Die SASN DStv Schools Challenge 2025 skop Vrydag 25 Julie af by Hoërskool Dr. EG Jansen en bring van Suid-Afrika se sterkste netbalskole saam op een platform.
Met die eerste dag wat uitsluitlik aan rondomtalie-wedstryde gewy word, is daar heelwat op die spel vir skole soos die Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool (Affies), Menlopark, Paarl Girls’ High, Meisieskool Oranje, Rand Park, La Rochelle, Sentraal en Noordheuwel. Hierdie topspanne sal alles in die stryd werp om ‘n plek in Saterdag se uitspeelrondes te verseker.
Een van die vroeë hoogtepunte van die toernooi is die ontmoeting tussen Paarl Girls’ High en Meisieskool Oranje, wat reeds Vrydagoggend om 08:45 in aanvang neem. Hierdie twee tradisionele netbalreuse bring sowel spoed as tegniese vernuf na die baan en ondersteuners kan uitsien na ‘n wedstryd wat tot die laaste sekonde fyn gebalanseerd sal wees.
Later die dag, om 14:45, betree Oranje weer die baan teen Rand Park, voordat Paarl Girls en Rand Park mekaar om 16:15 takel in ’n wedloop om punte wat moontlik die groep se einduitslae kan bepaal.
In Groep F, met ’n sterk Wes-Kaapse teenwoordigheid, kom La Rochelle om 08:45 teen Noordheuwel van Gauteng te staan in kragmeting waar rotsvaste verdediging aan die orde van die dag behoort te wees. Om 10:15 wag nóg ‘n uitdaging op La Rochelle teen Sentraal van die Vrystaat, ‘n wedstryd waar strategie deurslaggewend kan wees.
Om 09:30 val die kollig op Affies wat vir Pearson van die Oos-Kaap die stryd aansê. Hierdie kragmeting tussen twee spanne wat albei dinamies is op die aanval, kan straks die tempo van Groep B bepaal. Kort daarna, om 11:45, pak Menlopark vir Duineveld in ‘n kragmeting wat bepalend kan wees vir die Pretoriaanse span se hoop om ’n plek in die uitspeelrondes te bespreek.
Die kompetisie is straf en elke punt tel, met die eerste dag se uitslae wat bepaal watter spanne die volgende dag aan die uitspeelrondes deelneem.
Saterdag 26 Julie skop af met die Ubuntu-uitspele regdeur die oggend, met die eindstryd van die Ubuntu-afdeling om 13:00, gevolg deur die Botho-eindstryde om 13:45. Hier sal die room van die oes oplaas sake uitspook om die titel.
Met die gehalte van talent wat tot dusver vanjaar tentoongestel is, beloof die 2025-uitgawe van die SASN DStv Schools Challenge om een van die opwindendste en mededingendste in die toernooi se geskiedenis te wees.
Wynand Stolz, Hoërskool Transvalia se agsteman, draf Saterdagmiddag op sy tuisveld in Vanderbijlpark teen Helpmekaar Kollege uit in sy 50ste wedstryd vir die eerste span.
Stolz is reeds die afgelope drie jaar ‘n sleutelspeler vir die Ligbloues en het verál verlede jaar, in dié span se glorieryke seisoen toe hulle as kampioen van die Plaat-afdeling gekroon is, saam met name soos Daniel Kazambo (flank) groot opslae gemaak.
Kazambo het ook onlangs vir die tweede agtereenvolgende jaar vir die Valke verteenwoordig by die jaarlikse Cravenweek, waar hy ook die span aangevoer het. Stolz en Kazambo vorm vanjaar saam met flank en kaptein, Juan Bischoff, ‘n gedugte lostrio wat vir die Helpies heelwat opdraande kan gee.
Die span in bruin beskik egter self oor ‘n paar dodelike aanvalswapens, soos Eugene de Lange wat weer aan die kant van die skrum diens doen. Sy tweestryd met Kazambo behoort hope vuurwerke op te lewer.
Die woelige Llewelyn Vermaak keer ook terug, na ‘n suksesvolle uitstappie as deel van die Goue Leeus se Welpie-span wat in aksie was by vanjaar se Akademieweek. Die grootse verrassing in die Helpies se span is die van Zaiden Krige, normaalweg oopkantflank, wat Saterdag op regtervleuel uitdraf. Hoewel hy as losvoorspeler deur die jaar gepronk het, was daar dikwels tekens dat Krige, indien nodig, wel op vleuel ingespan kan word met sy bedrieglike vaart en uitstaande verdediging.
