SuperSport Schools News | SA boys’ teams victorious in Zimbabwe Junior Hockey Series
The South African Schools U17 side and the SA U16B team have returned to South Africa from the Junior Hockey Series in Zimbabwe with the winners’ silverware.
The series, which took place over the past week, concluded with the finals on Sunday.
The U17 boys defeated their compatriots, SA U16A, 5-3 in the final of their event, while the SA U16B side beat Namibia U16A 3-1 in their title-deciding match.
The journey to the final for the U17s, under the leadership of coaches Dallan Phillips of Pearson High, Michael Abrahams of Collegiate Girls’ High, and Bryan Hillock from Jeppe High School for Boys, was far from straightforward.
After beating the SA U16As 2-1 in their opening match, they recorded a more convincing 5-1 win over Namibia in their second match of the tournament.
“There was a noticeable improvement from the opening game,” coach Phillips told SuperSport Schools News. “The boys began to connect better as a team, communicate more effectively, and play with greater confidence.
“As the game progressed, the team started to demonstrate the quality and attacking intent that we had expected from them. The improvement in team cohesion was particularly encouraging, and the boys eventually ran out comfortable winners.”
After the Namibia clash, South Africa edged out the hosts, Zimbabwe U18A, 2-1, to set up a final against the SA U16A side.
The U16s, led by coach Siya Sityana of King Edward VII (KES), Braydon Naidoo from Glenwood, and Parel Vallei‘s Wayne Coetzee, had only one blemish, the loss against the SA U17 side, on their way to booking a place in the final.
Again, though, SA U17 got the better of their younger opponents.
“With the final to be contested against our SAU16 group, the boys started really well, and we opened the scoring early on through a penalty stroke and a rocket backhand by Kamohelo Tsoka from KES. Tsoka went on to score a hat-trick in the final,” Phillips said.
“The boys were high in confidence and executed well, something we had spoken about before the match.
“There were notable performances throughout the week from our captain, Callum Anderson (Bishops), and he won the Player of the Tournament award.”
Hilton College‘s Santi Matroos took home the Top Goalscorer accolade, while Fairmont High‘s Tyler Morilly was named the U16 Player of the Tournament.
Arin Spiller of Rondebosch Boys’ High was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
The SA U16B side, led by coaches Anthony Woodhouse (St John’s College), Siya Lusiba (St Benedict’s College), and Sipe Matafeni (Hudson Park), finished above Namibia and Zimbabwe A and B in their competition.
Avuyile Sawula likes to describe himself as a “multimedia sports journalist”. Besides writing, the guy is into broadcasting. His reporting beats include rugby, hockey, & water polo. When he’s not sitting in front of a laptop, you can find him in a café having coffee or at his local running club.
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