Noordheuwel outplays Monnas to clinch Noordvaal title in style
The 2025 hockey season wasn’t the best of seasons for the Hoërskool Noordheuwel girls’ first-team , but they capped it off with silverware.
Nories, as they’re affectionately known, defeated their Krugersdorp rivals, Hoërskool Monument, 4-1 on Sunday, in Pretoria, to lift the Noordvaal Cup.
While the boys’ tournament took place in Polokwane, at Hoërskool Pietersburg, the girls’ event was hosted by Cornwall Hill College, from 7 to 10 August.
Noordheuwel put together an impressive tournament run, which began with them winning their three pool games convincingly.
They defeated both Pietersburg High School and Montana High 4-0 before thumping Kempton Park High 5-1 on day two.
Those wins set up a semifinal showdown against Potchefstroom Gimnasium. That proved to be a far tougher challenge and Nories had to dig deep to win it on penalties after the match ended in a draw.
One last hurdle remained, and it was Monument in the final. Noordheuwel, led by coaches Natasha le Roux and Martin Daniel, showed class and scored some eye-catching goals to clinch the title.
“We are very happy to have won the Noordvaal trophy,” coach Le Roux told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“Our season has been a little bit up and down throughout, but we are very happy to end it on this high. A final between Noordheuwel and Monument will always be a game worth watching, and I’m very proud of how the team played.”
Before they met in Sunday’s final, Nories and Monnas had met in a league fixture, and it was Monument who won on that occasion, coming out on top by a narrow 3-2 margin.
Tournament hockey is a different kettle of fish, though, and Le Roux’s players rose to the challenge.
“We were lucky enough to score quite a few goals in the tournament, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy once we got to the final,” she said.
“For some reason, we tend to always end in a shootout against Gimmies (Potchefstroom Gimnasium), but the girls stepped up when they needed to.“
Winning the Noordvaal Cup is always at the top of the priority list for Nories each season, and, said Le Roux, they’re always focused on improving.
“We always aim to do well in Noordvaal, so, as a school, winning it is a very big accomplishment,” she explained.
“In general, our Noordheuwel hockey had a very good weekend, and we will be hoping to build on this for the 2026 season.”
It was a full team effort that helped Nories win the title, but Ciara van der Walt deserves special mention as the tournament’s Top Goal Scorer.
Final standings
Hoërskool Noordheuwel
Hoërskool Monument
Potchefstroom Gimnasium
Hoërskool Ermelo
Hoërskool Middelburg
Helpmekaar Kollege
Hoërskool Pietersburg
Kempton Park High
Hoërskool Transvalia
Hoërskool Dr. E.G. Jansen
Midstream College
Montana High
