Rondebosch to make historic EHCO tournament debut in Holland
While local teams compete in various Easter festivals, the Rondebosch Boys’ High first hockey side has made its way to The Netherlands to participate in the European Hockey Club Organisation (EHCO) Trophy Tournament.
The annual event is recognised as Europe’s premier youth hockey tournament and runs from 3 to 6 April at the SV Kampong Hockey Club in Utrecht.
Rondebosch, the first non-European side to receive an invitation, will compete against some of the world’s best youth teams.
“It’s a massive opportunity for our school. Firstly, to be invited and, secondly, to take part in one of the best, if not the best, tournaments in the world,” head coach Waseem Domingo told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“Our Director of Hockey, Miguel Edwards, has been largely instrumental in coordinating our entry into the tournament.
“He has built a solid reputation among the European sides that has filtered into a solid reputation for not only Rondebosch Boys’ Hockey but the school as a whole.
“We feel like we are representing not only our school but South Africa as well.”
The tournament features 16 teams – eight boys’ sides and eight girls’ sides – with the teams competing in groups of four.
Rondebosch is in Pool A along with Spain’s Athletic Terrassa HC, Belgium’s Royal Leopold, and the Dutch side, HC Rotterdam.
Coach Domingo expects a tough challenge but says his charges have worked hard to prepare for the tournament.
“Our preparation has been quite intense. We’ve been playing warm-up matches for the past couple of weeks,’ he explained.
“We’ve played against our Old Boys, whose pedigree is among the best around, as well as two matches against UK and German touring teams.
“We have spent the last three to four months building up to this moment, and we have a very well-balanced and committed group willing to do what it takes.”
‘Bosch has a strong side this year, and they will rely on some of their experienced players to lead their challenge in The Netherlands.
They’ve retained the services of centre-link Dante Moore, goalkeepers Marley Musasa and Arin Spiller, as well as Daniel Fisher – all of whom have represented South Africa. Matt Pauw will captain the team.
Earlier in the week, Rondebosch played warm-up matches against Amsterdam and Kampong.
They scored an impressive 3-0 win over Amsterdam, with goals from Robbie Williams, Martin Barnard, and Fisher. In their second outing, they shared the spoils with Kampong, drawing 3-3.
“We didn’t come here to gain experience on its own. We came to win. And we want to do our best given the nature of the tournament,” Domingo said.
“Our Head of Hockey, Rob Bowley, always has the motto that we are representing a school that doesn’t do mediocre, so we need to put our best foot forward every time we go onto the field.
“This tournament is viewed by close to a million people per day, and we are really excited to showcase what we can do on one of the biggest stages in the world.”
Rondebosch will open their Pool A campaign on Friday against Atletic Terrassa HC at 18:00.
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