SA teams for indoor Hockey World Cup

There is a strong KZN flavour to the South African national men’s and women’s indoor hockey teams that have been named for the 2015 Indoor Hockey World Cup, which takes place in Leipzig, Germany from February 4 to 8.

Indoor hockey has many features of the outdoor game, and these SA indoor players have all distinguished themselves at national and provincial level in the outdoor format of the game. Indeed, a number still do, or recently have, represented the senior national team in outdoor hockey.

KZN has for some time been a dominant force in SA indoor hockey at interprovincial level.

The Spar-sponsored SA women’s team of 11 have five players from KZN Coastal Raiders including captain Cindy Hack, five from KZN Inland, plus former Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School (GHS) star Celia Evans, who is at North West University in Potchefstroom.

The Nolands-sponsored SA men’s team that have opted to have five players from KZN Coastal Raiders, three from KZN Inland, two from Western Province – Craig Haley and the captain, Maritzburg College product Dale Isaac – plus Southern Gauteng’s PG Geldenhuys and Keegan Kieck. Haley and Geldenhuys are UKZN Pietermaritzburg graduates.

Both SA Indoor World Cup teams have a series of build-up matches in Europe prior to the four-yearly showdown.

SA INDOOR HOCKEY WORLD CUP TEAMS

Women: Amy Greaves, Taryn de Winnaar (vice-capt), Tracy Martens, Eloise Walters, Faye Cooper (all KZN Inland); Cindy Hack (capt), Jessica O’Connor, Kara Stella, Kelly Madsen, Shelley Freyer (all KZN Coastal), Celia Evans (North West). Coach: Lennie Botha. Manager: Emma Bray. Video analyst: TJ Smith. Physio: tba.

Men: Richard Curtis, Mohamed Mea, Matt Fairweather, Geoff Abbott, Jarryd Jones (all KZN Coastal Raiders); Chris McCathie, Ayden Shrives, Justin Domleo (all KZN Inland); Dale Isaac (capt), Craig Haley (both WP); PG Geldenhuys, Keegan Kieck (both Southern Gauteng). Coach: Ryan Hack. Assistant coach: Pierre le Roux. Manager: Reggie Smith. Physio: Nicholas Pereira.