Suid Natal Skool: Saturday 22 April
Ardent first team hockey teams are heading to Suid-Natal Hoërskool to partake in the seventh SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday 22 April.
The zealous participants will be taking part in the Southern KZN Regional. A combination of nine teams from Sisonke and Ugu areas will be taking to the fields in the hopes of being crowned champion of this region. Back to defend their title, the versatile team, King Edward High School from Matatiele are enthusiastic to retain the title for the third concurrent year.
King Edward, having progressed to the Grand Finals held hockey giants Durban Girls’ College to a goalless draw in their pool match last year. After being level on points in the pool stage, College had an edge on them on goal difference.
The respected and quiet giant slayers will be taking on their feisty neighbours, Kokstad College and the hard working Creston College, both previous winners at this regional. Joining them on the day will be host team, Suid-Natal Hoerskool, travelling teams Ixopo High School, Scottburgh High School and St Patrick’s College from Kokstad and local teams Port Shepstone and Southcity Christian School.
The duration of the games will be 23 minutes with a 2 minute change over. The nine teams will be separated into two pools. Pool A will have five teams battling it out with Southcity, KEHS, Ixopo, Scottburgh and Sheppie High taking each other on. In Pool B, previous champs Creston and Kokstad meet early on, with Suid-Natal and St Patricks rounding off the four teams.
At the conclusion of the pool games, the top two teams from each pool will meet in a cross pool playoff. Points for the day are four points for a win, two for a draw with goals, or 1 point for a goalless draw and zero points for a loss. Two fields will be the scene for all the action, with the top field, Field A having the final on it.
Thereafter, the top eight teams will be revealed according to their points, they will all compete in the cross-pool playoffs and saving the best for last, the regional final as the decisive game of the day.
Coach for King Edward High School, Deidre Duminy shared, “We have a young, enthusiastic team that is raring to go! Our team is looking good. We have had a few games already and it has been going well, but we will be working hard through the holidays. The girls have huge hearts, and would love to make it three in a row, and get to travel to Durban again this year to take on the other finalists at the Grand Finals.”
The Southern KZN Regional for the SPAR KZN School Girls’ Hockey Challenge will converge at Suid-Natal Hoerskool for nine schools with the winner progressing to the Grand Finals that takes place in July in Durban.
For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page.