UJ hockey stars help SA qualify for World Cup

AUCKLAND PARK – South African U21 men and women represented the country in hockey last month.

April 7, 2016

1 minute read

The SA U21 men’s hockey side took part in the recent Junior World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe. Photo: Stephen Halle.

A contingent of University of Johannesburg hockey players returned from Namibia last month, excited with the experience gained from helping South Africa qualify for the Junior World Cup.

UJ fielded four players, Carmen Smith, Cheneal Raubenheimer, Kristen Paton and Marizen Marais, in the women’s U21 team, that won the tournament when they defeated Zimbabwe in the final. This enabled them to qualify for the World Cup to be played in Santiago, Chile, from 23 November to 4 December.

The men’s team, which included UJ’s Kyle Lion-Cachet, Tyson Dlungwana, Ryan Crowe, Stephan Halle and Amkelwe Letuka, qualified after they finished as the runners-up to Egypt in the African qualifier. The men’s World Cup takes place in India from 1 to 11 December.

Besides the players, others closely involved with UJ hockey contributed to the success of the South African teams. Garreth Ewing was the men’s head coach, Christy McCrorie was the women’s video analyst and hockey manager, Elize le Roux, attended as a technical official. In addition, UJ alumnus Patrick Tshutshani coached the SA women’s team.

“My personal view is that the UJ players did very well and were all excited to be representing their country. I believe we can be proud of their contributions,” said Le Roux.

“The exposure and experience they gained was very good and although the competition perhaps was not as strong when compared to facing European teams, the African tournaments are never easy. As an institution, we could not be prouder of the efforts our hockey members put into the qualifier and I think everyone learned from the experience,” Le Roux added.

The SA U21 members now face the senior men’s and women’s inter-provincial tournaments at the Randburg Sports Complex on Malibongwe Drive, hosted by [Southern Gauteng hockey association https://www.sgha.co.za/] from 24 to 30 April. The national sides that competed in Namibia will compete as individual teams at the inter-provincial, which will be a an opportunity to prove themselves ahead of the Junior World Cups.

Details: University of Johannesburg, 011 559 4555.