Ashton International College Ballito athletes and coaches returned home with an impressive medal haul after excelling at the South African Schools Hockey (SASHOC) indoor nationals last week.

The five-day tournament, held from November 30 to December 4 across four Upper Highway schools – Hillcrest High, Kloof High, Kearsney College and Thomas More College – attracted top U14, U16 and U18 players from across the country.

Ashton dominated representation from the iLembe district, with 12 players and one coach selected for KZN’s provincial teams, the highest number from any local school. Six Ashton representatives held leadership roles, including four captains, underscoring the school’s growing reputation in indoor hockey in the province.

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Head of sport Craig Currin, who serves as KZN chairman and was part of the local organising committee, also acted as master of ceremonies on behalf of SASHOC. “I am extremely proud of the students who achieved national selections, showcasing the standard of our hockey programme,” said Currin.

Among the standout performers was Jaiden Krambeck, who finished as the second-highest scorer in his division and helped the KZN U18A team clinch gold. His efforts earned him national colours with the SA boys’ U18B team.

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Fellow athlete Emmerson van Zijl also received national honours after captaining the girls’ U16B side, which included teammate Madison Miller, to first place in their division and fourth overall. Van Zijl will represent the SA U16B team.

Other medal winners included Kimberly Johnson, who struck gold with the girls’ U14A team and Nonkosi Xaba, who secured silver with the girls’ U18A side. Anna Angelopoulos (captain) and Kyra Deetlefs led the girls’ U18B team to a bronze medal, finishing as the highest-ranked B team.

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Coach Keegan Gibbon guided Kaiden Webster (captain) and Nathan Govender in the U18B team to fourth place, while Matthew de Klerk skippered the U18C team to sixth.

“Special congratulations to our student captains and coaches for their commitment both on and off the field. Their dedication, leadership and teamwork were outstanding, all contributing to their respective teams achieving gold, silver and bronze medals,” said Currin.

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