Staff Reporter
Western Province delivered standout performances and closed the annual SA Schools Hockey (SASHOC) Nationals in style by lifting both A-section trophies at the U-16 inter-provincial tournament in Bloemfontein.
Shining on the Kovsies Astroturf, the Western Province girls’ team had to dig deep in a hard-fought final against Southern Gauteng.
With the scores level at 1-1 at the end of regulation time, the WP squad grabbed the title with a 3-1 victory in a shootout. In the third-place playoff, Boland beat the host province Southern Free State 2-1 to secure the bronze medals.
Though her team narrowly missed out on the trophy, Amber Fairon managed to finish the six-day tournament as the top goal scorer, hitting the back of the net 11 times for Southern Gauteng.
In the boys’ A-section, Western Province left nothing on the line, delivering a spectacular performance to beat KZN Inland 6-2 in the final.
Southern Gauteng secured the third position after earning a 3-1 win against Boland in the playoffs. Playing a key role for the national U-16 champions, Litha Kraai netted ten goals for Western Province to finish as the competition’s top scorer.
There were also titles on offer in the B-section tournaments, with KZN Inland and Eastern Province emerging triumphant. The KZN Inland side defeated Western Province 3-2 in the girls’ final, and Eastern Province beat Northern Gauteng 4-2 in the boys’ final.
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