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Affies optimistic ahead of Paarl Gim clash

By Vuyo Ndudane , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-04-12 Tags: , , , , ,

Afrikaanse Hoër Meiseskool (Affies) and Paarl Gimnasium meet in a derby clash between two in-form teams on Friday evening at the Pretoria High School for Girls Astro.

Recently, both sides were in action at the St Mary’s Hockey Festival, which brought 32 of the top girls’ teams in South Africa together. There, they both performed well, with Affies finishing in 10th place and Paarl Gim ending fourth.

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In head-to-head competition, the team from the Boland has come out on top in the last three meetings between the sides.

However, heading into Friday’s match, Affies are optimistic, and coach Nicolene Terblanche believes that her team is well prepared, and that the St Mary’s Festival has provided her charges with a big boost.

“The preparations are positive,” she said. “We had a good St Mary’s Festival.”

At St Mary’s, after winning one and losing two on a tough first day, Terblanche’s girls staged a strong run the following day, racking up three wins and a draw.

They claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Clarendon, which was followed by a goalless draw against DF Malan. Then, they again came out on the right side of 1-0 wins in their third and fourth clashes, beating Roedean and their neighbours from the capital city, Pretoria High School for Girls, respectively.

Paarl Gim, meanwhile, roared out of the gates at St Mary’s. Playing in Pool D, they raced to opening day wins over the St Mary’s Festival XI (3-0), St Cyprian’s (2-0) and St Stithians (1-0), who would later pip Paarl Gim for third by reversing that result in their playoff match.

On day two, they again demonstrated their ability to grind out tight wins, recording victories over Our Lady of Fatima (2-1) and Pearson (1-0), before drawing with St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) and Collegiate Girls’ High.

Ultimately, they finished in fourth, but they, like Affies, built up strong momentum against serious opposition, which will have them well prepared for the challenge that lies ahead on Friday evening.

Based on the recent form of both sides, it’s likely to be a tight contest.

Vuyo Ndudane
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.