Boishaaier 2019

HOCKEY

H o c k e y s e a s o n 2 0 1 9 s t a r t e d w i t h t h e w o n d e r f u l f e e l i n g o f b e i n g a b l e t o p r a c t i c e a n d p l ay o n o u r O W N A s t r o t u r f .

O nce again a huge thank you needs to be given to all the people involved in making this wish a reality. The hockey staff welcomed both old and new coaches into their ranks this season: Mr Rowan McLachlan (head of coaching) joined to coach the first team, while Mr Brett Tesselaar went back to his old Seccies stomping ground. New coach Sakkie Jones ably showed the little U14A team the ropes while Old Boy Ryan Francke joined the U19D team. Boasting 14 teams (4 x U19, 4 x U16 and 3 x U14) this year was a very welcome challenge. Not many schools have as many teams as Paarl Boys’ High so that on occasion one team would be playing one school while another team plays a different school … on the same weekend! A new fixture, “Over-the Mountain”, was testament to this when Paarl Boys’ hockey played four different schools over one weekend. The first team was invited to the King Edwards School Festival O ur first team captain, Matthew Didloff, was included in the South Africa U18 Schools squad, and Scott Paterson, who is only in Grade 11, was included in the U17 High Performance squad. They both made Boys’ High hockey very proud! Games against overseas visitors were fun and fast. The first team played against Millfield School from the UK beating them 3 – 2. And then … Interschools. One thing that a Boys’ Higher does very well, is losing with grace, and that was what was required at the Interschools game this year. Unfortunately, victory was not on the first team’s side, but they conducted themselves as true gentlemen and did not allow one game to define them as a team. The U16 squad of 2019 had a target to reach this year. They had to finish in the top 10 ranked schools in the country to qualify for the Top Schools Tournament held at Paarl Gimnasium. Despite tired legs and sore bodies, the team gave their all.

in March. This is a prestigious tournament and an honour for the school to be invited. The boys played against school teams we don’t usually meet up with, like Jeppe High and Affies, our greatest achievement being the defeat of Affies 0 – 1. In May the Blue Army travelled up to Bloemfontein for the annual Blue/Grey Clash. Every hockey team was able to get a game. The results were not completely favourable but the U14A 1 – 1 draw was definitely celebrated. One of Mrs McFarlane’s passions is the development of hockey at schools. A programme of skills outreach has been established along with Mr Elmar Liebenberg from ELC Academy, with the aim of getting as many schools developing Astro skills and being able to utilise these skills in a game. New Orleans Secondary School was the pilot school in this project, along with the hockey sponsor Henties, who provided the refreshments. A lot of learning, fun and skills were enjoyed. There is always something new happening at Boys’ High Hockey. This year was the introduction of the Pro-Hockey League , or PHL for short. The tournament consisted of ten teams, two pools, mixed age groups and a lot of fun. Congratulations to team TNG for winning the inaugural tournament. Also to all the sponsors: Basson and Blackburn; OrbitX, Elmar Liebenberg Academy; Laastedrift Landgoed; Lekkerte Diner; Vastrap 174 Landgoed, Leon Wessels; Maryna van Staden; Liana Mocke and Jean Kotze. Their assistance contributed to the success of the event. Boys’ High Hockey hosted Twig Day on 7 September, where Grade 7 learners who are coming to Boys’ High in 2020 had the opportunity to take part in a clinic and games. It was an opportunity for the coaches to see what talent is on its way to Paarl Boys’ High next year as well as a chance for the

Grade 7s to make some new friends. A Paarl Boys’ High Hockey player has a G rowth. O pportunity. A ttitude. L egacy. to prove!

130 BOISHAAI 151 YEARS