In Rustenburg behoort die vonke te spat wanneer twee Cravenweek-heelagters geleentheid kry om van agter aan te val wanneer Hoërskool Rustenburg vir Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in sy agterplaas die stryd aansê. Die Rusties se Ayden Willemse en die Jansies se Deshean Pietersen kan elkeen vir aanskoulike hardlooprugby sorg indien die nodige geleenthede geskep word.
Benewens die bedreiging wat Willemse inhou, is die Rusties straks nie op volsterkte nie. Skrumskakel, Adriano George, se afwesigheid los ‘n taamlike leemte, maar sy plaasvervanger, Albert Matthysen, bring sy eie vaardigehede na die tafel.
Staatmakersenter, Jon-ré Jefthas, is steeds afwesig, met sy normale sentermaat, Hendré Robinson, wat op buitesenter stelling inneem, terwyl Lian Botha op binnesenter inskuif vir ‘n titaniese stryd met die Jansies se Christopher Combrink en Nathan Delport in die middeveld.
Die spanne:
Transvalia t. Helpmekaar Kollege om 12:40 in Vanderbijlpark
Transvalia: 15 Lorenzo Flynn, 14 Dihan Crause, 13 Danté Oosthuizen, 12 Declan Hattingh, 11 Tumi Moloi, 10 Jay-Dee Maree, 9 Johan Smit, 8 Wynand Stolz, 7 Daniel Kazambo, 6 Juan Bischoff, 5 Christiaan Liebenberg, 4 Kyle Maartens, 3 Damian van Heerden, 2 Wihandré Kruger, 1 Vusi Morathi.
Helpmekaar Kollege: 15 Ty Ax, 14 Zaiden Krige, 13 Clinton Cloete, 12 Ethan Lourens, 11 Michale Herbst, 10 Wian Storm, 9 ShayeLourens, 8 Llewelyn Vermaak, 7 Eugene de Lange, 6 Jandré Botha, 5 Zian Smith, 4 Diandro Botha, 3 Dylan Engelbrecht, 2 Jeandré van der Merwe, 1 Liam Devenier.
Hoërskool Rustenburg t. EG Jansen om 13:35 in Rustenburg:
Soos dit ‘n kampioenspan betaam het Hoërskool Garsfontein reeds sy plek in die halfeindstryd van die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Beker-afdeling bespreek, voordat drie van sy sleutelspelers verdaag.
Volg al die Noordvaal Beker-aksie regstreeks op SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com) en Kanaal 216.
Die Bere, steeds onoorwonne in vanjaar se reeks, groet eersdaags vir Luan van den Berg (vaskopstut), Junaide Stuart (regtervleuel) en Junade Pasensie (heelagter), wat aldrie deel uitmaak van die twee SA o.18-spanne wat in Augustus, in die Kaap, met Frankryk, Engeland en Ierland kragte meet.
Die drietal is egter steeds beskikbaar hierdie naweek wanneer Hoërskool Monument op Berepark besoek aflê.
Hoewel die Wit Bulle se seisoen nie op die beste noot afgeskop het nie, het hulle stelselmatig hul voete begin vind. Die teleurstelling van 2024 se stryd met Garsies, toe hulle naelskraaps met 28-31 tuis op die Ras van Rooyen vasgeval het, sal ook nog vlak in die geheue lê van heelparty spelers, vernaam skrumskakel, Evan Bernhardi.
Die Wit Bul-buks, wat vanjaar een van die Krugersdorpers se beste spelers is, was uitmuntend in verlede jaar se kragmeting en sal bitter graag vanjaar die bordjies wil verhang. Berepark is egter nie ‘n maklike plek vir ‘n besoekende span om te wen nie.
Die selfvertroue wat losskakel, Jaydon Viljoen by die onlangse Akademieweek opgedoen het, kan egter ‘n beduidende rol speel. Viljoen was persoonlik verantwoordelik vir ‘n allemintige 58 punte en slegs drie wedstryde, en het die Goue Leeus tot ‘n derde agtereenvolgende titel help lei.
Luan van den Berg, speler van die wedstryd in verlede jaar se kragmeting, sal voor hy na die Kaap vetrek nog ‘n barshou teen die aartsvyand wil speel, terwyl die skrumpet-brigade, bestaande uit Stuart, ook die held verlede jaar met ‘n drie in die doodsnikke, en Drewyn Baron, die besoekers op die punte sal toets.
In Krugersdorp wag nôg ‘n herontmoeting wat in 2024 vir groot opslae gesorg het, wanneer die Blou Tornado van Hoërskool Waterkloof vir Hoërskool Noordheuwel op die “heuwel” tref. Die Klofies se Ronan Bastiaanse en kie sal op hul beurt graag die bordjies wil verhang na ‘n loesing van 53-32 deur die Nories op hul tuisveld in Pretoria.
