Maritzburg College primed for season opener against Durban High School
Maritzburg College heads into their season opener against Durban High School (DHS) in Durban on Friday night on the back of a successful preseason.
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Mark Sanders, College’s head coach, is happy with what he has seen from his charges over the past few weeks.
“We did a lot of work with the team to merge the old College style of play and a new approach,” Sanders shared.
College has been working on the new system since October last year when Sanders, the school’s Director of Hockey, took over as the first team coach. The experienced mentor replaces Kyle Emerson, who is now handling age group teams.
College’s first outing this year was against a Maritzburg College Old Boys team that featured celebrated names, including South African Olympian, Brad Sherwood, who scored a hat-trick. The school team went down 2-3. Had it not been for the chances they squandered, College could have won. They put themselves in a position to win numerous times.
“They executed the gameplan so well that they forced the Old Boys to change their system,” Sanders said.
Over the past weekend, College participated in the Inland 4 Preseason Festival. Sanders used the four-team round-robin event, which also featured St Charles College, Hilton College, and Michaelhouse, as trials to determine his team for the season.
“There were a lot of learnings. We identified areas that need tweaking to get the team into an even better position,” Sanders said.
He said he and his coaching staff used the festival to assess the team’s ability to handle pressure, and their speed and intensity on and off the ball. His charges acquitted themselves admirably.
Uyanda Dhlamini will captain the team, and his vice-captain will be Dane Johnson. They’ll lead a College side with a nice balance of experience and youth.
The lineup includes several returning players from last year and some young faces to ensure continuity for next season. The new additions include players from College’s phenomenal u14 side from a few years ago, which was one of the best teams in that age group in the country.
DHS is one of the top hockey-playing schools in South Africa and Sanders is braced for a tough outing.
School has dominated KZN Coastal selections across all age groups for the past couple of years.
Sanders knows DHS will not give his team free rein on the turf, so he is braced for a tough battle. However, he also believes that his side will do well if they stay true to themselves.
“We are not worried about what the opposition does. We will focus on our style of play,” he said
Hockey fans can expect a humdinger when the two sides lock heads. It is a must-watch contest.
