Hockey grand masters prepare for 2024 World Cup
Hockey Grand Masters trials were held in Morningside.
Hockey World Cup season is only months away, and Johannesburg’s grand masters hockey players are getting their conditioning ready for the occasion to represent their nation.
Grand masters’ hockey trials were held at the Morningside Country Club in Sandton on January 20, and the only thing senior on that pitch was the combined years of hockey experience on display. The trialists, each and all focused on their gameplay when Sandton Chronicle arrived, played fast and furious, striking with precision when passing the ball.
Grand Masters’ Hockey Johannesburg coordinator and manager for Southern Gauteng Hockey Sharon Barnard said that the focus of hosting trials was to get teams ready for the Hockey World Cup being co-hosted by New Zealand and South Africa later in 2024.
“The groups going to New Zealand in November are the men’s and women’s 45, 50 and 55; grand masters 60 – men, and women,” Barnard said.
“Today’s trials are about the grand masters, those are the age groups of 60 plus up to 75. We’ve got all the trials coming here to Morningside [Country Club], the ladies had theirs this morning at 08:00t.”
Barnard said the teams got ready by assisting one another. “Because our team numbers dwindle a bit as we get older, South Gauteng are very privileged to have a men’s 70s side.
“What we do to grow our grand masters’ fraternity [is that] we invite our master players – who are 55 plus – as an additional team to support our grand masters.”
Barnard extended her gratitude to the hockey fraternity for their leadership. “We’re under the guidance of Reg Marais who has done phenomenal leadership and strategies putting South African hockey on the world stage where we can hold our own.
“And also grand masters under the auspices of Barry Froneman, whose guidance kept us going. As anybody knows with any sport, there’s many hours of administration slogging behind the scenes; if it weren’t for these two guys, South African hockey wouldn’t be where it is today.”
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