Bastiaanse is netjies op dreef nadat hy die tweede meeste punte (53), ná Viljoen, by die Akademieweek aangeteken het. Agsteman, Marko Kok, lyk ook na sy ou self met drie uithalervertonings by dieselfde week, terwyl daar ook groot opgewondenheid heers om weer vir haker, Ruan Jacobs, in aksie te sien.
Klofies durf egter ‘n gedugte Blues-span aan. Jeandré Uithaler, ook in die SA o.18-groepe, sal nes die trio van die Garsies ook nog beskikbaar wees. Clinton Agu laat egter ‘n beduidende leemte vir die tuisspan. Agu geniet ‘n blaaskans voordat hy saam met Uithaler na die Kaap vertrek. Die bekwame Wikus Roos staan sy skoene vol in die voorry.
Die spanne:
Garsfontein t. Monument om 14:00 in Pretoria
Garsfontein: 15 Junade Pasensie, 14 Junaide Stuart, 13 Levi Jordaan, 12 Keagan Knighton, 11 Drewyn Baron, 10 Derrick Kuhn, 9 Dian van Aswegen, 8 Lourenz de Jager, 7 Stefan van der Vyver, 6 JP Pieterse, 5 Derik Potgieter, 4 JJ Fourie, 3 Luan van den Berg, 2 Justin Blom, 1 Morné Coetzer.
Monument: 15 Loghan Langeveldt, 14 Jason Joubert, 13 Ruan Genis, 12 Juandré Ehlers, 11 Ewan van der Walt, 10 Jaydon Viljoen, 9 Evan Bernhardi, 8 Ryno van der Westhuizen, 7 Jordan Swanepoel, 6 Caleb Sparks, 5 Dean Hartman, 4 Vincent Roberts, 3 Danie Smith, 2 Regardt Ernst, 1 Ziggy Katiza.
Noordheuwel t. Waterkloof om 13:10 in Krugersdorp:
Noordheuwel: 15 Jeandré Uithaler, 14 Jaydan Steyn, 13 Brandon Pieters, 12 Kieran Reid, 11 Aidan Bester, 10 Pablo Moeketsane, 9 Gillie Diedericks, 8 Armand van Eck, 7 Juandré de Villiers, 6 Andrew Lambert, 5 Jared Coetzer, 4 Robert Hurn, 3 Steph Botha, 2 Wikus Roos, 1 Skuttie Bezuidenhout.
As the build-up to the highly anticipated Noordvaal hockey tournament gains momentum, teams across the region are using friendly matches to sharpen their skills and their strategies.
On Wednesday, in friendlies, Hoërskool Zwartkop and Jeppe High School for Boys both registered dominant victories.
In Pretoria, Zwartkop faced off against Potchefstroom Gimnasium in a spirited clash.
Zwarrieswere intent on delivering a commanding performance and they achieved that, winning 3-0. From the first whistle, they controlled the match and were able to apply consistent pressure on their opponents.
Their goals, all clinically finished, came courtesy of Douw Nel, Ha’ris van der Merwe, and Roland Scheepers.
“It was a tough one to play first after the winter break, especially with limited preparation and with Potch Gim being the NWU-Sport Championship winners,” Zwartkop Director of Hockey Marthinus Gouws told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“Both sides were rusty, and it could be seen in the first half of the game. Even with the victory and a better second half performance, we need to step up a lot if we are going to perform at Noordvaal.”
Zwartkop will continue their preparations with three matches before the end of the month. Their first outing will be against Merensky Landbou Akademie, on Friday. Then, they face Sandbach School, from the UK, on Monday, 28 July. They’ll complete the month with a challenging showdown against Die Hoërskool Menlopark.
Meanwhile, in Johannesburg, Jeppe High School for Boys delivered another goal-fest for their fans when they took on Helpmekaar Kollege on Wednesday.
Jeppe, unbeaten in 2025, bossed the contest and ran out 6-0 winners, with Jayden da Silva, Juan Martin, captain Ethan Kapanda, Ezray Stadt, Adam Lacy, and Tshimo Mogale all finding the back of the net.
While most would consider SACS to again be the top team in the country, Jeppe is the only other team in that conversation and that speaks volumes about the exceptional season they have put together under coach Siya Sityana.
Met ‘n eerste sege in die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Bowl-afdeling, wat hulle lank ontwyk het, oplaas agter die blad, kan Hoërskool Ermelo voortaan ‘n moeilike perd wees om op te saal.
