Kimfley entrusted to lead a strong KZN Inland side
Hilton College, and KwaZulu-Natal Inland coach, Damian Kimfley says he is excited and relishing the opportunity of leading the provincial side in this year’s IPT which kicks off in Bloemfontein on the 24th of June.
Kimfley, who also represented South Africa during his playing days is no stranger to the big stage having led Hilton to a top-5 ranking this year while ranking up some impressive performances on the way.
The former will also return to the tournament with vast knowledge, having led the U16 side to a silver medal in 2022 while acting as an assistant coach for the U18 side.
This year, he takes the reigns, and in an interview with SuperSport Schools, outlined how he feels ahead of the tournament.
“I’m very excited for the tournament, I think we’ve got a good group of players this year that can compete,” he said.
“We have a mixture of Hilton, Maritzburg College, and St Charles boys in the team so I’m pretty keen to see how we put it all together and compete at the highest level.”
The 16-player squad is made up of nine Hilton College boys, rightfully so considering their electric form this season. Five boys are from Maritzburg College while St Charles is represented by two players.
Despite not having a pool of schools to pick from, Kimfely was quick to admit that choosing the team was difficult and players were chosen because of their attributes, skills, and the way they fit into the team.
“It was quite challenging because we had three trial weekends to pick a team,” he said.
“So, it was quite tough to select the right team and the right players for the way I would like us to play and how I see hockey.”
“We were quite specific on how we picked the players and who we wanted to play in the team.”
The KZN Inland team will go to Bloemfontein with a mission to win the tournament, just like any other side.
However, Kimfley is aware that it won’t be an easy ride considering the teams they are drawn within the Coastal A pool.
“I think it’s gonna be very tough, we’ve got Coastal A in our pool,” said the coach.
“We have Boland, who is a very strong team this year with a lot of Paul Roos boys, then there’s EP (Eastern Province), who are always a challenge with their different style of play and flare of hockey.”
“So it will be tough fighting for a top two spot to make the semi-finals, hence I think it’s gonna be extremely challenging for the boys, but I believe we are ready.”
Kimfley’s side will open their IPT campaign with a clash against KZN rivals, the Coastal side on day one of the tournament. ‘
Kick-off for that clash is at 16:05.
The team:
Nkosiyethu Shozi (Hilton), Nicholas Holmes (Maritzburg College), Michael Sara (Hilton), Kyle Dobeyn (Maritzburg College), Nicholas Chantler (Hilton), Rearden Dicken (St Charles), Akha Mda (Hilton), Phiwayinkosi Dlamini (Maritzburg College), Dale Herbert (Hilton College), Kearabetswe Khoele (Hilton), Wian Liebenberg (Hilton), Jarred Kitto (Hilton), Banele Dlamini (Maritzburg College), Caleb Ryland (St Charles), Grant Bridgeford (Hilton), Ipeleng Mosupye (Maritzburg College).
Head coach: Damian Kimfley
Manager: Cheslvn Mosupye
Physiotherapist: Daiyaan Solomons
