Author: cschiwanza

Spectators were treated to blowouts as well as thrilling close contests on Wednesday, the first day of the 42nd edition of the St Stithians Hockey Festival.

The hockey extravaganza runs through until Saturday, 4 April, and it forms part of the Saints Sports Fest, which also features football, netball, rugby, squash, and tennis.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The opening day was supposed to feature 13 games; unfortunately, two of them were cancelled due to lightning.

Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) arrived at the showpiece buoyed by their performance at the Nomads Festival, which they hosted as part of their 125th birthday celebrations. Playing on home turf, they won three of their five matches.

Boys High carried that strong form into the opening fixture of the Saints Hockey Festival, edging out St Benedict’s College 1-0 in a riveting encounter.

Coach Brad Brook‘s Die Hoërskool Menlopark girls, the losing finalists at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival, took to the field against Beaulieu College in the first match of the girls’ section and showed why they made it all the way through to the title game at St Mary’s, overpowering Beaulieu 8-0.

Hoërskool Waterkloof, who reached the quarterfinals at St Mary’s, fired seven unanswered goals past Springfield Convent School in the second girls’ match.

Anyone looking for a palate cleanser after the bevy of goals from Menlopark and Waterkloof would have been grateful for the thriller served up by Hilton College and Menlopark boys. Both sides gave as good as they got, but they were inseparable after 60 minutes, with the contest finishing level at 1-1.

St David]s Marist Inanda recorded the biggest margin of victory in the boys’ section when they thrashed Ashton International College, Ballito, 7-0.

Clifton College slotted a final-minute goal in their 3-2 win over Falcon College (Zimbabwe), and St Stithians brought the curtain down on the boys’ matches with a tight 2-1 win over Reddam House Constantia.

Ashton’s girls’ team edged out the St Stithians College Girls’ Festival XI 1-0 before DSG Makhanda rolled to a comfortable 4-0 win over Bethlehem Voortrekker.

Pietermaritzburg’s Epworth School produced a polished performance to cruise to a 5-0 win over Falcon College’s girls team.

The second day of fixtures starts with a girls’ showdown between Springfield and Beaulieu at 07:15, while the boys will get the ball rolling with a tasty clash between St David’s Marist Inanda and Hilton.

RESULTS

Boys

PBHS 1-0 St Benedict’s
Hilton 1-1 Menlopark
St David’s Marist Inanda 7-0 Ashton College
Clifton College 3-2 Falcon College
St Stithians 2-1 Reddam House Constantia

Girls

Menlopark 8-0 Beaulieu
Waterkloof 7-0 Springfield
Ashton International College 1-0 St Stithians Festival XI
DSG Makhanda 4-0 Voortrekker Bethlehem
Epworth 5-0 Falcon
Springfield 2-0 St Stithians

Estelle Marx and Daniella Grobbelaar were on target in Oranje’s 2-0 win over Die Hoërskool Menlopark in the final of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival on Sunday.

“I am very proud of this group. They have played with great consistency and decision-making under pressure,” Morne Odendaal, the Oranje coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus after guiding his charges to a record eighth St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival title.

The champions also collected two individual medals. Their midfield general, Marichelle Crous, was named the runner-up to the Player of the Tournament, and their shot stopper, Dané Janse van Vuuren, also took home the runner-up for the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Oranje previously claimed the winners’ trophy in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022. An eighth victory underscores their dominance at the annual showpiece. The hosts, St Mary’s Waverley, with five, have the second-most titles.

“It is extremely special for the girls because it’s the start of a new chapter and legacy for Oranje,” said Odendaal, “and they are part of the revival of Oranje dominance. Claiming the title with a team that already has an unbreakable bond makes it even more memorable.”

Odendaal, who recently returned to Bloemfontein to take over the reins at Oranje after a spectacularly impressive run with the 1st XI, which brought them 36 victories in 38 tournaments and 380 wins in 400 matches over 10 years, shared the team’s motto: “Are you happy because you are winning, or are you winning because you are happy?” Odendaal said he was confident the team was winning because they were happy.

Captained by Marlene du Plessis, Oranje scripted an unbeaten run on their way to glory. They topped Pool B and then placed first in their playoff group, Pool F, in the first two rounds of action before cantering to a 3-0 win over Our Lady of Fatima in the quarterfinals.

Oranje faced their sternest test in the semi-finals when they went up against a determined and unyielding Rhenish team. The match ended 0-0 after regulation time, and five minutes of extra time did nothing to separate the sides. That sent the contest to a penalty shootout, with Oranje prevailing 3-2.

“We’ve spoken a lot about staying composed, making good choices on the ball, and not forcing moments, and they’ve executed that really well,” Odendaal said.

