Top guns, Paarl Gim, Rhenish, and Bloemhof in Western Cape action
Passionate hockey supporters and enthusiasts in the Western Cape will be treated to some entertaining schoolgirls’ hockey in the region this weekend.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
After a busy start to the season, where teams played in festivals and tournaments, the province’s best will now shift their attention to league and derby matches.
The first weekend back promises a tasty menu of treats, including several big matches between some of the country’s top-performing sides.
Paarl Gimnasium, after becoming the winner of the inaugural Belgotex Sport Girls Hockey Challenge last weekend, heads to Stellenbosch for a Friday night showdown with HMS Bloemhof.
Gim started the season slowly under coach Danelle van Zyl, but they have come alive in recent weeks and they’re playing an attractive brand of winning hockey.
Before the Girls Challenge, they visited Bloemfontein, where they faced Eunice High School and Oranje Meisieskool.
It was a good boost for Gim, who beat Eunice 2-0 before scoring in the dying seconds to secure a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Oranje.
Coach Van Zyl’s side carried that momentum into the Girls Challenge and dominated their opponents on their way to the final. After cruising through the pool competition, they defeated Rustenburg Girls’ High 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
It was tighter in the semi-finals, where they edged out St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, 2-1. They, then, claimed the title with a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Herschel Girls School after regulation time in the title game had ended with the sides level at 0-0.
That’s all in the past, though, and this Friday will see them come up against a hurting Bloemhof side.
Coach Jenny King‘s girls haven’t had the best of runs since finishing second at the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival last month.
They suffered a 1-2 loss against Parel Vallei and placed third at the All Girls’ Festival, after a 1-0 victory over last year’s champion, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool, in their last outing.
They’ll be keen to reacquire the momentum they built up at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, and a win over Paarl Gim would be exactly what the doctor ordered.
While those sides do battle, another clash of top teams will see Rhenish Girls’ High School, led by coach Chris Gerber, hosting Herschel Girls School.
Rhenish has been outstanding this whole season, but they came up short of their goal of winning the title at St Mary’s Waverley and instead ended joint-third with Eunice.
It was a similar story at the All Girls’ Festival, where they fell at the final hurdle, going down 2-3 on penalties against Collegiate Girls’ High after regulation time in the final had ended at 2-2.
It’s the in-season derby games where Rhenish tends to come alive, though, but they’ll face a stiff challenge from a high-flying Herschel side.
Captained by Hannah Henderson, Herschel has taken many by surprise this season. They’re a team not to be underestimated. After taking home silver at the Girls Hockey Challenge, they’ll fancy their chances against Rhenish.
In other matches around the province, Rustenburg Girls plays Durbanville, and Paarl Girls’ High meets Somerset College.
Springfield Convent School will make the trip to Paarl to face La Rochelle, while Parel Vallei will aim to continue their fine form against St Cyprian’s School.
Wynberg Girls’ High goes up against Stellenberg High School, and Fairmont High will tackle DF Malan.
WESTERN CAPE GIRLS FIXTURES
Friday, 9 May
16:00 – Rhenish vs Herschel
16:40 – La Rochelle vs Springfield Convent School
17:20 – Hoërskool Punt vs Hoërskool Outeniqua
18:40 – Rustenburg Girls’ High vs Durbanville
18:55 – Paarl Girls’ High vs Somerset College
19:00 – Fairmont High vs DF Malan
19:15 – Bloemhof vs Paarl Gimnasium
19:30 – St Cyprian’s School vs Parel Vallei
Saturday, 10 May
10:00 – Stellenberg High School vs Wynberg Girls’ High
