Host province Southern Free State and dominant travellers Western Province held off tough challenges on Friday to lift the A-section schools hockey trophies on the final day of the SASHOC U-18 Nationals, as the six-day tournament came to a spectacular close at the Kovsies Astro grounds in Bloemfontein.
In the girls’ A-section, Southern Free State clinched the narrowest of victories following a thrilling battle against Boland.
After regulation time ended with the teams locked at 0-0, the home side went on to grab a 3-2 win in a penalty shootout.
Earlier, in the third-place playoff, KZN Inland beat Western Province 2-1 to secure the bronze medal.
In the boys’ A-section final, Southern Gauteng captain Jaydon Brooker scored his 11th goal of the tournament in an effort to get his team over the line.
It was not enough in the end, however, as Western Province were just too strong, earning a 3-1 win to claim the trophy.
KZN Coastals snatched bronze after edging Boland in the playoff for third position.
Meanwhile, Western Province and Southern Gauteng wrapped up the national U-18 titles in the B-section competitions.
In the girls’ final, Western Province defeated Eastern Gauteng 1-0 in another closely fought contest.
Southern Gauteng also had to work hard in the boys’ final, but they managed to hold on for a 2-1 triumph against Eden.
After the tournament, individual awards were handed out to the best performers, while a total of 104 players were selected for six SASHOC national squads – boys’ and girls’ U-18 A, U-18 B and U-17 teams consisting of 18 players each.
In the girls’ division, Southern Free State star Taheera Agousti was named Player of the Tournament, while Brooker stood out in the boys’ competition, returning home with the Player of the Tournament and Midfielder of the Tournament accolades.
Following the conclusion of the U-18 tournament, the SASHOC Nationals will now feature the U-13 competition, also being played in Bloemfontein between 2-5 July. The annual series of age group events will then close with the U-16 championships, to be contested between 7-12 July.
Catch all the action live, with games throughout the SASHOC Nationals being streamed on the SuperSport Schools app.