In the final, against Menlopark, his players matched the brief. Du Plessis and company maintained a good structure both in and out of possession, which allowed them to control the tempo of the match. Their patience was rewarded nine minutes into the title decider when Estelle Marx gave them the lead with a lovely strike.

Oranje almost doubled their advantage from a penalty corner three minutes later. Goalkeeper Annika Klopper, who had an outstanding campaign for Menlo, denied them a goal with a brilliant save. She was again called on to keep Oranje at bay a minute later.

Menlopark mustered several forays into the Oranje half and got off a few shots on goal, coming close in the 19th minute when they were denied by Kristin Booysen, who made a goal-line clearance.

Coach Brad Brook removed Klopper to send on an extra player in the field with five minutes left on the clock. Two minutes later, Oranje took advantage of that situation.

After piercing Menlopark’s defensive wall, they fed the ball to Grobbelaar, who was lying in wait in the final third. She beat her marker before slotting the second goal of the final.

“There’s been a real sense of togetherness in the group,” coach Odendaal said. “The spirit in the team has been outstanding.

“They genuinely enjoy being around each other, and that’s coming through in how they play. They’ve embraced the idea of being present, having fun, and fully being in the moment, and I think that’s allowed them to play with freedom and confidence.”

With their win against an elite 32-team field, Oranje has made its case as the team to beat in 2026. They’ll be eager to press on and continue to build upon the impressive form they showed at St Mary’s.

Some serious challenges await them. The St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival proved that an enticing season is in store for fans of the schoolgirl game.

Results

1/2: Oranje 2-0 Menlopark
3/4: St Mary’s DSG Kloof 0-0 Rhenish
5/6: Paarl Gim 1-0 Our Lady of Fatima
7/8: Waterkloof 1-0 Collegiate
9/10: St John’s DSG 0-0 Garsfontein
11/12: St Cyprian’s 1-1 St Anne’s
13/14: Herschel 1-0 St Mary’s Waverley
15/16: Parel Vallei 0-0 Reddam House Constantia
17/18: Pearson 1-0 Eunice
19/20: St Stithians 0-0 Bloemhof
21/22: Durban Girls’ College 3-0 St Andrew’s School  for Girls
23/24: Paarl Girls’ High 2-0 Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High
25/26: The Wykeham Collegiate 3-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
27/28: Somerset College 5-0 Windhoek High
29/30: Affies 2-0 Penryn
31/32: Roedean 1-1 Clarendon

Oranje, Die Hoërskool Menlopark, Rhenish Girls’ High, and St Mary’s DSG Kloof booked their slots in the semi-finals of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival on Saturday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The six-time champions, Oranje, who have their sights firmly set on a seventh title, progressed smoothly to the final four with a 3-0 win over Our Lady of Fatima in their quarterfinal tie.

The ladies from Bloemfontein are undefeated in the tournament. They cruised to the top of Pool A in round one, and bulldozed their way through their playoff group, Pool F, before facing Our Lady of Fatima in the last eight.

Their opponent in the semifinals is another high-performing team: Rhenish. The Stellenbosch school has not yet lifted the St Mary’s Waverley Festival title, but they will back themselves to do so this year.

Like Oranje, they have scripted an unbeaten run. They topped Pool D before dominating Pool H and then secured a hard-fought 4-3 penalty shootout win, after a goalless draw, over Collegiate Girls’ High, who had also been in excellent form, in the quarterfinals.

The defending champions, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, stayed in the hunt to retain their title after their 1-0 win over Paarl Gimnasium in their quarterfinal tie. The KZN school won four, drew two, and lost one of their round one matches, which left them in second place in Pool A.

In the playoffs, they picked up another second-place finish in Pool H. That was enough to earn them a quarterfinal slot. Coach Nolwazi Nkabinde will be hoping that her charges are peaking at the right time because they will face a tenacious Menlopark in the semifinals.

Coach Brad Brook‘s charges secured a second-place finish in Pool C in the first round of matches, with four wins and three draws. In the second round of matches, they added another win and two more draws, which secured a second-place finish in Pool F.

That earned them a massive Pretoria clash against Waterkloof, who had been on an impressive winning run. Menlo, though, brought it to an end, advancing 4-3 from the penalty spot after a shootout in their quarterfinals’ showdown after the match ended 1-1.

St Stithians College, Pearson, Eunice, and Bloemhof advanced to the semifinal leg of the Plate section, where they will meet for positions 17 to 20.

St Stithians defeated Paarl Girls’ High 2-1, Pearson beat Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High 1-0, Eunice cruised to a 3-0 win over Durban Girls’ College, and Bloemhof won 1-0 against St Andrew’s School for Girls in the quarterfinals.

