Paarl Gim dethrones SACS, wins Cape Town International Hockey Tournament
Paarl Gimnasium’s captain, LD Nel, netted twice to lead his side to a hard fought 2-1 victory over South African College High School (SACS) in the final of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament in Stellenbosch on Sunday evening.
That win means coach Jacques Grobler‘s team has now bagged two major trophies this year after they claimed the title at the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament in March.
This tournament was, however, different. After a break from interschools’ action because of the mid-year break, teams welcomed players from the various provincial teams back into their folds after the SASHOC National Weeks, but there were others who hadn’t played in a while.
Despite that, neither SACS nor Gim showed rust and dominated their opponents during the event to enter the Elite final as the only unbeaten sides in the tournament.
SACS, the defending champions, after finishing top of Pool C, thumped Durbanville High 7-2 in the quarterfinals before edging out Parel Vallei 3-2 in the semifinals.
Gim, meanwhile, topped Pool D, and downed the UK’s Repton B 5-1 in the last eight. Then, in their semi-final clash against their arch-rivals, Paul Roos Gimnasium, they fought their way back from 0-2 down to draw the game 2-2, before winning 2-1 in a penalty shootout.
There was no clear favourite heading into the final, with SACS, whom most would pick as the best team in South Africa this season, fielding a younger squad, while Gim opted for their strongest players out on the park. That worked in their favour.
The first chukka was end-to-end stuff, with possession changing hands, and both teams trying to get comfortable on the ball. Eventually, in the second chukka, the deadlock was broken by SACS.
Litha Kraai, after receiving a ball just outside his half from SACS’ skipper, Joe Le Roux, launched a dangerous run into Gim’s circle. He lost control of the ball, but it was picked up by Regan Wille, who found Kraai in space, and the SA Schools’ star tapped in for the game’s opening goal.
Soon after, Gim responded. Stefan Wiehahn dispossessed SACS in their half and quickly picked out LD Nel in space. The captain fired off a reverse stick shot into the net to level the scores at 1-1.
With 11 seconds left in the chukka, Nel made it a double after pouncing on a ball that landed in his path off a save of a shot from Ethan October.
At the halfway point, the side from Paarl led 2-1.
In the final two chukkas, SACS dominated as they fought to find an equaliser, but Gim’s defence was resolute, with Joe van Coller pulling off some impressive saves in the Gim goalbox.
In the latter stages of the encounter, coach Sam Holmes‘ SACS side seemed to be building momentum, but their discipline let them down, with both Kraai and Mohlodi Maseko being shown yellow cards, which led to them finishing the contest on the sidelines. Paarl Gim held on for the win.
“This weekend’s hockey was amazing. To see the group of players come together the way they did, and they only got better every game, was great to see,” coach Grobler told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“The players played a good brand of attacking hockey, with a good balance of defensive grit. Beating Paul Roos and SACS on a weekend is no mean feat and it’s because the boys committed to the process and played as a team.
“It was great leadership from LD Nel, as captain, and all our matric boys.
“This will give us great confidence for our last three games of the season, especially with interschools [versus Paarl Boys’ High] approaching three weeks away,” he concluded.
In the bronze medal play-off match, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) claimed a 2-1 win over Parel Vallei.
PRG was one of the schools that brought a younger team to the tournament, focussing on building their depth for the years to come.
After a rocky start, in which they went 2-4 down to Repton A on the opening day, coach Michael Baker’s side bounced back nicely and topped Pool C.
In the quarterfinals, they annihilated Worcester Gymnasium 8-0, but, in the semis, they were eliminated by Paarl Gim.
In the bronze medal match, PRG skipper Christo Swanepoel scored both goals to cap off a promising tournament for the side.
“I’m super proud of my boys. There are three Grade 9s and nine Grade 10s in the team,” Baker told SuperSport Schools Plus after the tournament.
“For them to be competing and getting results against some top teams gets me excited for the next few years.
“I keep hearing we’re in trouble next year as we’re losing big players, but I enjoyed working with my youngsters and setting standards for 2025.”
Meanwhile, Repton A finished in fifth place in their first appearance at the tournament.
Paarl Boys’ High, after placing second in 2023, will be disappointed after having to settle for 11th place this time around
Top goal scorers
Litha Kraai- SACS – 16 goals
Christo Swanepoel- Paul Roos – 11 goals
Luka Meets- Parel Vallei – 11 goals
Michael du Toit- Somerset College – 9 goals
LD Nel- Paarl Gimnasium – 8 goals
Final Standings
Paarl Gimnasium
SACS
Paul Roos Gimnasium
Parel Vallei
Repton A
Worcester Gymnasium
Durbanville High School
Repton B
Somerset College
Uppingham
Paarl Boys High
Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool
Reddam Constantia
Western Province Invitational
Windhoek High School
Bridge House
Outeniqua
Curro Durbanville
Stewart’s Melville College
