Amanzimtoti High School hockey team reclaims regional title
Amanzimtoti High School claimed the Durban South regional title for the sixth time. They will now compete for victory in the grand finals against six other strong teams.
AMANZIMTOTI High School was recently crowned the winner at the Durban South Regional of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge.
Publicist Sophie Thompson said the wet, drizzly weather did not dampen the spirits at the regional which was hosted by New Forest High School.
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“After a long day of enthralling action, Toti High met defending champs Kuswag Skool in a riveting regional final. The last time these two schools met in this final was in 2018 when Toti took the honours. In similar fashion to the 2018 scoreline, Toti knocked in a solitary goal three-quarters of the way through, clinching victory,” she said.
Thompson said the captain for Toti, Katelin de Beer, led her team to victory as she charged down the right, leaving a couple of Kuswag players in her wake.
“Entering the circle, De Beer faked an attempt to shake off an on-the-ball defender, taking a further two determined steps before discharging a gentle flick that wafted past the last lines of defence for Kuswag into the bottom left of the goals,” she said.
In 320 minutes of hockey, only 27 goals were scored. There was nothing between the top three schools on the log. Kuswag and Toti both ended on 15 points, and Kingsway High School tallied 14 points, a mere one point behind. Kuswag netted an impressive 11 goals in their five round-robin games, and Kingsway and Toti both notched up seven goals each.
Thompson added that in previous years, the two finalists had raised the trophy eight times, with Toti dominating between the years of 2015 and 2019, and Kuswag had their name engraved on the trophy three times in 2011 and in two back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023.
The 2024 title gives Toti their sixth win, and they now qualify for the grand finals that take place in July at St Mary’s DSG.
No stranger to the challenge, Kingsway High School’s Chris Clark was awarded as the Umpire of the Day. Clark has played various roles over the eight years he has been a part of this regional, as coach, manager and umpire.
This weekend is the eighth round, the Ugu and Sisonke Regional, hosted by St Patrick’s College.
All games will be live-streamed on SuperSport Schools. For more information, like the tournament’s Facebook page (SparSchoolGirlsHockeyTournament) or follow on Instagram (sparkznhockey).
The six other teams heading to the grand finals:
- Durban Girls’ College (Durban Central Regional)
- The Wykeham Collegiate (Pietermaritzburg North Regional)
- St John’s DSG (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional)
- Our Lady of Fatima (Durban North Regional)
- St Mary’s DSG (Highway Regional)
- Grantleigh School (North Coast Regional)
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