St Mary’s DSG, Kloof: 21 – 22 July
The fixtures and umpires for the eighth SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge have been announced with the ten teams participating heading to St Mary’s DSG, Kloof to face each other in the much anticipated Grand Finals on 21 & 22 July.
In Pool A, host school and defending champions St Mary’s DSG will take on St Anne’s from Hilton; King Edward High School from Matatiele, Amanzimtoti High School and Greytown High School. In Pool B, the only team to have a 100% appearance rate at the finals, Durban Girls’ College take on Epworth School from Pietermaritzburg; Our Lady of Fatima from Durban North, Ferrum High School from Newcastle and Felixton College from Richards Bay.
Leading the fixtures, the Highway Regional champions, St Mary’s DSG will take on the uMvoti Regional winners. Following them are two of the three newcomers this year, Epworth School will meet Felixton in the first game for Pool B. St Anne’s College will meet the feisty King Edward team. Durban Girls’ College take on Fatima in the fourth game and Toti take on other newcomers, Greytown.
The pool games will last 22 minutes, with 4 points being awarded for a win, 2 points for a draw with goals, 1 point for a goalless draw and 0 points for a loss. The playoffs will have two halves lasting 15minutes each way, and if the game ends on a tie, the result will be decided in a penalty shoot-out.
Officiating at the Grand Finals are umpires from all over KwaZulu-Natal. Leading by example is renowned Wanri Venter from Thomas More College who had the honour of blowing at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games held in April this year. No stranger to the tournament, this will be her first time she will be taking to the field at a Grand Finals with a whistle.
Venter is joined by Sonika Buys who makes her seventh appearance at the Grand Finals. The two senior umpires will be joined by eight up-and-coming umpires over the weekend, they are Candes Strydom (Werda); Mia Steenkamp (Most Promising Umpire from Vryheid); Brian Riddell (Thomas More College pupil – Second appearance at Grand Finals); May Mazibuko (Most Promising Umpre from PMB Central); Sethu Sithole (Most Promising Umpire from DBN Central); Tallyn Tregear; Marnus Engelbrecht (Most Promising Umpire from Mandini); Lethokuhle Ngadi (Most Promising Umpire from PMB North). Overseeing all of the officials with Venter, is hugely experienced Queensburgh’s Michael Lees.
The 2018 Grand Finals ticks the tournament counter over to 88 in total over the eight years since its inception in 2011. The tournament that travels across ten regions in KZN awards the regional winners with a festive Grand Finals each year.
Ten top teams and ten umpires will be taking to the field in the eighth Grand Finals of the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge.
For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page.
