SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge | Northern KZN Regional
Ferrum High School: Saturday 23 May
Nearing this year’s conclusion, the penultimate tournament heads to Ferrum High School in Newcastle for the Northern KZN Regional in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday 23 May.
This is the ninth tournament in the set of ten challenges that travels around the province. Nine teams will be taking to the turf at Ferrum. Divided into two pools, host school Ferrum will be joined by Amajuba High School; Hoërskool Pionier and Sarel Cilliers High School in Pool A. Heading up Pool B are Dundee High School; Newcastle High School; St Dominic’s Newcastle; Utrecht High School and Vryheid High School.
The games will be a demanding, quick fire 20 minutes running time that get underway at 8am. The first two teams to tip off are local teams Newcastle taking on St Dominic’s followed by the home team meeting Amajuba. After all the pool games have been concluded, the top two teams from each pool will play in a cross-pool playoff, with the two winning teams clashing for the honours of the regional champion.
Points will be awarded to each team after each fixture: a win adds four points to the log, while a draw with goals adds two points and a goalless draw only increases the tally by one point. A loss results in zero points.
Four teams have had the honour of raising the trophy in this area, with Ferrum on the prowl for their eleventh title. Pionier has earned the title twice while Sarel Cilliers and St Dominic’s both have their names engraved once on the trophy.
Matrics participating in the challenge will have the opportunity to win a year’s bursary at eta College, a leading Sport Science, Coaching and Management tertiary institution in Durban. The bursary will be awarded at the Grand Finals which takes place at St Mary’s D.S.G. at the end of July.
The winning team from this regional will advance to the Grand Finals in July, meeting the nine other victorious teams from the various other challenges. The Northern KZN Regional winner will meet Our Lady of Fatima, (Durban North Regional); Amanzimtoti High School (Durban South Regional); St John’s D.S.G. (Pietermaritzburg Central Regional); St Anne’s Diocesan College (Pietermaritzburg North Regional) and St Mary’s D.S.G. (Highway Regional); Durban Girls’ College (Durban Central Regional); Grantleigh School (North Coast Regional) and most recently, St Patrick’s College (Ugu and Sisonke Regional).
The tournament wraps up next weekend with the tenth challenge, where Wembley College greets their opposition from Greytown, Ladysmith, Wartburg and surrounds for the uMvoti and oThukela Regional on Saturday 30 May.
For more information, follow the tournament on Facebook: SparSchoolGirlsHockeyTournament and Instagram sparkznhockey or TikTok spar.kzn.hockey or use the hashtags: #ChixWithStix #HeartoftheCommunity #SuperLocal #MyKZNSPAR #MySPAR
Pictured here:
Shredding it. Strumming up support, Ferrum High School’s Vice-Captain, Lariska Nell and Captain, Amelie van Niekerk prepare to welcome teams for this weekend’s Northern KZN Regional on Saturday 23 May. Ferrum High School hopes for a home turf advantage as they defend their title when teams from Vryheid, Glencoe, Pongola and Newcastle assemble for the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge.
Photo Credit: Val Adamson