Hudson shows grit and composure to beat Clarendon away from home
In their second match after returning from the mid-year break, the Hudson Park High School girls’ hockey team produced arguably their most impressive performance of the season when they defeated Clarendon High School for Girls 2-1 in East London on the weekend.
During the week, Hudson kicked off their term’s assignments with a 6-0 thumping of Lilyfontein.
Their last outing as a unit before that match was back in May against Queenstown Girls’ High in Komani. In that game, coach Jerry Snyman’s side played an attractive brand of hockey, which saw them score twice, through Busiwe Mayekiso and Mackenzie Goss, to seal a solid 2-0 win away from home.
Then, during the winter holidays, two Hudson Park stalwarts, Tarelle Jones and Melnique Langley, represented the Border u18A girls’ team at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.
At the conclusion of the event, Jones was named in the SA Schools u17 side after performing strongly throughout the inter-provincial event.
Earlier in the season, in April, Hudson Park and Clarendon met during the Eastern Cape Spar Hockey Challenge, with Clarendon claiming a narrow victory in that clash.
Hudson wasn’t about to allow history to repeat itself, and they scored twice, through Jones and Inathi Lubelwana.
Jones had a cracker of a game against the Clarrie Bags, and despite the hosts pulling one back, she helped steer her side to victory. Langley, too, was one of the leading contributors.
Coach Snyman also introduced an u16 player to his setup, Asiphe Zitumane, and she came off the bench, stepped up, and made an impact on the big stage.
“To start the term off with a doubleheader, some injuries, and having come back from IPTs, this week’s matches were always going to be a lot [to ask of the girls],” coach Snyman told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“We took each game for what it was. I am very happy with the girls’ performances this week, despite the challenges we faced.”
Commenting on their last meeting with Clarendon, he said: “A game that ends on penalties doesn’t do the game justice.
“We went into this game knowing we had to rectify the loss, and the girls came to the table and gave it 200 percent. The girls’ mindsets this week were strong, settled, and determined. They were hungry for the game and worked as a team towards the goal.”
Hudson is left with a couple of big encounters before calling it a day on the 2024 season. This coming weekend, they take on Stirling High School and will be aiming to make it four wins on the trot.
They also have a match against Qonce’s Kingsridge High School for Girls on Hudson Park’s Founder’s weekend.
“It most certainly is a confidence boost,” he said after the win over Clarendon. “It was a really good game and to quote one of the players on the bench in the last two minutes of the game, ‘This is the best game I’ve ever played’.
“We have a few derbies left and we hope to finish the season off strongly,” Snyman concluded.
