Wartburg Kirchdorf School wins SPAR Umvoti and uThukela Regional title
Wartburg Kirchdorf School was crowned the SPAR KZN Girls Hockey Umvoti and uThukela Regional champion after they defeated Domino Servite School 1-0 in the final of the regional tournament, at Ladysmith High, on Saturday.
The victory made Wartburg the ninth team to book a berth at the SPAR KZN Tournament Grand Finals, which will be hosted by St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, on 26 and 27 July.
They join St Patrick’s (Ugo and Sisonke Regional), Felixton College (KZN North Coastal Regional), Ashton Ballito (Durban North Regional), Maris Stella (Durban Central Regional), St Mary’s, DSG Kloof (Highway Regional), Epworth School (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional), St Anne’s Diocesan College (Pietermaritzburg North Regional), and Kingsway High (Durban South Regional) in the lineup.
Wartburg’s win ended Ladysmith’s two-year reign in the region.
In the round-robin stage of the six-team tournament, Wartburg collected 13 points out of a possible 20, scoring wins over Estcourt High, Ladysmith, and Hamilton School.
It was nail-biting stuff, but Wartburg’s defence pulled them through by 1-0 margins in each of their three victories. They also picked up a single point after a 0-0 draw with Greytown High. When they met Domino Servite, the score was also 1-0, but that was in favour of Domino Servite.
At the end of the round-robin, the top two teams met for the title, with Wartburg going head-to-head against the only team that had beaten them earlier in the day, Domino Servite, who had topped the standings after bagging the maximum 20 points.
They began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Greytown and followed that up with another 1-0 victory over Wartburg. Then, they thumped Estcourt and Hamilton 3-0 and 4-0 respectively, before edging out Ladysmith 1-0.
When they met for the title, Wartburg had learned from their mistakes earlier in the day. They emerged a better side, turned the tables, and handed Domino Servite their first and only loss reversing their 0-1 defeat to claim a 1-0 win.
With the victory, they were crowned champion of the region.
The SPAR KZN Girls’ Hockey Tournament will next head to St Dominic’s, in Newcastle, for the KZN North Regional tournament on 31 May.
