DGC dominates opening round of Spar Hockey Challenge

Durban Girls College (DGC) kicked off their defence of the Spar KZN Regional Hockey Challenge with a nail-biting and hard-fought 1-0 victory over Maris Stella in the final of round one at the Durban High School (DHS) Astroturf on Saturday.
The opening round of the challenge saw six teams battle it out in round-robin matches, with the two sides that topped the log after those matches progressing to the final.
DGC, just like in 2023, were emphatic in their round-robin outings, winning all five of them, while also keeping a clean sheet throughout the day.
Last year, they were crowned the Durban Central Winners. They then went on to defeat St Mary’s DSG in the Grand Final to claim the overall title for a fifth time.
DGC began this year’s campaign with a 2-0 win over Maris Stella, who were playing on the blue and gold astro they share with DHS, before running riot against Inanda and Ink (Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu) Schools.
Coach Chardinay Penniston’s side scored eight times in both of those matches before calmly defusing St Henry’s challenge by a 2-0 margin to maintain their 100 percent winning record and assure themselves of first place on the log, with 15 points.
The hosts, on the other hand, lost only to DGC on their way to the final. They also shared a goalles draw with Durban Girls’ High, but their 10 points were enough to secure them a spot in the title-decider.
There was very little to separate the two sides in a final that had a 25-minutes one-way running time. DGC threatened early, but Maris Stella’s shot-stopper, Owethu Kunene, kept her side in the contest with a couple of crucial saves in the opening exchanges.
The home side’s defence was finally breached, when Anna Holmes found the back of the net after a period of mounting pressure, which gave her side a slender lead with over 15 minutes to play.
Despite a late penalty corner scare, DGC stayed out in front, holding onto their spotless defensive record, to seal a 1-0 win and some silverware to get their season off to a winning start.
Durban Girls’ High finished third, with eight points, followed by St Henry’s Marist College, who picked up a win against Inanda.
You can rewatch all the action on SuperSport Schools.
Results:
St Henry’s 0-0 Durban Girls High
Maris Stella 4-0 Inanda
Ink Schools 0-0 St Henry’s
Durban Girls College 2-0 Maris Stella
Inanda 1-1 Ink Schools
Maris Stella 1-0 St Henry’s
Durban Girls College 8-0 Inanda
Durban Girls High 2-0 Ink Schools
Maris Stella 3-0 Ink Schools
Durban Girls College 8-0 Ink Schools
Durban Girls High 3-0 Inanda
Durban Girls College 2-0 St Henry’s
Maris Stella 0-0 Durban Girls High
St Henry’s 3-0 Inanda
Durban Girls College 2-0 Durban Girls High
Durban Girls College 1-0 Maris Stella – FINAL
Final standings:
Durban Girls College
Maris Stella
Durban Girls High School
St Henry’s Marist College
Ink Schools
Inanda
- 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