It will be Saints against Eunice and Pearson Bloemhof for a place in the Plate final.

The Oranje versus Rhenish semifinal starts at 10:50, while St Mary’s DSG Kloof crosses swords with Menlopark at 11:25.

RESULTS

Quarterfinals

Oranje 3-0 Our Lady of Fatima
Menlopark (4) 1-1 (3) Waterkloof
Rhenish (4) 0-0 (3) Collegiate
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 1-0 Paarl Gim

Plate quarterfinals

St Stithians 2-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Pearson 1-0 Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High
Eunice 3-0 Durban Girls’ College
Bloemhof 1-0 St Andrew’s School for Girls

Other results

The Wykeham Collegiate 2-0 Penryn
St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI (1) 0-0 (0) Clarendon
St Cyprian’s 1-0 Herschel
St John’s DSG (3) 0-0 (2) Reddam House Constantia
Somerset College 1-0 Roedean
Garsfontein (3) 0-0 (2) Parel Vallei
Windhoek High (1) 0-0 (0) Affies
St Anne’s (3) 1-1 (2) St Mary’s Waverley

Round 2 Results

Pool E

Waterkloof 1-0 St Anne’s
Our Lady of Fatima 1-0 Parel Vallei
Waterkloof 2-0 Our Lady of Fatima
St Anne’s 2-0 Parel Vallei

Pool F

Oranje 3-0 St Mary’s Waverley
Menlopark 1-1 Garsfontein
Oranje 0-0 Menlopark
Garsfontein 0-0 St Mary’s Waverley

Pool G

Collegiate 1-1 Reddam House Constantia
Paarl Gim 2-0 St Cyprian’s
Paarl Gim 0-0 Collegiate
St Cyprian’s 0-0 Reddam House

Pool H

Rhenish 2-0 St John’s DSG
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 1-0 Herschel
Rhenish 1-1 St Mary’s DSG Kloof
Herschel 1-1 St John’s DSG

Pool J

Affies 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High
St Andrew’s School 1-1 Roedean
Affies 1-1 St Andrew’s School
Paarl Girls’ High 2-0 Roedean

Pool K

Bloemhof 5-0 Windhoek High
Somerset College 1-0 St Stithians
Bloemhof 1-0 Somerset College
St Stithians 3-0 Windhoek High

Pool L

Eunice 2-1 Clarendon
Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High 1-0 Penryn
Eunice 1-0 Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High
Clarendon 1-0 Penryn

Pool M

The Wykeham Collegiate 1-1 Pearson
Durban Girls’ College 3-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Pearson 0-0 Durban Girls’ College
The Wykeham Collegiate 2-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI

Oranje, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Rhenish Girls’ High, and Collegiate Girls’ High established themselves as front-runners for the title at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival on Friday.

The quartet dominated their respective pools and remains undefeated in the annual showpiece.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Waterkloof strung together a four-match winning streak on the second day to storm to first place in Pool A ahead of the overnight leaders, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, who recorded a win, a draw, and a defeat in their three outings.

Waterkloof recorded tight 1-0 victories over three KwaZulu-Natal schools – The Wykeham Collegiate, Durban Girls’ College, and St Mary’s DSG Kloof. Coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer’s charges then put a bow on their performances by beating Parel Vallei 4-0 in their final Pool A match.

Klofies finished their round one campaign with 19 points from six wins and a draw. St Mary’s DSG Kloof, the defending champion, was in second place with 14 points from four wins, two draws, and a single loss.

Oranje carried on from where they left off on day one. The Bloemfontein ladies began their day with a 2-1 win over Paarl Gimnasium, followed it up with a 3-0 triumph over Bloemhof, and then ended their round one campaign with a 1-0 victory over Reddam House Constantia.

Those three wins meant that they finished their Pool B campaign with 19 points from six victories and a draw. The six-time winners of the festival scored 16 goals and conceded only once. Paarl Gimnasium placed second in the pool after recording four wins, two draws, and one loss.

Collegiate was indomitable in Pool C. The ladies from Gqeberha scored 15 goals and conceded only one in four matches on Friday. Coach Michael Abrahams‘ charges began their day with a 2-1 win over Eunice, then went on a goal-scoring rampage, with back-to-back 4-0 wins over Penryn and Somerset College before firing five unanswered goals past Windhoek High.

They completed their round one matches with 17 points, scoring five wins and two draws. Menlopark ended second in Pool C, with their four victories and three draws giving them 15 points.

Rhenish won three and drew one on day two of the festival to bag first place in Pool D. The Stellenbosch school defeated Herschel 2-1, edged out St Anne’s 1-0, and beat Pearson 2-0, before recording a goalless draw with Our Lady of Fatima in their final match, which left them with 15 points fom four wins and three draws.

