Paarl Gim, St Mary’s Kloof and St Stithians through to the next round
Paarl Gim, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), and St Stithians claimed the top three places in Pool D to qualify for the next round of competition in the annual St Mary’s Hockey Festival in Johannesburg on Friday.
In the next round, they will be grouped together with, and compete against, the top three teams from Pool C in a new group, Pool F.
Paarl Gim was the first team to secure their participation in the next round. Coach Ian Naudé’s side prepared well for the event, playing in two pre-season tournaments, and that paid dividends as they won five and drew two of their seven Pool D matches.
“We have been playing good hockey so far,” Naudé said. “I think the only area we need to improve on is converting our chances in the last 25. But I am not worried about that because this is something that the girls can pick up as the festival progresses.”
More than anything, Naudé is impressed by the work ethic his charges bring to the turf in each contest. “They are really hard-working and have a tendency to step up when the going gets tough,” he said.
An example of how they can step up was visible in their contest against table-toppers St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) in a battle of the high-flying teams that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Carla Ann Mackay’s St Mary’s team headed into the festival determined to perform better than they did in 2023. “Last year, we finished 13th and won the Plate section. Coming up to this tournament, we have been prepping very hard. We have big goals set for this year,” Mackay shared with Supersport Schools Plus on day one.
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), led by Georgia Pollock, the daughter of South African cricketing legend Shaun Pollock, showed their intentions from their first match, in which they ran over St Cyprian’s 4-0. They played an attacking brand of hockey that limited the opposition’s contact with the ball and that ball possession has enabled them to dominate games.
The KZN side began day two with one foot in the top three after registering two wins and a draw on Thursday. They appeared unstoppable as they rammed home nine goals and conceded only one against Pearson, Collegiate, and the St Mary’s Festival XI. Their toughest opponent on day two was Paarl Gim, the other undefeated team from Pool D.
“We have been improving in all areas and have really done well in converting our chances to goals. All the girls have stepped up, but special mention must be made of Nicola Forbes and Sibabalwe Mfaweza, who have really had a stellar tournament thus far,” said Mackay.
St Stithians had mixed results on day one and it took Lance Louw’s charges a while to find their feet.
Their preparations were hamstrung by the unavailability of multi-code players with summer sports commitments. When they attended the DSG-hosted festival in KwaZulu-Natal, they did not have the services of Nonjabulo Biyam, Reabetswe Phume and Tori Tanner-Ellis, among others, and their results reflected that.
The St Mary’s Festival is the first time that Louw has had a full-strength squad at his disposal and Saints’ results have improved. They finished Pool D play with three wins, three draws, and a single loss. And while they did not score as many goals as Paarl Gim and St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), they conceded only two, which was a testament to their solid defence.
“We put a lot of emphasis on our defence and also our midfielders. Two of our defenders are matric girls and two of our midfielders are matric girls. But on the flip side of that, we have two u16 girls on the outside in both midfield and defence. So, we’re building for the future as well as playing in the present,” Louw explained.
In their new group, Pool F, Paarl Gim, DSG Kloof, and St Stithians will be joined by Oranje, Rhenish, and either Garsfontein or Waterkloof.
Pool D Results
Collegiate 0-0 St Cyprian’s, Pearson 0-3 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), St Mary’s Festival XI 0-3 St Stithians, Our Lady of Fatima 1-2 Paarl Gim, Collegiate 1-3 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Pearson 0-1 Paarl Gim, St Cyprian’s 1-1 St Stithians, St Mary’s Festival XI 0-1 Our Lady of Fatima, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 1-1 Paarl Gim, Collegiate 0-0 St Stithians, St Cyprian’s 1-0 Our Lady of Fatima, St Cyprian’s 0-0 Pearson, St Stithians 3-0 Our Lady of Fatima, Collegiate 0-0 Paarl Gim, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 3-0 St Mary’s Festival XI
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