Western Province u13 Girls dominate SASHOC Nationals
South Africa’s top young girls’ hockey talent heated up the Gauteng winter at the 2025 u13 SASHOC National Week, which concluded at King Edward VII School, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
Western Province, the dominant hockey power in South Africa in recent years, reaffirmed their status by winning both the boys’ and girls’ titles.
The Western Province girls were in a class of their own, delivering a flawless campaign from the first whistle to the last whistle that signalled the end of the final.
Their dominance was on full display in the title decider, with Province claiming a commanding 3-0 win over KZN Coastal to take the honours.
Their journey began with a double-header on day one at Parktown Boys’ High, but Province navigated that challenge smoothly, posting back-to-back wins to lay a sound foundation for their title bid.
They kicked things off with a composed 2-0 victory over Eastern Gauteng and followed that up with a stunning 7-0 rout of Northern Cape, which sent out an early warning to their rivals.
On the second day, they continued their high-scoring form by putting four past Eastern Province, whom they beat 4-1. Leah McGregor and Olivia Garces then combined to deal with Border, which put the Western Cape side through to a semi-final showdown with the tournament hosts, Southern Gauteng.
It proved to be a nail-biter between the provincial powerhouses. In a tightly contested battle, Gemma Fillies broke the deadlock with a decisive field goal to send Western Province into the final following a 1-0 win.
Southerns went on to finish third after a tight 2-1 victory over Southern Free State in a thrilling encounter.
It was an impressive turnaround from coach Craig Pinetown’s side, whose campaign had spluttered in the early going. They won only one of their three group matches, beating Limpopo 3-1. In their other group games, they drew 1-1 with Mpumalanga and were beaten 1-0 by KZN Inland.
They rose to the occasion in their quarterfinal clash with their neighbours, Northern Gauteng, however, and picked up a 2-0 win.
Border placed fifth in another meeting of rivals and neighbours. In a hard-fought contest, they finished regulation time knotted at 1-1 with Eastern Province but then prevailed 4-3 in a tense penalty shootout.
With both their girls and boys lifting the u13 provincial trophies, Western Province left no doubt, it remains the benchmark in South African school hockey.
FINAL STANDINGS
Western Province
KZN Coastal
Southern Gauteng
Southern Free State
Border
Eastern Province
Northern Blues
KZN Inland
Eastern Gauteng
Boland
Eden
Limpopo
North West
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
