On Thursday afternoon Harvest 1^st team came to play Victoria Park high school. The girl’s took some time to get their head in the game, with the first half very disjointed. The girl’s had moments of individual brilliance, but were not able to put together constructive passes. The girl’s found themselves playing down the same channels and not getting back quick enough when Harvest counter-attacked.

The girl’s managed to step up the pace after the half-time talk; they played more of a passing game and pushed up more in attack. They were putting together better passes and about 15 minutes into the second half, Haylee Jones scored a phenomenal goal on the left post from a ball crossed into the circle.

Despite not playing to their full potential, the girls claimed a good win and we look forward to our next game.

Our second team played Linkside first team and claimed a very good win. Goals were scored by Kayla-Rae Bradfield and Robyn Larkin. Unfortunately our u14 C girls went down to Linkside, 0-2.

Victoria Park High School played PJ Olivier on Wednesday, 28 April. The game was dominated by Victoria Park, with 90% of the game played in their half. The girls played constructive hockey, putting together some lovely passes. We were able to penetrate PJ Olivier’s defence many times, but unable to convert our opportunities. We had numerous short corners, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net.

Our first goal only came late in the first half, after some lovely passes, good communication and a perfect finish by Michelle Drake. We continued to dominate in the second half and after a lovely cross from the right side of the field; Louise Pretorius put away an awesome goal on the left post, securing a 2-0 win.

The nature of the game allowed us to build our attack from the back, but we need to work on our finishing for our next match. Well done to the girls on the first game of the season. Special mention must be made of the PJ Olivier goalkeeper who had a really good game.

DERBY DAY: BRANDWAG – 01 MAY 2010

On 1 May, 2010 the 1^st team Victoria Park played Brandwag 1^st team. Our girls were very excited for the game, coming off a win on the Wednesday. We had a slow start to the game, making some unnecessary mistakes and putting our defence under some pressure. We were again able to penetrate the defence a few times, but their goalkeeper was too good and we were a little unlucky in our finishing touches on the ball.

After the half time talk, the girls stepped up their game and put together some amazing passes. We stayed composed at the back and were able to run the ball out of our half many times. Louise Pretorius had an amazing game at the back in her role as centre half, controlling and distributing the ball beautifully.

Eventually in the last few minutes of the game we got a short corner. The ball was fed out early to Louise who took a shot, it came off the keeper to the P-spot, where Kaylor van Rooyen took another shot and eventually it was finished by Vuyelwa Mhlaba. A tribute to the way the game was played, showing team work.

The girls used the width of the field very well and are really working well at their passing game. We have some work to do before Westering this weekend, but I feel confident the girls will be ready. Our player of the match: Louise Pretorius.

Other results against Brandwag:

14B 1-0 Win

16A 2-0 Win (Nicole Wienand, Maxine Bonnage)

16B 1-0 Win (Sarah Rautenbach)

16C 0-0

2^nd 1-1 (Kayla-Rae Bradfield)

HOCKEY:

Our 2^nd girls and boys hockey teams put up great performances playing against Port Alfred’s 1^st team. They recorded the following results:

2^nd Boys’ Hockey lost 3 – 1

2^nd Girls Hockey won 2 – 0

Our 1^st boys’ hockey had some good results in the annual “Opening Day Tournament” which was held at NMMU. The recorded the following results:

Alexander Road 0-0 (Won on penalties)

St Andrews Lost 2-0

Woodridge Won 2-0

1ST TEAM GIRLS’ HOCKEY
The year began with trials in the first week of March. The girls being very eager for the season ahead, trained hard for their first tour to York High in George. The team was narrowed down to a squad of 14 players which clicked immediately and made so many memories, full of laughs and crazy moments.

The team started with a friendly game against Westering and we beat them 3-1, then headed off to the York High tournament in George. The girls settled in well, playing some good hockey and meeting some new friends at the socials. The girls maintained their pace, playing with lots of energy in the Grahamstown Open Day festival. We arrived in the late afternoon, having to play our first match as soon as we got out of the bus. We went down narrowly to Pearson, and attribute it to our “jet lag”. We didn’t let that stop us performing and went on to win our next 2 games against Riebeck (1-0) and Framesby (5-1) before losing narrowly to a strong Alex side (1-0).

