13 August 2024
Friday morning, bright and early, the 2024 Kearsney Hockey 5s, powered by Belgotex Sport gets underway at 08:00 on the Mason Astro. Westville Boys’ High will be defending the boys’ title, while a new champion will be crowned in the girls’ competition.
A total of 26 teams will be in action – eight boys’ high school teams, six girls’ high schools, and 12 boys’ primary schools’ sides.
Last year, Westville’s tactics were spot on, and they executed their game plan perfectly to beat Kearsney 6-1 in the final. Teams have changed, however, and, with no grade 12s playing, Kearsney will be without their outstanding SA Schools and SA u21 star Matthew De Oliveira. Nonetheless, the Botha’s Hill boys put together a fine season and they’ll go into the event with confidence. Their line-up will include SA u16 star Keegan de Jager.
Westville will also have an SA u16 rep in their side. Bo Mokoena cracked the nod, playing in the same KZN Coastal team as Keegan de Jager.
Clifton College took third place in 2023 after producing their best hockey in their playoff game against Hilton College, which they won 10-3 after scoring the last five goals of the contest.
Clifton might fancy their chances because they also have experienced, high-quality players who are still u16, including Georg Wolhuter and Ryde Brisset, both of whom earned SA u16 colours this year, and Wolhuter, a goalkeeper, might just give the Durban school a useful advantage.
Hilton, of course, is always a contender. They’ve established themselves as one of the premier programmes in the country, and the depth of their coaching staff is among the best to be found anywhere.
Michaelhouse‘s hockey programme took a big leap forward this season, so they will bear watching, especially when one considers that the Michaelhouse u16 team was in action this past weekend at the Top Schools Tournament in Stellenbosch. They didn’t win it, but they beat the eventual champions, Paul Roos Gimnasium, 2-0. And they have Thandanani Zuma, who made the SA u16 team after performing superbly as the SASHOC National Week.
Pretoria’s Garsfontein and St Alban’s, who met in the playoff for fifth last year, with St Alban’s winning 6-3, should be contenders, too. Garsies‘ fourth place finish at the Hibbert Shield this season was some achievement. The line-up for the tournament in Gqeberha was, by far, the toughest at any event this year.
Ashton International (Ballito) shouldn’t be counted out, either. Depth is not as big an issue in 5s as it is in the traditional 11-a-side game. With four outfielders and a goalkeeper on the park, all teams are able to put out high quality lineups, and that will suit the north coast outfit.
While Westville will have a shot at repeating as champions, the girls’ competition will have a new winner. That’s because St Anne’s, who beat Danville 5-3 in last year’s final, won’t be in action. The challenge for the rest of the field is that St Anne’s are being replaced by St Mary’s DSG and they’ve enjoyed a magnificent season.
They finished as runners-up in the Fairtree Super 12, which brings together the top 12 girls’ teams in the country, after being edged out on penalties by Rhenish in the final, but no side won as many games as Saints’s six. They’re the team to beat, undoubtedly. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the absence of grade 12 players could have a big impact.
Term three is, of course, the term for hockey at primary school level, and that’s why the primary school entry is the largest, with 12 teams in action.
There’ll be 11 schools represented, with Highbury, a traditional feeder school to Kearsney, putting two teams into the field.
Hockey Fives is the format used in the Youth Olympic Games. It’s highly entertaining, with players able to shoot and score from anywhere on the court. That includes hitting from long distance and throwing overheads from way out, which means goalkeepers are more involved in the game than they are in any other form of it.
As the Belgotex Sport tagline reads, “This changes the game”.
