Players from KZN to watch at the IPTs
The annual SASHOC National Weeks are the biggest platforms for South Africa’s most outstanding hockey players to showcase their skills, bringing the best of the best together to do battle for provincial supremacy.
The u18 tournament, which kicks off on 30 June, concludes with the crowning of the national champions on 5 July after seven days of high-quality hockey action.
The showpiece will be hosted by KwaZulu-Natal Inland, and matches will be played at Maritzburg College (boys) and St Anne’s (girls).
During the season, KZN Inland schools regularly compete with schools from the KZN Coastal region, and it is from these two areas that we have drawn our list of boys’ players to watch.
Siwe Sithembu (KZN Inland)
Sithembu is a dynamic midfielder with exceptional skills in the middle of the park and is a dangerman on the attack. The Maritzburg College star possesses a sharp drag flick and is a handful at penalty corners time.
Mark Sanders, his coach at Maritzburg College, describes him as a natural goal-scorer.
Sithembu has represented Maritzburg College’s first team for three years in a row. He captained the KZN Inland u16A team at last year’s IPTs.
He was also picked for the SA u16A squad and was selected for the SA u17 team that competed in the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia late last year.
Bhavesh Naicker (KZN Coastal)
Naicker was a rock at the back for the Durban High School (DHS) hockey first team this year. His composure at centre-back when under pressure is second to none and this allows the team a good platform from which to attack from.
His coach at DHS, Keegan Hezlett says Naicker has an acute ability to read the game, which allows him to make vital interceptions and tackles.
The DHS defender made the SA u16 side in 2022 and 2023 and was selected for the SA u17 Team last year.
Naicker also represented the KZN Raiders Men’s Indoor Hockey team earlier this year at the Men’s Indoor IPT in Johannesburg.
Gordon Deutscher (KZN Inland)
Deutscher has been a standout striker for Michaelhouse this season, netting an impressive 18 goals. He has been, undoubtedly, one of the key performers in an outstanding campaign by the Balgowan boys.
His ‘House coach, Nick Bérichon, says Deutscher has an elite mentality. He demands the highest standards from himself and those around him.
Deutscher is a dynamic, attacking force, who excels in and around the circle, and boasts a full repertoire of goalscoring techniques. His pace and confidence on the ball make him a constant threat when running at defenders.
He is also a well-rounded player with an equally impressive defensive work rate, which frequently results in him winning the ball back and thrusting pressure back onto the opposition.
Zach Williamson (KZN Coastal)
Williamson represented Clifton College’s first team 94 times in a goal-filled high school career. The midfielder was at the forefront of many of Clifton’s victories and provided the side with an authoratitive presence in the midfield.
Williamson took on the privilege of captaining Clifton with both hands and led from the front, with his play being characterised by an incredible work rate on and off the ball, in attack and on defence.
“Zach’s basics and understanding of the game of hockey has been special to watch, and being our specialist off the top [of the circle] with over 10 goals this season shows you his all-round ability,” Calvin Price, the Clifton coach, shared.
Kyle White (KZN Coastal)
Northwood was one of the toughest teams to beat in the KZN league this season. Part of the reason for that was the structure they were tasked with by their coach, Justin Collins. A larger part of that was the team’s ability to execute what was required of them, and at the head of that execution was Kyle White.
The Northwood captain, also the captain of the Knights’ 1st XI cricket side, displayed exceptional leadership qualities on the field, with his calm, composed approach to the fore.
He marshalled the Northwood defence well and ensured that they were very tough to score on. The centre-back was also brilliant in one-vs-one situations.
Seth Simpson (KZN Coastal)
Westville had a tough season, fielding a young side that was still feeling its way in high-level hockey. However, one of the players who made Westville’s journey through the season better was Seth Simpson.
The forward netted an outstanding 14 goals in 20 outings, which was an amazing achievement, said Westville’s coach, Cameron Mackay, who will be in charge of KZN Coastal at the SASHOC National Week.
Simpson, like Northwood’s Kyle White, the captain of his school’s 1st cricket XI, is a player for the big moments, a player with the valuable ability to rise to the challenge when the stakes are raised.
Nothing demonstrated that more than the hattrick he scored in Westville’s 3-2 victory over King Edward VII School. That contest, played in Johannesburg, was a high-stakes game. What truly showed his ability to lift his game at the most important times, though, was the fact that he scored those three goals in his 50th appearance for the first team.
