KZN Coastal assembles competitive teams for the SASHOC IPT
KwaZulu-Natal Coastal has thrown down the gauntlet by picking two competitive sides for the forthcoming SASHOC u18 Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT).
The message from the KZN u18A and u18B teams is that they are not attending the country’s premier school hockey event to make up the numbers.
Hilton College hosts the tournament from Sunday, 29 June, to Saturday, 4 July.
“The goal is to compete and take the tournament as deep as possible, and hopefully that allows us to challenge for the trophy,” Harold Siyaya, the KZN Coastal u18A team’s head coach, told SuperSport Schools News.
To accomplish their goal, KZN Coastal’s think tank has selected two strong 16-member sides to fly their flag high. Their torchbearers will be an u18A team that boasts experienced campaigners and is not short of leadership acumen, with four of the 16 players serving as captains of their respective schools.
Chris Abrahams, the Durban High School (DHS) captain, leads a six-player contingent from the Horseflies that includes Eben Peters, Oyinthanda Ngenjane, Elchaan Lubbe, Jesse van Wyk, and Bonga Maphanga.
Clifton’s skipper, Ryde Brisset, is joined by three of his teammates, Georg Wolhuter, Tye Milne, and Daniel Holliday, in the provincial side. Westville captain, Tyhil Naidoo, is in the lineup along with his teammates Ethan James, Misbah Nair, and Bo Mokoena.
Kearsney captain Keegan de Jager is the sole representative of the men from Botha’s Hill, while Northwood‘s prolific striker, Luc Boyall, is the only one from the Knights.
Wolhuter, who has been exceptional between the sticks for Clifton, has goalkeeping duties. Keegan de Jager, Ethan James, Tye Milne, Eben Peters, Misbah Nair, and Oyinthanda Ngejane will form the defensive line.
Elchaan Lubbe, Tyhil Naidoo, Ryde Brisset, and Chris Abrahams will hold fort in the midfield, while Jesse van Wyk, Bonga Maphanga, Bo Mokoena, Luke Boyall, and Daniel Holliday will form the frontline tasked with scoring as many goals as possible.
KZN Coastal finished in fifth place at last year’s IPTs. Many of the selected players were part of that side, and they will be looking to tap into that experience to challenge for the title.
“We know it won’t be easy, but we’ve got an experienced group. Thirteen of the 16 players are in matric, so hopefully there will be that extra motivation to finish off their school hockey careers on a high,” Siyaya said.
The KZN Coastal u18B side was one of the four B-teams that competed in the A-section at last year’s IPT. While they put forth a brave fight, they completed their campaign in 11th place. The Angelo Walstroom-coached side will be challenging for a better final position this time around.
The selection panel picked six players from Northwood, four from DHS, three from Clifton, two from Glenwood, and one from Kearsney.
Blake Herselman, Caleb Phipson, Dean Hart, Jaiden Bramwell, Keegan Reeves, and Ryan Herselman form a large contingent from high-flying Northwood.
Keegan Brauns, Lungani Ngcobo, Matt Potgieter, and Sandi Mazibuko will bring some DHS flavour to the team, while Dan Rea, Locke Makholiso, and Nabil Bejia add some Clifton flair.
Glenwood’s fans will keep their eyes peeled for the performances of Jesse Gobey and their captain, Murray Wicks, while Dylan Forbes will give Kearsney supporters a reason to cheer.
TEAMS
KZN Coastal u18A team: Georg Wolhuter (Clifton), Keegan de Jager (Kearsney), Ethan James (Westville), Tye Milne (Clifton), Eben Peters (DHS), Misbah Nair (Westville), Oyinthanda Ngejane (DHS), Elchaan Lubbe (DHS), Tyhil Naidoo (Westville), Ryde Brisset (Clifton), Chris Abrahams (DHS), Jesse van Wyk (DHS), Bonga Maphanga (DHS), Bo Mokoena (Westville), Luke Boyall (Northwood), Daniel Holliday (Clifton).
KZN Coastal u18B team: Blake Herselman (Northwood), Caleb Phipson (Northwood), Dan Rea (Clifton), Dean Hart (Northwood), Dylan Forbes (Kearsney), Jaiden Bramwell (Northwood), Jesse Gobey (Glenwood), Keegan Brauns (DHS), Keegan Reeves (Northwood), Locke Makholiso (Clifton), Lungani Ngcobo (DHS), Matt Potgieter (DHS), Murray Wicks (Glenwood), Nabil Bejia (Clifton), Ryan Herselman (Northwood), Sandi Mazibuko (DHS).
