Surrey’s Reigate Grammar School hockey girls end their tour with battle against Shumbas Hickey Club U15
Reigate Grammar School's second team closed out their South African tour with a hard-fought hockey match against a Randburg club side.
A touring hockey team from Reigate Grammar School in Surrey, England, ended their South African tour with a hockey match against Shumbas Hockey Club’s U15 Premier side in Randburg.
The match marked the final hockey fixture of a busy two-week tour that took the school group to Cape Town before heading up to Johannesburg. Alongside hockey, the touring party also took part in netball and rugby fixtures during their stay.
Kate Harris, coach of the Reigate Grammar School second team, said the tour had been a valuable experience for her players. Harris said the match proved to be a tough test for her side. “They started quite slow and a little bit clustered in the middle, getting the ball down the middle rather than thinking about offloading the ball out wide.
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“As the game progressed, they were able to take on the advice and work together as a team to transport that ball around, down the line, and have a few more attempts at goal.”
Despite the improvement, the English side could not find a way past their hosts, unfortunately, just missing out on the win. “It’s 2–0 to the opposition. Fantastic play from them and some really good hockey being played overall.”
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On the other side of the pitch, Shumbas Hockey Club U15 premier coach Junior Mqingwana was pleased with how his players performed. Mqingwana admitted he did not know much about the visiting school beforehand. “I really don’t know the name. It was a decent game. It wasn’t the best of games, but it was decent.”
He said the fixture gave his players a good chance to shake off the holiday break. “Girls could be able to come out after holidays and play some hockey. Otherwise, they enjoyed the experience and hopefully they’ll have some more in the future.”
The match brought an entertaining end to the Reigate Grammar School tour, with both coaches praising the standard of hockey on display and the value of the exchange between the two clubs.
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