Whatshot
SPAR KZN School Girls Hockey Challenge
SPAR KZN School Girls Hockey Challenge
This is the first time that Danville is hosting the SPAR regionals, and the 8 teams participating, will have the honour of playing the inaugural tournament on the new atrosturf which was opened in December last year by celebrated former SA Field Hockey striker, Olympian and current world record goal scorer, Pietie Coetzee.
Defending champions, Ashton International College from Ballito will be joining Crawford La Lucia, Hillview Secondary, Northlands High School, Durban North College , Fatima and Crawford North Coast together with host school, Danville Park High School for a day of festive hockey.
Ashton will be defending their title for the second time, the first was in 2013 and coach Reinette Franck and the team are looking forward to these regionals. "As a small school with only 180 girls in it, we have a tiny pool of players from which to choose, so to have won the regionals twice has been a massive achievement for us. We have been training hard, and travelled to Johannesburg for the St Dunstan Easter Hockey Festival ahead of the regionals, so we are feeling strong. But we will take what comes. If we can get some good hockey in on the day to help improve our game that would be great - winning would be a bonus!"
The eight schools will be divided into two pools and will play short 22 minute games.At the end of the pool games, the top four teams will play a semi-final with the two top clashing it out in the finals.
"The Durban North Regional is always a hotly contested regional and we look forward to seeing some exciting hockey at this great new venue," says Tournament Director, Les Galloway.
The winner of the Durban North Regional will join confirmed teams Sarel Cilliers, newcomers from the Northern KZN Regional along with Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School and St Anne's College from the two Pietermaritzburg Regionals, Durban Girls' College from the Durban Central regionals, and the winner of the Durban South Regionals which will be played on April 9. Another four teams will secure their spaces in the remaining regionals that are still to be held around KwaZulu-Natal.