Durban High School aims to play with joy
“We are excited about 2026, and we aim to play an exciting brand of hockey,” Keegan Hezlett, 1st XI coach.
Durban High School (DHS) has an overriding goal for the 2026 hockey season: they want to play with joy.
The Horseflies, who won 10, lost eight, and drew three in 21 matches in 2025, despite playing an extremely tough schedule, reflected freedom and enjoyment in their approach to the game. Coach Keegan Hezlett and his charges are intent on building on that success in the forthcoming season.
“Our pre-season programme has been running well,” Hezlett, a member of South Africa’s World Cup bronze medal-winning indoor hockey team, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We have been training as a group of 21 since the beginning of January. At the moment, we train three times a week, and the intention is to fit in seven pre-season games before the season starts.”
The training regime and matches they have lined up will allow the Horseflies to try out different systems. It will also give them enough time to fine-tune the ideas they are aiming to implement during the season. Those seven matches will also allow DHS to give all their players a run in a minimum of four pre-season games.
“It is crucial that everyone gets enough game time before we get into the season, which will create the necessary experience if players are called upon in season,” Hezlett explained.
Their preseason assignments will help the Horseflies to fine-tune their skills and lean into their strengths as a unit. Hezlett sees DHS’s major strength as its attacking transitions. The players have been working hard to bring that to the forefront of their game.
“We know that our defensive transitions need to be better. Last year, we were constantly caught on the counterattack, so we are making progress in improving this area going into the season,” Hezlett said.
He’s not worried about whether or not his charges will be able to nail the fundamentals in time for the first matches of the season, Hezlett said. His squad boasts great depth, with 11 players who ran out for the 1st XI in 2025 returning, while all of the newcomers played for the u16A team.
A more interesting statistic is that 19 of the 21 players in the squad have represented KwaZulu-Natal Coastal at the provincial level, and four of them have been selected for national representative teams.
Having such an experienced outfit comes with expectations, and Hezlett is focused on taking that pressure off his charges. He knows that if he does that, he will unlock the best from his players.
“Our goal as a team this year is simple: we want to enjoy what we do. Enjoy each other’s company, enjoy the sessions, and the games. We are trying to bring a very high intensity to our play,” Hezlett said.
