Top teams battle for glory at SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Grand Finals

The 15th edition of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge reaches its climax this weekend, as the Grand Finals take place at St Mary’s D.S.G. in Kloof on Saturday, 26 and Sunday, 27 July.

Following the ten regionals that took place around KZN, the winning team representing each area will travel to Kloof to take on their opponents in the hopes of being crowned champion.

Out of the ten teams that will be taking to the turf, only two teams have previously hoisted the trophy.

Highway representative and host school, St. Mary’s D.S.G., will be hoping they can reclaim the trophy as defending champions; they have won the title six times.

Pietermaritzburg North Regional’s team, St. Anne’s, is back for the tenth time and hopes to add their name to the trophy for the second time, having won it in the inaugural year, in 2011.

Another team making their tenth appearance was last to qualify, the Northern KZN Regional winner, Ferrum High School.

They are joined by Wartburg Kirchdorf School, who will be waving the flag for the uMvoti and oThukela regions for the seventh time, having dominated their region up until 2019.

Two other teams that last featured in 2019 will be making their third trip to the Grand Finals.

Epworth School, the victorious Pietermaritzburg Central Region champs, and Felixton College from the North Coast Region interestingly both first played at the Grand Finals in 2018, then in 2019, and are now both making a comeback six years later.

Also returning after almost a decade, Ashton International College will be lining up to run on the Saints turf for the fourth time.

The triumphant Durban North Regional team last ran onto the Saints’ ground in 2016, having played at the Grand Finals in 2013 and 2015.

The eighth team that has earned their berth at the finals, back again for the second time, St. Patrick’s College finished seventh overall last year and returns having successfully defended their Southern KZN Regional title this year.

The final two teams to make up the ten are both newcomers. Kingsway High School will be stepping onto the Saints turf on behalf of the Durban South Region.

Finally, the giant slayers, Maris Stella School, who dislodged Durban Girls’ College’s dominance in the tournament.

Maris Stella is the second team to ever represent the Durban Central Regional in the fifteen years of the tournament.

Twelfth appearance:

• St. Mary’s D.S.G. – Highway Regional – Gold (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024); Silver (2022, 2023); Bronze (2011, 2013); Fourth (2015)

Tenth appearance:

• St. Anne’s College—Pietermaritzburg North Regional—Gold (2011); Silver (2014, 2018, 2019); Bronze (2015, 2016, 2017); Fourth (2013, 2022)
• Ferrum High School – Northern KZN Regional – Fifth (2012, 2015); Sixth (2011, 2018, 2024); Eighth (2019); Ninth (2017); Tenth (2013, 2014)

Seventh appearance:

• Wartburg Kirchdorf School – uMvoti and oThukela Regional – Fifth (2016); Sixth (2015); Seventh (2017); Eighth (2013); Ninth (2014; 2019)

Fourth appearance:

• Ashton International College – Durban North Regional – Seventh (2015, 2016); Ninth (2013)

Third appearance:

• Epworth School – Pietermaritzburg Central Regional – Bronze (2018); Fourth (2019)
• Felixton College – North Coast Regional – Seventh (2019); Ninth (2018)

Second appearance:

• St. Patrick’s College – Southern KZN Regional – Seventh (2024)

Newcomers:

• Maris Stella School – Durban Central Regional
• Kingsway High School – Durban South Regional

For more info, like or follow the tournament’s social media pages. For those unable to make it to the sidelines, all the games will be live-streamed on SuperSport Schools. 

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