Collegiate excels against Boland powerhouses, Rhenish and Bloemhof
When Collegiate Girls’ High School travelled to the Western Cape to face Rhenish Girls’ High and HMS Bloemhof over the weekend, many thought the results were a foregone conclusion.
That’s because a week ago, both Bloemhof and Rhenish excelled at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival in Johannesburg.
The Western Cape duo finished in second and third positions, respectively, behind the winners, St Mary’s DSG, Kloof. Thus, there is no doubt they were favoured heading into the clashes against Collegiate.
The Gqeberha girls, meanwhile, put together a decent showing at St Mary’s. But facing Rhenish on Friday night before taking on Bloemhof the following day was a tall order.
Collegiate had nothing to lose, similar to their brother school, Grey High, who came from behind four times to draw 4-4 with Paul Roos just a few kilometres down the road.
Facing the reigning Fairtree Super 12 champions, Rhenish, they frustrated the home side and defended like their lives depended on it.
They weren’t at their best on the attack, but they capitalised on one opportunity when Kerrin Gillies found the back of the net.
Their Friday night outing ended in an encouraging 1-1 draw, which left them with a quick turnaround before a meeting with St Mary’s runner-up, Bloemhof, on Saturday. On Friday, coach Jenny King’s Bloemhof girls had narrowly defeated Herschel Girls School 2-1.
That meant both teams carried some tired legs into Saturday’s showdown. As always, it would be about which team took its chances.
The hosts scored first, but Collegiate came from behind in the second half, striking back twice with goals from Gillies and Kate Brennen to score a thrilling victory.
“I’m very happy with the outcome of this weekend,” Collegiate head coach Michael Abrahams told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We wanted to be competitive and play a good brand of hockey. We’ve learnt a lot, and it has given us a good look at what to work on going forward.”
Looking back on their Western Cape adventure, the Gqeberha girls will take confidence from their stubborn defence, which rescued them from some sticky situations.
Abrahams said that was about good preparation: “Our approach was to be good defensively, but, at the same time, making sure we were good in possession.
“We knew coming here would be tough, especially with the quick turnaround. So, we needed to prepare accordingly.”
The positive results will be a huge morale boost for Collegiate ahead of a busy schedule in the Eastern Cape and around the country.
“It’s always good to play against teams of this calibre. It’s important that we continue to learn and grow from these types of games,” Abrahams concluded.
RESULTS
Collegiate 1-1 Rhenish Girls’ High School
Collegiate 2-1 HMS Bloemhof