Pool D was hit hard on the opening day, Thursday, by matches that were called off because of lightning, with those matches being scored as goalless draws. Thus, Our Lady of Fatima placed second with two wins, five draws, and 11 points.

RESULTS

Pool A

Parel Vallei 2-0 Roedean
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 0-0 Affies
St John’s DSG 1-1 Durban Girls’ College
Waterkloof 1-0 The Wykeham Collegiate
Affies 0-0 Parel Vallei
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 1-0 St John’s DSG
The Wykeham Collegiate 5-0 Roedean
Parel Vallei 2-0 Durban Girls’ College
Roedean 0-0 Affies
St John’s DSG 1-0 The Wykeham Collegiate
Waterkloof 1-0 St Mary’s DSG Kloof
Waterkloof 4-0 Parel Vallei
Affies 3-1 The Wykeham Collegiate
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 1-0 Durban Girls’ College

Pool B

Oranje 2-1 Paarl Gim
Reddam House 1-0 Clarendon
Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High 1-0 St Stithians
Bloemhof 0-0 Garsfontein
Paarl Gim 2-0 Reddam House
St Stithians 1-0 Clarendon
Garsfontein 1-0 Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High
Oranje 3-0 Bloemhof
Oranje 1-0 Reddam House
Garsfontein 2-0 St Stithians
Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High 1-0 Clarendon
Paarl Gim 1-0 Bloemhof

Pool C

Menlopark 0-0 St Cyprian’s
Collegiate 2-1 Eunice
Somerset 3-0 Penryn
Menlopark 1-0 St Mary’s Waverley
Eunice 0-0 St Cyprian’s
Somerset 0-0 Windhoek
Collegiate 4-0 Penryn
Collegiate 4-0 Somerset
Eunice 0-0 St Mary’s Waverley
Menlopark 4-0 Penryn
St Cyprian’s 3-1 Windhoek
St Cyprian’s 1-0 Somerset
Collegiate 5-0 Windhoek
St Mary’s Waverley 3-0 Penryn
Menlopark 1-0 Eunice

Pool D

Our Lady of Fatima 2-0 St Anne’s
Pearson 1-0 St Andrew’s School
Paarl Girls’ High 1-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Rhenish 2-1 Herschel
Our Lady of Fatima 1-1 Pearson
Rhenish 1-0 St Anne’s
St Andrew’s School 1-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Herschel 3-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Rhenish 2-0 Pearson
Herschel 1-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Our Lady of Fatima 3-0 St Mary’s Festival XI
St Anne’s 2-0 St Andrew’s School
Pearson 4-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Rhenish
St Anne’s 2-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Herschel 0-0 St Andrew’s School

St Mary’s DSG Kloof and Oranje hit the ground running on Thursday, the rain-affected first day of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival in Johannesburg.

Their convincing performances saw them shoot to the top of Pool A and B respectively, while the hosts, St Mary’s Waverley, finished the day leading Pool C.

Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The tournament, which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee, delivered high-quality hockey despite losing a large chunk of fixtures due to the threat of lightning in the afternoon.

All of those lost matches were recorded as 0-0 draws, and the affected teams shared the points.

Georgia Short was on fire, finding the back of the net five times in two matches to help St Mary’s DSG Kloof get their title defence off to a winning start. She scored a brace as the KZN girls came back from 1-2 down to beat Parel Vallei 4-2. Next, she registered a hat-trick in their 6-0 triumph over The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC).

The three-time champions finished the day with seven points from two wins and a draw. They were joined on that total by Hoërskool Waterkloof, who defeated Roedean and Afrikaanse Hoërmeisieskool, Pretoria (Affies). St Mary’s, though, owns a superior goal difference, having scored 10 goals and conceded only two.

Perennial favourites, Oranje, enhanced their chances of a first-place finish in Pool B with a clean defensive record, defeating St Stithians 3-0, Clarendon 6-0 and Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High 1-0. They had to settle for a recorded 0-0 draw when their match against Garsfontein was rained out.

Paarl Gimnasium is hot on Oranje’s heels with eight points from two wins and two draws. Reddam House Constantia and Bloemhof are third and fourth with seven points apiece.

The hosts, St Mary’s Waverley, catapulted to the top of Pool C, thanks to two wins and two draws in four matches. They edged out Somerset College 2-1 in their opening fixture, then shared the points with Collegiate and St Cyprian’s because of the bad weather, before finishing with a 3-0 win over Windhoek High in their final match of the day.

