Queenstown Girls’ High shows grit and fight to down Hudson Park
Schoolgirls’ hockey within the Border region has been dominated by Clarendon High School for Girls, Hudson Park High, and Stirling High over the past five years.
That has changed in 2025 with the emergence of the so-called “smaller” schools, which are now making their presence felt.
Over the past week, Lilyfontein School achieved a notable 2-1 victory over Cambridge High, their first-ever against that opponent.
Then, Queenstown Girls’ High made their share of history when they defeated Hudson Park 2-1 on Saturday, courtesy of goals by Joylyn Maytham and Keeziah Essop.
It was a massive victory for the girls from Komani, who have had a topsy-turvy season and have been on the receiving end of some tough losses.
Their last two outings before facing Hudson resulted in defeats to Union High (1-4) and DSG Makhanda (2-5), away from home.
They did, however, get one over their biggest rivals, Kingsridge High School for Girls (KHS), winning 4-2 in May, but the win against Hudson was the cherry on the top.
“Getting the win over Hudson was special, no doubt about that,” said Queenstown Girls’ High captain, Stella Emmanuel.
“It’s our first time beating them after some years, and we all feel very relieved that our hard work has paid off.”
After struggling for a number of years, the school acquired the services of coach Siya Lusiba, who is also Director of Hockey at Queen’s College. He’s come in and made some changes, and Emmanuel said, they’ve learnt a lot from him.
“Our season has had its ups and downs, but we just kept pushing. Our new coach is wonderful. We are very grateful for him. We have learnt a lot of new things from him and are adapting very well.”
Emmanuel and her side will next shift their attention to a clash against Aliwal North High this week and then focus on their mid-year exams before returning to action next term.
“Our goal is to keep the momentum we have going and possibly secure more wins. We want to make those who watch and support us extremely proud,” Emmanuel said.
