KZN Coastal triumphs at hockey nationals
Both teams went undefeated in the round-robin competition, picking up five wins and two draws.
Showcasing the country’s immense potential, some of South Africa’s brightest young hockey prospects delivered four days of thrilling action, with KZN Coastal and Western Province emerging triumphant at the SA Schools Hockey Association (SASHOC) U-13 Nationals in Bloemfontein which came to a close recently.
Producing the most exciting competition of the annual tournament, Western Province narrowly edged out Southern Gauteng to win the boys’ A-section title.
Both teams went undefeated in the round-robin competition, picking up five wins and two draws, and they were tied on 17 points at the top of the table. Western Province, however, lifted the trophy with a better goal difference.
Boland settled for third position, earning 15 points after delivering some impressive performances of their own.
Matthew Jung of Southern Gauteng and Luke van der Merwe, representing Boland were the top goal scorers, hitting the back of the net eight times each.
While the boys’ competition was closely contested until the last match, KZN Coastal finished well clear at the top of the girls’ A-section standings.
Going unbeaten, they secured 19 points, conceding just one goal in seven matches.
Host province Southern Free State were four points behind in the runner-up spot and Southern Gauteng ended third, another point further back.
KZN Coastal teammates Mary Aylward and Charley-Rose Boyall netted six goals each for their side, finishing the tournament as the top goal scorers in their division.
In the B-section competitions, Eden and Amathole took home the titles.
Eden were untouchable in the boys’ tournament, winning all seven of their games to rake in a maximum 21 points. They finished 10 points ahead of second-placed team Southern Free State.
Amathole won the girls’ contest, earning 19 points, with Eastern Gauteng (16 points) settling for second position.
Following the conclusion of the U-18 and U-13 tournaments, the SASHOC Nationals schools hockey festival featured the U-16 championships in Bloemfontein.
Hockey fans, family members, and friends catch all the action live, with games throughout the SASHOC Nationals being streamed on the SuperSport Schools app.
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