Those results left the home side with eight points. Competition in the pool is tight, however. Eunice, Menlopark, and Collegiate, who have all played one fewer match, are tied for second with five points after a win and two draws each.

There is all to play for in Pool D on day two. Like Pool C, the group was affected by the inclement weather, with only five of the scheduled 12 matches being played.

Three teams – Rhenish, St Andrew’s School for Girls, and St Anne’s – are tied on five points, but Rhenish leads the pack with the best goal difference.

In the early afternoon, the ladies from the Western Cape defeated the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI 4-0. The inclement weather prevented play in their other two matches.

Meanwhile, St Andrew’s School and St Anne’s recorded 1-0 wins over the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI and Pearson, respectively.

RESULTS

Pool A

St Mary’s DSG Kloof 4-2 Parel Vallei
St John’s DSG 1-0 Affies
Waterkloof 5-0 Roedean
Durban Girls’ College (DGC) 0-0 The Wykeham College (TWC)
Waterkloof 2-1 Affies
Parel Vallei 1-1 St John’s DSG
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 6-0 TWC
DGC 2-0 Roedean
St Mary’s DSG Kloof 0-0 Roedean
DGC 0-0 Affies
St John’s DSG 0-0 Waterkloof
TWC 0-0 Parel Vallei

Pool B

Clarendon 0-0 Garsfontein
Oranje 3-0 St Stithians
Paarl Gim 1-0 Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High (PGHS)
Bloemhof 1-0 Reddam House
Oranje 6-0 Clarendon
Paarl Gim 1-1 St Stithians
Reddam House 2-1 Garsfontein
Bloemhof 1-0 PGHS
Paarl Gim 0-0 Clarendon
Bloemhof 0-0 St Stithians
Oranje 0-0 Garsfontein
Reddam House 0-0 PGHS
Clarendon 1-0 Bloemhof
Paarl Gim 3-0 Garsfontein
Reddam House 4-0 Stithians
Oranje 1-0 PGHS

Pool C

Collegiate 1-0 St Cyprian’s
St Mary’s Waverley 2-1 Somerset College
Menlopark 5-2 Windhoek
Eunice 4-0 Penryn
St Mary’s Waverley 0-0 Collegiate
Menlopark 0-0 Somerset College
Eunice 0-0 Windhoek Girls’ High
St Mary’s Waverley 0-0 St Cyprian’s
Collegiate 0-0 Menlopark
Penryn 0-0 Menlopark
Eunice 0-0 Somerset
St Mary’s Waverley 3-0 Windhoek Girls’ High

Pool D

Rhenish 4-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Our Lady of Fatima 1-1 St Andrew’s School
St Anne’s 1-1 Herschel
Pearson 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High
St Anne’s 0-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI
Rhenish 0-0 St Andrew’s School
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Pearson 0-0 Herschel
Paarl Girls’ High 0-0 Rhenish
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Herschel
St Anne’s 1-0 Pearson
St Andrew’s School 1-0 St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI

The annual St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival is upon us. Spectators can expect the 25th edition to deliver thrilling contests. Below, we highlight some of the players worth keeping an eye on through the next four days.

Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Marichelle Crous – Oranje

Crous gives her team a strong point of reference. She provides a strong presence in the middle of the park. She is one of the best midfielders going into the festival.

Crous is a great defensive asset. She is strong in one-on-one contests and easily gains control in physical duels. She brings calm to her side with composure in tight spaces and shows a natural ability to balance both attacking and defensive responsibilities.

Crous has an impressive work rate at the back and in attack. She drives most of Oranje’s transitions and is influential in dictating Oranje’s tempo.

“What has elevated her game is her growing control over tempo and her understanding of when to speed the game up or slow it down. She is becoming more influential in dictating play, staying available, and driving transitions with intent,” Morne Odendaal, the Oranje coach, shared.

Chanette Jansen van Vuuren – Menlopark

The Menlopark captain is one of the most experienced players coming into the competition. This is her fifth appearance at the festival, having made an early debut at the showpiece. Menlopark will be looking to her midfield skills to help them through matches.

“Chanette is a highly intelligent midfielder with exceptional game IQ, consistently reading play and making smart decisions under pressure. Her ability to break lines through individual skill and precise elimination passing makes her a constant attacking threat,” Brad Brook, the Menlopark head coach, said of the midfielder.

Jansen Van Vuuren has an outstanding work rate on both sides of the ball. She is brilliant at controlling the tempo for her side. She also poses a significant threat during penalty corner situations.

Jamie da Silva – St Mary’s DSG Kloof

Da Silva is one of the most electric forwards in school-girl hockey. The St Mary’s DSG Kloof learner has a skillset that allows her to find the target from anywhere in the circle. In addition to her shooting skills, Da Silva is an adept dribbler and is excellent in one-on-one duels against defenders.

