New season, same mindset as Oranje gets ball rolling in 2024
The 2024 hockey season swings into full gear this coming weekend with several festivals and tournaments taking place around the country.
Amid the chaos, many hockey enthusiasts will turn their eyes to East London, in the Eastern Cape, where some of the country’s best hockey-playing schools will do battle at the Greg Beling and Tony Godding Festivals.
The two festivals, to be played at different venues, will ensure East London is a hive of hockey activity, with the action starting on Thursday and running through until Sunday.
Bloemfontein’s Oranje Meisieskool is one of the sides that will be gracing the coastal city, and they’ll be champing at the bit, eager to build on a superb start to the season.
After an outstanding 2023, which saw them finish second in the country, the Bloemfontein girls have started this year like a rocket, claiming five one-sided wins in five outings at the Balling Hockey Festival in Bethlehem last month.
They scored a mammoth 33 goals during the three days, while conceding only one during their 5-1 win over the hosts, Voortrekker.
They breezed past St John’s DSG 3-0, and thumped Johannesburg’s St Stithians College 10-0, before handing Noordheuwel a 7-0 drubbing and closing their weekend off with an emphatic 8-0 win over Beaulieu College.
Speaking to SuperSport Schools ahead of the Greg Beling Festival, head coach Gyster van Schalkwyk said his team has put 2023 behind them and is fully focused on tackling the challenges that lie ahead this season.
“The 2023 season was a great season, despite our ending on the rankings,” he said, which also revealed the fact that number one is a position Oranje aims for and is used to achieving.
“We are much more than that. We are ready, excited, and looking forward to the 2024 season.
“Greg Beling and all other tournaments are important to us because we see it as an opportunity for us to showcase our God-given talents and greatness. We were unbeaten last year at Greg Beling.”
The Oranje side has welcomed six new members to the team this season – one in grade 8, one in grade 9, three in grade 10, and another in grade 11 – while also retaining a handful of experienced players.
Together, their first taste of first-team hockey came at the Balling Festival, and coach Van Schalkwyk was pleased with what he saw on display.
“I am extremely happy and proud of their performance in Bethlehem, at the Balling Festival.
The coach says his side is ready for the healthy competition 2024 will bring and has full belief in the ability of his captain, Anriette Otto, and her deputy, Carolien Wessels, to lead them to success.
Oranje kicks off their Greg Beling Festival schedule with a clash against Makhanda’s Diocesan School for Girls on Friday at 15:15 at the Clarendon Girls High Astroturf.
Oranje’s fixtures at the Greg Beling Festival
Friday, 15 March 2024
15:15 – Oranje vs DSG Makhanda @Clarendon Astro
Saturday, 16 March 2024
10:45 – Oranje vs Woodridge @ Clarendon Astro
18:15 – Oranje vs Clarendon @Clarendon Astro
Sunday, 16 March 2024
08:15 – Oranje vs Hudson Park @ Clarendon Astro
