At home, Pearson on the hunt for the u16 Hibbert Cup
The Pearson High School u16 boys’ hockey team will be motivated, and banking on their home supporters, when they begin the hunt for their first-ever Hibbert Cup at the tournament in Gqeberha this week.
The u16 action begins on Thursday morning at Pearson and the Nelson Mandela University and finishes on Saturday at 16:15 on the Rectory Astroturf at Grey High School.
The format replicates the u18 section, with teams competing in pools of three, from which the top two sides will automatically qualify for the quarterfinals.
Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
The hosts, led by coach Karl Lavender, will enter the tournament seeking to make a statement on home soil and to spring some surprises on the country’s best.
They’re drawn in Pool 2, along with KZN’s Durban High School (DHS) and Clifton College.
“We are in a strong pool, and there will be no room for error,” Lavender told SuperSport Schools ahead of the tournament.
Clifton hasn’t had the strongest of seasons, but DHS remains at the forefront of KZN schools’ hockey. They beat Clifton 4-1 in a pre-season game at the beginning of March.
“The top two teams move out of the pool, so we need to get a result against either DHS or Clifton to push through to the quarterfinals,” Lavender said.
“It will come down to the small margins. We’ll be sticking to the basics and running hard.”
The Pearson u16 side has been undergoing a rebuilding phase this season, with only two of coach Lavender’s charges remaining from the 2023 squad.
At the Coastal Cup, in the latter part of March, Pearson enjoyed a good run, winning two and drawing two matches. Most recently, they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Stirling High.
Hosting a tournament of the magnitude of the Hibbert Cup comes with its pressures but, Lavender said, Pearson’s goal is for the boys to enjoy themselves.
“The Hibbert tournaments (Shield, Cup, Plate) are arguably the best schoolboy tournaments in the country.
“With hosting them, there are expectations. However, that lies with me and not the boys. They are here to enjoy themselves, and we hope to put on a display of quality attacking hockey.”
The hosts will kick off their campaign on Thursday at 10:30 against DHS.
To pick up a victory, they will need Deanu Bezuidenhout, whom Lavender described as a “calm player”, to fire on all cylinders and control the contest.
They will also look to Zach Mclean, Aenry Biggs, and skipper Philip Keen, who is one of the remaining players from last year’s side, to spearhead their challenge.
The other pools are also very interesting.
Pool 1 is filled with three powerhouses: SACS, Paarl Gimnasium, and Selborne College. In Pool 3, it’s Grey High, Westville Boys’ High, and Garsfontein, while Paul Roos, St Andrew’s College and Waterkloof are in Pool 4.
Pools
Pool 1: Selborne College, SACS, Paarl Gimnasium
Pool 2: Pearson High, Durban High School, Clifton College
Pool 3: Grey High, Westville, Garsfontein
Pool 4: Waterkloof, Paul Roos, St Andrew’s College
Day 1 Fixtures, Thursday, 2 May
08:30 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Selborne College (Bottom Astroturf)
08:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Waterkloof (NMU Astroturf)
09:30 – Grey High vs Garsfontein (Top Astroturf)
10:30 – Pearson High vs Durban High (Top Astroturf)
12:30 – SACS vs Selborne College (Bottom Astroturf)
12:30 – Paul Roos vs Waterkloof (NMU Astroturf)
13:30 – Garsfontein vs Westville (Top Astroturf)
14:30 – Durban High vs Clifton College (Top Astroturf)
16:30 – SACS vs Paarl Gimnasium (Bottom Astroturf)
16:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Paul Roos (NMU Astroturf)
17:30 – Grey High vs Westville (Top Astroturf)
18:30 – Pearson High vs Clifton College (Top Astroturf)
- Bishops chasing consistency in 2025 - 2025-02-18
- Top four strongly represented in Vides Team of the Tournament - 2025-02-17
- DAY 3 | VIDES | St David’s outshines St Andrew’s to win title - 2025-02-16
