LOCAL hockey girls of Kingsway High School (KHS) made history at the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge on July 26 and 27 at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof, when they made their debut appearance, going toe-to-toe with hockey giants from across the province.

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For the first time in 15 years the KHS first team reached the regional finals. While they did not get far in the grand finals of the star-studded hockey championship, their prowess and sportsmanship made a powerful step forward for the school’s hockey legacy.

“They may not have brought home the trophy, but they brought heart, grit, and a new legacy to Kingsway hockey,” said coach Anthony Haiden.

SPAR publicist Sophie Thompson said they did incredibly well to place ninth overall in KZN.

“In their opening game they took on Epworth School from Pietermaritzburg, notching up their first defeat, going down by a handful of goals. KHS, unable to find their feet, lost 0-4 to Ferrum High School. Their third big game was against the defending champions, St Mary’s DSG, who were on the prowl for their seventh victory. St Mary’s didn’t spare any might, claiming a convincing 7-0 win. St Mary’s DSG did in fact go on to defend their title,” said Thompson.

The final pool game played under floodlights was against St Patrick’s College from Kokstad and Kingsway lost by one goal. Thompson added that throughout their games, the Amanzimtoti team played with grace and great spirits.

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Kingsway finished fifth on the log and on Sunday took on Wartburg Kirchdorf School. At the end of the positional game, the score was 0-0. The conclusion of the game moved to a round of eight seconds penalty shootout.

“Leading by example, captain, Keiyona Achary netted Kingsway’s all-important goal in the penalty shootout. Having gone first, Wartburg’s three attempts didn’t pass Kingsway’s goalkeeper, Nosipho Mhlongo. Kingsway’s first attempt didn’t find the back of the goals, but Keiyona slotting in her attempt claimed ninth place for her team,” said Thompson.

After the tournament, Keiyona said that the weekend was a mix of highs and lows, but overall a great experience.

“Things didn’t go exactly according to plan, we had hoped for a few better results, but we learnt a lot along the way. Playing against the top schools was definitely tough. You can see why they’re known as the big names in school hockey. Their structure, speed, and skill really test you. But at the same time, it pushed us to raise our game and take note of ways to improve our hockey. I think we had some strong moments, and it was inspiring to see how far we’ve come as a team. It was challenging, but also motivating,” said Keiyona.

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