Holderness stars as Eastern Province reaches SASHOC National Week semis
Abigail Holderness scored a second hat-trick in three days to lead Eastern Province A to a 4-1 win over Southern Free State A in their SASHOC National Week contest at St Anne’s DSG, in Hilton, on Wednesday.
The victory extended Eastern Province’s winning streak to four in a row and guarantees them a semi-final slot with a game in hand.
That’s a far cry from 2024 when Eastern Province endured a rough campaign, finishing fifth in their pool and ninth in the tournament.
“The IPT was quite tough last year, but I have learnt a lot and hope to create a happy and positive environment with my team as this experience will be a memory forever,” Holderness, the Eastern Province captain, told Supersport Schools Plus.
Holderness, who is the tournament’s leading goal-scorer, with nine goals to her name, opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a penalty corner conversion.
She doubled Eastern Province’s lead in the 33rd minute with another short corner conversion. Then, in the 50th minute, Holderness slotted again from a penalty corner to complete her hattrick.
“It is always nice to have a few goals behind your name. However, goals require a number of intercepts, passes, leads, etc. to make it happen, so each goal is a collection of small moments from the team,” Holderness said.
Tavia Williams got Free State on the board with a goal in the 57th minute, but that was too little too late. By then, the die had been cast.
In the final minute of the match, Linathi Goniwe hammered the final nail into the Southern Free State coffin as the Eastern Province Express continued on its merry winning way.
While Holderness is enjoying the moment and her team’s strong campaign so far, the DSG Makhanda learner understands that the tournament is far from over and matters will get tougher as the showpiece heads towards its conclusion. With that in mind, she refuses to sit on her laurels or bask in past glory.
“We need to keep looking forward and thinking about the next job. Nothing is ever possible without a team. We just need to keep working hard and play for one another out there,” she said.
Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, with two goals, and Minke Botha were on target for Boland A as they romped to a comfortable 3-0 win over Northern Gauteng B on Wednesday morning.
That triumph left Boland with one foot in the semi-finals. They’re in second place, trailing only Eastern Province, with three wins from four outings.
A draw or a win in their final group match will see coach Chris Gerber’s side into the final four. However, they’ll face a stiff challenge from a motivated Southern Gauteng A side that is also on the hunt for a semi-final berth at 11:45 on Thursday morning.
Southerns, the defending champions, have a spring in their step following a 7-0 hammering of Southern Gauteng B. Amber Fairon fired home four goals, while Kate Horton, Kristen Cikes, and Raffael Abrahams added a goal each.
After that result, they’re two points behind Boland in the standings, with two wins, one draw and a loss to Eastern Province from their four matches. Only a win will do when they take on the Western Cape side on Thursday.
Eastern Province has a Thursday afternoon appointment with Northern Gauteng B, at 14:35, when they’ll go for their fifth win on the trot.
Results
Eastern Province A: 4 – Abigail Holderness (3), Linathi Goniwe. Southern Free State A: 1 – Tavia Williams.
Boland A: 3 – Sarah-Ellen Groenewald (2), Minke Botha. Northern Gauteng B: 0.
Southern Gauteng A: 7 – Amber Fairon (4), Kate Horton, Kristen Cikes, Raffael Abrahams. Southern Gauteng B: 0.
