personality. But she surely did make up for it by being so lethal in scoring goals,” Nolwazi Nkabinde, the South African Schools coach, shared.

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“My brothers are quite a lot older than me, but that didn’t matter because I always thought I was better than them,” Kraus revealed.

She did not just think that she was better than her brothers, she was also intent on carving a path for herself in the sport. She was not content with being Ethan and Byron’s young sister. She wanted to be seen as Ruby Kraus.

That separation of self began with her getting a hockey stick that allowed her personality to shine. She was in love with Osaka sticks and pestered her parents to get her one. They relented and provided her with one with elaborate Osaka details.

That was the stick she took along with her to her first private coaching lessons with Kate Koenig. The former South African international took the backyard warrior and set her on a path to becoming a player to be reckoned with.

“Kate Koenig is responsible for how I play today. She provided the foundation to my game, taught me how to shoot, and everything else. I’m so grateful for all that she’s done for me,” Kraus shared.

Koenig was succeeded by Keegan Hezlett. What immediately stood out for the current Durban High School 1st XI coach was Kraus’ natural ability as a player. However, what was even more impressive to him was her drive to not rely on her talent.

“No one sees the hard work she does behind the scenes. That’s how she has always been,” Hezlett said.

That hard work was complimented by her readiness to trust her coaches and try new things. It is a theme that has remained constant throughout her dealings with Nkabinde and Penniston, too.

“All these coaches, including our [KZN Coastal] u18 coach, JJ [Jacinta Wedderburn], have always put in the extra effort for me and everyone else. I am grateful for all of the different angles they have brought to my game. I think sometimes having different coaches adds to your versatility,” Kraus said.

The work she put in with her coaches was put to the test at school and when she turned out for her clubs. First, she played for Crusaders, but at 15 she switched to Riverside.

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Ruby Kraus on the golf course was a regular sight during the lockdown. She left the house every day at sundown with her sticks and balls and went to the course to practice her skills and timing. Those sessions ran the risk of taking forever because she always had something she wanted to work on.

When the restrictions were eased, but sports were not yet officially allowed to resume, Kraus was one of the first players back on the Astro. “She was back at Riverside practicing on her own all the time, as much as she could, and she also picked up on her private lessons,” Mike Kraus explained.

The hours she spent alone and with her private coaches explain who she is as a hockey player. “I think that’s where I’m the hardest on myself. I always go back to watch my games and see what I could have done at that moment, and I make sure that I work on anything that I need to improve,” Kraus said.

Her dedication to improving is the reason why she is one of the best strikers in South African schoolgirls’ hockey. She was KZN Coastal’s leading goal scorer at the recent SASHOC U18 National Week and finished as the third highest scorer in the tournament. Kraus is also one of the best executors of the tomahawk and can use it to score from anywhere in the circle.

“She has grown enormously over the past few years. She is more creative with her scoring techniques, has a more diverse repertoire, and is always brave to take a chance to score with flair,” said Nkabinde, who added Kraus’s incredible work rate off the ball as another of her strengths.

“Ruby has grown so much from her grade 9 year to now, that I think, ‘yeah, it’s two unrecognisable people’. The potential was always there and I’m so glad that all her achievements and her accomplishments have come to be a testament to all the hard work she has put in,” Penniston concurred.

Her dedication has allowed her to perform even when the stakes were high. It has also earned her national age group call-ups. However, one of her greatest moments was when she played one of her best games while competing against Shelley Jones (nee Russell), her hero, who played 276 matches for South Africa.

“I have always looked up to my brothers. They do not give up even when things look hard. But I have also always been obsessed with Shelley Jones. One of my teachers knew of my love for her and got her to write me a message and I think I’ve still got that message. Everything came full circle when I ended up playing against her at club level,” she explained.

Meeting Jones was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream, but that was not her only hockey ambition. Kraus has other mountains she hopes to scale, one of them being to help her school clinch the Super 12 title. The other is to represent South Africa at international level.

The player with number seven on his back was the last line of defence. He walked to the halfway line, eyes tracking the ball. Then, without warning, he burst into life.

One moment he was assisting on the left wing, then he was causing turnovers in the middle of the park and charging down the opposition’s defenders.

He was everywhere, supporting, defending, attacking and pressing.

It was in one of those presses that he dispossessed a defender, carried the ball into the D, and unleashed a shot at goal.

Unleashed is the proper term, the only word that encapsulates that moment, because the young man in the number seven shirt, Kearsney College‘s Matthew Mendes de Oliveira, does not take shots, he unleashes them. He swings the stick with all of himself, and when he makes contact, the ball screams towards the goal, propelled by all of his hopes and all of the love he has for hockey and life and the moment.

The goalkeeper made a save, but Trent Jessop collected the rebound and slotted the ball past him. KwaZulu-Natal Coastal had scored their first goal in the third and fourth place playoffs at the SASHOC U18 National Week. It turned out to be the only goal of the contest.

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The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is also central to Matthew Mendes de Oliveira’s development as a hockey player. It was the last room of the house that he stepped into before heading into the backyard, where he learned the game, competing against his mother, Phillippa, and his older sister, Daniela.

Mendes de Oliveira was born into a sporting family. His father played rugby and water polo, and his maternal grandfather played tennis, cricket, and baseball at provincial level. He inherited their love for ball sports.

“Teachers at school used to say when he was sitting in a lesson, Matthew would be staring outside at whatever ball sport was being played. If there was a ball sport outside, he was more interested in that,” Phillippa shared.

It was from his mother that he picked up his love for hockey. She played hockey at school and after Dani picked it up at primary school, it became the family pastime. Phillippa spent countless afternoons teaching her children everything she could about the game.

