St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, wins Spar KZN Highway Regional title
After an impressive showing at the Balling Festival, in Bethlehem, last weekend, St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, secured their first piece of silverware of the 2025 hockey season by winning the Spar Highway Regional Finals, the first stage of the Spar KZN Hockey Challenge, at Curro Hillcrest, on Saturday.
The victory secured St Mary’s a place in the Grand Final, which takes place at St Mary’s, in July, where they will defend the title they lifted last year against the winners of the other KZN regions.
Nolwazi Nkabinde, the St Mary’s coach, after her team’s exploits at the Balling Festival, which included wins over Oranje and Eunice, said her team’s goal was to write its own history and to leave footprints on the hockey landscape. Saturday’s victory was a positive step in that regard.
Seven teams took to Curro’s turf, competing in a round-robin before the finalists were decided. St Mary’s met Kloof High for the title and scored a comfortable 3-0 win.
The other teams in action were Curro Hillcrest, Hillcrest High School, Thomas More College, Waterfall College, and Westville Girls’ High School. The Spar KZN Hockey Challenge is now in its 15th year and St Mary’s has dominated the competition in the Highway region, although Westville Girls’ High has also previously lifted the regional crown.
Nkabinde’s charges were in great form on Saturday. They looked comfortable on the ball, but let it do the work, moving it smoothly and effectively using the flanks ed as they pulled and stretched their opposition’s defences. They finished well, too, which led to many convincing victories.
St Mary’s began their campaign with an impressive 5-0 win over Hillcrest High and did not look back, winning all six of their round-robin matches, during which they scored 23 goals and conceded only one.
They also registered the biggest possible margin of victory with a 7-0 walloping of Waterfall College. The tournament rules cap the most goals allowed to be scored by a team at seven.
Kloof High, on the other hand, won four of their six encounters, which included a loss to St Mary’s and a 0-0 draw with Thomas More. They finished the round-robin stage with 17 points, three clear of Thomas More, who ended in third place with 14 points after scoring three wins and two draws.
They were involved in a pair of draws – against Curro and Kloof High -, which were the only games that finished level on Saturday. Hillcrest High round off the top teams with eight points from their six matches.
The Spar Hockey Challenge train pulls in at Durban Girls’ College on Sunday. 9 March. The hosts, who will be the favourites for the title, will compete against Durban Girls’ High School, Inanda Seminary, INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu Schools), Maris Stella, and St Henry’s School for the Durban Central Regional title.
RESULTS
Round-robin
Curro 0-1 Kloof High
Waterfall College 0-3 Hillcrest High
Thomas More 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
St Mary’s DSG 5-0 Hillcrest High
Kloof High 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Waterfall College 0-1 Thomas More
St Mary’s DSG 3-1 Kloof High
Curro 3-0 Waterfall College
Hillcrest 0-1 Thomas More
Waterfall College 0-7 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 1-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Curro
Waterfall College 0-1 Westville Girls’ High
Hillcrest High 0-1 Kloof High
Curro 0-4 St Mary’s DSG
Kloof High 4-0 Waterfall College
St Mary’s DSG 1-0 Thomas More
Curro 2-0 Westville Girls’ High
Thomas More 0-0 Kloof High
Westville Girls’ High 0-3 St Mary’s DSG
Hillcrest High 0-1 Curro
Final
St Mary’s DSG 3-0 Kloof High
