PRG u14s and u16s turn focus to Paarl Gim after Hibbert tournament truimphs
Paul Roos Gimnasium’s u14 and u16 hockey sides return to turf action this week against Paarl Gimnasium rejuvenated and confident after claiming the Hibbert Plate and Cup titles in Gqeberha over the past weekend.
The action between Paul Roos Gimnasium and Paarl Gimnasium will be LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
While the senior teams battled it out for the Hibbert Shield at Grey High School, the junior sides competed for the Plate and Cup at Pearson High School.
PRG’s u14 side, led by coach Scott Paterson, defeated South African College High School (SACS) 5-4 on penalties after the final ended deadlocked at 1-1.
The u16s, meanwhile, dominated against Grey High School and avenged themselves after last year’s defeat against the same opponents, scoring a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
The u14s had a smooth run to the final, and won all their pool games, beating Selborne College 3-0, St Alban’s College 7-0, and Grey High 5-0.
In the last eight, they slammed Maritzburg College 8-2 and hammered Paarl Gimnasium 7-0 in the semis to progress to the title game.
“I think we started the tournament slowly, but the boys kept building every day and they hit their climax towards the final, which was great,” coach Scott Paterson told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“To finish the way they did was spectacular, especially for an u14 side.”
The PRG young guns have recorded some eye-catching results this year and are a force to be reckoned with. Coach Paterson shared the recipe for their early season success: “I don’t think we’ve reinvented the wheel in any way, we are just consistently teaching them the fundamentals.
“With u14 boys, we just want to build a good base as early as possible. Fortunately, I have a group of boys that’s receptive to teaching so they just learn quickly.
“We take on Paarl Gim now and the confidence we got from winning the Hibbert trophy will be huge for us, and we just want to build on that.”
While Paterson’s side edged out SACS for the title, the u16 team, led by Shaun McIntyre, breezed past Grey High School in their final.
In last year’s title decider, Grey outscored PRG 3-1 and the boys from Stellenbosch set their sights on reversing that result.
They were also dominant during the group stages and finished unbeaten after wins over Garsfontein, St Stithians College, and Paarl Gimnasium.
In the quarterfinals, they beat Westville Boys’ High 3-0 before edging out Durban High School (DHS) 1-0 in the semi-finals.
“I am very proud of my boys, especially the performances they put on against DHS in the semifinals and Grey in the final,” said head coach, Shaun McIntyre.
“All I asked was that they don’t leave the pitch with any regrets, and they have left everything on the pitch. As an old boy, it meant so much to see the effort they put in.”
McIntyre’s troops will now shift their attention to Paarl Gim, a team they’ve already faced and beaten this season.
“As a coach, you want your team to improve every week and put in good performances. We approach each week differently, push the boys, and prepare them for each game.
“The mentality is that we want to win and to be ranked one of the top u16 sides in the country. This weekend against Paarl Gim will be tough, even though we have played them twice already, we need to put in the work and prepare ourselves for a tough game.
“They have some good players and a good coach. So, we just need to make sure we are ready, and we are looking forward to an exciting derby on Friday,” he ended.
