In a seesaw of results, Our Lady of Fatima reclaimed the Durban North Regional title in a well contested final of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge that took place on Saturday 16 March at Curro Salt Rock.
They met defending champions, Danville Park Girls’ High School, going up 1 nil midway through the final. Fatima pummelled in a cracker with 10.40 on the clock. Fatima's Georgia Brown, who was perched at the Top of the D, pounced on the ball during a short corner and wasted no time in firing in her attempt This gave her team a goal advantage which turned out to be the only goal of the regional final.
In recent years, the regional title has ping-ponged between Fatima and Danville Park, with Danville being victorious in 2021 and 2023, and Fatima in 2022 and now, raising the trophy after a successful run on Saturday. This is the fifth time in the fourteen years of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge that Our Lady of Fatima are making an appearance at the Grand Finals.
Enroute to the final, Fatima met host school, Curro in their first pool game, starting off strongly with a 4 nil win. Full of confidence, they took on Durban North College in their second game going up 8 nil. A focussed Reddam uMhlanga side gave them a challenge, drawing nil nil, with their final pool game going 3 nil up against Crawford La Lucia.
In a smaller, more competitive pool, Danville only played three games. They met Northlands Girls’ High School in their opening game, going up 1 nil. Their second run was against a strong team from Ashton International College, with the result ending in a nil nil draw after a feisty challenge. Their final game was a victory of 2 nil against Crawford North Coast.
In the Semi Finals, first up - Fatima met Ashton International College. From the whistle, Fatima was in top gear, rising to the early ball, intercepting often and playing an all-round better game winning comfortably, netting 3 fantastic field goals against the Ballito team. Fatima players Georgia Brown, Isabella Slater and Jenna Shaw netting the goals for their victory.
In the second semi, Danville took on a determined team from Reddam House uMhlanga. In a fast-flowing game, Danville dominated possession but were just unable to finish off any of their build ups. A terrier of a player, Cody Bestebier worked her magic running the ball into the Reddam circle, moving it swiftly across, with a tap heading goalwards. Lurking around the penalty spot, Aaishah Karodia ushered it slickly under the charging keeper for the only goal in that game.
Representing Danville, Tatum Kroutz was awarded the Umpire of the Day. Kroutz is no stranger to this tournament, having played when she was at Danville until she matriculated in 2020. Taking up the role of umpire, she participated in last year’s tournament and was acknowledged with the Most Promising Umpire award.
Our Lady of Fatima is the fourth team to secure a spot at the Grand Finals. They join Durban Girls’ College representing the Durban Central Regional, The Wykeham Collegiate who were crowned in the Pietermaritzburg North Regional and St John’s D.S.G. representing the Pietermaritzburg Central Regional. In back-to-back action, following the Durban North Regional, teams battled it out at the Highway Regional on Sunday, with St Mary’s D.S.G. being victorious there.
The challenge has a break over Easter, with New Forest hosting the first tournament in April, teams will head to 3 Schools Trust on 6 April for the Durban South Regional. All games will be live streamed on SuperSport Schools. For more info like the tournaments’ Facebook page or follow on Instagram.
Results
Regional Final:
Our Lady of Fatima 1 vs Danville Park Girls’ High School 0
Semi Final One: Our Lady of Fatima 3 vs Ashton International College 0
Semi Final Two: Danville Park Girls’ High School 1 vs Reddam uMhlanga 0
Pool A
1 Our Lady of Fatima 13 points; 2 Reddam House uMhlanga 10points; 3 Curro Salt Rock 8 points; 4 Crawford La Lucia 5 points, 5 Durban North College 0 points
Pool B
1 Danville Park Girls’ High 9 points; 2 Ashton International College 6 Points; 3 Northlands Girls’ High School 2 points; 4 Crawford North Coast 1 point