Grey High capped an excellent tournament with a 3-1 win over Paul Roos Gymnasium to be crowned the Hibbert Cup U16 hockey champions after the final at the Grey Rectory Astro in Gqeberha on Saturday.
In the inaugural U14 Hibbert Plate event, Paarl Gymnasium held the edge in their final against Westville, taking the honours with a 2-0 victory.
It was the culmination of a memorable celebration of schoolboy hockey and Pearson High’s Anton Peltenburg, who arranged the Cup and Plate tournaments, said they would be looking to increase the teams from 12 to 16 next year.
The age-group events, held at Pearson, ran concurrently with the first team Hibbert Shield tournament, hosted by Grey High.
“There was some really good feedback from the visiting teams and we think having 16 teams in each division will give us a better format for next year,” Peltenburg said.
“It really is a great opportunity for players to receive exposure to a high level of hockey and to see some of the senior teams in action as well.”
Grey High U16 coach James Atherton said they were delighted with their final performance, producing a controlled display to defeat their Stellenbosch rivals.
In the U16 semifinals, Grey beat SACS 2-1, while Paul Roos overcame Durban High School 5-0.
“Last year we actually played Paul Roos in the third place playoff and so it seems both teams have improved,” Atherton said.
“We did expect strong competition but we came into the tournament with some good momentum, having beaten SACS in Cape Town recently and Paul Roos last weekend.
“But you also have to manage expectations and we developed nicely during the tournament.
“We started with a tough 1-0 win against Garsfontein, who defended like champions, and the team showed they have a lot of heart, for example, coming back from 1-0 down against SACS after six minutes to win the semifinal.”
In the final against Paul Roos, there was little to choose between the sides at the halfway mark, although Grey did hold a crucial advantage with two goals from Keegan le Roux giving them a 2-1 lead. Paul Roos scored through Louis Kriel.
The home side were then able to control the rest of the game and a penalty corner strike from James Chree put them 3-1 ahead, a lead they kept comfortably until the end.
HeraldLIVE
Grey High take control to win U16 Hibbert Cup title
Image: SUPPLIED
Grey High capped an excellent tournament with a 3-1 win over Paul Roos Gymnasium to be crowned the Hibbert Cup U16 hockey champions after the final at the Grey Rectory Astro in Gqeberha on Saturday.
In the inaugural U14 Hibbert Plate event, Paarl Gymnasium held the edge in their final against Westville, taking the honours with a 2-0 victory.
It was the culmination of a memorable celebration of schoolboy hockey and Pearson High’s Anton Peltenburg, who arranged the Cup and Plate tournaments, said they would be looking to increase the teams from 12 to 16 next year.
The age-group events, held at Pearson, ran concurrently with the first team Hibbert Shield tournament, hosted by Grey High.
“There was some really good feedback from the visiting teams and we think having 16 teams in each division will give us a better format for next year,” Peltenburg said.
“It really is a great opportunity for players to receive exposure to a high level of hockey and to see some of the senior teams in action as well.”
Grey High U16 coach James Atherton said they were delighted with their final performance, producing a controlled display to defeat their Stellenbosch rivals.
In the U16 semifinals, Grey beat SACS 2-1, while Paul Roos overcame Durban High School 5-0.
“Last year we actually played Paul Roos in the third place playoff and so it seems both teams have improved,” Atherton said.
“We did expect strong competition but we came into the tournament with some good momentum, having beaten SACS in Cape Town recently and Paul Roos last weekend.
“But you also have to manage expectations and we developed nicely during the tournament.
“We started with a tough 1-0 win against Garsfontein, who defended like champions, and the team showed they have a lot of heart, for example, coming back from 1-0 down against SACS after six minutes to win the semifinal.”
In the final against Paul Roos, there was little to choose between the sides at the halfway mark, although Grey did hold a crucial advantage with two goals from Keegan le Roux giving them a 2-1 lead. Paul Roos scored through Louis Kriel.
The home side were then able to control the rest of the game and a penalty corner strike from James Chree put them 3-1 ahead, a lead they kept comfortably until the end.
HeraldLIVE
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