Beaulieu hockey players shine in Series 23 finals
DAINFERN – It was a day filled with the agility and skill of young indoor hockey players for the title of Series 23 champions.
The Gauteng Pro Series Indoor Series 23 finals took place on 8 March at Dainfern College‘s indoor field, with 28 teams taking part in different age groups.
Players ranging from the age groups of U7 to U18 gave everything they had to win the final in their age group for the club they represented.
The energy was high with parents and friends cheering on the players. It was a day that oozed an intense level of skill, pace, dedication and passion for the game that left many spectators proud of every single player on the field. Matches were set at 25 minutes one way, with a draw resulting in one on ones with the goalkeeper.
The day started with the semi-final matches of the U15 girls with Pumas and Beaulieu Hockey Academy making it to the final. It was an enthralling game and with the teams deadlocked 2–2 at the final whistle, Pumas went on to take the U15 girls’ title after winning an incredibly close shoot-out.
The U11 boys’ final also showed the level of skills of the younger players. Dainfern Dragons took on Purple Panthers, with the former winning 4–1 thanks to the skilled efforts of Santiago Hykes who was announced as the top goal scorer (18 goals) and player of the series.
The U16 girls’ final between Purple Panthers and Wakanda was the most attention-grabbing game of the day. While the Panthers came out victorious 3–2, both teams gave their all during the game. The teamwork of Nicola Keulder and player of the series Malikah Hamza who scored two of the three goals for the Panthers was greatly admired by everyone.
Beaulieu Hockey Academy U18 boys and girls shone in their finals against Crawford College Lonehill and Dynamite respectively. The U18 boys beat Crawford 5–0 to retain their title in winning the series four years in a row, and their female counterparts won 5–1.
Allistar Fredericks, president of the Southern Gauteng Hockey Association announced the results and awards for each age group and said the whole event was a cracker of a day.
With the conclusion of Series 23, Series 24 is set to take place later this year.
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