St Alban’s and Michaelhouse shine at Independent Schools Hockey Festival
The hosts of the 2025 Independent Schools Hockey Festival, St Alban’s College, maintained their unbeaten record on day two of the festival in Pretoria on Sunday. Michaelhouse matched them,
With two victories each, the duo and Reddam House Constantia remain the only unbeaten sides. They’ll be highly motivated to end on a high when the festival wraps up on Monday.
St Alban’s and ‘House have impressed at the festival, and both sides showed glimpses of what they’re capable of on the opening day.
On day one, the Checks went about their business quietly and defeated Somerset College 2-0 before making light work of St Charles College, thumping the KwaZulu-Natal outfit 4-0.
Day two provided a tougher challenge for coaches Guy Elliot and Robin Jones, but their St Alban’s side fronted up to the task.
Playing on their home turf, they edged out St Andrew’s School 1-0 before stunning Bishops [Diocesan College] 2-1 later in the day.
“I think we have shown great resilience,” assistant coach and Director of Hockey Robin Jones told SuperSport Schools Plus. “We have just come off the back of a physically taxing Coastal Cup a week ago, and we had a few injuries to key players in our team.
“This festival has provided an opportunity for other members of our squad, and we are particularly proud of the adaptability and character shown.”
St Alban’s are favoured to end the festival unbeaten as they take on a struggling Trinityhouse Centurion team on the final day.
Trinityhouse has produced mixed results, but Jones said St Alban’s would not underestimate them.
“It’s been fantastic playing a festival on home soil, and we are particularly wary of a tidy Trinity House team. They have put in some good performances, and we are hoping to finish the weekend off strong. We just need to keep doing the simple things well,” he ended.
While the hosts were impressed, another travelling side that has done well is KZN’s Michaelhouse.
Led by coach Nick Bérichon, House found their groove after a victory against St David’s Marist Inanda and a draw against Bishops on Saturday.
On day two they were part of a 10-goal thriller, beating York High 6-4 before sneaking a 1-0 win over St Andrew’s School.
Reacting to his team’s performances on Sunday, coach Bérichon said he was pleased with how they dominated ball possession against St Andrew’s, but added that there was plenty to improve on.
“I felt it was a very dominant performance against St Andrew’s, but the score might not suggest that,” he said. “They were difficult to break down. I thought their PC defence was brilliant, and we couldn’t get our corner firing. We converted one from seven, and that’s something we need to get right.
House has played some entertaining hockey early on this season, and they’ll be out to end the festival on a high against St Benedict’s College.
“We know they are extremely well coached by Owen Mvimbi, and they will also be looking to end off the festival on the right note and the front foot,” Bérichon said.
“We are going to have to be at our absolute best to ensure we leave the Independent Schools Festival with four wins and a draw.”
On Sunday, Somerset College finally registered a win, getting by Trinity House 3-2.
St Charles edged out Helpmekaar Kollege 2-1, while Bennies ended the day with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over York.
RESULTS
Reddam House Constantia 1-0 St David’s Marist Inanda
St Charles College 2-1 Helpmekaar Kollege
Somerset College 3-2 Trinity House
St Alban’s College 1-0 St Andrew’s School
Bishops 3-3 St Benedict’s College
Michaelhouse 6-4 York High
Reddam House Constantia 6-2 Trinity House
St Charles College 2-2 St David’s Marist Inanda
Helpmekaar Kollege 1-0 Somerset College
St Alban’s College 2-1 Bishops
Michaelhouse 1-0 St Andrew’s School
St Benedict’s College 3-0 York High
Fixtures
Monday, 7 April
07:30 – Bishops vs St David’s Marist Inanda
08:00 – Reddam House Constantia vs York High @Pretoria Boys High AstroTurf
08:45 – Somerset College vs St Charles College
09:20 – Helpmekaar Kollege vs St Andrew’s School @Pretoria Boys High AstroTurf
10:00 – Michaelhouse vs St Benedict’s College
11:15 – St Alban’s College vs Trinity House
