Star-studded Eastern Province ready for SASHOC Nationals
After years of heartbreak, middling results, and a failure to meet targets, the Eastern Province (EP) u18A girls’ team heads into the SASHOC National Week aiming to rewrite history.
The girls’ edition of the national event takes place at St Anne’s DSG, in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, from 30 June to 5 July.
At the same time, the u18 boys will be in action on the iconic Pape’s AstroTurf at Maritzburg College.
All the action will be LIVE on the SuperSport Schools App and DStv Channel 216.
With their local schools’ teams having shown up strongly against top sides from other provinces this season, Eastern Province will feel they have a good opportunity to make their mark.
The girls in black and red have struggled in the past, and last year mustered only a disappointing ninth-place finish in Bloemfontein. The year before, they finished sixth, and in 2022, they ended eighth. Their best finish in the past five years came in 2019, when they sneaked into the top four.
Their past history won’t be tested in Hilton, however.
Eastern Province might be regarded as underdogs by some, and not that much has been said about them, but their opponents in Group A would beg to differ.
The reality is that EP has one of the strongest teams they’ve had in many years at a national event, and they’ll again be led by the experienced Geowynne Gamiet.
Coach Gamiet and his selectors have named a star-studded squad with players who have been capturing headlines all season long.
The lineup includes a whopping seven players from Collegiate Girls’ High, a school that has excelled all around the country this year.
Representing the Gqeberha school will be Eden Oliver, Gemma Bower, Taryn Peltenberg, Ayanda Klass, Kate Brennan, Khazimla Nogalawe and the dangerous Kerrin Gillies.
Out of the seven, only Bower was part of the u18A side last year, while the rest, except for Brennan, played in the u16A side that won SASHOC National Week gold.
Gillies was instrumental for EP in that team and scored five goals to finish among the tournament’s top goal-scorers, which she’ll be eager to replicate.
Joining the Collegiate girls will be the experienced DSG Makhanda trio of Mikè Holder, Jessica Stevens, and Abigail Holderness.
Holder and Holderness need no further introduction. They’re both influential returning players, looking to inspire their side and share their wealth of knowledge.
Westering High School will also be represented in the A-team by Linati Goniwe and Inathi Ndlazi.
Ndlazi made the step up to the A-side after she was selected to play in the u18B team last year. Her schoolmate, Goniwe, was part of the u16A team and has also been rewarded for her hard work.
Woodridge College’s Anna Kirsten is the sole representative from her school. She has played for Woodridge’s first team for three years and recently made her 100th appearance for the school.
Goalkeeper Rebecca Haswell, from Pearson, makes the move up from the u18B team last year to the A side in 2025.
The squad is completed by Kezia Abersalie, also a top karateka, from Alexander Road High School, and Amber-Rose Roth-Uren, from St Dominic’s Priory School, who has represented EP since she was u13.
The Eastern Cape side is drawn in a very tough Pool A. They open their account against Southern Gauteng B, who finished in the top four last year, on Monday, 30 June, at 07:30.
Eastern Province u18A Team
Rebecca Haswell (Pearson High School), Mikè Holder (DSG Makhanda), Kerrin Gillies (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Eden Oliver (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Anna Kirsten (Woodridge College), Jessica Stevens (DSG Makhanda), Abigail Holderness (DSG Makhanda), Gemma Bower (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Taryn Peltenberg (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Kezia Abersalie (Alexander Road High School), Amber-Rose Roth-Uren (St Dominic’s Priory School), Linati Goniwe (Westering High School), Ayanda Klass (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Kate Brennan (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Khazimla Nogalawe (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Inathi Ndlazi (Westering High School).
POOL FIXTURES
Monday, 30 June
07:30 – Eastern Province A vs Southern Gauteng B
16:00 – Eastern Province A vs Boland A
Tuesday, 1 July
13:10 – Eastern Province A vs Southern Gauteng A
Wednesday, 2 July
10:20 – Eastern Province A vs Southern Free State A
Thursday, 3 July
13:10 – Eastern Province A vs Northern Gauteng B
