Goals galore as u16 SASHOC National Week gets underway
The opening day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein produced a whopping 33 goals in eight matches as a number of teams caught the eye with their strong starts.
The A section of the tournament, just like the u18 week, is being hosted at the University of the Free State’s Astroturf and at Grey College.
The action concludes with the final on 3 July. You can catch all the tournament action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
On Friday, the defending champions, Western Province A, started their week positively by snagging two wins, over Eastern Province A, and the hosts, Southern Free State A, respectively.
In their opener, coach Sam Holmes‘s troops, despite barely getting out of first gear, carved out an impressive 3-0 victory over EP.
They opened the scoring in the first half through Jacques van Dyk. Then, in the fourth chukka, they doubled their tally through Liyanda Binta, before Province’s influential skipper, Mohlodi Maseko, made it 3-0 with a ripping drag flick.
In their second match, Southern Free State made the Capetonians work hard for their win.
Province opened the scoring with 10 minutes played, through Daniel Graser. They were kept at bay in the second chukka but a double from Liam Dammes in the third chukka proved enough to seal maximum points for Holmes and his charges.
KZN Inland A and KZN Coastal A were also the big winners on the opening day, recording impressive victories.
Inland, who are in Pool B alongside their KZN counterparts, took on Southern Gauteng B and blew them away, winning 5-0.
The side led by Maritzburg College‘s Director of Hockey, Mark Sanders, was 3-0 ahead at halftime, courtesy of a Siwaphiwe Sithembu brace and a solitary goal by Thandanani Zuma.
Zuma made it a double with another goal in the third chukka from a penalty corner, and Ethan Fabre made it 5-0 in the last quarter.
KZN Coastal A coach Keegan Hezlett will be pleased with his team’s game management against the KZN Coastal B team. Matches against very familiar opposition can often be very tricky, but his side handled it well.
The Coastal A side opened up a 2-0 halftime lead, after Jaiden Bramwell struck twice, but they were kept quiet in the third chukka. They ran rampant in the last 15 minutes, however, scoring three times.
A PC drag flick from Keegan de Jager, along with further goals from Nabil Bejia and Bo Mokoena, completed a solid win for the A side.
On Saturday morning, KZN Inland faces Border. Then, in the late afternoon, they take on KZN Coastal B. Meanwhile, Hezlett’s boys go up against Southern Gauteng A at 11:35 in a highly anticipated clash.
Boland is another team to keep an eye on, and they showed what they’re capable of doing on the opening day.
Coached by Dewald Raath, the Bolanders were smart in their approach and that took them to a 4-2 win over KZN Inland B. They scored three times in the first half through Luka Meets, Ruben Gouws, and Caleb Cilliers.
Inland B responded with two goals in the third chukka, via Elliot Springate and Kwanga Mngwengwe, but Meets netted again in the fourth chukka to grab a brace and secure the win for his side.
It was a decent day for Northern Gauteng A, too, who played a double-header.
In their opener, coach Rihann van der Merwe‘s boys downed Southern Free State 3-1, with Victor Louw scoring twice before Andrea Clerihew completed the scoring. In their second match, they were held to a 2-2 draw by KZN Inland B.
On Saturday, Northerns tackle Boland. Meanwhile, Southern Free State A, Border, and EP will go in search of their first wins of the tournament.
After the first day’s action, Western Province and Northerns sit atop Pool A with six and four points respectively.
In Pool B, it’s the two KZN sides – Inland A and Coastal A – along with Southern Gauteng A, who are tied on three points.
There is still plenty of hockey to be played and much could change over the coming days.
Results | Day 1
Boland A 4-2 KZN Inland B
Northern Gauteng A 3-1 Southern Free State A
Western Province A 3-0 Eastern Province A
KZN Coastal A 5-0 KZN Coastal B
Southern Gauteng A 3-0 Border A
Northern Gauteng A 2-2 KZN Inland B
KZN Inland A 5-0 Southern Gauteng B
Western Province A 3-0 Southern Free State A
Fixtures | Day 2
08:45 – KZN Coastal B vs Southern Gauteng B
10:10 – Border A vs KZN Inland A
11:35 – Southern Gauteng A vs KZN Coastal A
13:00 – Southern Free State A vs Eastern Province A
14:25 – KZN Inland B vs Western Province A
15:35 – KZN Inland A vs KZN Coastal B @Grey College
15:50 – Boland A vs Northern Gauteng A
17:15 – Southern Gauteng B vs Southern Gauteng A