Dit is iets wat Bergsig Akademie, nóg ‘n nuweling in vanjaar se reeks, deeglik van bewus is op die vooraand van die twee spanne se stryd Saterdagmiddag in Rustenburg.
Die span van Mpumalanga het kort voor die skoolvakansie sy eerste sege as deel van die Bowl-afdeling behaal, en dit boonop teen een van dié afdeling se groot honde, Hoërskool Eldoraigne. Dit het gewys dat Bergsig op enige gegewe dag die wa deur die drif kan trek.
Duan Burger, die oopkantflank en held met ‘n drie in die doodsnikke teen die Eldos, sal weer ‘n vername rol hê om te speel, terwyl heelagter, WJ Pretorius, wat ook die span van Ermelo se skopwerk behartig, se tweestryd met die Eagles se ervare Alzandro dos Santos beloof om die skote agterlangs te laat klap.
Nog ‘n Dos Santos in die Eagles se midde, skrumskakel, Paulo, is oorgehaal om sy tweelingbroer van sy gebruiklike flink diens te voorsien. Albei het in die span van Rustenburg se laaste wedtryd voor die vakansie hul 50ste buiging vir die Eagles gemaak.
In Randburg wag daar ‘n titaniese stryd op Hoërskool Randburg wanneer Merensky Landbou Akademie van agter die sitrusgordyn, in Tzaneen, kom besoek aflê.
Die Randburgers moet die stryd sonder staatmakerslot, Philip Rykaart, aandurf. Rykaart is tot die volgende ronde buite aksie weens ‘n hou teen die kop in die Goue Leeus se Welpie-wedstryd by die onlangse Akademieweek in Middelburg. Hy word deur Branden Peterson vervang.
Voorts skuif Joshua Wiggett van heelagter na losskakel, met Eduan Bakkes wat hom vervang in die nr. 15-trui. Loskopstut en kaptein, Malan van Heerden, keer ook terug van ‘n besering.
Die Plasies pak die tog met ‘n onveranderde span aan wat beteken dat nuutverkose hoofseun, Jan Pretorius, weer saam met steelkantflank, PG Botes, aan die kant van die skrum diens doen. Kaptein en Cravenweek-losskakel, Maritz Meintjies, neem sy gebruiklike plek op binnesenter in.
Hoërskool Eldoraigne draf vir die eerste keer sedert die aanvang van seisoen met ‘n volsterkte span op sy tuisveld uit teen Hoërskool Dinamika. Daar is nietemin ‘n paar aanpassings gemaak, met vernaam Cameron Killian se skuif van flank na haker wat aandag trek. Binnesenter, Kevin Earle maak ook sy terugkeer na die beginspan.
Potchefstroom Volkskool, wat steeds in ‘n stoeigeveg vir ‘n plek in die halfeindrondes gewikkel is, sal sy staal teen Hoërskool Jeugland tuis in Potchefstroom wil wys.
Die eksperiment met Anro Nel op losskakel het duidelik ‘n indruk gelaat aangesien die Volkies besluit het om te volhard met die kombinasie van Lourenzo Louw (regtervleuel) en Lethabo Riet (heelagter) in die agterste driehoek. Riet se tweestryd met Jeugland se Kokets Maphopa kan vir aksiebelaaide hardlooprugby in Potchefstroom sorg.
Die spanne:
Bergsig Akademie t. Hoërskool Ermelo om 13:40 in Rustenburg
Bergsig Akademie: 15 Alzandro Dos Santos, 14 Keabetswe Daile, 13 Bradley Stonehouse, 12 Dan Bogopane, 11 Heinrich Krugel, 10 Carlo de Jager, 9 Paulo Dos Santos, 8 Stephan Harmse, 7 Thatano Bagwase, 6 Christiaan de Abreu, 5 Martin Pieterse, 4 Jacques Viviers, 3 Dylan Smith, 2 Marnus Dercksen, 1 Thabang Machubene.
Hoërskool Ermelo: 15 WJ Pretorius, 14 Luthando Mahlangi, 13 HJ Hobkirk, 12 Nicolas Steyn, 11 Thabo Mokwena, 10 Janco Kleynhans, 9 Dick Rouillard, 8 Cules Hamman, 7 Marco de Bruin, 6 Duan Burger, 5 Janneman Malan, 4 De La Rey Hattingh, 3 Jacques Diedericks, 2 Ruan Grobler, 1 Hennie Geel.
Hoërskool Randburg t. Merensky Landbou Akademie om in Randburg
Hoërskool Randburg: 15 Eduan Bakkes, 14 Bradley Butcher, 13 Dwaine Scotson 12 Zander Drake, 11 Jayden Oosthuizen, 10 Joshua Wiggett, 9 Rico Vosloo, 8 Cruwin Hill, 7 Chrisjan van Niekerk, 6 Victor van Blerk, 5 Branden Peterson, 4 Jayden Brown, 3 Kian Kritzinger, 2 Diedelov Fourie, 1 Malan van Heerden.