She is quick and light on her feet and is a threat in counterattacks. Da Silva has a high work rate and a never-give-up attitude, which will keep St Mary’s DSG Kloof on track even in seemingly hopeless situations.

Sarah-Ellen Groenewald – Rhenish

Groenewald is one of the top talents at this year’s edition of the festival. The Rhenish learner has vast experience at all levels. She was part of the Boland’s title-winning side and was selected for the SA u18 team.

“Her big strength is that she can break a line with really good hand skills. She can also set players up to be in great positions to score goals,” Chris Gerber.

The versatile midfielder and forward’s ability to get herself in good positions and great eye when in possession will be a big plus for Rhenish.

Alanda Rademeyer – Paarl Gimnasium

Rademeyer had an exceptional 2025 season and looks to have picked up from where she left off last year. She was a big reason behind Paarl Gim’s title-winning campaign at the Fairtree Super 12 tournament. The forward is one of the best strikers in the country; she was a fixture in Boland’s u16 team in 2024 and 2025.

Paarl Gim will try to feed the ball to her as much as possible because anything is possible with her up front.

Kayla du Preez – Oranje

No one has had as good a start to the season as Kayla du Preez. The Oranje midfielder’s star sparkled brightly at the Our Lady of Fatima-hosted Coastal Festival earlier this month. Du Preez walked away from the competition with the Player of the Tournament award.

“Kayla has shown consistent growth through her work ethic and commitment to improving her game. What stands out most about Kayla is her ability to take feedback, apply it, and turn it into performance. She has actively worked on the key areas of her game and is now starting to master them,” Odendaal revealed.

Du Preez is one of the best finishers in the game and can create something from nothing. Her creativity, coupled with her great decision-making and her growing confidence in one-on-one situations, is a boon for Oranje.

“She is becoming more decisive, more direct, and more impactful under pressure, a sign of a player taking real ownership of her game,” Odendaal said.

This week, St Mary’s Waverley will open their gates to welcome 32 of the country’s top hockey-playing schools to the 25th edition of the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival.

The festival, which runs from 25 to 28 March, began as a one-day event in 2000. It is now a four-day extravaganza that attracts schools from across South Africa.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The teams will get their campaigns underway in four pools of eight. They’ll play seven pool matches each before the competition splits into different sections.

The defending champions, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, will kick the festival off with a match against Parel Vallei on Thursday morning. The ladies from KwaZulu-Natal will be aiming to win the title for a fourth time. Joining them and Parel Vallei in Pool A are their KZN Coastal rivals, Durban Girls’ College, Hoërskool Waterkloof, St John’s DSG, Afrikaanse Hoërmeisieskool, Pretoria (Affies), Roedean School, and The Wykeham Collegiate.

Six-time champions, Oranje will headline Pool B. The ladies from Bloemfontein have to contend with Paarl Gimnasium, Hoërskool Bloemhof, Hoërskool Garsfontein, Clarendon High, St Stithians Girls College, Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, and Reddam House Constantia.

The festival hosts, St Mary’s Waverley, are in Pool C. They face Die Hoërskool Menlopark, St Cyprian’s, Collegiate Girls’ High, Somerset College, Windhoek High, Penryn College, and Eunice High, who are usually among the title challengers.

St Andrew’s School for Girls collected the St Mary’s Festival title in 2012 and 2013, but they haven’t been able to claim it for a third time since. They are in Pool D, where they will battle it out with Rhenish Girls’ High, Our Lady of Fatima, Pearson, St Anne’s DSG, Herschel Girls School, Paarl Girls’ High, and the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI.

The festival’s format remains unchanged. Matches are 25 minutes in duration. Therefore, the emphasis will be on teams scoring as many goals as possible in the limited time.

A change has been made, though, with the event now featuring promotion and relegation, which will add spice to the competition.

The festival is one of the annual highlights of the schoolgirls’ hockey calendar, with an invitation to compete in it considered an honour. Over the years, the organisers have increased the event to 32 teams. They don’t plan to expand it further. Hence, the introduction of a B section and a promotion and relegation system.

It will pit the top two teams in the B section against the two lowest-ranked teams in the A section. Not only will the title be on the line for the top teams, but a battle to survive relegation awaits those who struggle.

The result is that all matches will be important. There will be little opportunity to take the foot off the accelerator, which will be a win for the spectators and fans. Whether they’re watching at the venue or on the SuperSport Schools App, they’ll be guaranteed all-out action and high-quality hockey.

