Dale College hockey optimistic after their 1st XI turns the tide
Dale College is known for its famous rugby programme, which has, over the years, produced, among others, Springboks’ Keegan Daniel, Gcobani Bobo, and recently, Aphelele Fassi.
It’s a programme that attracts plenty of talent from the Border region. And while rugby is the headline grabber, Dale’s hockey programme is on the up, having made impressive strides in 2024.
After a difficult 2023, the Dale 1st XI showed grit, passion, and a deep desire to win in 2024. While the results didn’t always go their way, the effort was never lacking.
There was a new look to the school’s coaching ranks at the beginning of the season. Junior Mqingwana assumed the role of head coach, assisted by Nazo Mlakalaka and Mvume Mqingwana, with Sibulele Zingitwa doing duty as the team’s manager.
There was plenty of work to be done after a nightmarish 2023 campaign during which Dale was uncompetitive, which led to concerns about the future of the school’s hockey programme.
That made the goal for the year a simple one: to create an element of competitiveness within the team and to get hockey enthusiasts around the province talking about Dale College once again.
There were positive signs from the start of the season, with Dale producing some strong and promising results at the Tony Godding Festival in East London. There, Mqingwana and his troops remained undefeated, beating Voortrekker Bethlehem 4-0, Westering High 2-0, and Linden 5-0, before playing to a 1-1 draw with Curro Waterstone.
If Dale was serious about rebuilding their hockey programme, they would have to test themselves against some of the country’s leading teams, and that challenge awaited them at the Founders Festival at Kearsney College.
The record shows that the Eastern Cape side went down to Kearsney, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Affies, and Parktown before battling their way to a 1-1 draw with Northwood. Despite those defeats, the fight was there, a spirit to keep pressing and working, no matter the score. Over the course of the season, Mqingwana’s boys would have to tap into that well to stay the course.
Back home, in Qonce, Dale produced mixed results during the Eastern Cape season. There was a big loss to Grey High School, who powered to a 9-0 victory away from home, but the fire still burned inside for Dale, and their never-say-die attitude was rewarded in their very next outing against their old foes, Queen’s College. Despite playing away from home, Dale hung a 3-2 defeat on Queen’s at their rivals’ reunion in Komani.
The weeks that followed produced some tougher sledding for Mqingwana and his men. They were subjected to a heavy defeat by Selborne College and a series of narrow losses followed, against St Andrew’s College, Cambridge High, Stirling, and Hudson Park.
In each of those contests, the Qonce crew was not far off of achieving a win, but a few lapses of concentration and a lack of accuracy in front of goal proved costly. They were, however, competitive, which was a far cry from the tribulations of the previous season.
Despite those setbacks, Dale ended their season trending in the right direction again, scoring a 5-3 win against Merrifield College, which they followed with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Graeme College.
Then, in their final match of the season, Dale hosted Queen’s in the Pink Day derby and secured a hard-fought 1-0 win to end the year by completing the double over their great rivals.
“The whole season was about getting the boys to believe in the structures that we’ve put in place,” Mqingwana told SuperSport Schools Plus as he reflected on the his team’s 2024 campaign.
“We had to get them back into the mindset of winning games and I feel that we’ve achieved that. We’re winning the big games now. It’s just the small games that we need to target.
“I feel we were unlucky against Kingswood, Cambridge, Stirling, and Hudson; those matches are probably our only unticked boxes this season.”
In 2025, Dale will welcome back the majority of their 1st XI. Mqingwana believes the group will be ready to take the next step.
“Next year, we’ll have a similar team, and most of the players have had experience from this season,” he said.
“It’s going to be challenging at times, but it should be a good season where we continue to build, and pick up from where we left off.”
Dale College in 2024
Tony Godding Festival
Dale 4-0 Bethlehem Voortrekker
Dale 5-0 Linden
Dale 2-0 Westering
Dale 1-1 Curro Waterstone
Founders Festival
Dale 0-5 Kearsney
Dale 0-2 Rondebosch Boys’ High
Dale 1-2 Affies
Dale 0-6 Parktown Boys’ High
Dale 1-1 Northwood
Season
Dale 0-9 Grey High
Dale 3-2 Queen’s College
Dale 1-10 Selborne College
Dale 1-2 St Andrew’s College
Dale 0-3 Cambridge High
Dale 2-3 Stirling High
Dale 1-3 Hudson Park
Dale 0-7 Selborne College
Dale 0-1 Kingswood College
Dale 5-3 Merrifield College
Dale 3-0 Graeme College
Dale 1-0 Queen’s College
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