Big weekend for Maties against WPCC

Dylan Swanepoel

Dylan Swanepoel

Both first teams of the Steinhoff Maties Hockey Club kept its undefeated records in the Western Province Grand Challenge this past weekend against title contenders WPCC.

The women’s team won 3-0 after goals from Natasha Rootenburg, Charne Roux and Tarryn Glasby. It was an important game to win for the team seeing that they had to play without three of their regular players – Erin Hunter, Quanita Bobbs and Illse Davids – who are with the South African national women’s team at a training camp. Maties will have to make do without this trio for the next few games in the WPGC. Thus it was very important for coach Jenny King to see how her back-up players fair. At times the team struggled to get the rhythm going, but it was a solid performance. Maties have scored 17 goals in four matches thus far and are the log leaders with 12 points after four matches.

Both the women and the men are the defending WPGC champions.

The Maties men found themselves locked in an epic battle for supremacy against the WPCC men’s team that included Olympians Lloyd Norris-Jones, Wade Paton and Andrew Cronje. The game started with two goals in the first minute of the match. Shannon Boucher scored for Maties and mere seconds later Norris-Jones equalised. At halftime Maties were 1-2 behind, but some extreme agility from James Drummond set up a perfect pass for Keenan Horne to score the equaliser from. Horne did great to reach the pass. Maties have scored 27 goals in six matches and conceded only 3. They are top of log with 16 points. Maties are one point ahead of WPCC, who has played one game less.

Next up for the men is a game against Pinelands on Sunday at 13:30. The women play at 12:00 followed by a match versus Somerset West Monday evening at 19:00.

The teams for the USSA tournament from 28 June to 4 July in Pietermaritzburg have been announced: WOMEN: Paige Alcock, Quanita Bobbs, Jenade Brodel, Danielle Cairns, Illse Davids, Anneline Davin, Alegra Djikstra, Tarryn Glasby, Erin Hunter, Bronwyn Kretzmann, Niclole le Fleur, Gaby Masureik, Heather McEwan, Paige Phillips, Natasha Rootenburg, Charne Roux, Marelise Scheepers, Simone Strydom. MEN: Jacques Bleeker, Matt Anderson, Daniel Bell, Shannon Boucher, Charlie Bowren, Matt da Sousa, Pierre de Voux, James Drummond, Robert Edwards, Chris Hawkridge, Keenan Horne, Brad Logan, Rob McKinley, Bili Ntuli, Alex Stewart, Dylan Swanepoel, Jordan Turnbull, Ryan White.

Heather McEwan

Heather McEwan

This entry was posted in Club. Bookmark the permalink.