Danville triumphant at SPAR schoolgirls’ hockey challenge
This is the fourth time that Danville has hoisted the regional trophy in the 13 years since the tournament was launched.
HOCKEY fans and residents came out in their numbers to watch Danville Park Girls’ High School hoist the Durban North Regional trophy at the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday.
They beat fellow Durban North school Our Lady of Fatima 1-0 in the final at the Riverside Hockey Club.
This is the fourth time that Danville has hoisted the regional trophy in the 13 years since the tournament was launched. They are the first team to earn their spot at the 2023 Grand Finals that will be taking place in July at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof.
Up until the final whistle, spectators were kept on the edge of their seats, as the game shot from one end of the field to the other. Defending champs Fatima fought valiantly up until the last second, throwing all of the arsenal into the all-important equaliser, but Danville didn’t allow them any room or opportunity, courageously clinching onto their 1-0 lead.
Captain of the victorious Danville team, Anqobile Nkayi, praised her team for their efforts on the day.
“We had such fun today. We set the tone in our first game with a 5-0 win, and that flowed through the rest of our tournament. Even after our one bad game, our team were unruffled. We didn’t concede a goal throughout the day, and I am delighted with our performance.”
Leading up to the regional final, both teams had good runs in their pool games. In Fatima’s four games, they won three and drew against Ashton International College, while Danville were victorious in all of their games. Both teams didn’t allow any goals in the net in their build-up to the regional final, with only the tournament-winning goal slipping past Fatima.
Coaching the Danville team for the second year, an extremely happy Matthew Smith said: “The final was a composed and simple game. I think it was the best game of the tournament for the girls. They played magnificently and deserved that win.”
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