Franko Rossouw se vlam brand helder in Secunda, nadat dié losvoorspeler vandeesweek in kennis gestel is dat hy in Augustus sal deel uitmaak van die twee SA o.18-groepe wat met Engeland, Frankryk en Ierland moet kragte meet.
Rossouw, wat as steelkantflank sy merk gemaak het by die onlangse Cravenweek in Middelburg, sal egter hierdie naweek sy fokus eers verskuif na die hervatting van die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Skild-afdeling na die skoolvakansie.
Rossouw behoort saam met vaskopstut en kaptein, MC Vosloo, die vuur onder Hoërkool Secunda se groot agttal aan te steek met die wete dat ‘n stryd teen Hoërskool Montana, hoewel op tuisbodem, geen maklike taak is nie.
Rossouw se losvoorspelermaat, Sifiso Hlungwane, wat self by die Cravenweek in aksie was, is ook weer gereed om die skooltrui oor sy kop te trek, terwyl binnesenter, Bismarck Jansen, en losskakel, Alanzo Blackenberg, hul billike kwota rugby agter die rug het na die Akademieweek, wat ook in Middelburg plaasgevind het.
Die Monties beklee tans die boonste posisie op die puntelys en is sterk op dreef om, in hul eerste jaar in die Skild-afdeling, ‘n plek in die halfeindrondes los te slaan. Binnesenter en kaptein, Hendrew Schoeman, en sy tweelingbroer, Sam Schoeman, vervul ‘n sleutelrol op die aanval en hou ‘n beduidende gevaar in vir die tuisspan.
Die Schoemans is nie die enigste tweeling wat vir die Monties in aksie is nie, met oopkantflank, Aiden Vorster, se tweestryd met Hlungwane in die los wat ‘n hoogtepunt behoort te wees, terwyl Ashton Vorster oorgehaal is om ‘n impak as haker vanaf die plaasvervangerbank te maak.
In Springs wag daar n liplekker-stryd in die plaaslike derby tussen Hoërskool Die Anker en die naburige Hoërskool Hugenote. Die span van Brakpan betree die stryd op bykans volsterkte, met slegs heelagter, Paul Schutte, wat afwesig is.
Schutte is onlangs in die hospitaal opgeneem vir ‘n aantal noodoperasies nadat sy blindederm gebars het. Volgens afrigter, Gavin Fourie, is Schutte tans in ‘n stabiele toestand. Dit behoort die besoekers verder aan te vuur om uithalerspel te lewer vir hul spanmaat, terwyl Ethan Minnie hom in die nr. 15-trui vervang.
Hoërskool Ben Vorster moet, soos wat elke tweede jaar die geval is, die tog van 583 km aflê om Saterdag die omgekrapte Hoërskool Lichtenburg aan te pak. Breier, Frikkie Spangenberg, het ‘n rits taktiese skuiwe aangebring.
Sy mees ervare speler, Lethabo Sejake, skuif van vleuel na agseman, waarskynlik as ‘n teenvoeter vir die bedreiging wat die Liggies se kaptein, KG Legodi inhou, met Tumi Ramohlale wat van agseman na vleuel skuif en ekstra woema op die aanval kan bied.
Vir die Bloumasjien draf sy staatmakerflank, Tiaan Booysen in sy 50ste wedstryd vir die Liggies uit. Buiten dié reuse prestasie is Booysen se hoë werksetiek ook deurgangs ‘n groot sleutel in die Lichtenburgers se sukses.
Die Limpopo Blou Bulle se held in hul styd met die Griffons in Middelburg vroeër vandeesmaand, Ryno Mienie, is terug op sy pos as heelagter vir Heidelberg Volkskool se besoek aan Hoërskool Pietersburg Saterdag in Polokwane. Die twee spanne het reeds vanjaar in die NWU Prestige-reeks ontmoet, met die Pieties wat in ‘n drieëfees met 43-34 geseëvier het.
Dit gooi effens meer petrol op die vuur vir die herontmoeting, met albei spanne wat steeds veg vir ‘n plek in die halfeindronde oor ‘n paar weke. Die Volkies verwelkom hul gevaarlike binnesenter, Vaughn Steynvaart, terug, nadat hy sy skorsing vir ‘n rooikaart uitgedien het.