FIXTURES

Thursday

Pool A

07:45 – St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Parel Vallei, 08:10 – St John’s DSG vs Affies, 08:35 – Waterkloof vs Roedean, 09:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs The Wykeham Collegiate, 11:15 – Waterkloof vs Affies, 11:40 – St John’s DSG vs Parel Vallei, 12:30 – St Mary’s DSG vs The Wykeham Collegiate, 12:30 – Durban Girls’ College vs Roedean, St Mary’s DSG vs Roedean, 15:10 – Durban Girls’ College vs Affies, 15:35 – Waterkloof vs St John’s DSG, 16:00 – The Wykeham Collegiate vs Parel Vallei.

Pool B

07:45 – 08:10: Garsfontein vs Clarendon, 08:10 – 08:35: Oranje vs St Stithians, 08:35 – 09:00: Paarl Gim vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 09:00 – 09:25: Bloemhof vs Reddam House, 11:15 – 11:40: Oranje vs Clarendon, 11:40 – 12:05: Paarl Gim vs St Stithians, 12:05 – 12:30: Garsfontein vs Reddam House, 12:05 – 12:30: Bloemhof vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 14:40 – 15:05: Paarl Gim vs Clarendon, 14:45 – 15:10: Bloemhof vs St Stithians, 15:30 – 15:55: Oranje vs Garsfontein, 15:55 – 16:20: Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High vs Reddam House, 18: 15 – 18:40: Bloemhof vs Clarendon, 18:40 – 19:05: Paarl Gim vs Garsfontein,  20:00 – 20:25: St Stithians vs Reddam House, 20:25 – 20:50: Oranje vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High.

Pool C

09:30 – 09:55: St Cyprian’s vs Collegiate, 09:55 – 10:20: St Mary’s Waverley vs Somerset College, 10:20 – 10:45: Menlopark vs Windhoek High, 10:45 – 11:10: Eunice vs Penryn, 13:00 – 13:25: St Cyprian’s vs Penryn, 13:25 – 13:50: St Mary’s Waverley vs Collegiate, 13:50 – 14:15: Menlopark vs Somerset College, 14:15 – 14:40: Eunice vs Windhoek High, 16:30 – 16:55: St Mary’s Waverley vs St Cyprian’s, 16:55 – 17:20: Menlopark vs Collegiate, 17:10 – 17:35: Windhoek vs Penryn, 17:20 – 17:45: Eunice vs Somerset College, 19:30 – 19:55: St Mary’s Waverley vs Windhoek High.

Pool D

09:30 – 09:55: Rhenish vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 09:55 – 10:20: Our Lady of Fatima vs St Andrew’s School, 10:20 – 10:45: St Anne’s vs Herschel, 10:45 – 11:10: Pearson vs Paarl Girls’ High, 13:00 – 13:25: St Anne’s vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 13:25 – 13:50: Rhenish vs St Andrew’s School, 13:50 – 14:15: Our Lady of Fatima vs Paarl Girls’ High, 14:15 – 14:40: Pearson vs Herschel, 16:20 – 16:45: Rhenish vs Paarl Girls’ High, 16:45 – 17:10: Our Lady of Fatima vs Herschel, 17:45 – 18:10: Pearson vs St Anne’s, 19:05 – 19:30: St Andrew’s School vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI.

Mankwana Moriri scored a priceless 44 and snapped up a crucial wicket, while Koketso Mokgara stopped the Saints Christian School batters in their tracks to help Queens High secure a tight six-run win in the girls’ final of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two Final Showdown on the Tuks Oval on Saturday.

At the conclusion of the event, the individual awards went to Tshepiso Dineo Motswi and Bophelo Sothoane.

Motswi, who represents the Nonkwankwa Hub, took home the Player of the Tournament and Batter of the Tournament accolades. Sothoane, from Saints Christian School, received the Bowler of the Tournament award.

The toss in Saturday’s title game went the way of Boitumelo Chuene, the Queens’ captain, and she chose to bat first.

Her batters answered the call by putting up a winning total of 96/9 in 20 overs. Then, her bowlers bowled a disciplined line, without conceding a single extra, which led to them restricting Saints Christian School to 90/8 in reply.

Moriri led the way for Queens with a brilliant 44 from 49 balls that featured six boundaries. She opened the innings and got her side going with a decisive 46-run opening stand, which she shared with Nonkululeko Mthethwa (13).

The Queens’ innings looked promising, but it lost steam when Mthethwa was dismissed in the ninth over. She was replaced by her captain, Chuene, who faced 15 balls and made six runs.

Then the wheels came off in the 14th over when the Johannesburg school lost Chuene and Tshepang Choma in the space of three deliveries. Spinner Siphokazi Duma trapped Chuene leg before wicket (LBW) and then removed Choma, who was caught after she nicked a delivery.

