King Edward High slays local giants at hockey tournament

AFTER finishing third last year, King Edward High leap-frogged to a fabulous first after beating Kokstad and Creston Colleges at the Spar KZN Regional Hockey tournament held at the Ugu Sports Centre on Saturday, April 18.

Defending champions, Kokstad College, which has made an appearance at the grand finals twice, went down to King Edward in a gutsy display in the semi-finals. The game ended with a 0-0 draw and a penalty shootout ensued. After each round of eight-second shootouts, the scores remained tied until King Edward goalie Lukhona Ndumndum thwarted Kokstad’s Khanya Cabangana’s attempt, advancing King Edward to the finals with 3-2.

The regional final was between Creston College and King Edward, who had won the earlier pool game 1-0. King Edward dominated with an occasional attack from Creston and, in the fifth minute, King Edward was awarded a short corner. Zanique Sissing got the corner rolling and went to camp out at the goal post. When the ball rolled into her area, she confidently slotted it in, which took her team into the lead with 1-0. The score stayed the same for the remainder of the game.

MD for Spar KZN, Rob Philipson said, “I believe all players had a great day on the pitch. Over 100 tired young women are going to sleep very well tonight. Congratulations to Southcity Christian School for hosting an extremely well-coordinated tournament. With a last minute venue change due to a waterlogged field, the day ran smoothly and everyone had a good time.”

Results: 1 King Edward High School, 2 Creston College, 3 Kokstad College, 4 Southcity Christian School, 5 St Monica’s, 6 Port Shepstone High School, 7 Suid Natal, 8 Scottburgh High School, 9 Ixopo High School. Umpire Tessa van Vuuren was nominated as ‘Most promising umpire’ and has been invited to officiate at the grand finals.

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