Die spanne:
Hoërskool Secunda t. Montana om 12:20 in Secunda
Secunda: 15 Dillon Grundling, 14 Ryan Lottering, 13 Armand Underhay, 12 Bismarck Janse, 11 Damian de Beer, 10 Alonzo Blackenberg, 9 JD van Coller, 8 Franko Rossouw, 7 Zander van der Merwe, 6 Sifiso Hlungwane, 5 Renier Combrink, 4 Mickey Jordaan, 3 MC Vosloo, 2 Rico Schoeman, 1 Nathan Erasmus.
Montana: 15 Marq de Villiers, 14 Dixie Sethuga, 13 Luan Barnard, 12 Hendrew Schoeman, 11 Sam Schoeman, 10 Rubel Bester, 9 Braam Schutte, 8 Ulrich van Biljon, 7 Dieter Scheepers, 6 Aiden Vorster, 5 Kyle Bronkhorst, 4 Eric Potgieter, 3 Xandré le Roux, 2 Juan Theunissen, 1 Aiden van der Made.
Hoërskool Hugenote van Springs t. Die Anker om 12:30 in Springs
Rondebosch Boys’ High, Wynberg Boys’ High, and South African College High School (SACS) will be in action away from home on the first weekend of term three in the Western Cape.
‘Bosch travels to Stellenbosch on Friday to face Paul Roos Gimnasium(PRG) at the Maties AstroTurf at 19:20.
Wynberg, meanwhile, will make their way to Paarl Gimnasium for a 19:15 game, and SACS locks horns with Paarl Boys’ High on Saturday morning at 10:30.
The fixtures on the road will be a massive test for the travelling southern suburbs’ teams.
On paper, it’s quite even, and it’ll come down to which team handles the atmosphere better, grabs its opportunities, and executes inside the circle.
Both sides have enjoyed good runs this season. Bosch’s last outing resulted in a 1-1 draw with Bishops, while PRG defeated Wynberg 3-1.
Coach Waseem Domingo understands the task facing his Rondebosch boys as they’ll come up against a side that had a whopping 10 players selected for the u18A Boland side.
On the flipside, Domingo will bank on his provincial players – Daniel Fisher, Joshua Beattie, Thomas Gordon, and Marley Musasa – to come to the fore.
That quartet will be brimming with confidence after helping Western Province win their fifth straight SASHOC National Week title during the mid-year break in Pietermaritzburg.
It won’t be a walk in the park, though, with Paarl Gim eager to win the one match that remains for them before they turn their attention to the famous interschools’ clash against Paarl Boys’ High next week.
Paarl Gim’s last two outings resulted in a 1-1 draw with Fairmont High and a 2-2 draw with SACS, which might have felt like a win given SACS’s outstanding season. while Wynberg played a mid-week exhibition match against a touring UK side, King Edward’s School.
The final match of the weekend will pit Paarl Boys’ High against SACS on Saturday.
The Boys’ High first team is currently competing in the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament, along with SACS, who have sent a Stayers’ team to the tournament.
Past results favour SACS, and last year they put seven past their opponents. It could, however, be a different story this time around, and the hosts will bank on their supporters to make it a hostile environment for the visitors.
In Cape Town, Bishops hosts Fairmont High at the Woodlands AstroTurf in a league fixture.
WESTERN CAPE BOYS’ FIXTURES
Friday, 25 July
18:30 – Bishops vs Fairmont 19:15 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Wynberg Boys’ High 19:20 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
Litha Kraai scored a total of five goals on the opening day of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament. Photo: Enhanced Sports Media (ES MEDIA)
South African College High School(SACS) and Paarl Boys’ High recorded two wins each on Wednesday, day one of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament, in the Mother City.
As a result, the two Western Cape outfits finished the day sitting atop Pools A and B, respectively, in the Elite section, with one group fixture awaiting them on day two.
SACS began their title challenge with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Somerset College in the opening game of the tournament.
After a slow start, the boys from Newlands upped their intensity and rushed into a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a Litha Kraai brace and a strike by Mohlodi Maseko.
Maseko, then, added two more goals to his tally before Josh Goulding made it six. Somerset put up a fight despite the scoreline, and Buhle Mfunelwa was their standout player.
Both sides were in action again later in the day. SACS took on St George’s Weybridge and claimed a 6-3 victory over the United Kingdom (UK) visitors, with Kraai (3), Goulding (2), and Maseko on the scoresheet once again. Sam Geering, Adam Franks, and Sam Wood netted for the visitors.
Somerset, meanwhile, drew 1-1 with Windhoek Afrikaanse, and it was Mfunelwa who found the back of the net.
Paarl Boys’ High leads Pool B after picking up successive 3-0 wins over Worcester Gimnasium and Reed’s School, another of the UK participants, in their day one fixtures.
