My sporting highlight of the week? …. It’s interprovincial season,
with the hockey IPTs played last week and the Craven Week coming up next. The
U18 Academy Week is in Joburg so I get to go and watch, which will be a nice
hour or two out in the winter sun and, for me, a bit of nostalgia.
Looking back on the U18 boys hockey tournament, you have to
marvel at the performance of the Western Province team. They beat Southern
Gauteng 3-1 in the A section final, the same scoreline as in the pool game
between the two earlier on and they were, to my admittedly untrained eye, at a
different level. That Southern Gauteng side had swept everyone they met aside,
but they were comprehensively outplayed, both times.
WP were duly rewarded with seven representatives in the SA
School side that was announced after the tournament. They also have two in the
SA Schools B team and five in the U17 high performance squad, which is just
about everyone in their squad. They also produced the goalkeeper, defender and
striker of the tournament. You can’t get more dominant that.
Six of those seven SA Schools A team players are from SACS
as are two in the B team. I don’t much believe in those schools rankings you
see on the internet, but it’s clear that they all have it right this year when
they rank SACS as the top boys hockey team in the land.
Southern Gauteng did have the consolation of having their
captain, Jaydon Brooker make the SA Schools team, and be named player of the
tournament. He was undoubtedly the standout individual player there. The
Southerns B side won the B section and they will be back in the A section next
year.
Roll on Monday and the rugby ….
Picture: WP Boys Hockey Facebook
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