FLIPPING BOOK CHRONICLE 2024

Next, we participated in the Independent Schools Hockey Festival at Bishops, in Cape Town. Our first match was against the hosts, which ended in a 3-1 loss – the only game this season where we were truly outplayed. Credit must go to a top-quality Bishops outfit. We then faced Somerset College, losing 3-2 after relinquishing an early lead in a match we had expected to win. This was followed by two draws against St David’s and St Benedict’s. With five matches without a win, we were getting more and more desperate to reward ourselves with a positive result. Nevertheless, the team demonstrated remarkable character and focus to keep working in the right direction. We ended the tour on a high note with a 3-0 victory over St Andrew’s College, finally seeing reward for our efforts and the quality of hockey we were starting to play. At the end of the first-term holidays, we returned to school early for a camp and practice matches against Garsfontein, crucial for our preparation versus Northwood. Northwood had been back at school for two weeks, so the camp was vital. Under the lights, in front of a packed Punchbowl Astro, we started strongly, creating numerous opportunities but failing to score. Northwood capitalised on our missed chances, scoring against the run of play. We managed to equalise in the final quarter, ending the match in a 1-1 draw that felt more like a loss. The following week, we hosted Kearsney, again in front of a packed Punchbowl. The support that the first team received this season was fantastic. It was unfortunately a nightmare start to the match. We fell behind early, conceding three goals in the first ten minutes. Despite creating chance after chance and dominating play for the remaining 50 minutes, we were punished for the poor start and ultimately lost 3-2. The away match against Hilton provided a chance to turn our season around. We played most of the match with only ten players, making life difficult for ourselves. Despite the numerical disadvantage, we scored two brilliant field goals. Hilton hit back each time we scored, making it 2-2 going into the last quarter. A diving tackle by our captain, Patrick Lambert, set up West Mitchell-Innes for a decisive winner. It was a memorable day for both the first team and Michaelhouse hockey. Overall, we won eight, drew two and lost two. Next up was Maritzburg College, the first of three matches against opposition on their old boys’ days. We struggled to adapt to their man-to-man pressing, which limited our scoring opportunities. We were still in the contest with the score at 0-0 going into the final quarter. We were desperate to get our attack firing and overcommitted numbers not once but twice. On both occasions we conceded sharp counter attacking goals. College won the match 2-0. We then embarked on our best run of the season, going four matches without a loss. Highlights included a dominant victory against St Charles, a draw against Pretoria Boys High, and a thrilling win against a top-quality DHS team on their old boys’ day. DHS were ranked third in the country and stacked

with provincial and national players. After initially going 1-0 down, we showcased our resilience, equalising through a well-executed short-corner variation and then scoring twice more. At 3-1 up and time up, DHS scored from a short corner, and the match ended 3-2 in our favour. We hoped to continue building momentum and we entered the away match against Kearsney with confidence. In what was our most dominant performance of the season, we could not find dominance on the scoreboard and drew 0-0. We created chance after chance and had Kearsney scrambling, but they defended their circle superbly. Our final match of the season was at home against Hilton, and we had hopes of securing a second win against them. The evening atmosphere at Punchbowl was electric, with big support for both teams – a brilliant advert for schoolboy hockey in South Africa. Despite our best efforts and some near misses – including hitting the crossbar twice – we ultimately lost 2-0. It was a season of fine margins with close results throughout. The players had to adapt to new coaching styles and a different tactical approach, so our slow start to the season was not a surprise. It was evident that the team took some time to play with the freedom needed. The five matches we drew were performances that we felt we had dominated and should have been rewarded with a winner. Results aside, the effort, commitment and resilience that this group showed throughout a challenging season is something they can be proud of. Special mention to a core group of A Blockers who each week set a brilliant example in their preparation and performance.

2024 FIRST TEAM RESULTS

OPPOSITION

RESULT

SCORE

Westville Boys’ High School Diocesan College (Bishops)

lost lost lost

2-0 3-1 3-2 2-2 1-1 3-0 1-1 3-2 3-2 2-0 2-0 1-1 3-2 0-0 2-0

Somerset College

St David’s Marist, Inanda

drew drew won drew lost won lost won drew won drew

St Benedict’s College St Andrew’s College Northwood School Kearsney College

Hilton College

Maritzburg College St Charles College

Pretoria Boys High School

Durban High School

Kearsney College Hilton College

lost

153