Hibbert Shield blown wide open on thrilling first day
When the 16 teams competing in the Standard Bank Hibbert Shield arrived in Gqeberha, one thing was clear: no team was safe, and for the first time in years, the tournament was wide open.
The opening day’s play, on Friday, proved that statement true, and if the results were a measure of what’s to come over the weekend, then shockwaves will be sent through the schoolboy hockey landscape.
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Upsets and cracking goals filled the day, with top-notch hockey lighting up Grey High’s Rectory AstroTurf and the Collegiate Girls’ High Astro.
Here’s a look at the action:
Pool A
Parel Vallei High School, from Somerset West, fell into the dark horse category in the lead-up to the tournament. However, they quickly changed that narrative to thrust themselves into the conversation about title contenders.
Coach Michael van Rensburg‘s side recorded back-to-back wins, outplaying the hosts, Grey High, 5-2 in a cracking affair before recording a 3-0 win over St Alban’s College.
Against Grey, the boys from the Western Cape were a class apart, even though they had to come from behind after conceding an early goal to James Chree.
Luka Meets began the fightback, exhibiting some outstanding 3D skills and dribbling past a couple of defenders to pull one back for his side.
That solo effort energised PV, and Meets, who is one of the most dangerous forwards in the school game, soon had a second. Late in the second chukka, he completed his hat-trick from a short corner.
Grey skipper Dante Elkington made it 2-3, but the home side’s joy was cut short when Tristan Rautenbach tapped in on the far post.
Meets wasn’t done yet, and scored his fourth in the third chukka. PV’s shot-stopper, Julian Thiering, also pulled off multiple saves to keep the score unchanged as the visitors stunned their hosts in an unexpected turn of events.
In their second match of the day, Parel Vallei defeated St Alban’s, thanks to goals from Benjamin Traut, Nicolas Havinga and Meets.
While PV made a statement, Durban High School (DHS) produced mixed results.
Coach Keegan Hezlett‘s boys edged St Alban’s 2-1 in the tournament opener, courtesy of strikes from Jessie van Wyk and Bonga Maphanga.
They met Grey in their second outing of the day and were beaten 5-1 as the hosts bounced back emphatically and ended the Horseflies‘ unbeaten season.
Day two’s action will decide which team finishes top of the pool when Parel Vallei faces DHS, while Grey takes on St Alban’s in a must-win encounter. Saturday’s showdown will also be an opportunity for PV to avenge a 3-6 loss to DHS at the Coastal Cup.
Pool B
Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) headed to the Hibbert Shield off the back of a 1-2 loss against Grey High in Gqeberha last week.
Coach Michael Baker’s charges dominated that clash but failed to take their chances and turn possession and territory into goals.
They were far more clinical on Friday, powering their way to two convincing victories: 7-1 over Clifton College and 5-1 over St Stithians College.
At half-time, against Clifton, PRG held a narrow lead. In the second stanza, they pulled away. Luke van der Merwe bagged a brace while Ruben Gouws, Caleb Cilliers, Seth Paterson, Christiaan Fouché and Daniel de Waal also chipped in to seal a big win. Tye Milne scored the solitary goal for Clifton.
St Stithians, despite going down to PRG, did mark a tick in the W column after outplaying Selborne College 3-0, with Didier le Roux, Sebastien Poussin and Christian Bernhardi getting their names onto the scoresheet.
Clifton also bounced back, grabbing a close 3-2 win over Selborne.
With their two wins, PRG is already assured of a place in the quarterfinals. Clifton and Saints will battle it out for the second spot in the last eight. They previously met at the St Stithians Easter Festival, where Clifton claimed a tight 1-0 win.
Pool C
The defending champion, South African College High School (SACS), was held to a 2-2 draw by Westville Boys’ High in their opening match.
That result opened Pool C wide, ensuring there’s everything to play for on the second day.
SACS was considered the favourite heading into the clash, but the boys from KwaZulu-Natal had other ideas and were intent on making a statement.
The Capetonians opened the scoring through Luke Laver. However, his strike was cancelled out by a beautifully lofted shot from Bo Mokoena, who showed great awareness to pick up the scraps from a short corner and lift the ball past Ethan October.
Litha Kraai snatched back the lead for his side in the third chukka, and SACS looked set to see the game out with a one-goal win.
Westville, however, has been playing some entertaining, winning hockey under coach Harold Siyaya, and they refused to give in. With a minute remaining in the final chukka, Connor Lilford, who was added to the team at the eleventh hour, found himself in space inside the circle and pounced on a rebound to level matters.
SACS came back firing in their second match, thumping Grey College 7-0. Earlier in the day, the Bloemfontein boys put up a good fight but fell 1-2 to Garsfontein.
Pool D
At a glance, before the start of the Hibbert Shield, it appeared that Pool D would be an entertaining group. It’s safe to say it lived up to those expectations on Friday.
The group, featuring Paarl Gimnasium, Pearson High, Bishops, and the debutants, Jeppe High School for Boys, dished up drama and suspense.
The day, however, belonged to Jeppe and Paarl Gim, who both finished it with four points, which included a 1-1 draw between the pair at Collegiate Girls’ High in the morning.
Jeppe, eager to claim a first-ever win at the tournament, faced Bishops in the afternoon. They were on song and finished well while maintaining a solid defence, coming away with a comfortable 4-0 victory.
The Kensington school dominated possession and territory, but what stood out the most was how they converted their opportunities into goals when it mattered most.
Kade Lottering led the charge with a hat-trick of goals, all of which came from penalty corners, while Matthew Mackenzie was on the end of a beautifully worked team goal.
Paarl Gim, meanwhile, outplayed Pearson High School 4-0 in their second match of the day.
Despite going down to Jeppe, Bishops ended the day with three points. They picked up a win in their first outing, with goals from Litha Mbiko, Robert Vincent, and Max Morgan carrying them to a 3-0 win over Pearson.
Pearson is out of quarterfinal contention, but there’s next to nothing separating the top three in the group as they head into crucial fixtures on Saturday.
RESULTS
Pool A
DHS 2-1 St Alban’s College
Parel Vallei 5-2 Grey High
Parel Vallei 3-0 St Alban’s College
Grey High 5-1 DHS
Pool B
Paul Roos 7-1 Clifton
St Stithians College 3-0 Selborne
Paul Roos 5-1 St Stithians College
Clifton 3-2 Selborne
Pool C
SACS 2-2 Westville
Garsfontein 2-1 Grey College
SACS 7-0 Grey College
Pool D
Paarl Gimnasium 1-1 Jeppe
Bishops 3-0 Pearson
Jeppe 4-0 Bishops
Paarl Gimnasium 4-0 Pearson High
Saturday, 25 April
@Grey High School
07:30 – Westville vs Garsfontein
08:45 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Bishops
10:15 – St Alban’s vs Grey High School
11:30 – DHS vs Parel Vallei
13:00 – Jeppe vs Pearson
14:15 – Clifton vs St Stithians College
15:45 – SACS vs Garsfontein
17:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Selborne
18:30 – Westville vs Grey College
Playoff fixtures will be provided at the conclusion of the pool stages.
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