All set for the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge Grand Final
Ten of KwaZulu-Natal’s top hockey-playing girls’ schools are set to converge on St Mary’s DSG, in Kloof, for the 14th edition of the annual SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge. The action takes place on Saturday, 20, and Sunday, 21 July.
The sides are divided into two pools. Pool A features Durban Girls’ College (DGC), St John’s DSG, Our Lady of Fatima, Grantleigh High School, and Amanzimtoti High School. Pool B’s lineup includes St Mary’s DSG, The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC), Ferrum High School, Ladysmith High School, and St Patrick’s College.
The hosts, St Mary’s, have had the tournament on their radar since the beginning of the year and will be looking to go all the way.
Coach Carla Ann Mackay’s team is on the hunt for a second title of the season after lifting the inaugural St Anne’s Cup. The Georgia Pollock-captained side has been in fine form and will be hoping to continue on their winning run.
It’s an 11th appearance in the Grand Final for St Mary’s, who have dominated the Highway Regional district. They have collected nine medals in their previous appearances.
They were the bronze medallists in their debut year, 2011, and in 2013. They finished as the runners-up in 2022 and 2023. Their target this year will be to win the gold, as they did in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Saints, along with Durban Girls’ College, will be the teams favoured to lift the silverware. Chardinay Penniston’s charges are making a 12th appearance in the provincial tournament finals. No other team has appeared in the KZN event as often as they have, and they are also the defending champions.
Like the hosts, DGC has medalled nine times. They won bronze in 2019 and silver in 2012, 2016, and 2017. Like St Mary’s, they have lifted the title five times, in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, and 2023.
The Durban Central Regional league winners are also on the hunt for a second title of 2024, after winning the prestigious St Mary’s Waverley Festival earlier in the year.
St John’s DSG, who dominated the Pietermaritzburg Central region, is the only other competing side that has won a medal in their history. They took bronze in 2022 and will be looking for an equivalent or better result in their third appearance at the Grand Final.
Ferrum High School, from the Northern KZN region, returns after a four-year absence, and makes a ninth appearance. They finished eighth in their last showing in 2019 and will want to improve on that.
Two teams, Amanzimtoti High School (Durban South region) and Grantleigh College (North Coastal region) are back and contesting the finals for a sixth time.
Our Lady of Fatima, representing the Durban North region, returns to the Grand Final for a fifth time after missing out in 2023. Their best position in those five appearances has been a fifth-place finish, but Jacinta Wedderburn‘s team has its sights set higher this time around.
The Wykeham Collegiate will be flying the flag for the Pietermaritzburg North region and like their Pietermaritzburg neighbours, St John’s DSG, they have featured in the semi-finals in their previous Grand Final appearances. TWC has twice finished fourth, while the St John’s record includes a third place and a fourth-place finish.
Ladysmith High School will step onto the turf as the representatives of the uMvoti and oThukela Region. It will be their third appearance at the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge Grand Final.
The event has a single newcomer, St Patrick’s College, who will be representing the Ugu and Sisonke region.
FIXTURES
Saturday
08:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Amanzimtoti
08:25 – The Wykeham Collegiate vs Ladysmith High
08:50 – St John’s DSG vs Our Lady of Fatima
09:15 – St Mary’s DSG vs Ferrum High
09:40 – Grantleigh vs Amanzimtoti
10:05 – St Patrick’s College vs Ladysmith High
10:30 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Durban Girls’ College
11:05 – The Wykeham Collegiate vs Ferrum High
11:30 – St John’s DSG vs Grantleigh
11:55 – St Mary’s DSG vs St Patrick’s College
12:20 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Amanzimtoti
12:45 – Ferrum High vs Ladysmith High
13:10 – Durban Girls’ College vs Grantleigh
13:35 – St Mary’s DSG vs The Wykeham Collegiate
14:10 – St John’s DSG vs Amanzimtoti
14:35 – Ferrum High vs St Patrick’s College
15:00 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Grantleigh
15:25 – St Mary’s DSG vs Ladysmith High
15:50 – Durban Girls’ College vs St John’s DSG
16:15 – The Wykeham Collegiate vs St Patrick’s College
The final pool positions will determine Sunday’s fixtures.
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