SACS young guns dominate to clinch CTIHT title
South African College High School (SACS) scored a whopping 27 goals in five matches on their way to another Cape Town International Hockey Tournament title in the Mother City on Sunday.
After bossing play in the group stages and semifinal, SACS picked up from where they left off and defeated Reddam House Constantia 4-0 to lift the trophy at the Hartleyvale AstroTurf.
It’s their second Cape Town International Hockey Tournament title in the space of three years. They won it in 2023 and finished as the runner-up last year.
SACS, under the guidance of Sam Holmes, and Jody Erasmus, did what they normally do and selected a Stayers squad to do duty at the tournament. That meant that all first-team players who will be leaving the school at the end of the year were not eligible for selection. Instead, 1st team players not in grade 12 and u16 players were given a run
Matthew Lassen and Litha Kraai were the senior players in the team, guiding the youngsters, while the experience of players like Mohlodi Maseko, Daniel Graser, Cameron Cordeiro, and Cameron Groves came in handy.
In the group stages, SACS constructed a flawless run, defeating Somerset College 6-0, St George’s Weybridge 6-3, and Windhoek Afrikaanse Private School 3-1.
Then, they cruised to a 4-0 win over the UK’s Reed’s School in the cross-pool playoffs to book a place in the semi-finals against Hoërskool Outeniqua. They brushed off the George school’s challenge, winning 4-1, courtesy of goals by the experienced heads, Kraai, Maseko, and Lassen, before Daniel de Wet got his name on the scoresheet, to surge into the final.
Their opponents, Reddam House, had stunned Paarl Boys’ High 1-0 in the last four.
When SACS met Reddam in a league fixture back in June, SACS, at full strength, ran out 4-0 winners. On Sunday, their Stayers side rose to the occasion, repeating that scoreline with Kraai and Maseko both scoring twice to secure the title.
“Heading into the tournament, the message was clear and simple,” Holmes told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We have the luxury of this being a development team, so we wanted to learn in a pressurised tournament environment.
“We tried to work out combinations, see who’s the best fit for next year, what’s our best shape and all that stuff.”
SACS, after winning the tournament in 2023, fell short last year and went down 1-2 against Paarl Gimnasium in the final.
Holmes said they didn’t speak about the prospect of going all the way this year. It was about working on their processes.
“We don’t speak about winning or losing at all,” he explained. “We just look at what we want to achieve in a session or tournament.
“We try to get our processes right, make sure we understand the system for next year, and be quite robust. I must add, though, that every time the guys play for SACS, there’s motivation to try and win that game.”
Despite having the experience of Kraai and Lassen on the field during the tournament, Holmes was more excited by the junior players who are set to make the step up.
“I was very impressed,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve got the ridiculous fortune of having Litha and Matthew stay behind, so they add phenomenal levels of quality and depth to our team.
“In terms of the contribution from the u16s, I think they were immense. There’s a lot to look forward to, both in our defensive ranks and midfield. The players put their hands up.”
Other matches
In other games on the final day, Paarl Boys’ High finished on a high, scoring a 3-1 win over Outeniqua to seal third spot.
St George’s Weybridge, from England, finished in fifth, the best of the international sides, after beating Durbanville 1-0.
There were also wins for Parel Vallei High and Worcester Gimnasium, while Somerset College lost out to Windhoek High after a penalty shootout.
Final day results
Kingston Grammar 3-2 Western Province Invitational
Windhoek High (2) 1-1 (1) Somerset College
King Edward’s School (3) 3-3 (1) Millfield School
Worcester Gimnasium 3-1 Windhoek Afrikaanse Private School
St George’s Weybridge 1-0 Durbanville
Parel Vallei 2-1 Reed’s School
Paarl Boys’ High 3-1 Outeniqua
SACS 4-0 Reddam House Constantia
Final standings:
SACS
Reddam House Constantia
Paarl Boys’ High
Outeniqua
St George’s Weybridge
Durbanville
Parel Vallei
Reed’s School
Worcester Gimnasium
Windhoek Afrikaanse
King Edward’s School
Millfield School
Windhoek High
Somerset College
Kingston Grammar
Western Province Invitational
