Excitement is in the air as players prepare for the SPAR Eastern Cape Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge, which gets underway in Makhanda on Sunday (March 6).
The teams competing in this popular tournament, where matches are played in a shortened format, are DSG, Kingswood and Victoria Girls’ from Makhanda, Union High and Volkskool from Graaff-Reinet and Brandwag from Kariega.
The PE Inland Regional event will take place at DSG with the six schools vying for bragging rights and the chance to represent their school in the provincial finals in August.
SPAR EC sponsorships and events manager Alan Stapleton said, “It is very special to be able to welcome a spectrum of schools to these events, to give them the opportunity to compete, have fun and to make friends with some of the schools against whom they don’t often play.”
Tournament director Matt Blair said, “So far 2022 seems like it will be the first year where school sport returns to normal and we are incredibly excited to get back on the turf for the Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge.”
Blair said the fixtures still had to be finalised but that the tournament would be played on a round-robin basis, with the top two teams contesting the final.
Following the tournament in Makhanda, the PE Coastal leg will take place at Woodridge on March 9.
Then there will be a two-month break before it resumes with the Southern Cape tournament in George on May 7, followed by the EL Coastal leg in East London on May 15 and the EL Inland leg in Queenstown on May 22.
The provincial finals will be played at Collegiate in Gqeberha on August 13 and 14.