Against Worcester, Nicholas Swanepoel, AJ Fourie, and Jamie Kock found the back of the net for coach Rowan McLachlan‘s side. Later in the day, Martin de Bruyn, Ullrich Drotschie, and Fourie netted as Boishaai finished their assignments with maximum points.
Reed’s School sits in second place with three points after defeating Windhoek High School 4-2.
Pool C was dominated by Durbanville High School and Parel Vallei (PV).
Both sides have four points after sharing a thrilling 1-1 draw before winning their other game on the opening day.
In their showdown, Nathan Nissen netted for PV before Christopher Dunthorne levelled for the Durbanville boys.
PV, then, went on to beat Kingston Grammar 3-0, with Luca Jordan, Tristan Rautenbach, and Sashin Pillay finding the back of the net.
Durbanville, meanwhile, slotted four past Millfield School, with Dunthorne, Nicholas Coetzee, Elandre Pienaar, and Hugo Bredell finding the target.
Reddam House Constantia and King Edward’s School, from Birmingham, lead the charge in Pool D with four and three points, respectively.
Reddam made a slow start and drew 2-2 with Hoërskool Outeniqua in their opening match. In their second game, they claimed a narrow 2-1 win over King Edward’s, thanks to strikes by Christopher Stewart and Max Godden, while Arnav Parekh netted for the visitors.
The Western Province Invitational side occupies third place, with three points, after a 2-1 win over Outeniqua. Buhle Kama and Nezo Shoko scored for the invitational side before Outeniqua pulled one back through Danny Busse.
The Evolve section was also dominated by local teams, who produced some impressive results on the opening day.
Hermanus High School and Brackenfell lead Pool A, while Bridge House and Curro Durbanville are cruising in Pool B.
In Pool C, Edgemead and Bellville are battling for the top spot, while St Paul’s College and HTS Drostdy lead the way in Pool D.
The knockout stages commence on day two, following the conclusion of the group stage fixtures.
Day one of the CTIHT brought plenty of goals and a number of teams establishing themselves as title contenders with their free scoring ways. Photo: Enhanced Sports Media (ES Media).
Reddam House Constantia, St Paul’s College (Windhoek), and Parel Vallei plundered 38 unanswered goals in six matches in the Elite Girls’ section on Wednesday, the first day of the 2025 edition of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament (CTIHT).
The annual hockey extravaganza features 60 boys’ and girls’ teams, of which 28 are girls’ teams, with 16 sides competing in the Elite section.
The event runs through until Sunday, with matches being played at the Central Hockey Club,Hartleyvale Stadium, Pinelands High School, South African College High School (SACS), the University of Cape Town (UCT), and Western Province Cricket Club.
In the absence of the reigning champions, the trio of Reddam, St Paul’s, and Parel Vallei will fancy their chances of lifting the title this year.
Reddam launched their campaign with a 4-0 win over HMS La Rochelle at UCT on Wednesday morning. Sally Gitlin announced her presence with a brace, and Emma Hibbert and Jessica Bester scored a goal apiece.
Then, Gitlin, Hibbert, and Bester bagged a hat-trick each, and Anna Bredell added a single goal in Reddam’s 10-0 rout of Worcester Gim in their second outing of the day. Those two emphatic victories catapulted Reddam to the top of Pool A.
Their toughest assignment of the group stages will be against second-placed St Paul’s, who also won big on day one. The Namibian side romped to a 10-0 victory over Worcester in their first assignment, courtesy of a five-goal haul from Tamara Grögli, and single-goal contributions from Oyo Hinda, Abigail Rowles, Alice Rowles, Kendyll Mouton, and Jade Eins.
Against HMS La Rochelle, Abigail Rowles struck twice and Leila Grögli once, which lifted her to the top of the goal-scoring chart, with six in total, as the Namibians added a 3-0 win to their record. They trail Reddam by only a single goal on goal difference.
In Pool C, Parel Vallei scored 11 unanswered goals to leap to the top of the standings. They kicked off their campaign by beating Windhoek High 5-0, with goals from Zelda Rosenstrauch, Skylar Bougaard, Roxy Setzkorn, Joané van Geest, and Eva Blaauw.
Next up, they took on the UK’s Kingston Grammar and breezed to a 6-0 victory, courtesy of a hat-trick from Nikita Sullivan, a brace from Skylar Bougaard, and a goal from Liné Liebenberg.
Another UK visitor, Millfield, renowned for their sporting successes, worked their way to the top of Pool B, thanks to a win and a draw in their first two matches. Those results were matched by Paarl Girls’ High, which left them in first place in Pool D.