TEAMS
Boys’ High School Teams
Clifton, Ashton, Hilton, Garsfontein, Kearsney, St Alban’s, Michaelhouse, Westville
Girls’ High School Teams
Curro Hillcrest, Thomas More, Maris Stella, Danville, St Mary’s, Ashton
Boys’ Primary School Teams
Cowan House, Atholl Heights, Kloof, Penzance, Ashton, Treverton, Highbury 1, Highbury 2, Hillcrest, Bonisanani, Winston Park, Westville Senior Primary
FIXTURES
(BHS – Boys’ High Schools, GHS – Girls’ High Schools, all other Boy’s Primary Schools)
Friday, 16 August
Court 1
08:00 – Clifton vs Ashton (BHS)
08:30 – Hilton vs Garsfontein (BHS)
09:00 – Kearsney vs St Alban’s (BHS)
09:30 – Cowan House vs Atholl Heights
10:00 – Kloof vs Penzance
10:30 – Ashton vs Treverton
11:00 – Curro vs Maris Stella (GHS)
11:30 – Highbury 1 vs Cowan House
12:00 – Highbury 2 vs Hillcrest
12:30 – Atholl Heights vs Bonisanani
13:00 – Penzance vs Treverton
13:30 – Clifton vs Kearsney (BHS)
14:00 – Highbury 1 vs Highbury 2
14:30 – Michaelhouse vs Westville (BHS)
15:00 – Bonisanani vs Kloof
15:30 – Garsfontein vs Westville (BHS)
16:00 – Kearsney vs Ashton (BHS)
16:30 – Ashton vs Penzance
17:00 – Clifton vs Westville (BHS)
17:30 – Highbury 1 vs Bonisanani
18:00 – Highbury 2 vs Cowan House
18:30 – Hillcrest vs Treverton
19:00 – Westville Senior vs Penzance
19:30 – Winston Park vs Kloof
20:00 – Michaelhouse vs St Alban’s (BHS)
Court 2
08:00 – Curro Hillcrest vs Thomas More (GHS)
08:30 – Maris Stella vs Ashton (GHS)
09:00 – Highbury 1 vs Hillcrest
09:30 – Highbury 2 vs Bonsanani
10:00 – Westville Senior vs Winston Park
10:30 – Danville vs Thomas More (GHS)
11:00 – Clifton vs Michaelhouse (BHS)
11:30 – St Alban’s vs Garsfontein (BHS)
12:00 – Hilton vs Ashton (BHS)
12:30 – Kloof Westville Senior
13:00 – Winston Park vs Ashton
13:30 – Danville vs Ashton (GHS)
14:00 – Hillcrest vs Cowan House
14:30 – St Mary’s vs Maris Stella (GHS)
15:00 – Westville Senior vs Atholl Heights
15:30 – St Alban’s vs Hilton (BHS)
16:00 – St Mary’s vs Thomas More
16:30 – Treverton vs Winston Park
17:00 – Curro Hillcrest vs Danville (GHS)
17:30 – Michaelhouse vs Ashton (BHS)
18:00 – St Mary’s vs Ashton (GHS)
18:30 – Kearsney vs Garsfontein (BHS)
19:00 – Ashton vs Atholl Heights
19:30 – Hilton vs Westville (BHS)
20:00 – Garsfontein vs Ashton (BHS)
Saturday, 17 August
Court 1
07:30 – Highbury 1 vs Kloof
08:00 – Bonisanani vs Ashton
08:30 – Westville vs Kearsney (BHS)
09:00 – St Alban’s vs Ashton (BHS)
09:30 – Maris Stella vs Thomas More (GHS)
10:00 – Ashton vs Curro Hillcrest (GHS)
10:30 – St Mary’s vs Danville (GHS)
11:00 – Winston Park vs Cowan House
11:30 – Highbury 2 vs Penzance
12:00 – Highbury 1 vs Atholl Heights
12:30 – Hillcrest vs Bonsanani
13:00 – Ashton vs Kloof
13:30 – Westville vs Treverton
14:00 – Clifton vs St Alban’s (BHS)
14:30 – Hilton vs Michaelhouse (BHS)
15:00 – Westville vs Garsfontein (BHS)
15:30 – Treverton vs Bonisanani
16:00 – Kloof vs Hillcrest
16:30 – P3 vs P4 (3/4) (GHS)
17:00 – P5 vs P6 (5/6) (BHS)
17:30 – P1 vs P2 (1/2) (GHS)
18:00 – P1 vs P2 (1/2) (BHS)
18:30 – Prize giving
Court 2
07:30 – Highbury 2 vs Winston Park
08:00 – Cowan House vs Penzance
08:30 – Clifton vs Hilton (BHS)
09:00 – Garsfontein vs Michaelhouse (BHS)
09:30 – Treverton vs Atholl Heights
10:00 – Westville vs Hillcrest
10:30 – Hilton vs Kearsney (BHS)
11:00 – Clifton vs Ashton (BHS)
11:30 – St Alban’s vs Michaelhouse (BHS)
12:00 – Kearsney vs Ashton (BHS)
12:30 – Thomas More vs Ashton (GHS)
13:00 – Maris Stella vs Danville (GHS)
13:30 – St Mary’s vs Curro Hillcrest (GHS)
14:00 – Winston Park vs Penzance
14:30 – Highbury 2 vs Atholl Heights
15:00 – Cowan House vs Ashton
15:30 – Highbury 1 vs Westville
16:00 – P7 vs P8 (7/8) (BHS)
16:30 – P5 vs P6 (5/6) (GHS)
17:00 – P3 vs P4 (3/4) (BHS)
Sunday, 18 August
Court 1
08:00 – Hillcrest vs Penzance
08:25 – Westville vs Highbury 2
08:50 – Kloof vs Treverton
09:15 – Cowan House vs Treverton
09:40 – Highbury 1 vs Winston Park
10:05 – Atholl Heights vs Penzance
10:30 – Prize giving
Court 2
08:00 – Highbury 1 vs Ashton
08:25 – Bonsanani vs Cowan House
08:50 – Atholl Heights vs Winston Park
09:15 – Ashton vs Hillcrest
09:40 – Highbury 2 vs Kloof
10:05 – Bonsanani vs Westville
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