20 March 2024
KZN, from Thursday, 21 March, to Monday, 25 March, will play host to three premier hockey festivals, which will bring together many of South Africa’s best hockey-playing schools.
The Nomads Festival, taking place at Maritzburg College, includes many of the country’s traditional hockey powers, and it runs from Thursday to Saturday.
The KZN contingent includes Hilton College, which enjoyed a solid Nomads Festival last year – winning two, drawing two and losing one game – but from there they went on to put together another fine season.
The hosts, Maritzburg College, are eager to take a step forward this year. Last season’s Nomads’ record was two wins and three losses – not calamitous, but not the level of success which College has traditionally achieved. At home, and on Pape’s Astro, with its new floodlights, coach Kyle Emerson will be keen to see his team claim some prized scalps.
Gauteng is represented by Jeppe, Pretoria Boys High, KES and St John’s College. Grey High and Selborne College carry Eastern Cape hopes of success, while Wynberg is the sole Western Cape rep, and Grey College flies the Free State flag.
From Friday to Sunday, the Coastal Cup takes place at the Riverside Sports Club and DHS, with 1st teams, u16A sides and u14A teams in action. Each of the schools will field teams in all three age groups.
They include Glenwood, Westville, Clifton and DHS, from KZN. There are four sides from Gauteng, too: St Alban’s, Menlopark, Garsfontein and Waterkloof. Pearson makes the trip from Gqeberha, and Paarl Boys’ High travels from the Western Cape.
Westville has opened its season with successive wins – 2-0 vs Michaelhouse and 2-1 vs Clifton on Tuesday evening – and they look well organised. Clifton, who played to a 2-2 draw with Maritzburg College in their first game of the season, have turned some heads with their attractive style of play.
Glenwood has ground to make up after a challenging 2023, while DHS will endeavour to continue in the same vein as last season’s 1st XI, which played some delightful hockey. Most of that team has returned this year.
Kearsney College hosts the Founders Festival from Saturday to Monday, with a very exciting lineup, which includes SACS, last year’s number one team in the country.
Paul Roos, a top five school in 2023, and now coached by former DHS Director of Hockey, Michael Baker, and St Stithians, the winners of the Aitken Trophy, Johannesburg’s premier schools’ competition, last season, add further shine to the competition.
Add Northwood, the winners of the Guschkie Top Schools under-18 Tournament in August 2023, into the mix. They’re coming off a tour of Argentina, which should mean they are well prepared for the festival.
Meanwhile, Kearsney, the hosts, look like a formidable side and should also be very competitive. They opened their season with a 2-0 win over Maritzburg College but were beaten 1-0 by DHS last weekend, which was their first loss on Mason’s Astro in a couple of seasons.
DHS, a top five school in the country at 1st XI, u16 and u14 level last year, returns all but three of their 2023 1st XI, so they’re a quality outfit, which puts their match against Kearsney into context.
Also in action in Botha’s Hill will be Affies, Parktown, Queen’s College, Dale College and Rondebosch. The Cape Town school had an off year in 2023. Usually, though, their hockey is of a very high standard, so they could spring a surprise or two.
Michaelhouse and St Charles College will be in action in Cape Town at the Bishops 175th Hockey Festival from Thursday.
FIXTURES
NOMADS FESTIVAL
Thursday, 21 March
08:00 – Jeppe vs Hilton College; 09:00 – Grey College vs PBHS; 10:25 – KES vs Selborne; 11:35 – Maritzburg College vs Grey High; 12:50 – Wynberg vs St John’s; 14:00 – Jeppe vs Grey College; 15:15 – PBHS vs Selborne; 16:25 – KES vs Hilton College; 17:40 – Maritzburg College vs Wynberg; 18:50 – Grey High vs St John’s.
Friday, 22 March
08:00 – KES vs Grey College; 09:10 – Grey High vs Hilton College; 10:25 – Wynberg vs PBHS; 11:35 – Maritzburg College vs St John’s College; 12:50 – Jeppe vs Selborne; 14:00 – Grey High vs KES; 15:15 – Hilton College vs PBHS; 16:25 – Grey College vs St John’s; 17:40 – Jeppe vs Wynberg; 18:50 – Maritzburg College vs Selborne.