“She taught us how to bully (the old-fashioned start to the game),” Dani, who plays for the SA national team and is a part of the Stellenbosch University and Western Province sides, explained.

It is also in the Mendes de Oliveira kitchen that one will find the principles that guide Matthew Mendes de Oliveira. The family has a chalkboard with their family values written there. The words perseverance, tenacity, loyalty, and humility have been there for years. They are all Mendes de Oliveira has seen. They are a legacy the family inherited from Mendes de Oliveira’s paternal grandfather.

“Those values have always been important for us; they remind us that you never give up. So, even if things aren’t going so well, you push through and don’t give up,” Matthew said.

His great-grandfather was a newspaper seller in Portugal, but he worked hard and, eventually, earned himself three degrees. “I think it’s about having that drive to push through difficult times,” Phillippa said.

No member of their family is a better example of those traits than Matthew. His role models are Jamie Dwyer and Muhammad Ali.

Hockey Hall of Famer Dwyer is one of the most decorated hockey players from Down Under. However, it is not his accomplishments that draw Mendes de Oliveira to him, rather it is the former’s resilience against hardship and his never-say-die attitude. The same applies to Ali.

“They had quite humble beginnings. They came from tough times and were able to make themselves who they are. They were just hard workers and they also appealed to me with the way they presented themselves and the way they went about things,” Mendes de Oliveira explained.

According to the rest of his family, Mendes de Oliveira plays hockey with little regard for his self-preservation. In 2023, he was injured at the provincial trials, taking a knock that fractured his gums.

A dentist ruled that he had to take things easy for the next six weeks. Another knock, no matter how minor, left him at the risk of losing his front row of teeth and surgery was a possibility, too.

However, after captaining the KZN Coastal u16 side to inter-provincial gold the previous year, Mendes de Oliviera felt that he would be a key member of the u18 side, and they would benefit from his playing. He was adamant, he was not going to stay at home.

Knowing that trying to stand in his way was a futile exercise, Phillippa looked for ways to make it possible for him to travel. They modified an airsoft mask, added a layer of foam for extra protection, and he was ready to go. He produced one of his best campaigns that year.

Now 18, his is prepared to put his body on the line to prevent a goal, score a goal, and to make sure his team wins. He was doing so when he played for the u12 side at Highbury Prep, he’s been doing the same this season for Kearsney College and the KZN Coastal team.

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There was less than a minute left in the match. Paul Roos had arrived at the Founders Festival in early March not only undefeated, but they were yet to concede a goal at the event. The visitors led 1-0, and they looked certain to keep another clean sheet. As time ticked away, Kearsney launched one final attack on the Paul Roos goal. Unsurprisingly, Mendes de Oliveira was at the heart of that foray. It resulted in a penalty corner.

“Matthew scored a drag flick to level the score at 1-1, and I think how the goal was scored and what it meant made the moment so sweet. It was quite a special moment. And it also meant that we were unbeaten at our home festival,” said Ashley Kemp, the Kearsney College coach.

It was a sign of how things would be for the rest of the 2024 season for Kearsney. Mendes de Oliveira carried the team on his shoulders.

It was the sort of thing Kemp had learned to expect from his captain. Through their 2024 campaign, Mendes de Oliveira scored last-minute efforts, conjured up brilliant equalisers, and inspired his teammates to find an extra burst of energy to keep going, even when all seemed lost.

The two started working together when the latter was 16 and, even back then, Mendes de Oliveira was the best player in the first team.

“It’s not often that you get to have a player of Matt’s stature and quality in a schoolboy setting, and a lot of the time when you do get a player of his quality, you just kind of need to sit back and marvel at the quality,” Kemp said.

“I’m all about hard work. I’m not a flashy player. I like to pride myself on the hard work that I do,” Mendes de Oliveira said when asked to describe himself as a player.

It is a description that Kemp agrees with, but he added hyperbole by stating that Mendes de Oliveira puts in “120 percent effort in the gym, 120 percent effort on the training field, and 120 percent effort on matchday.”

The mentor refused to take credit for this, saying: “It’s hard for me to grow such a quality player in the short period of time that I have worked with him. I’ve coached Matt now for two years and a lot of the time my coaching is all about challenging him and testing his ability as opposed to really teaching him anything.

“I think because he is such a quality player, he brings a lot of quality to my training sessions and raises the level of my training sessions, so I find myself having to constantly just challenge his level and see how far I can push him, as opposed to really teaching him anything.”

Mendes de Oliveira’s development on the Astro is a result of his home and his early club hockey years, the player reckoned.

“My early years of club hockey were quite tough at the beginning. I was lucky enough to have a few guys to help me. [South African international] Jethro Eustice was one of them. He got me to play club hockey, and he and the other guys were tough on me, and I think that helped me in a lot of ways,” he explained.

Eustice and company taught him the value of taking responsibility for his game and that of the players around him. It is a quality that he has carried with him as he developed through different age groups. It is a quality that led Michael Baker and Cameron Mackay to bestow provincial captaincy upon him.

When asked about his leadership style, Mendes De Oliveira responded: “I try to lead from the front through action. I’m not the greatest motivational speaker, but I always try to hold myself in that way.”

In his understated manner, last week, he led the KZN Coastal side to a bronze medal at the SASHOC National Week. And though he couldn’t get his side the gold, the selectors saw enough to know that he deserved to be a part of the South African Schools side for a second year in succession.

Next year, he will be a part of the Maties’ team and fighting hard to realise his dream of representing South Africa at international level.