The girls came back as a unit and were excited for the season ahead. We  began the derby season with a bang beating Nico Malan, with Susan (aka Pinky) opening up the scoring in the first half, and Donna scoring the second goal in the early minutes of the second half. This was followed by a draw against Westering, beating Riebeck (3-1), drawing and playing an excellent game on the astro against Pearson (1-1) and sadly suffering our first derby loss to Woodridge. It was a tough game, but the girls didn’t give up.

For the first half of the season the girls played really well and were not going to stop their good form there. We had so much fighting spirit and came to every game wanting to play AND WIN! During the school holidays we were invited to the Westering Co-ed festival. The girls dominated the tournament, winning 4 games and drawing one. On top of being undefeated, we also did not let in any goals, giving us a clean sheet for the festival.

After the holidays we were eager to face the tough opposition Union High School. Michelle Drake opened up the scoring with an excellent goal in the first half, putting the team on a high. Unfortunately Union came back hard in the second half, scoring 2 goals to take the game 2-1. As the season went on; the girls were known for their crazy memorable moments, from the dolphin cries to uncontrollable giggles. The enthusiasm was carried through to each match too.

The highlight of the season was definitely the York tour with our hockey boys. It was filled with many humorous events and the tour was also a great success. The season went on and the girls each developed as individuals and we went from strength to strength as a team. We went on to play DF Malherbe, playing a passionate hard game, with a stunning goal scored by Kaley Powell (KP). The team underestimated Harvest and allowed a draw, not playing to our full potential. A few days later, we played our prestigious rivals Collegiate High School. It was an intense game and unfortunately we let the first goal through in the first half. We came back with a goal in the second, but sadly we let our guard down and Collegiate scored in the last few minutes of the second half. We definitely walked off the field with our heads high though, knowing V.P. was the better side and this was just not our year for taking them.

The Victoria Park High School 1st Girls Hockey team of 2009 ended their season with the game of their life. In a match marred by controversy V.P. dominated, with Donna scoring the first goal in the last minute of the game. The score at the end of the game was 1-1, but in all of our hearts was a win against Alex. It definitely proved an interesting game, the girls fighting to the last minute, making it an amazing tribute game to our matrics of 2009.

V.P. 1st girls produced some superb hockey, never giving up and had such passion for their team and the game. We played for our badge (Proudly Victorian) and we played for each other. The team never stopped laughing with the famous five (Louwmari, Kaley, Emma, Toni and Michelle). The season again flew by, but the team of 2009 will not be forgotten, we simply are the BEST! We will truly miss all our Matrics, with six of them leaving and also to our star keeper, who we have lost to Woodridge. Next year will prove to be a challenge in replacing those star players, but not a challenge that our girls cannot meet and conquer!

BIG THANK YOU to Miss Kohne for being an amazing coach who never gave up on us. She shared in all the laughs and put up with all the moans and groans over little things. You taught us so much and we appreciate all the time you invested.
Captain: Susan Wells
Vice-Captain: Kaley Powell

1st Girls Overall Season summary
Played        24
Won        12
Lost        7
Drew        5

EP REPRESENTATIVES

Two of our ladies were also rewarded with their EP colours. Michelle Drake made the u18B side and Louise Pretorius made the u18C team. Unfortunately Emma Webb, who would have probably made the u16A EP side, was not available for the tour.

LOUISE PRETORIUS ON HER EP EXPERIENCE

After playing hockey since Grade 1, I have dreamed of playing in a provincial side, and even of playing for South Africa. This year I reached my first stepping stone, I made the u18C E.P. team. After 3 trials, they announced the team on the evening of the 5th June. It was a great day for me and my team mate Michelle Drake, who made the u18B EP team. I was extremely proud of her and we were both ecstatic! Although we didn’t make the same team, we settled down comfortably into our teams. My side was to travel to Stellenbosch and Michelle’s to Durban.

