Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament – Double glory for Fairmont
The script could not have been written better for the 2025 Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament. It came to a close on Saturday at the Hartleyvale AstroTurf, in Cape Town, with Fairmont High School‘s boys’ and girls’ teams being crowned champions.
Both sides impressed from the opening day, and they then put the cherry on top with astonishing performances on the final day in front of a lively, buzzing crowd.
The boys defeated their Western Cape league rivals, Stellenberg High School, 3-0, while the girls edged out Namibia’s St Paul’s College, 2-1.
Both Fairmont teams finished the event unbeaten after delivering entertaining title-winning performances in their finals.
The girls kicked matters off against Windhoek’s St Paul’s, a well-coached team that had an eye on history after causing shockwaves during the week.
The opening chukka was tightly contested, with very little to separate the sides. There was only one shot on target, coming from St Paul’s Tamara Grogli, but it was saved by Gemma Pigeon.
In the second chukka. Fairmont broke the deadlock. Abigail Berghammer found herself in space, inside St Paul’s circle, where she picked up a loose ball and quickly fired it into the back of the net, past Velma Marwa, for the game’s opening goal.
St Paul’s was not about to go down without a fight and they responded almost immediately through Grogli, which left the sides level-pegging at 1-1 heading into the break.
After a goalless third chukka, drama, thrills, and suspense, filled the fourth. With five minutes left on the clock, Fairmont scored from a penalty corner, which was converted by Madison Ackerman.
Then, there was a touch of drama when a late conference of the umpires halted Fairmont’s celebrations. The incident was cleared, and the Cape side was crowned the champion.
In the third/fourth playoff match, Dr EG Jansen defeated Rustenburg Girls’ High 2-1 on penalties after the match ended in a goalless draw.
The girls’ final had lived up to expectations and a similar show was expected from the boys’ title decider.
Fairmont reached the title game after beating Worcester Gimnasium in the semifinals while Stellenberg edged out Hoërskool Monument.
It was the first meeting of the Fairmont and Stellenberg before the Western Cape league starts in the coming weeks.
After a goalless first chukka, Fairmont upped the ante in the second quarter and was duly rewarded for its persistent attack, which brought them two goals from a penalty stroke and a thunderbolt drag flick, both from the stick of Ryan Groenewald.
Stellenberg had their chances to get back into the clash, but failed to convert them and Fairmont’s defence stood firm.
Coach Bryce West‘s side put the final nail in the coffin in the fourth chukka when they added a third goal, courtesy of some smart play by Tyler Morilly.
Morilly, only 15 years old, was in the form of his life and capped off a brilliant performance with a tap-in goal on the near post to seal the win.
In the bronze medal showdown, Monument edged out Worcester Gimnasium 4-3 on penalties after the match ended tied 2-2.
FINAL STANDINGS
BOYS
Fairmont High School
Stellenberg High School
Hoërskool Monument
Worcester Gimnasium
Paul Roos Gimnasium Invitational
Hoërskool Punt
Lanenhoven Gimnasium
Hudson Park
Hoërskool Outeniqua
Bridge House
Curro Durbanville
SACS Invitational
DF Malan
Hoërskool Nelspruit
Pro-Ed Akademie
Woodridge College
St John’s College Zimbabwe
Hoërskool Middelburg
Kingswood College
Kempton Park
Durbanville
Hoërskool Eldoraigne
Rondebosch Boys’ High Invitational
Ashton College
Hoërskool Zwartkop
Stirling High
Hoërskool Strand
St Dunstan’s College
Hoërskool Upington
Windhoek Gimnasium
Stellenbosch
Glenwood House
Hoërskool Hermanus
Hugenote
HTS Drostdy
Redhill School
Windhoek High School
Penryn
Hoërskool Linden
Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
Charlie Hofmeyr
Peter House
St Dominic’s
Oudtshoorn
Paarl Boys’ High Invitational
Robertson
Northcliff College
Somerset College
GIRLS
Fairmont High School
St Paul’s College
Dr EG Jansen
Rustenburg Girls’ High School
Stellenberg High School
Durbanville
Hoërskool Outeniqua
Kempton Park
Hoërskool Nelspruit
Hoërskool Monument
DF Malan
Peterhouse
Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
Hoërskool Eldoraigne
Wynberg Girls’ High
Northcliff College
Ashton College
York High School
Stirling High
La Rochelle Girls High School
Hoërskool Linden
Woodridge College
Worcester Gimnasium
Stellenberg High School Invitational
Glenwood House
Kingswood College
Hoërskool Hermanus
Pro-Ed Akademie
Hudson Park High School
Hoërskool Strand
Robertson
Windhoek Gimnasium
Fairmont Invitational
Hoërskool Punt
Hugenote
Langenhoven Gimnasium
Durbanville Invitational
HTS Drostdy
Charlie Hofmeyr
Brackenfell
Curro Durbanville
Hoërskool Upington
Rustenburg Girls’ Invitational
Bridge House
Langa Hockey Club
St Dominic’s
Oudtshoorn
St Dunstan’s College
