All set for the 2025 St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival
Thirty-two of the country’s top hockey-playing schools will converge at St Mary’s Waverley, Johannesburg, for the prestigious annual Standard Bank St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival, which runs from 3-6 April.
The hockey showcase has come a long way since its modest beginnings. Only 12 teams participated in the inaugural event in 2000. It has since grown exponentially over the years to become, arguably, the most prestigious girls’ hockey event on the South African sporting calendar.
Fifty-one festival participants have gone on to represent South Africa, and another two have donned the colours of Namibia, on the international stage.
The defending champions, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), will kick the festival off with a tie against Penryn on Thursday morning. Coach Chardinay Penniston‘s charges are aware that they carry a target on their back as the title holders. They are, however, not focusing on their previous success. It’s a new team and a new season, and they’re eager to write their own history at the event.
DGC is in Pool A and will face Die Hoërskool Menlopark, Hoërskool Waterkloof, Pearson High School, The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC), Somerset College, the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, and Penryn in the group stage.
The 2023 champion, Eunice High School, is bristling with excitement ahead of the festival. Coach Nika Coertzen‘s charges also begin their campaign on Thursday morning when they take on Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School.
It will be the third match in Pool B, which also features, Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies), St Andrew’s School for Girls, Hoërskool Garsfontein, St John’s DSG, Roedean School, and Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High.
The hosts, St Mary’s Waverley are on the hunt for their first title since 2011. They have lifted the trophy five times but there have been slim pickings in recent years. They’ll get Pool C’s action underway with a tricky test against Cape Town’s St Cyprian’s School, which has made a strong start to the season.
Standing in St Mary’s Waverley’s way in Group C are St Stithians College for Girls, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Rhenish Girls’ High, St Cyprian’s, Clarendon High School for Girls, Windhoek High, and Pretoria High School for Girls.
The seven-time winners, Oranje Meisieskool, are on the hunt for another trophy to adorn their resplendent trophy cabinet. However, they last lifted the title in 2022, so, given their record of success, it’s been a while since they came out on top. Coach Gys van Schalkwyk‘s charges face Durban’s Our Lady of Fatima in their opener.
Their opposition in Pool D includes Paarl Gimnasium, St Anne’s Diocesan College, Herschel Girls School, Paarl Girls’ High School, Collegiate Girls’ High School, Our Lady of Fatima, and Kingsmead College.
DAY 1 FIXTURES
07:45 – DGC vs Penryn, 07:45 – St Andrew’s vs Garsfontein, 08:10 – Pearson vs Wykeham, 08:10 – Affies vs St John’s DSG, 08:35 – Waterkloof vs Somerset, 08:35 – Bloemhof vs Roedean, 09:00 – Menlopark vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 09:00 – Eunice vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 09:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs St Cyprian’s, 09:30 – Paarl Gim vs Kingsmead, 09:55 – Oranje vs Our Lady of Fatima, 10:20 – Rhenish vs Clarendon, 10:20 – Herschel vs Paarl Girls, 10:45 – St Stithians vs Pretoria High School, 10:45 – St Anne’s vs Collegiate, 11:15 – Waterkloof vs TWC, 11:15 – Affies vs Garsfontein, 11:40 – Pearson vs Penryn, 11:40 – Bloemhof vs St John’s DSG, 12:05 – Eunice vs Roedean, 12:05 – St Andrew’s vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 12:30 – Menlopark vs Somerset, 12:30 – DGC vs St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI, 13:00 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs Pretoria High, 13:00 – Herschel vs Kingsmead, 13:25 – Paarl Gim vs Our Lady of Fatima, 13:25 – Rhenish vs St Cyprian’s, 13:50 – St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, vs Clarendon, 13:50 – Oranje vs Collegiate, 14:15 – St Anne’s vs Paarl Girls, 14:15 – St Stithians vs Windhoek, 12:40 – Bloemhof vs Garsfontein, 14:45 – Eunice vs St John’s DSG, 15:05 – DGC vs Somerset, 15:10 – Menlopark vs TWC, 15:30 – Affies vs St Andrew’s, 15:35 Waterkloof vs Pearson, 13:55 – Roedean vs Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, 16:00 – St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI vs Penryn, 16:20 – Paarl Gim vs Collegiate, 16:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs Rhenish, 16:45 – Oranje vs Paarl Girls, 16:55 – St Mary’s DSG vs St Cyprian’s, 17:10 – Windhoek vs Pretoria High, 17:20 – St Stithians vs Clarendon, 17:45 – St Anne’s vs Herschel, 18:15 – Eunice vs Garsfontein, 18:40 – Bloemhof vs St Andrew’s, 19:05 – Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High vs St John’s DSG, 19:30 – St Mary’s Waverley 1st XI vs St Mary’s DSG, 20:00 – Affies vs Roedean, 20:25 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Kingsmead.
