Confident Springfield hunts Reddam win on home soil
With the second term’s hockey wrapping up for many schools this weekend, Cape Town’s Springfield Convent School will aim to close off their schedule with a win when they welcome Reddam House Constantia to St John’s Road on Friday night.
The hosts will approach the clash brimming with confidence after accruing some satisfying results over the past weeks.
The highly anticipated clash kicks off at 17:35 on Springfield’s main Astroturf.
Catch all the hockey action from around the country on SuperSport Schools.
The 2024 season began on a high note for Springfield, when they recorded a 6-1 win over La Rochelle Girls’ High School. They were, however, dealt a blow when they went down 1-4 to Paarl Girls’ High in April.
However, over the past month, the side has resurrected its fortunes and reminded Western Cape hockey enthusiasts of Springfield’s capabilities.
Last weekend, coach Ziyaad Ismail’s team pulled off a hard-fought 1-0 win over a gritty and unpredictable Parel Vallei side away from home.
The week before, they played to a 1-1 draw against Durbanville High. They’ve also claimed the scalp of Rustenburg Girls’ High, winning that match 2-0. Their game against HMS Bloemhof was postponed.
“Playing against the ‘powerhouse teams’ this year has made us more competitive, and we know what is expected to be among the strongest in the province,’ coach Ismail told SuperSport Schools ahead of their clash with Reddam.
“The fact that we have been able to compete and get some results against some of those teams shows we are more competitive than we were previously.
“Besides the Cape Town girls’ league, we set additional fixtures against some of the stronger teams that are not in the Cape Town league, like Parel Vallei, Bloemhof, Rhenish, and Paarl Gimnasium, the Boland powerhouses.”
This season, Springfield invested in upgrading its programme to assist players in their pursuit of opportunities to perform at the highest level and be competitive against the top schools. Those adjustments and improvements have borne fruit.
The signs of improvement are evident, but Ismail believes they still have a long way to go.
“The goal for pre-season was trying to expose us to the top teams throughout the country, through the various pre-season tournaments and tours,” he explained. “The lessons we learned as a team in that period have made us into a stronger and more competitive team.
“We have also invested a lot into strength and conditioning in our hockey programme, and we are starting to see how our players are better conditioned. The work that has gone into every player is starting to produce the results.”
Reddam will not be pushovers, and Ismail and his players are fully aware of that. “Reddam has caused a few upsets against some very strong teams this year so far.” he said. “We anticipate a very tough match from a very hungry team that plays with no fear.”
Springfield, this season, is captained by Kate Opperman. She’ll set the example and also look to Bella Amm and Khanya Moore to help lead the side to a second win on the trot.
Both Opperman and Moore have been selected to represent the Western Province u18A team at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein, which starts on 16 June.
Western Cape fixtures
Friday, 7 June
17:35 – Springfield Convent School vs Reddam House Constantia
17:45 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Fairmont High School
18:30 – Herschel Girls School vs Wynberg Girls’ High
Saturday, 8 June
10:00- Stellenberg High vs Rustenburg Girls’ High
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