Pearson braced for “high level hockey” at Coastal Cup
Pearson High School‘s first boys’ hockey team will aim to continue their positive start to the 2025 season at the Coastal Cup in Durban this coming weekend.
The boys from Gqeberha will journey up to KwaZulu-Natal for the four-day event, which starts on Friday, 28 March, and ends on Monday, 31 March.
The action takes place at the Riverside Sports Club, with Pearson’s first match being a Friday meeting with Die Hoërskool Menlopark at 16:30.
They will have played a match on Friday morning against Durban High School (DHS), but it is not part of the tournament schedule.
Pearson is coached by the experienced Karl Lavender this year, and they’ll head into the tournament feeling optimistic after a good run at the Synsport Tony Godding Festival in East London, where they claimed two wins, a draw, and one loss.
They thumped Stirling High 6-1 and beat St Andrew’s School 3-0. Their sole defeat came in a thrilling encounter against Grey College, which ended 4-2 in favour of the Bloemfontein side. In their last outing, they shared a 1-1 draw with Queen’s College.
“It’s been a very constructive start to the season; I’m happy,” coach Lavender told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“Our pre-season programme has worked well. Chad Durrheim (biokineticist) and Winray Christoffels (Strength and Conditioning) have worked hard to get the boys into good shape.
“We need to tweak our shape a bit, along with a few other things, but I was happy with what I saw, as a whole.”
Lavender took over the first team responsibilities this year after Dallan Phillips left the school to join Bloemfontein’s Grey College.
He said he’s happy with the crop of players he has at his disposal, as they look to play an unorthodox brand of hockey and test themselves against the best.
“The team cohesion is brilliant, and we hope to turn a few heads with the pace up front,” he revealed.
“We’re building for our centenary next year, so we hope to play an attractive, expansive brand of hockey.
“We can’t wait to test ourselves against some stiff opposition. We know the level is high, and we hope to take that level of intensity back to the Eastern Cape for the rest of the season.”
Pearson, this year, is captained by Keagan Moore, who is assisted by vice-captains, Ali Vece and Jonno Holmes.
They have a quality lineup, which includes goalkeeper Chulumanco Mkontwana, who represented the South African u17 side at the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia last year.
One of the promising youngsters in the team, Callum Peltenburg, described by Lavender as “cool and composed” is one to watch for the future.
Standout individual performances will be key, but teamwork will be at the forefront for Pearson as they hunt big scalps away from home in a festival filled with strong teams.
FIXTURES
Friday, 28 March
16:30 – Pearson High vs Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Saturday, 29 March
11:00 – Pearson High vs Clifton College
Sunday, 30 March
12:30 – Pearson High vs Westville Boys’ High
Monday, 31 March
08:00 – Pearson High vs Glenwood