We trained up to 3 hours a day and left for the tour on 28th June at 4:15am. We played 3 games on the first day, 2 the following and 2 on the last day. Although we did not return with many wins, we definitely improved not only as individuals, but as a team throughout the tournament. The level of hockey was high and pushed me to play better. The tour was awesome, the team was a mixture of girls from many schools, full of talent and character. It was an honor to play with the girls and to be coached by Martyn, who had plenty of talent and knowledge which he shared with us throughout the tournament. He was strict at times, but we settled well with him and he turned out to be quite a funny “chap!” Our manageress, Nola Steyn was quite the lady (aka Mommy Bear) and we knew we could count on her when we were down or hurt.  All in all, it was an amazing memorable trip, during which I learnt a great deal. I didn’t only improve and learn a lot, but also came away from the trip with true friends who I will remember for a life time.

I am extremely excited about what lies ahead for me. I know this is just the beginning and I am not going to give up my dreams of achieving that second stepping stone of making the u18A EP side in 2010 and maybe in a few years you will see me in the SA side. I know it takes practice, belief and hard work, but I will do my best. I just want to thanks my girls, Miss Kohne and the VP family for supporting me throughout my hockey in VP and helping me be the hockey player that I am today!

Louise Pretorius

MICHELLE DRAKE ON HER E.P. EXPERIENCE

On the evening of the 27th June, the players, coaches and managers of the u18A and B teams departed for the highly anticipated inter-provincial Tournament that was to be hosted in Durban.

We all expected the ± 15 hours drive to be the worst part of the tour, but after playing a match at midday in close to 30°C temperature, we soon changed our minds. Out of the 6 days on tour, 4 were spent on the turf, sometimes playing 2 games a day.

Both the E.P. teams played well and show-cased talent we have in the Eastern Cape, although we were not able to claim the top position in either of our respective leagues.

This IPT was by far the best I’ve ever had the privilege of playing at and was also the most rewarding for me as far as improving my personal game. E.P. did well to find such committed coaches and managers for our teams, which ensured a successful tournament.

On the turf, we were focused and played with our hearts, show-casing the passion we all feel for the sport of hockey.

During the awards ceremony at the end of the tournament, Nicole Kemp and Zimmi Meyer were named part of the u/21 South African squad.

I would personally like to thank Catherine Nicol (coach) and Crystal Stuart (manager) for all they did for the B team.

Michelle Drake

2ND GIRLS HOCKEY TEAM REPORT

The 2nd Girls were a very spirited and lively team this year. A happy, fun filled season was had by all. Despite mixed fortunes they fought hard in each match until the final whistle. In some of their games their opponents were the First Teams of the particular school, which did put them at a disadvantage, but this did not dull their fighting spirit.

One of the highlights was the game against St Dominics First team where the VP girls defended well in the first half but went one goal down in the final seconds of the first half.  The second half was a copy of the first with St Dominics scoring again on the final whistle. Even though we lost this one 2 – 0, it was a tremendous display of commitment and VP came off the field with their heads held high.

In the final game of the season against Alexander Road the VP girls played the game of their lives and held out to a well-deserved draw.  Sese Gqabaza almost scored at the end and continued trying well after the final whistle!

Casey van Dyk  was the kingpin of a sound defence supported by Liesl Stowman, Vuvu Ntozini, Kimberly Anderson, Kirsty Clarke and Candice Stephens.  Stacey Bell pulled off some great saves in goal at point blank range.  Kimbly Knipp proved herself to be the most versatile and most enthusiastic player on the field.  Kirsty Joubert, Keziah Tommy and Lachae Human worked well together as links.  The strikers had endless attempts at goal all season but the goal box tended to elude them. Kayla-Rae Bradfield and Claire Cox alternated in the centre with Sese Gqabaza on the left and Candice Apolis on the right.

Captain Candice Apolis with her sunny personality and caring nature led the team well by example. She was well supported by her vice-captain, Kirsty Clarke.

3RD TEAM GIRLS HOCKEY

The 3rd team girls had a very inconsistent season. All credit must go to coach David Vincent for his enthusiasm and for always being so well prepared for practices and matches. Unfortunately practices were not as well attended as would have liked them to be and perhaps better attendance would have helped our performances.

In their matches, all the girls were enthusiastic and gave their all, but it just wasn’t enough in most of the games. A big thank you to Jasmine Ferreira and Nicola Hanekom for helping the team out and to Tamlyn Delponte, who, playing for the first time in her life, was our star goalkeeper.

