5 April 2023
Maritzburg College’s new Director of Hockey, Mark Sanders, is looking to College’s illustrious past as inspiration for its future, and his goals echo the achievements of the past, which has seen the school produce more South African Schools and international hockey players than any other South African school.
For many years, College was, quite simply, the standard-setter in South Africa. They remain a top hockey school, but the competition is a lot tighter than it once was; it’s tougher staying at the top than getting to the top. You have a target on your back.
Sanders, though, wants to help the Red Army back to the pinnacle of the sport. Illustrative of his ambitions is his recent busy travel schedule, which has included visits to the Nomads Tournaments in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, and Gqeberha to take in College’s under-14 A, under-16 A and 1st team in action against some of the country’s other leading hockey-playing schools.
Strong under-16 A showing
Among those three teams, the under-16A team – made up mostly of under-15 boys, who were part of South Africa’s top ranked under-14 team of 2022 – stole the spotlight at their event at Wynberg Boys’ High in Cape Town. They played five matches, won four and drew one, claiming some fine scalps in the process.
On day one, College beat Saint John’s College 1-0 in their first match and Wynberg Boys’ High 2-1 later that day.
On the morning of day two, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Grey High. In the afternoon, they bounced back with an excellent 3-2 win over Jeppe, which in recent years has laid claim to being the leading hockey school in the country.
On the final day, Maritzburg College rolled to a convincing 3-0 defeat of King Edward VII.
It’s pretty clear that some strong talent is waiting to infuse the College under-16A team and 1st XI next year. But what of this year?
Gathering information
Sanders said he has taken note of technical issues and the tactical approaches of the three College teams. These will be discussed with the school’s coaches and a coherent coaching approach will be put together, aimed at providing a unified plan that facilitates growth from year to year for the College hockey programme.
His plans, though, extend beyond working with the boys alone. Sanders recently hosted an evening at the school for parents, to outline his approach and to answer their questions. It’s about getting total buy-in from all stakeholders. Having everyone driving in one direction creates a powerful force.
Probably the best example of this in recent times comes from College’s great rivals, DHS, who have turned around a hockey programme that was struggling very badly into a powerhouse in all age groups. Matching up to the standards of your biggest rivals, who are playing at a very high level, is a recipe for growth for both parties, DHS and Maritzburg College, and that is good for schoolboy hockey in KZN.
Why Maritzburg College?
Questioned about the reasons why he accepted the position of Director of Hockey at College, Sanders said there were primarily two. Firstly, he laughed, his wife was all for the move even before he was. Happy wife, happy life!
Secondly, he has always regarded College as the leading hockey playing school in South Africa. Evidence for this, he said, was the long list of Collegians who had earned national colours.
Although he is not a Maritzburg College Old Boy, the school’s new Director of Hockey told Pinnacle Schools that the rest of his family attended KwaZulu-Natal’s oldest boys’ school. Thus, he feels strongly connected to it. One might even argue that the school he attended, King Edward VII, is, in many ways, the Johannesburg equivalent of College. And, of course, the two share an annual derby day.
Sanders believes, too, that College has the character among its boys, cultivated over many generations, the drive, the talent, and the coaching to occupy that lofty position again as the leading hockey school in the country. It’s a tough task, but the new man in charge brings an impressive CV with him into his post.
Outstanding record of success
He has spent 25 years coaching the game, many of them at the provincial level. He has also coached many of Johannesburg’s leading hockey-playing boys’ schools, including Parktown Boys’, Saint Stithian’s, Saint Benedict’s, and KES, whom he led to four Aitken Trophy titles, Johannesburg’s premier schools’ hockey competition, including three in succession.
Above the schoolboy level, he has also served as the convenor of selectors for the South African men’s indoor hockey team, as well as a selector for the SA men’s field hockey side. He was, additionally, a very successful coach of the Premier Hockey League’s (PHL) Maropeng Cavemen, guiding them to the first two PHL titles.
He brings the kind of pedigree that matches up to Maritzburg College’s rich tradition in the sport. It shouldn’t be a surprise, therefore, to see the boys of the school respond in the manner he hopes to see, producing attractive hockey that leads to the regular victories that once upon a time were so routine.
Maritzburg College at the Nomads Festivals 2023
1st Team
Maritzburg College 0-2 Wynberg
Maritzburg College 2-1 Saint John’s College
Maritzburg College 1-3 Jeppe
Maritzburg College 2-1 Grey High
Maritzburg College 0-3 Grey College
U16 A
Maritzburg College 1-0 Saint John’s College
Maritzburg College 2-1 Wynberg
Maritzburg College 1-1 Grey High
Maritzburg College 3-2 Jeppe
Maritzburg College 3-0 KES
U14A
Maritzburg College 5-0 Saint John’s College
Maritzburg College 1-3 Jeppe
Maritzburg College 3-2 Wynberg
Maritzburg College 1-3 Selborne
Maritzburg College 0-3 Grey High
Leave a Reply