HOCKEY NEWS - Knysna High School and Oakhill School will be targeting four-time champions York High as they gear up to take part in the Southern Cape leg of the SPAR Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge in George on 7 May.

This annual event, which features five tournaments from across the Eastern and Southern Cape, is back after being disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. 

Five teams - Knysna High, Oakhill, York High, Outeniqua High and Glenwood House - will line up to try to bag the bragging rights when the Southern Cape leg takes place at Outeniqua High in George.

Tournament organiser Matthew Blair said they were thrilled to be back on track with a full version of the challenge. "We are incredibly excited to be back in the Southern Cape and can hopefully grow the SPAR Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge in the area in years to come," he said. 

"York will be looking to defend their title from 2019, but I believe it will be a tight race for the top honours."

In the four years of the competition taking place in George, York were the winners on each occasion. They defied Oakhill in the 2016 decider and had the better of Outeniqua in the remaining three finals, although two of those went to a penalty shootout. York also reached the provincial final in 2017 but were beaten by East London outfit Clarendon High.

Blair said with matches being restricted to 25 minutes one way, there is always a lot of pressure on the players to achieve a result. "But they always seem to embrace the challenge and there have been some really good contests already this year," he added. "In George, the teams will play in a round-robin format, with the top two sides qualifying for the final."

SPAR Eastern Cape sponsorships and events manager Alan Stapleton said they were delighted to continue their association with the region. 

"It is very special to be able to welcome a variety of schools to these events to give them the opportunity to compete, have fun and to make friends."

He said the event is the perfect opportunity to showcase the values which SPAR promotes. "It helps us to underline SPAR's commitment to supporting women's sport, while also being able to interact with the youth and spread a message of community and family support within a competitive but fun-based environment."

'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'