CTIHT: It’s a Cape showdown as Somerset and Parel Vallei meet in the semis
Somerset College and Parel Vallei were the first sides to book semifinals spots at the Cape Town International Hockey Festival on Friday.
The event kicked off on Wednesday, 10 July, and the semifinals and final will be held on Sunday, 14 July.
Somerset College secured their place with a 5-2 win over UK-based Uppingham in the last eight, while Parel Vallei overcame Zimbabwe’s Chisipite 2-0 in their quarterfinals’ clash.
“I am ecstatic for the team. We did not have the best preparation for the tournament and for the girls to fight like this is wonderful for me to see,” Kyran Fortuin, the Somerset College coach, shared after the match.
The side had managed only a single training session ahead of the tournament, with the team’s players dealing with exams and then holidays in the lead-up to the showpiece.
In addition to that, Somerset was missing their talisman captain, Julia Brown, who sustained a toe injury at the SASHOC U18 National Week. In her absence, Lara Gouws, the vice-captain, has taken over the leadership reins.
In the first chukka, Somerset fell 0-1 down, but Gouws showed her leadership acumen as she rallied her side. They bounced back and equalised, before running away with the win. Gouws, who is in grade 10, led the side with a brace, while Annabelle Hamel, Siena Kontopirakis, and Evi Benson also scored as Fortuin’s side rallied and roared their way to an emphatic victory.
“Special mention should also go to Jessica du Toit and Caroline Morris,” Fortuin said. “They were outstanding in all the matches we played. Jessica held the defence together, while Caroline was at the heart of all our moves. She is an exceptional ball carrier.”
Fortuin’s charges are peaking at the right time. They started their campaign with a scrappy 1-1 draw against St Paul’s College, of Windhoek, but then recorded three wins on the bounce.
They defeated the English side, AKS Lytham, 2-0 to close out day one on four points. That victory was followed with a pair of 1-0 wins over Durbanville High School and Hoërskool Kempton Park respectively. That brought their total to 10 points and the top spot in Pool A.
Parel Vallei punched their ticket to the last four with a solid 2-0 win over Chisipite after a tightly contested tie. Jarred Pitout’s side has conceded only two goals in the tournament so far.
“We came into the tournament prepared and in high spirits and with a positive outlook. Our first match set the tone,” Pitout said.
The Jordan Boer-captained team overcame Bristol’s Clifton College 2-1 in their opener and didn’t look back from there. They registered a 3-0 win over Hoërskool Bellville to finish the day in second place in Pool B. On day three, they were held to a 1-1 draw by their neighbours, Paarl Girls’ High, before an emphatic 5-0 win over Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool fired them to the top of the Pool B standings.
“The girls stuck to the gameplan really well when we faced Chisipite in the quarterfinals,” Pitout explained. “Chisipite is very good on the counter, so we had to make sure that we were solid at the back.”
Parel Vallei’s success has been led by outstanding performances from their skipper Jordan Boer and Eva Blaauw, and they were, once again, to the fore in the quarterfinals. They managed the game well, providing a solid platform for Parel Vallei’s dynamic forwards to run at the opposition, and it paid off. Michaela Birch and Grace Taylor converted two opportunities into goals to put them through to the last four.
Parel Vallei takes on Somerset College in the semifinals in a mouthwatering tie that will be a rematch of a league game in which Pitout’s side triumphed 1-0.
In the other semi-final, Paarl Gimnasium, who have been in imperious form, take on Clifton College. Both romped to big wins in their quarterfinal clashes. Gimmies outplayed Hoërskool Kempton Park 8-0 and Clifton defeated Windhoek Gymnasium 5-0.
RESULTS
Pool A
AKS Lytham 2-0 Durbanville High School
St Paul’s College 0-1 Hoërskool Kempton Park
Durbanville High School 0-1 Somerset College
AKS Lytham 1-2 St Paul’s College
Somerset College 1-0 Hoërskool Kempton Park
Pool B
Hoërskool Bellville 0-4 Clifton College
Parel Vallei 1-1 Paarl Girls’ High
Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool 0-1 Hoërskool Bellville
Parel Vallei 5-0 Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool
Clifton College 1-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Pool C
Curro Durbanville 0-5 Windhoek High School
Uppingham 2-0 Worcester Gymnasium
Uppingham 1-0 Curro Durbanville
Worcester Gymnasium 0–11 Paarl Gim
Windhoek High 0–2 Uppingham
Paarl Gim 9-0 Curro Durbanville
Pool D
Hoërskool Outeniqua 0–2 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 1-4 Chisipite
Chisipite 1-2 Windhoek Gymnasium
Rustenburg 1-1 Springfield Convent School
Rustenburg 0-4 Hoërskool Outeniqua
Windhoek Gymnasium 2-2 Springfield Convent School
Quarterfinals
Somerset College 5-2 Uppingham
Parel Vallei 2-0 Chisipite
Hoërskool Kempton Park 0-8 Paarl Gimnasium
Clifton College 5-0 Windhoek Gymnasium
