Goals aplenty on day one of the u18 Challengers’ Cup in Paarl
A whopping 50 goals were scored on the opening day of the u18 Challengers’ Cup in Paarl in the Western Cape, with four teams making strong headway ahead of a jam-packed weekend of hockey.
The tournament kicked off on Thursday morning at La Rochelle Girls’ High School and Paarl Girls’ High and it continues through to Saturday, when the final will be played at 13:10. You can catch it live on SuperSport Schools.
While many eyes were trained on Bloemfontein for the annual Fairtree Super 12 tournament, the opening day of the Challengers’ Cup produced exciting hockey and interesting results from the get-go.
Pool A kicked off proceedings with a Western Cape clash between Parel Vallei and Rustenburg Girls’ High. Coach Olu Ncukana’ Rustenburg claimed a 1-0 win over coach Jared Pitout’s side to get their title challenge off to a good start.
With each team scheduled to play in three matches on the day, Rustenburg faced Hoërskool Middelburg for a second time this season in their next game.
In March, Middies thumped the Cape side 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament. Ncukana’s charges were eager to avenge that defeat, and they pulled it off, with Ally Goulding scoring the only goal of the game.
Rustenburg completed their day’s assignments with a goalless draw against All Girls Festival champions’ Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies).
Affies also finished their day with two wins and a draw, beating York High 4-0 in their first match and following that up with a 2-1 victory over Parel Vallei.
While they lost 0-1 against Rustenburg Girls’ High, coach Alti Nel’s Hoërskool Middelburg side scored good wins in their other matches.
Firstly, they were guided to a 2-1 victory over Bethlehem Voortrekker, courtesy of goals by Abigail Esterhuizen, and Imke Grobbelaar. Then, in their last game, they overwhelmed York High 7-0 to post the biggest victory of the day.
Abigail Esterhuizen enjoyed a phenomenal outing, scoring an incredible six times, while Lume Smit, who was a regular goal scorer at the All Girls Festival, also found the back of the net.
In Pool B, it was coach Cindy Brown’s St Mary’s Waverley team that impressed.
In their three matches, the Gauteng side registered two wins, before playing to a draw against Somerset College in their final match of the day, which was brought to a stop due to heavy rainfall.
A Grace Faber goal secured the Johannesburg school a 1-0 win against Paarl Girls’ High in their opener. Coach Brown’s side then went on to defeat another Western Cape team, Fairmont High School, by two goals to nil, with Jamey Forrester and Zara Colyn striking for St Mary’s.
Kayla Grobbelaar scored in their final match of the day, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Somerset College.
Behind St Mary’s in Pool B is Pearson High School, who started the tournament in top form before losing concentration in their final match.
They got off to a strong start, claiming a 1-0 win over Paarl Girls’ High, before shocking Somerset College 3-2.
In that clash, Nyssa Slabbert, who has been a standout all season long for the Gqeberha school, scored twice, while Chanelle Venter’s goal sealed the victory.
In their final match of the day, however, coach Anton Peltenburg‘s troops suffered a hefty 1-5 defeat at the hands of their provincial rivals, DSG Makhanda.
Abigail Holderness scored a hattrick for DSG, while Sarah-Jane Brits and Anna Olivier completed the drubbing. Pearson mustered a consolation goal through Tayla Wilson.
On day two, Pearson will be eager to get back to winning ways when they take on St Mary’s in their first match, while DSG will feel confident about grabbing a second win when they take go up against Paarl Girls’ High.
With playoff spots on the line, day two is going to be about all-out action. The first matches start at 08:00 and you can catch them LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Results | Day 1
Pool A
Rustenburg 1: Tatum Malherbe. Parel Vallei 0.
Hoërskool Middelburg 2: Abigal Esterhuizen, Imke Grobbelaar. Bethlehem Voortrekker 1: Else Hattingh.
Affies 4: Mikela Harmse (2), Mia Pretorius, Minke van Heerden. York High 0.
Rustenburg 1: Ally Goulding. Hoërskool Middelburg 0.
Affies 2: Minke van Heerden (2). Parel Vallei 1: Michaela Birch
Bethlehem Voortrekker 1: Carli Oosthuizen. York High 0.
Affies 0. Rustenburg 0.
Hoërskool Middelburg 7: Abigal Esterhuizen (6), Lume Smit. York High 0.
Parel Vallei 1: Eva Blaauw. Bethlehem Voortrekker 1: Else Hattingh
Pool B
Pearson High 1: Jody van Aardt. Paarl Girls’ High 0.
Somerset College 3: Ashley Hingeston, Julia Brown, Evi Benson. DSG Makhanda 1: Abigail Holderness.
St Mary’s Waverley 1: Grace Faber. Paarl Girls’ High 0.
Pearson High 3: Nyssa Slabbert (2), Chanelle Venter. Somerset College 2: Siena Kontopirakis (2).
Fairmont High 3: Leah Buckley, Camryn Corner, Kaylin Bastard. DSG Makhanda 3: Kayleigh Clayton, Lucy Holderness, Jocelyn Appel.
St Mary’s Waverley 2: Jamey Forrester, Zara Colyn. Fairmont High 0.
DSG Makhanda 5: Abigail Holderness (3), Sarah-Jane Brits, Anna Olivier. Pearson High 1: Tayla Wilson.
Paarl Girls’ High 1: Nika Pretorius. Fairmont High 0.
St Mary’s Waverley 1: Kayla Grobbelaar. Somerset College 1: Julia Brown.
Fixtures: Day 2
Pool A:
08:00- York High vs Rustenburg Girls’ High
09:00- Bethlehem Voortrekker vs Affies
10:00- Hoërskool Middelburg vs Parel Vallei
14:00- Rustenburg Girls’ High vs Bethlehem Voortrekker
15:00- Parel Vallei vs York High
16:00- Hoërskool Middelburg vs Affies
Pool B:
08:00- St Mary’s Waverely vs Pearson High
09:00- Paarl Girls’ High vs DSG Makhanda
10:00- Fairmont High vs Somerset College
14:00- DSG Makhanda vs St Mary’s Waverley
15:00- Fairmont High vs Pearson High
16:00- Paarl Girls’ High vs Somerset College
18:00- 5th Pool A vs 6th Pool B
19:00- 6th Pool A vs 5th Pool B
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