The Stellenberg High School first team boys’ and girls’ hockey sides will have it all to play for when they host Hoërskool Durbanville in their annual interschools derby in Cape Town on Friday.
The action, which will be LIVE on SuperSport Schools, starts at 19:15 when the girls take to the field, with the boys playing from 20:30.
A lively buzz has filled the northern suburbs’ school as the big clashes draw near. The countdown began last Thursday, with the Old Boys’ Golf Day.
The programme also features debating, mountain biking, chess, and a cultural evening, with the hockey and rugby matches wrapping up the action on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
For the hockey sides, the clash couldn’t have come at a better time. Both registered impressive wins last week against Hoërskool Outeniqua.
The boys, under the guidance of coach Kyle Esau, won 2-1, while the girls, coached by Ryan Byrne, scored a convincing 4-0 victory.
With momentum on their side, Byrne believes the girls are well prepared for Friday’s showdown, and they’re relishing the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd.
“The season has been good so far. I am pleased with the standard of hockey the girls have set for themselves,” he told SuperSport Schools News.
“They are very excited to have a home interschools. The preparation has not changed. We have just added loud music to the session to recreate the sound of the crowd.”
In the past five meetings with Durbanville, the hosts have won three, drawn one, and lost one.
While there will be loads of pressure on the night, the coach’s wish was simple – that his players do their best.
“Having a home interschools is a privilege and provides extra motivation for the girls,” he said. “All I want from them is to play for one another and to leave the school badge in a better place.”
The boys’ outfit has also made remarkable strides this season, and one of their highlights was a 4-3 win over Bishops last month.
While the clash against Durbanville is an interschools meeting, it also forms part of their league campaign, and coach Kyle Esau said his side is desperate to claim all three points.
“We are going all in to grab the points from this game,” he reckoned.
“The preparation leading up to here has been with a high focus on each one fulfilling his role, and focusing on discipline on the field, especially in times of fatigue.
“This has not changed throughout any of the weeks of training, as we have a brand that we play,” he explained.
When they met earlier this year, the sides shared a 2-2 draw.
The coach shared what he hopes to see from his players on Friday night: “For me, I’d like them to play as a unit,” he said.
“This is a team game, and if there is one person not doing their job, things will fall apart. There is a fighting spirit in this team, and when they play together, they really look phenomenal, so for me, as long as they stand together, I am happy.
“Crucial areas for me would be the final third, making sure that whenever an opportunity is given, they hold themselves accountable and put away the hard-earned scoring opportunities, and then, making sure that our penalty corners are up to a high standard, so we can capitalise in that area.”
Stellenberg teams:
Girls:
Miri Klopper, Ané Bowman, Carli Murray, Xena Ferreira, Lané Schoeman, Cayleigh Accom, Stella Zwiegers, Amy Ferreira, Marieke Verster, Rebecca Bosch, Marené Fourie, Zanay Gerber, Juané Meiring, Carina Thomas, Talia Ferreira, Nila Barkhuizen.
Boys:
Juan Joubert, Francois Hugo, Leonard Hendrikse, Wilhelm Smet, Barend Wessels, Luan Menningke, Philip Coetzee, Zach Els, Liyanda Binta, Gerrard Matthews-Boukoua, Justin Brown, Roux Wasserman, Christopher Schoeman, Jacques van Dyk, Meyr Blom, Stefan Swanepoel.
