St Mary’s DSG crowned St Mary’s Waverley Festival champions
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, produced an outstanding performance on their way to lifting the Standard Bank St Mary’s Waverley Festival trophy after beating HMS Bloemhof 1-0 in a thrilling final on Sunday.
“The team has just been fantastic in never giving up and working for each other. Everyone has played a part in the success,” Caryn Springate, the St Mary’s DSG Director of Hockey told Supersport Schools Plus ahead of the final.
St Mary’s DSG is now the fourth team after St Mary’s Waverley, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), and Oranje to lift the title three or more times. They previously won the tournament in 2007 and 2018.
The champions were drafted in Pool C along with Rhenish, who made the semi-finals, St Mary’s Waverley, St Cyprian’s, Clarendon, St Stithians, Pretoria High School for Girls, and Windhoek High. Coach Nolwazi Nkabinde‘s side won six of their seven matches and lost only one to proceed to stage two of the tournament.
Playing in Pool F in the second stage, tied with Bloemhof at the top of the pool on points. The eventual finalists drew 1-1 in their Pool F clash.
In the knockout matches, Nkabinde’s side prevailed over Paarl Gim in the quarterfinals and beat Eunice in a penalty shootout in the semifinals.
St Mary’s success was built around their teamwork. They connected well, stretching the opposition with good passing and movement. The ladies from KZN were particularly menacing down their right channel where Tayte Stewart and Jamie da Silva gave their opponents fits.
Nicola Forbes and company also did a good job of closing down space when not in possession. They pressed high and their goal in the final was a result of a turnover deep in Bloemhof’s territory.
After gaining possession, Jenna-Leigh Freese laid off a pass to Stewart who found Jamie da Silva on the edge of the circle. The St Mary’s DSG forward had four Bloemhof defenders around her but still managed to work her way into the D and uncork a strike into the back of the net.
The next 10 minutes saw Bloemhof fight hard to find an equaliser but the St Mary’s DSG defenders were equal to the task.
Springate was impressed by St Mary’s DSG’s collective hockey IQ. The KZN team is one of the youngest sides on the circuit, with only one player, their captain, Nicola Forbes, in grade 12. Their brilliant goalkeeper, Ziyanda Mchunu, who bailed them out of a few sticky situations is one of many Grade 10 learners in the side.
“We have had a lot of support from everyone back home: students and the staff at the school, parents, and former players,” Springate said.
Nicola Forbes and her teammates paid back that support with the prestigious St Mary’s Waverley Festival trophy.
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