Millfield fought out a 1-1 draw with Somerset College in the morning and then overcame Outeniqua 4-1 in the afternoon. Paarl Girls, meanwhile, was held to a 0-0 draw with Durbanville High in their first outing before they cruised to 4-0 victory over Hoërskool Bellville in their afternoon match.
Day two of the tournament gets underway with a tantalising clash of the Pool A titans, Reddam and St Paul’s. Worcester Gim will be out to redeem themselves after a tough start to the showpiece when they clash with La Rochelle in the second match of the day.
Results
Pool A
Reddam House Constantia: 4 – Sally Gitlin (2), Emma Hibbert, Jessica Bester. HMS La Rochelle: 0. St Paul’s College: 10 – Tamara Grögli (5), Oyo Hinda, Abigail Rowles, Alice Rowles, Kendyll Mouton, Jade Eins. Worcester Gim: 0. Reddam House Constantia: 10 – Sally Gitlin (3), Emma Hibbert (3), Jessica Bester (3), Anna Bredell. Worcester Gim: 0. St Paul’s College: 3 – Abigail Rowles (2), Leila Grögli. HMS La Rochelle: 0.
While the 2025 hockey season has concluded for some schools around the country, the action will intensify in the Eastern Cape with local derbies on the menu this weekend.
Exciting matchups are on the cards, with intriguing clashes lined up for East London, Komani, Makhanda, and on the outskirts of the province, in George.
The meeting between local teams, Hudson Park High School and Selborne College, is, arguably, the match of the weekend in East London.
They meet for the first time this season at the Buco AstroTurf on Friday at 15:45.
Last year, Selborne recorded an emphatic 6-1 victory over their opponents, but Hudson will be keen to reverse that result.
On current form, coach KJ Friend‘s Selborne side heads into the contest as the favourite. Before the mid-year break, they had worked themselves into good form, beating Stirling High 5-1, Cambridge High 3-2, St Andrew’s College 1-0, and earning a 2-2 draw with Grey College.
Hudson, meanwhile, downed Stirling 3-1 in their last outing, and coach Sipe Matafeni will back his boys to cause some trouble for Selborne.
Speaking of Stirling, they will be in action at home against Dale College.
Queen’s College has a doubleheader against St Andrew’s School and Merrifield College this coming weekend. Photo: Shot by Shani Photography
In the same fixture, a year ago, it was the men in green and white who edged out Dale 3-2 in Qonce, so coach Andrew Senekal‘s red and black-clad charges will be out for revenge.
In Komani, Queen’s College has a bumper weekend in store, with two matches to play.
On Friday, they face Merrifield College before welcoming Bloemfontein’s St Andrew’s School to their campus on Saturday.
Queen’s has had a topsy-turvy season. It has included losses against Grey High and St Andrew’s College, but also a 4-1 win over Hudson Park and a 4-2 win over their arch-rival Dale College. Two wins on the Chris Harker AstroTurf would be a nice boost for their record.
In Makhanda, Graeme College hosts Pearson High on Friday afternoon.
Pearson enters the contest on the back of a 1-2 loss against the touring UK side, Magdalen College, in a midweek match.
The meeting with Graeme will give coach Karl Lavender and his troops a chance to fine-tune their game before tackling Queen’s College and Parel Vallei in their last fixtures of the season.
The town of George will also be treated to some quality hockey when Grey High School visits York High.
The clash between the two has become a regular fixture over the years, and it’s Grey which has dominated and won the majority of the meetings.
In 2024, they met at the Rectory AstroTurf, in Gqeberha, and coach Andrew Beynon‘s charges romped to a 7-0 win.
Grey High captain Luke Tait will seek to inspire his side to victory against York High in George. Photo: Shot by Shani Photography
It will be a different challenge this time around, though, with coach Jason Slater and York set to offer a tough challenge to the visitors.
York has been on the up this year, and they will have an upset on their minds. That clash starts at 18:30.
On Saturday, Cambridge High takes a short trip to face Merrifield College at 11:00, in East London.
EASTERN CAPE BOYS’ FIXTURES:
Friday, 25 July
15:00 – Queen’s College vs Merrifield College 15:45 – Hudson Park vs Selborne College 16:15 – Graeme College vs Pearson High 18:00 – Stirling High vs Dale College 18:30 – York High vs Grey High School
Saturday, 26 July
10:00 – Queen’s College vs St Andrew’s School 11:00 -– Merrifield College vs Cambridge High School
Die SASN DStv Schools Challenge 2025 skop Vrydag 25 Julie af by Hoërskool Dr. EG Jansen en bring van Suid-Afrika se sterkste netbalskole saam op een platform.
