KZN Inland A 2nd at u16 Hockey IPT, all KZN results

13 July 2023

KZN teams enjoyed solid all-round showings at the Under-16 Boys’ Inter-provincial Hockey Tournament, which ended in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. KZN Inland A were the top performers from the Kingdom of the Zulu, finishing as runners-up to Western Province.

In fact, it was only Western Province A that managed to get the better of KZN Inland A during the tournament. But, truth be told, the IPT was about the boys from the Cape and, then, the rest. They beat Inland A 5-0 in pool play and then built up a substantial 6-0 lead in the final before Inland, to their credit, finished strongly to score two goals before the final whistle.

Along the way, Inland A claimed some fine scalps, defeating Amathole, KZN Inland B, Southern Free State A, Northern Gauteng A and, most notably, Southern Gauteng A, the winners of Pool A, by three goals to one in a penalty shootout, following a 2-2 draw in the semi-finals.

KZN Coastal A finished sixth, and they would likely be disappointed with that outcome. They suffered three crucial defeats in their seven outings, all of which were costly.

The first was a 0-1 setback against Boland, which kept them out of the top four. Then, Southern Gauteng A outlasted them 2-1. On the final day, in the battle for fifth and sixth, Northern Gauteng A ran out convincing 3-0 winners.

KZN Coastal A managed only a 1-0 win over KZN Coastal B, but there was little between the two sides. In fact, KZN Coastal B finished just one place behind their A side and would, thus, have felt a lot better about their performances in Bloemfontein.

Best of the B teams

Also, they showed up well against other B teams, beating Southern Gauteng B 2-1 and drawing 1-1 with Western Province B. They also took Northern Gauteng A to a penalty shootout in the playoffs, which was a lot better than the A team did against the same opposition.

It was only Southern Gauteng A who managed to win comfortably against the Coastal B team; every other game was decided by no more than a single goal.

Tough start, strong finish

KZN Inland B came home in ninth position. Their tournament began with a nasty 1-9 loss to Western Province A. However, from then on, nobody had an easy game against them. Inland A beat them 2-0, but they scored their goals in the last 10 minutes only. In KZN Inland B’s remaining five matches, there were two draws and three other games decided by the odd goal.

Overall, the tournament revealed what those who have kept an eye on the game throughout the season knew: that Western Province A were on a different level.

What it showed, too, though, was that KZN hockey remains strong and the strength in depth was better than that exhibited by Western Province, whose second string finished in 12^th and last place. Southern Gauteng B placed 11^th, thus showing that KZN and its four teams is where the best overall standard of play in the under-16 age group is to be found.

Josh Mungherera of DHS, who represented KZN Coastal A, was the leading goal scorer among the KZN boys, slotting four field goals.

RESULTS

KZN Inland A
(2nd overall)

KZN Inland A 3-1 Amathole
KZN Inland A 2-0 KZN Inland B
KZN Inland A 3-0 Southern Free State A
KZN Inland A 0-5 Western Province A
KZN Inland A 2-1 Northern Gauteng A 2-1
KZN Inland A 2-2 (3-1 SO) Southern Gauteng A (1^st to 4^th)
KZN Inland A 2-6 Western Province A (Final)

KZN Coastal A
(6th overall)

KZN Coastal A 1-0 KZN Coastal B
KZN Coastal A 1-0 Southern Gauteng B
KZN Coastal A 6-0 Western Province B
KZN Coastal A 0-1 Boland
KZN Coastal A 1-2 Southern Gauteng A
KZN Coastal A 5-0 Southern Free State A (5^th to 8^th)
KZN Coastal A 0-3 Northern Gauteng A (5th and 6th)

KZN Coastal B
(7th overall)

KZN Coastal B 0-1 KZN Coastal A
KZN Coastal B 2-1 Southern Gauteng B
KZN Coastal B 0-5 Southern Gauteng A
KZN Coastal B 1-2 Boland
KZN Coastal B 1-1 Western Province B
KZN Coastal B 1-1 (0-2 SO) Northern Gauteng A (5^th to 8^th)
KZN Coastal B 3-2 Southern Free State A (7^th and 8^th)

KZN Inland B
(9th overall)

KZN Inland B 1-9 Western Province
KZN Inland B 0-2 KZN Inland A
KZN Inland B 1-1 Southern Free State A
KZN Inland B 2-2 Amathole
KZN Inland B 1-2 Northern Gauteng A
KZN Inland B 2-1 Western Province B (9^th to 12^th)
KZN Inland B 1-0 Amathole (9^th and 10^th)