In the space of 13 balls, Queens scored 11 runs, but they also lost four wickets. They might have soldiered on to 100 runs had Moriri remained in the middle until the final over. Unfortunately for them, she scooped a Bophelo Sothoane delivery to Leeanny Makusha at mid-off while trying to clear the inner ring.

Despite the collapse and a lack of double-figure contributions from their lower order, Queens still mustered a winning total.

Sothoane was Saints’ most successful bowler, capturing 3/23 from four overs, while Siphokazi Duma ended her outing with 2/24 from four overs. Diarabilwe Ngubeni, Reabetswe Ditiphe, and Gogontle Padi picked up a wicket each.

Saints Christian School’s run chase hit an early snag when Siphokazi Duma exited in the fourth over. The Potchefstroom girls consolidated, however, and stabilised their reply with a 20-run second-wicket partnership between Reabatswe Dithipe (16) and Jessica Joshua (18).

That fightback was, however, halted by Koketso Mokgara, who bowled two match-winning overs that crippled the opposition’s reply.

She accounted for Joshua, who was looking comfortable at the crease, in the 11th over, and then bagged two wickets in three deliveries to dismiss Diarabilwe Ngubeni and Gogontle Padi in the 13th over.

Those three scalps undermined the run pursuit, and the Potch girls were unable to recover fully. Leeanny Makusha (18) and Siphumelele Duma (12*) launched a lower-order fightback, but the Queens’ bowling attack maintained its discipline and Saints were unable to generate the runs required for victory.

Mokgara was the leading Queens’ bowler, knocking over 3/14 in four overs. Thanya Nkuna, Karabo Matlaila, Mankwana Moriri, and Bonolo Phalane chipped in with a wicket each to help their team hold off Saints and claim a nail-biting win.

Summarised Scorecard

Queens 96/9 (Mankwana Moriri 44, Nonkululeko Mthethwa 13; Bophelo Sothoane 3/23, Siphokazi Duma 2/24). Saint Christian 90/8 (Joshua Jessica 18, Leeanny Makusha 18; Koketso Mokgara 3/14, Thanya Nkuna 1/9). Queens won by six runs.

Oranje and the hosts, Our Lady of Fatima, recorded emphatic victories on the first day of the inaugural edition of the Coastal Hockey Festival on Friday.

The event, which runs from 6 to 8 February, features some of the best hockey-playing schools in the country.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Oranje issued a firm statement of their intentions for both the festival and season by scoring 15 unanswered goals across their two games.

The ladies from Bloemfontein defeated St John’s DSG 4-0 before hitting their stride in an 11-0 thumping of St Stithians College in their second outing.

Our Lady of Fatima recorded a 1-0 win over  Hoërskool Waterkloof in their first match before romping to a 7-0 win over Helpmekaar Kollege later in the day.

Their provincial counterparts, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, also won comfortably against Helpmekaar, cruising to a 5-0 win.

Eunice and Die Hoërskool Menlopark also ended the opening day among the unbeatens.

Eunice edged out St John’s 2-1 in their first match before undergoing a tough examination from Durban Girls’ College (DGC), with their clash ending goalless. Menlopark played only once and impressed, handling DGC comfortably to win 4-0.

RESULTS

St John’s 1-2 Eunice
Fatima 1-0 Waterkloof
DGC 0-4 Menlopark
St Mary’s 5-0 Helpmekaar
Oranje 4-0 St John’s
DGC 0-0 Eunice
Fatima 7-0 Helpmekaar
St Stithians 0-11 Oranje
Waterkloof 2-0 St Anne’s

FIXTURES

Saturday, 7 March

07:30 – 08:45: St Mary’s vs Menlopark; 08:55 – 10:10: DGC vs Waterkloof; 10:20 – 11:35: Our Lady of Fatima vs Oranje; 11:45 – 13:00: St John’s vs Helpmekaar; 13:10 – 14:25: Menlopark vs Eunice; 14:35 – 15:50: St Stithians vs St John’s; 16:00 – 17:15: St Mary’s vs Oranje; 17:25 – 18:40: DGC vs Helpmekaar; 18:50 – 20:05: Our Lady of Fatima vs Menlopark; 18:20 – 19:35: St Stithians vs Waterkloof; 19:45 – 21:00: St Mary’s vs Eunice.

Sunday, 8 March

07:30 – 08:25: Helpmekaar vs Oranje; 08:35 – 09:30: Our Lady of Fatima vs Eunice; 09:40 – 10:35: St Mary’s vs Waterkloof; 10:45 – 11:40: St Stithians vs DGC; 11:50 – 12:45: St John’s vs Menlopark.