Two goals by Luca Jordaan and a late strike by Andrew Moreby secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory for Parel Vallei High School (PV) over Paarl Gimnasium in the boys’ Elite Section final of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament at Hartleyvale on Sunday.
Both teams breezed through their pool stage assignments, apart from a goalless draw against one another, and then won their respective semifinals on Friday.
PV, though, topped Pool B, ahead of Paarl Gim on goal difference.
In the semifinals, PV defeated Somerset College 3-0, while Paarl Gim overcame York High 4-2 in a thrilling encounter.
Sunday’s final brought the sides together for a third time in 2026. Their previous two meetings had ended in draws.
Paarl Gim made a bright start to the title game and opened the scoring in the second chukka through their talisman Rikus De Kock. PV, meanwhile, struggled to get a foothold in the game but sparked to life in the second half.
Luca Jordaan delivered the goods, firing in two goals in quick succession from penalty corners to give his side a 2-1 lead.
The boys from Somerset West controlled the match thereafter, but Paarl Gim levelled through De Kock before the final chukka.
Late in the game, Andrew Moreby scored the all-important winner for PV, who held on to win their first title of the season.
“I said in the change room before the time that the silver medal was going to be given to us, regardless, but the gold medal had to be earned,” PV coach Michael van Rensburg told SuperSport Schools News after the game.
“We struggled until halftime and just couldn’t get into rhythm.
“The boys stepped up and showed a lot of character and mental strength in that second half to be able to pull through.
“It’s nice, two finals this year. We would’ve taken that at the beginning of the year.”
The first final PV reached was the Standard Bank Hibbert Shield at Grey High in May. They lost that match 2-5 to South African College High School (SACS).
PV will celebrate the victory, but they also need to move on quickly because a difficult challenge awaits them. They next face Paul Roos Gimnasium.
Paul Roos shared an entertaining 2-2 draw with SACS on Friday evening, and they will pose a much sterner challenge for coach Van Rensburg and his side.
“That match (against Paul Roos) will always be a big one,” Van Rensburg said. “We’re not under any illusion. It’s nice to win tournaments, but the biggest task for us is coming this Friday against Paul Roos.”
The coach also praised Jordaan, who was named the Player of the Tournament after the final.
“It’s just a testament to him this year,” he said.
“He’s had a phenomenal season so far and also made that SA Schools u18A side. This award tops it off for him after a great season. He also showed character to turn the game around.”
While PV takes on Paul Roos next week, Paarl Gim will face their biggest rivals, Paarl Boys’ High, in the annual interschools clash.
Sunday’s bronze medal went to York High, who defeated Somerset College in the third-place playoff, while Paarl Boys’ High beat St Paul’s College to finish fifth.
The UK’s Merchant Taylors’ School ended in eighth place after going down against HTS Drostdy, while the Parel Vallei Invitational side stunned Reddam House Constantia to finish in ninth place. Worcester Gimnasium took home the wooden spoon after a narrow loss to Curro Durbanville.
Bridge House won the Evolve Section, beating Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr 2-1 in the final.
Hoërskool Swartland finished third, edging out Hoërskool Punt 4-3 in the penalty shootout after the teams shared eight goals in regulation time.
Results
Elite Boys
Worcester Gimnasium 0-1 Curro Durbanville (11th/12th playoff)
Parel Vallei Invitational (2) 0-0 (0) Reddam House Constantia (9th/10th playoff)
HTS Drostdy 2-0 Merchant Taylors’ School (7th/8th playoff)
St Paul’s College 0-5 Paarl Boys’ High (5th/6th playoff)
York High (2) 1-1 (0) Somerset College (3rd/4th playoff)
Parel Vallei 3-2 Paarl Gimnasium (Final)
Evolve Boys
Bridge House 2-1 Charlie Hofmeyr (Final)
Swartland (4) 4- 4 (3) Hoërskool Punt (3rd/4th playoff)
Hoërskool Upington 1-0 Hermanus (5th/6th playoff)
Strand High School 2-0 Bellville (7th/8th playoff)
Edgemead 3-0 Curro Langebaan (9th/10th playoff)
Pinelands (3) 1-1 (1) Curro Hermanus (11th/12th playoff)
Western Province Invitational 4-0 The Settlers (13th/14th playoff)
Merchant Taylors (2) 2-2 (1) Jan Van Riebeeck (15th/16th playoff)
