Hibbert shines as Reddam House Constantia lifts CTIHT title
Emma Hibbert scored a brilliant drag flick, her eighth goal of the tournament and Reddam House Constantia‘s third, as they romped to a 3-1 win over St Paul’s College to clinch the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament (CTIHT) trophy at the Hartleyvale A Astro on Sunday afternoon.
The victory capped off an outstanding campaign from Reddam, who won six of their seven matches and drew the other against the eventual runners-up, St Paul’s, in the group stage of the tournament.
Coach Chris Hibbert’s side led the scoring, banging in 22 goals while conceding only four.
“Tournament hockey is tough, and for it all to come together this week is very rewarding,” Hibbert told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The girls were outstanding, and turned up every game, and while it wasn’t always easy going, they showed outstanding resilience and teamwork to come through the tough moments in games.”
The final was a repeat of the final Pool A encounter between Reddam and St Paul’s, which had ended in a 1-1 draw. Both sides, thus, headed into the title decider well aware of the threats posed by their opponent. However, it was Reddam who had better plans.
Hibbert’s charges took a few minutes to get into the game. However, once they found their groove, they were unstoppable, exhibiting the relentlessness that had powered them through to the final.
For the opening goal, Emma Hibbert, one of the most consistent and impactful players at the event, sent a superbly weighted pass to Jess Bester, who had positioned herself perfectly. Given some space, Bester carried the ball into the circle, calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
The local side went two-up thanks to Cassidy Frank, who executed an excellent tackle deep inside St Paul’s territory before threading a pinpoint pass to Sally Gitlin, who produced a composed finish to bury the opportunity.
Reddam ran onto the field from the halftime break eager to drive in the final nails into the coffin, but Coach Nevil Gora‘s ladies had other ideas. The Windhoek side threw everything they had, including the kitchen sink, into the contest, assaulting the Reddam House goal. It was, however, the Capetonians who found the back of the net.
Emma Hibbert transformed from provider to scorer, executing a pulsating drag flick to convert Reddam’s second penalty corner of the match. That left St Paul’s College with a mountain to climb.
Despite trailing by three goals, the efforts of Gora’s charges didn’t waver. They kept at it with dogged determination and their persistence was rewarded with a goal at the end of the third quarter when Tamara Grögli converted a penalty corner.
In the fourth chukka, St Paul’s was a rejuvenated side, and they dominated the early exchanges, but were unable to convert any of their chances.
Reddam House, then, took control of the final eight minutes of play to secure the title.
“The girls understood their roles, trusted their teammates to fulfil theirs, and backed themselves to do their jobs. The coaching staff is proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout the tournament,” Patrick Smith, Reddam’s Head of Hockey, said.
“This week, it has been great to see everything come together. It is so special for our matrics, who have committed so much to our hockey programme. It is wonderful that they get to have this high at the end of their school hockey career,” Hibbert added.
Results
Reddam House: 3 – Sally Gitlin, Emma Hibbert, Jessica Bester. St Paul’s College: 1 – Tamara Grögli.
Parel Vallei: 2 – Emihle Wulani, Nikita Sulivan. Paarl Girls’ High: 1 – Halle Williams.
Millfield: 2 – Delilah Talbot, Isla Smith. Outeniqua: 0.
Durbanville High: 5 – Hilletje de Villiers (2), Zieke Rossouw (2), Ronel Rautenbach. Kingston Grammar: 1 – Anna Goodsman.
Chisipite: (3) 1 – Rebecca Winsor. Windhoek Afrikaanse Private School: (2) 1 – Marlene Coetzee.
Curro Durbanville: 1 – Marissa Morgan. Somerset College: 0.
Hoërskool Bellville: 1 – Nicole Meyer. HMS La Rochelle: 0.
Windhoek High: (1) 0. Worcester Gim: (0) 0.
