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Exciting clashes lined up as Clarendon hosts Eunice, Stirling welcomes Kingswood

By Avuyile Sawula , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-04-26 Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Photo: Helena Dalbock
Photo: Helena Dalbock

East London, this weekend, will play host to two massive encounters when Clarendon High School for Girls hosts Eunice High School, while Stirling High welcome Kingswood College to the coastal city on Saturday.

Catch all the hockey action live on SuperSport Schools.

Clarendon tackles the Bloemfontein side fresh off of claiming gold in the Spar Eastern Cape Hockey Challenge last Sunday.

Coach Luaan Sedras’s dominated in the round-robin stages to set up a showdown with Hudson Park for the title.

With the silverware on the line, Hudson Park forced Clarendon into a penalty shootout after the regulation 20 minutes ended with the sides deadlocked. Clarendon won it 2-1 from there.

Before their Spar Hockey Challenge outing, Clarendon also picked up an important 2-0 win over Queenstown Girls High the week before that. On Saturday, coach Sedras will be seeking a top performance from his side as they take on one of the best teams in the country.

He will be banking on players like Georgia McClure, Juliana Saffy, and Cara and Demi Knott, to rise to the challenge and keep the Bloem girls at bay.

Eunice, on the other hand, with a young and inexperienced team, started the season slowly, but they’ve settled in, hit their straps, and have made some noise.

They made it all the way to the final of the St Mary’s Festival, where they went down 2-3 to Durban Girls’ College. Coach Nika Coertzen’s charges are playing attractive hockey, and they’re now in the conversation about the top teams in the country.

A week after clinching silver at St Mary’s, Eunice faced another top team when they hosted Garsfontein in Bloemfontein. That contest ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw.

Their last outing was against Fichardt Park in the Free State League. There, they ran rampant, scoring seven goals and conceding none, to take a 7-0 win.

They will enter their match against Clarendon, who placed 22nd out of 32 at the St Mary’s Festival, high in confidence and will be favoured to win away from home.

Kingswood College player, Matipa Karimazondo in action for her side during the KC Festival in Makhanda. Photo: Kingswood College
Kingswood College player, Matipa Karimazondo in action for her side during the KC Festival in Makhanda. Photo: Kingswood College

In another big game in East London, Stirling High will enjoy home ground advantage against Makhanda’s Kingswood College.

The two, over the years, have become accustomed to playing against each other in home and away derby matches.

Both began their respective seasons at the Greg Beling Festival, before competing in the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Festival.

There, they met for 17th place in the 40-team competition, with Kingswood claiming a 4-1 victory after a penalty shootout.

The girls in green will, however, take confidence from their recent form, which has seen them bag a 3-1 win over Union High School and a 2-1 victory against Queenstown Girls’ High.

Cambridge High School will also be back in action on Saturday morning when they face Kingsridge High School for Girls.

Another big tussle to keep an eye on will be the clash between DSG Makhanda and Hudson Park. Collegiate will battle Rhenish Girls’ High in Gqeberha after the Western Cape side recorded a 4-0 win over Pearson High on Thursday.

Fixtures

Saturday, 27 April

10:00 – Cambridge High School vs Kingsridge High School
11:00 – Clarendon vs Eunice
11:30 – Collegiate vs Rhenish
12:00 – Stirling High vs Kingswood College
12:15 – DSG Makhanda vs Hudson Park

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.