Alanda Rademeyer scored a brace to lead Paarl Gimnasium to their maiden Fairtree Super 12 title at Oranje Meisieskool, in Bloemfontein, on Saturday.
Up against their Boland rivals, HMS Bloemhof, Gim recorded a comfortable 4-1 victory to claim the coveted trophy.
Rademeyer, Gim’s star forward, added three awards to her winner’s medal, collecting the Player of the Tournament, Best Forward, and Top Goal Scorer accolades.
With their victory, Paarl Gim became the fifth team to win the Super 12 title, joining Rhenish Girls’ High, Eunice High, Die Hoërskool Menlopark, and Oranje.
Previously, their best finish was second place in 2023. Before that, they oscillated between fourth and fifth positions in six appearances, with a sixth-place finish in 2018 being the outlier.
“We had some learning experiences during the tournament. Being ahead 2-0 (against Collegiate) and drawing the match, and being behind (versus St Anne’s) 3-0, and drawing the match 3-3. So, there were definitely some lessons learned through this tournament, and the girls really dug deep to fight till the end,” Danelle van Zyl, the Paarl Gim coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
In the semi-finals, Gimmies proved they had the mettle to go all the way when they stopped last year’s winners, Rhenish, who had won all of their matches up until then, dead in their tracks. Paarl Gim was tested to the hilt, but they pulled through.
Leah du Plessis broke open a tight contest in the 33rd minute to give Rhenish the lead, and it appeared as if the defending champs would march on until Rademeyer kept Paarl Gim’s campaign alive with a goal six minutes from full-time. That strike sent the match to a penalty shootout and Van Zyl’s charges triumphed 3-1.
While taxing, their semifinal win left Gim invigorated for the final, where they met a well-organised Bloemhof side which boasted the second-best defensive record at the tournament. They had conceded only three times on their way to the final, which was bettered only by Rhenish’s two.
By contrast, Paarl Gim had conceded the second-most goals in the group stages, with nine, trailing only the 12 given up by Our Lady of Fatima. Paarl Gim, however, balanced matters by slotting 12 goals in the group stage, with Alanda Rademeyer setting the standard. In the final, she unlocked Bloemhof’s defence twice.
“Alanda is incredible. When she gets the ball, you wait for something to happen. This is the most consistent she has been throughout a tournament, and for an u16 player getting the Player of the Tournament award, that’s very special,” Van Zyl shared.
In the eighth minute of the title decider, Rademeyer broke loose after receiving a through pass from the back. Then, after outpacing the defenders, she had no trouble beating the advancing Bloemhof goalkeeper to open the scoring.
Marili Walters made it 2-0 barely a minute later with a touch of individual brilliance to put Gim firmly in control.
She forced a turnover in the Bloemhof half, then carried the ball into the circle before tucking the ball in at the far post.
In the 31st minute, Rademeyer fired in her 11th goal of the tournament and her second of the match when, after receiving a through-ball, she uncorked a shot on the move.
Imke Koegelenberg put the game beyond Bloemhof’s reach when she netted another field goal seven minutes later.
Despite trailing 0-4, Bloemhof kept working hard, trying to set an unlikely comeback in motion. Coach Jenny King‘s charges picked up a goal seven minutes from full-time through Elré Oosthuizen, who converted a penalty corner, but the result was not in question.
“Our girls really surprised me. I didn’t think they could run that much after a tough Rhenish semi. I am so proud of every single girl in our team, and they deserve that gold medal,” Van Zyl said.
“I told them to just go out and enjoy every moment of our last match together because this is a special group of girls.”
Results
Final: Paarl Gim: 4 (Alanda Rademeyer 2), Marili Walters, Imke Koegelenberg). Bloemhof: 1 (Elré Oosthuizen).
3/4: Rhenish: 3 (Chelsey Woolf, Leah du Plessis, Frankie Henn). DSG Makhanda: 0.
5/6: Waterkloof: 2 (Mieke van Antwerpen, Lenique Vogel). Eunice: 1 (Mia Oertel).
7/8: Collegiate: 2 (Kerrin Gillies, Tayla Paxton). St Anne’s: 0.
9/10: Menlopark: (2) 1 (Zoe Badenhorst). St Mary’s DSG, Kloof: (1) 1 (Jenna-Leigh Freese).
11/12: Oranje: (2) 1 Anné Prinsloo. Our Lady of Fatima: (0) 1 (Stella Fourie).
Semifinals
Bloemhof: (3) 0. DSG Makhanda (2) 0.
Paarl Gim: (3) 1 (Alanda Rademeyer). Rhenish: (1) 1 (Leah du Plessis).
Crosspool
Waterkloof: 2 (Hayle Stigling, Lenique Vogel). Collegiate: 1 (Kerrin Gillies)
Eunice: 3 (Bianca Rees-Gibbs, Anebel Venter, Claire Volschenk). St Anne’s: 2 (Georgie Davis, Holly Hofmeyr).
