Top teams ready to test their mettle at Tony Godding Festival
After five weeks of preparation, 24 of South Africa’s top hockey-playing schools will converge on East London for the annual Tony Godding Festival. Now into its seventh year, it runs from Thursday, 14 March to Sunday, 17 March.
Five venues – Selborne College, Cambridge High, Stirling High, Bunkers Hill and Merrifield – will host the season’s first major competition.
The festival is named after legendary former hockey player and coach, Tony Godding, who made a big impact on South African hockey.
Before moving to coaching schools’ hockey, Godding had a 15-year tenure as the national men’s team coach, from 1995-2010.
He also held several important positions in the sport. He served as a national selector from 1989 to 2004, held an administrative position with the SA Hockey Association between 1996 and 1998, and was a member of the SA Hockey Association Executive during the same period. He was also the Vice-President of the Amathole (Border) Hockey Association.
“Mr Godding did wonders in our area, with his vast knowledge and passion for the men’s game. We thought it fitting to name the festival in his honour,” said festival organiser Mark Wayne Taljard.
At its inception, the festival had 18 participating teams and has since grown to 24 teams. And although the event is a celebration of the sport, the teams taking part in the festival are not taking it lightly. They are out to make a statement about their intentions for the rest of the season.
Coach Wayne Coetzee’s Grey College will make the 560-odd kilometre trek to the coastal city hoping to show their preseason successes were not because their opposition was rusty, but because they were sharper, better prepared, and ready to conquer. The Bloemfontein side has defeated Menlopark, Waterkloof, and Garsfontein in the lead-up to the festival.
Kenneth John (KJ) Friend’s Selborne College have also enjoyed a good preseason. The one-time Dale College coach has seen improvement in his relatively young team, which has been focussed on sticking to their processes and refining their game.
Their win against an experienced Phoenix Hockey Club, in a tie that appeared to be stacked against them, was vindication of Friend’s approach. Selborne will be led on the field by Tre’ Gilbert, who ran out for the national U17 team that competed in the Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia late last year.
Queen’s College enters the festival with a new coach, Michael Baiden. But Baiden is not a new face to the team. He was previously the strength and conditioning coach and spent 2023 as the assistant coach. He takes over the head coach role after Queen’s Director of Hockey, Siya Lusiba, vacated the post.
Since taking over, Baiden has sought to improve his side’s technical abilities and tactical awareness. His charges have shown that they have grasped the concepts in the preseason, and now those preparations will be put to the test.
Other teams to keep an eye on at the festival and throughout the season are Cambridge, St Andrew’s School, St Andrew’s College, Dale, Hudson Park, Kingswood College, and Pearson.
FIXTURES
Thursday
18:15 – Cambridge vs Montana
Friday
10:15 – Cambridge vs Grey College; 11:30 – Westering vs Krugersdorp HS; 12:45 – Framesby vs Linden; 12:45 – Selborne vs St Andrew’s (Bloem); 12:45 – Alex Rd vs HS Duineveld; 12:15 – Hudson Park vs St Andrew’s (GHT); 14:00 – Dale College vs Montana; 14:00 – Queen’s College vs Woodridge; 15:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Witteberg; 16:30 – Stirling vs Voortrekker; 16:00 – Merrifield vs Kingwood; 17:45 – Pearson vs Grey College; 17:45 – Cambridge vs Grey High
Saturday
07:00 – Montana vs Westering; 08:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Dale College; 08:15 – Kingswood College vs Linden High; 09:30 – Framesby vs Krugersdorp High; 09:30 – Merrifield College vs Duineveld; 09:30 – Hudson Park vs Grey College; 10:45 – Grey (PE) vs St Andrew’s (Bloem); 10:45 – Stirling vs Witteberg; 10:45 – Queen’s College vs Pearson; 12:00 – Selborne vs Woodridge; 12:00 – Cambridge vs Alex Rd; 12:00 – St Andrews (GHT) vs Voortrekker; 13:15 – Curro Waterstone vs Westering; 13:15 – Queen’s College vs Grey College; 14:30 – Framesby vs Duineveld; 14:30 – Alex Rd vs Montana; 15:45 – Dale College vs Voortrekker; 15:45 – Kingswood College vs Witteberg; 15:45 – Merrifield College vs St Andrew’s (GHT); 15:45 – Hudson Park vs Grey High; 17:00 – Pearson vs St Andrew’s (Bloem); 17:00 – Cambridge vs Woodridge; 17:00 – Stirling vs Krugersdorp High; 18:15 – Selborne vs Linden High
Sunday
08:15 – Framesby vs Montana; 08:15 – Alex Rd vs Krugersdorp; 08:15 – Westering vs Duineveld; 08:15 – Queen’s College vs Kingswood College; 09:30 – Grey College vs St Andrew’s (GHT); 09:30 – St Andrew’s (Bloem) vs Curro Waterstone; 09:30 – Stirling vs Grey High; 10:45 – Selborne College vs Voortrekker; 10:45 – Merrifield vs Witteberg; 12:00 – Dale College vs Linden High; 12:00 – Cambridge vs Pearson; 13:15 – Hudson Park vs Woodridge