Saturday, 23 March
07:30 – Grey High vs PBHS; 08:40 – KES vs Wynberg; 09:55 – Selborne vs St John’s; 11:05 – Hilton College vs Grey College; 12:15 – Maritzburg College vs Jeppe
COASTAL CUP
Friday, 22 March
1st XI – Riverside 1
08:00 – Menlopark vs Glenwood; 09:15 – Westville vs Pearson; 10:30 – DHS vs St Alban’s; 11:45 – Clifton vs Garsfontein; 13:00 – Paarl vs Waterkloof; BREAK; 14:30 – St Alban’s vs Glenwood; 15:45 – Pearson vs Menlopark; 17:00 – Westville vs Paarl
u16A – Riverside 2
07:30 – DHS vs St Alban’s; 08:30 – Paarl vs Waterkloof; 09:30 – Westville vs Pearson; 10:30 – Clifton vs Garsfontein; 11:30 – Menlopark vs Glenwood; BREAK; 12:30 – Westville vs Paarl; 13:30 – Clifton vs Waterkloof; 14:30 – DHS vs Garsfontein; 15:30 – St Alban’s vs Glenwood; 16:30 – Pearson vs Menlopark; 17:30 – Clifton 1st vs Waterkloof 1st; 18:45 – DHS 1st vs Garsfontein 1st
u14A – DHS
07:30 – Paarl vs Waterkloof; 08:30 – DHS vs St Alban’s; 09:30 – Menlopark vs Glenwood; 10:30 – Clifton vs Garsfontein; 11:30 – Westville vs Pearson; BREAK; 12:30 – St Alban’s vs Glenwood; 13:30 – DHS vs Garsfontein; 14:30 – Pearson vs Menlopark; 15:30 – Clifton vs Waterkloof; 16:30 – Westville vs Paarl
Saturday, 23 March
1st XI – Riverside 1
13:30 – Garsfontein vs Glenwood; 14:45 – Paarl vs Pearson; 16:00 – DHS vs Menlopark; 17:15 – Clifton vs St Alban’s; 18:30 – Westville vs Waterkloof
u16A – Riverside 2
12:00 – DHS vs Menlopark; 13:00 – Clifton vs St Alban’s; 14:00 – Westville vs Waterkloof; 15:00 – Paarl vs Pearson; 16:00 – Garsfontein vs Glenwood
u14A – Riverside 1
08:30 – Paarl vs Pearson; 09:30 – Clifton vs St Alban’s; 10:30 – DHS vs Menlopark; 11:30 – Westville vs Waterkloof; 12:30 – Garsfontein vs Glenwood
Sunday, 24 March
1st XI – Riverside 1
08:00 – Clifton vs Menlopark; 09:15 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood; 10:30 – Westville vs Garsfontein; 11:45 – St Alban’s vs Pearson; 13:00 – DHS vs Paarl
u16A – DHS
09:00 – Clifton vs Menlopark; 10:00 – Westville vs Garsfontein; 11:00 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood; 12:00 – DHS vs Paarl; 13:00 – St Alban’s vs Pearson
u14A – Riverside 2
08:00 – Clifton vs Menlopark; 09:00 – Westville vs Garsfontein; 10:00 – St Alban’s vs Pearson; 11:00 – Waterkloof vs Glenwood; 12:00 – DHS vs Paarl
FOUNDERS FESTIVAL
Saturday, 23 March
07:30 – Affies vs SACS; 08:35 – Kearsney vs Dale; 09:40 – Northwood vs Rondebosch; 10:45 – Parktown vs Paul Roos; 11:50 – Queens vs St Stithians; 12:55 – Kearsney vs Affies; 14:00 – Northwood vs Dale; 15:05 – Parktown vs SACS; 16:10 – Queen’s vs Paul Roos; 17:15 – St Stithians vs Rondebosch
Sunday, 24 March
07:30 – Queen’s vs Parktown; 08:35 – Northwood vs SACS; 09:40 – St Stithians vs Paul Roos; 10:45 – Affies vs Dale; 11:50 – Kearsney vs Rondebosch; 12:55 – Queen’s vs SACS; 14:00 – Northwood vs St Stithians; 15:05 – Affies vs Paul Roos; 16:10 – Dale vs Rondebosch; 17:15 – Kearsney vs Parktown
Monday, 25 March
07:30 – Affies vs Rondebosch; 08:35 – Dale vs Parktown; 09:40 – Northwood vs Queen’s; 10:45 – SACS vs St Stithians; 11:50 – Kearsney vs Paul Roos
Matches will be played in four 12-minute chukkas, with breaks of two minutes, three minutes and two minutes.
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