GEORGE NEWS - The search for the next champions will get underway in earnest when the finals of the SPAR Eastern Cape Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge take place at Collegiate High in Gqeberha on 13 and 14 August.
The team from Outeniqua High in George is one of the five teams vying for the title.
It will be the first grand finale since Covid struck and tournament director Matt Blair is happy to see the tournament come full circle for the first time in three seasons.
Blair says the tournament would feature a unique first when an all-female umpiring team hit the astro this weekend.
“Naturally, the focus is on the players. But the competition also provides a platform for aspiring umpires to prove their credentials and we are incredibly excited about this development.”
The finals are the culmination of the annual challenge which saw hundreds of schoolgirls compete in five regional tournaments around the Eastern and Southern Cape.
One of the key drivers is to expose young players to competition that they wouldn’t have competed against in the past.
The regional champions that will contest the provincial finals are Collegiate (champions in 2016), Clarendon (champions in 2017), DSG, Outeniqua High and Queenstown Girls’ High.
Collegiate and Queenstown Girls’ High will open the programme at 15.30 on the Saturday and play will continue until the Sunday morning.
The teams will contest a round-robin, with the top two qualifying for the Sunday final at 11.30.
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