St Mary’s DSG wins record seventh SPAR KZN title
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, produced a polished performance on their way to a 1-0 victory over St Anne’s Diocesan College in the final of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge Grand Final, at St Mary’s, on Sunday.
“We love hosting the Grand Finals,” Caryn Springate, the St Mary’s Head of Hockey, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“St Mary’s has such an incredible team, from our ground staff to our operational staff, to the sports department, alongside the sponsors, who all come together to put on a fantastic two days where everyone gets involved.”
Despite a cold and windy Sunday, a sizeable crowd turned out to watch St Mary’s, the champion of the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, making more history in the SPAR KZN Grand Final.
With the win over St Anne’s, St Mary’s bolstered their record as the tournament’s most dominant school, with seven titles to their name. Durban Girls College (DGC), who missed out on this year’s edition, has the second-most wins with five.
The hosts, who also won the trophy last year, made their 12th appearance in the Grand Final and previously lifted the title in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024. They also finished second in 2022 and 2023 and settled for the bronze medal in 2011 and 2013.
The event served as inspiration for the younger generation of St Mary’s DSG girls, with members of their junior sides, going down to u11, in the stands to cheer the 1st XI on.
Winning the title also served as a further building block for a young side, which has done an outstanding job of continuing the school’s legacy of excellence on the Astro.
For the runners-up, St Anne’s, it was the fourth time that they finished in second place, having previously achieved that feat in 2014, 2018, and 2019. They won it all in 2011, and were also the bronze medallists in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
In the title game, Saints took the early initiative and made the first circle entry of the contest, but they spurned two opportunities to take the lead.
However, it didn’t take long for the home side to have their efforts rewarded. They threw bodies forward and, after a goalmouth scramble, that resulted in a goal in the seventh minute when Georgia Short chipped the St Anne’s goalkeeper to bury the ball in the back of the net.
St Anne’s recovered from the setback and fortified their defence. Jasmin Kelly, their captain, astutely led the visitors and inspired the rest of her team to up their game, and they gave as much as they received, putting St Mary’s DSG under pressure.
The home team’s goalkeeper Ziyanda Mchunu was called into action and, with superb reading of the game and great speed, closed down the space to deny St Anne’s an equaliser in the first half. Then, in the second half, she rejected Holly Hofmeyr, stopping a penalty stroke attempt, to keep St Mary’s in front. She was exceptional.
Another player who stood out was Jenna-Leigh Freese. “She was brilliant today and throughout the whole weekend,” Caryn Springate said. “She has grown from strength to strength and was phenomenal. Our young players also stepped up today.”
A further feather in the host’s cap was the fact that they won the title without the services of their captain, SA Schools’ midfielder, Nicola Forbes, who was out of action after suffering a concussion the previous weekend.
The St Mary’s DSG victory meant they remain unbeaten since the 2023 final, when DGC took the honours by a 2-1 margin.
The ladies from Kloof had booked their berth in the title game courtesy of a 3-0 win over Ashton in a commanding semi-final performance.
The semi-final between St Anne’s and Epworth finished 0-0. That sent it to a penalty shootout, which St Anne’s won 1-0.
Playoff Results
St Mary’s 1-0 St Anne’s
Ashton 1-0 Epworth
Maris Stella 1-0 Ferrum
St Patrick’s 1-1 Felixton (St Patrick’s won on penalties)
Kingsway 1-0 Wartburg
Final Positions: 1. St Mary’s DSG, 2. St Anne’s, 3. Ashton 4. Epworth, 5. Maris Stella, 6. Ferrum, 7. St Patrick’s, 8. Felixton, 9. Kingsway, 10. Wartburg
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