Ferrum crowned SPAR KZN North Regional champions
Ferrum High was crowned the SPAR KZN Girls Hockey KZN North champion after a 1-0 win over Newcastle High School in the final of the regional tournament, at St Dominic’s Newcastle, on Saturday.
The victory secured Ferrum the tenth and last berth at the SPAR KZN Tournament Grand Finals, which will be hosted by St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, on 26 and 27 July.
They join Wartburg Kirchdorf School (Umvoti and uThukela Regional), St Patrick’s College (Ugo and Sisonke Regional), Felixton College (KZN North Coastal Regional), Ashton Ballito (Durban North Regional), Maris Stella (Durban Central Regional), St Mary’s, DSG Kloof (Highway Regional), Epworth School (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional), St Anne’s Diocesan College (Pietermaritzburg North Regional), and Kingsway High (Durban South Regional) in the lineup.
The final leg of the regional tournaments was a seven-team affair, featuring Ferrum, Amajuba High School, Dundee High School, Newcastle, Pongola Academy, Sarel Cilliers, and St Dominic’s.
Ferrum was indomitable. They have won the regional title 10 times, and they did it again in style. Hoërskool Pionier has lifted the trophy twice, while Sarel Cilliers and St Dominic’s have won it once each, but Ferrum has been the standard-setter in the region.
They entered the tournament eager to defend the title they won last year, and they did so in emphatic fashion, picking up the maximum 24 points from their round-robin fixtures after scoring six wins from six matches.
Not only did they go unbeaten through the round-robin phase, Ferrum, also, didn’t concede a goal. They beat Amajuba 4-0, Dundee 3-0, Pongola Academy 5-0, Sarel Cilliers 2-0, Newcastle 2-0, and St Dominic’s 4-0. It was domination.
Newcastle, meanwhile, was making a first-ever appearance at the regional final and they made a positive impression, scoring three wins, two draws, and a single loss to tally 14 points.
They scored only four goals, but their defence was sound, with Ferrum the only team able to breech it. Newcastle edged out Amajuba 1-0, drew 0-0 with Dundee, won 2-0 over Pongola Academy, edged Sarel Cilliers 1-0, and drew 0-0 with St Dominic’s.
In the final, Ferrum came out strongly, eager to stamp their authority on the new kids on the block. They created numerous chances but Lilly Akobian, Newcastle’s goalkeeper, played out of her socks to keep her side in the contest.
Eventually, though, in the second half, Ferrum broke the deadlock through Lizandre Berry.
With an unblemished defensive record, the KZN North Regional champions showed that they were a class above their challengers. That defence. though, will face a stiff test at the Grand Finals.
