Boland aiming to end eight-year title drought
The Boland u18A girls’ team will head to the SASHOC National Week aiming to make history by clinching just their third provincial title in 12 years.
The tournament, which kicks off on Monday, 30 June, and concludes on Saturday, 5 July, takes place at St Anne’s DSG, in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal.
Boland, led by experienced coach Chris Gerber, from Rhenish Girls’ High, is among the favourites to capture the title. Given the quality in their ranks, that’s not a stretch.
The last time Boland claimed the inter-provincial crown was in 2016 when they defeated Southern Gauteng in the final. Before that, they won the tournament in 2013, beating Southern Free State 3-1 in the title game in Durban.
The past five inter-provincial tournament have, however, ended in disappointment for the girls in black and yellow.
Their best finish in the past five years was second in 2023. Last year, though, they ended fifth, behind the Southern Gauteng B team.
History will, of course, mean very little at the tournament. Also, to make matters more interesting, there’s a new sheriff in town with Gerber taking over the coaching reins.
He and his selectors have named a star-studded team that looks well-equipped to take on the best from South Africa’s other provinces.
The 16-player squad includes seven players from Rhenish, with Rhenish skipper Leah du Plessis also named the captain of Boland.
Parel Vallei High has the second-highest number of representatives with four players, while Paarl Gimnasium has two, and HMS Bloemhof and Paarl Girls’ High one each.
“Selection is always very difficult, especially in a region like Boland,” Gerber told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“There are lots of really good players that missed out. In the end, we picked a well-balanced side where the players can combine and work around the style we want to play.”
The team may have come up short of winning it all in the past half-decade, but Gerber’s focus is on the present and not the past.
“It’s difficult to say what worked and what didn’t last year because I wasn’t part of the structure, so I can’t comment,” he said.
“What I can say, though, is that this is a new and exciting team, and we want to go out there and express ourselves and play well as a team.”
Boland is drawn in Pool A, which appears to be the group of death. They’ll be up against Southern Gauteng A and B, Eastern Province A, Southern Free State A, and Northern Gauteng B.
“The first game versus Free State will set the tone for the tournament, so it’s vital to start the tournament well and get some confidence and momentum in our stride. There are no easy games, so we must hit the ground running.” Gerber said.
Boland u18A Team
Katherine Sickle (Rhenish Girls’ High), Leah du Plessis (Rhenish Girls’ High), Lily Newton (Rhenish Girls’ High), Pippa Viljoen (Rhenish Girls’ High), Puck Bakker (Rhenish Girls’ High), Rose Quinlivan (Rhenish Girls’ High), Sarah-Ellen Groenewald (Rhenish Girls’ High), Andrea Fortuin (Parel Vallei), Anya Swanepoel (Paarl Gimnasium), Elré Oosthuizen (HMS Bloemhof), Emihle Wulana (Parel Vallei), Cassie Fairbairn (Paarl Girls’ High), Joné de Winnaar (Paarl Gimnasium), Jordan Boer (Parel Vallei), Skylar Bougaard (Parel Vallei).
POOL FIXTURES
Monday, 30 June
08:55 – Boland A vs Southern Free State A
16:00 – Boland A vs Eastern Province A
Tuesday, 1 July
11:45 – Boland A vs Southern Gauteng B
Wednesday, 2 July
07:30 – Boland A vs Northern Gauteng B
Thursday, 3 July
10:20 – Boland A vs Southern Gauteng A
