The Southern Gauteng Hockey Association hosted their first-ever capping ceremony at Randburg Astro on the evening of 8 March, three days ahead of the indoor hockey Interprovincial Tournament (IPT).
The tournament will take place in Durban from 11 to 14 March, with four Southern Gauteng teams travelling down with the hopes of bringing back gold medals.
A number of Beaulieu Hockey Academy senior players were selected for the Witsies men’s squad including Keanan Wax, Sanele Mchunu, Travis Krumples and Phemelo Ramatlotlo.
President of the Southern Gauteng Hockey Association, Allistar Fredericks welcomed all the players and their parents, saying this was a night to celebrate everyone’s achievements. “The idea is to start something that’s going to be with every team we pick from now on so that it becomes quite an honour to represent your province, and wish you well as you go on your journey,” said Fredericks.
He added that he believed the teams would do well in the tournament and also reminded the players of their conduct while at the tournament. “Remember you are representing the province. Understand you need to have discipline on and off the field. You’ve got a highly qualified coaching staff who are very competitive and they will expect the world of you.”
One of the coaching staff, Tsoanelo Pholo also said a few words before the caps were handed out, and she spoke about her goal to have a Southerns and Witsies final.
“We have a culture of winning, of high performance, of looking great and being confident. So much so that other teams hate us because we do what we do on the field really well,” said Pholo. “I believe we have the coaching staff that can take you guys to the top since the coaches’ calibre is the highest you’ll get in this country.”
With the Witsies team including a number of academy players, they are a younger squad than Southerns but with a wealth of potential. Pholo said Witsies’ reputation was a fairly good one in that they were ‘always amongst the highest ranked B-side in the country’.
UJ striker Kaylee Harwood also received a cap for the Witsies women’s side, making this her second indoor IPT tour.
“Last year I didn’t try out for indoor IPT because it was too close to IPT for U21. I wanted to focus more on outdoor than indoor at the time,” she said. “Each tournament I go to is like an experience and gaining new things. You can learn from other players and work on your mistakes. It’s a big learning process and that’s what I enjoy most.”
Teams are expected to leave for the tournament on 11 March.
Related Article:
Beaulieu Hockey Academy score a spot in Gauteng Cup semi-finals
