The first-ever Ehlanzeni Super League wrapped up on Sunday August 4, marking a special moment in both the history and the future of hockey in the Lowveld.

Hockey in Mpumalanga as a whole is arguably in a better place than it’s ever been, with multiple provincial age-group teams putting on the province’s best-ever performances at national hockey tournaments this year. This is coupled with strong performances by the ladies’ Mpumalanga Lowveld Country Districts team as well as the men’s Mpumalanga Country Districts team, which is solely made up of Lowveld players.

This would indicate a strong hockey set-up at grassroots level in the Ehlanzeni District, and this is where the region’s administrative body, Ehlanzeni Hockey, set out to create another opportunity to further local hockey growth. “The concept of the Super League was born from a desire for more hockey that is meant to enhance the growth in our region,” said Keith Erasmus, Ehlanzeni Hockey’s chairperson.

What makes the Ehlanzeni Super League unique is that any and all hockey players (including schoolchildren) could enter their name into a draft to be considered for the league. From there, they could be drafted into one of four franchises to take part in the league, each based on a suit of cards – Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds.

This really levels the playing field as players from different clubs and schools are spread out among the four franchises. “The idea is for the Super League to ultimately enhance the competitiveness of our provincial teams, as players won’t be as unfamiliar with one another when the time comes to represent Mpumalanga.”

Because the Super League sees many players who are traditionally clubmates now playing against one another, a special blend of fun yet highly competitive hockey was played across the men’s and women’s leagues.

Both men’s and women’s leagues were full of twists and turns, with a few upsets thrown into the mix, too. Finals day was played at Uplands College on Sunday, and the semi-finals as well as bronze and gold finals were played.

In the women’s league, the fourth-placed Diamonds ousted table-toppers Clubs in the first semi-final, while the Spades edged past the Hearts in an eight-second shoot-out in the second semi-final. The Hearts then beat the Clubs to claim bronze, while Spades beat Diamonds to win the gold medal.

Over in the men’s league, Clubs defeated Hearts in the first semi-final, while the Spades men also needed an eight-second shoot-out to narrowly defeat the Diamonds. In the bronze final, the Hearts beat the Diamonds, while the Clubs managed to secure the title by beating the Spades in the final.

One thing that really stood out for Erasmus was the support the league received from young hockey players. “We saw a lot of schoolchildren from various schools playing in the league, taking on hockey players many years their senior. This goes a long way to furthering their hockey abilities and once again helps to grow Mpumalanga hockey from the ground up,” he concluded.

A special awards ceremony was held after the finals on Sunday, and these were the winners:
• Ladies’ Junior Goalkeeper of the Season: Kendra Shepheard
• Men’s Junior Goalkeeper of the Season: Ulrich Reingruber
• Ladies’ Senior Goalkeeper of the Season: Bhibhi Steinke
• Men’s Senior Goalkeeper of the Season: Keagan du Preez
• Ladies’ Junior Player of the Season: Jane Taljaard
• Men’s Junior Player of the Season: Caleb Erasmus
• Ladies’ Senior Player of the Season: Jeneen Manders
• Men’s Senior Player of the Season: Mike Gill
• Female Umpire of the Season: Carey Clarke
• Men’s Umpire of the Season: Alan Bekker
• Ladies’ Best Sportsmanship of the Season: Hearts
• Men’s Best Sportsmanship of the Season: Spades