Next year, with a little more practice and commitment, the 3rd team will be a force to be reckoned with.

U16A GIRLS HOCKEY

The 2009 Hockey season started off with a bang with an opening tour to Stellenbosch. Sixteen of the most enthusiastic girls were chosen to represent this team and each brought their own unique quality and technique to the game.

Even before we set off to Stellenbosch, the girls decided to start the team-building experience, by holding a cake sale for a few individuals that did not have finances to make the tour. The ended up meeting the target and more, enabling us to have a, “get to know each other” milkshake at Mugg and Bean while on tour.

In Stellenbosch the girls had the opportunity to play against schools from all over the country and performed outstandingly well. The competed in 6 games, winning 3 of them, drawing 2 and losing 1 of the games. Apart from the tactics on the field, they also had a great time off the field, getting to know each other and having fun sportingly, as well as ample time socially.

Returning from Stellenbosch the girls only had one week to relax before the opening of the season challenge held at Woodridge. Again the girls played extremely well, not losing any of their games, but unfortunately sustaining some injuries.

Throughout the season, the girls did fantastically well. Along with coming to all practises (including the extra days of fitness), they always kept a high spirit and enthusiasm, that was pleasing to be around. Needless to say, I had a fantastic season coaching and getting to know each of these girls. Thank you all for the fun, laughter and dedication you have put in; GOOD LUCK for next season.

Ms Alydia Botha

U16B GIRLS HOCKEY

Looking back on the past season, we were all very disappointed to see it end so quickly. One of the best games we played was against DF MALHERBE, where we played as a team and we fully understood the saying, “All for one and one for all!” We played with all out heart and put everything into each game.

We would like to thank Miss Wolmarans for a memorable season and helping us become the best players that we could be!

Cayce Fielding

U16C GIRLS’ HOCKEY

The 2009 u16C girl’s hockey team had a very difficult season, but we still enjoyed it to the very end. This was the first time playing hockey for many of the girls and their improvement was astronomical. We always tried our best and we grew together as a team. Practices were always a lot of fun and many new friendships were formed. Our opponents were strong, but we played our hearts out for V.P. and although we didn’t win many of our matches, we still had a good time.
Thanks must go to Christine Vorster, who gave up her own time to coach us and for never giving up on us.

Suanne Honiball

U14A GIRLS HOCKEY

The u14A hockey girls had a really good season this year. We kicked off with the open day tournament held at Collegiate where we won 3 out of the 5 games we played. From there things just improved. At practices the girls had huge amounts of spirit and energy which we carried over into our matches.

For every single match we would walk onto the field with determination and in the end the hard work paid off. We went through the season with a few draws and a couple of wins, remaining unbeaten until the last game against Alexander Road High School.

The most memorable match for us was against Collegiate. This was the match that all the girls had been waiting for and working towards, since they were our biggest rivals. It was a very close game, but we managed to pull off a win, 1-0.
We had a motto that we took with us wherever we went, “Act like ladies and play like men!” we would like to thank our coach, Jessi Heatley for all her efforts and motivation. We would also a like to thank Khanyisile Mapalala, from the u14B side who played nearly every game for us.

Stefane’ Stoltz

U14B GIRLS HOCKEY

The U14B girls hockey side had a fun-filled  and exciting season where each player had one goal in common, to win.  The team’s enthusiasm and courage helped maintain this goal as we started the season beating Riebeek College, D.F Malherbe and Pearson.  Although the girls lost the match against Woodridge, they were able to look at the positive aspects of losing and learnt from their mistakes.  Even though the team had its ups and downs, each person in the team had a role to play and executed her role to the best of her ability.

We would like to say a very special thank you to Mrs T van der Merwe (coach) who at times became very excited and stressed while watching us play, but always motivated us to do our best.  I can truly say that this has been a wonderful season and it was a huge privilege playing for such a great team.  It is important to remember that you win some and you lose some, but when you lose with dignity, that’s when you are a true “Victorian”.

Coach:  Mrs T.van der Merwe
Captain: Khanysile Mapala
Vice Captain: Nosiphiwo Ngqunge
[ps-skip]

The Westering festival, which was played on grass, leveled the playing field and the bounce of the ball sometimes made predicting the winner of a match more difficult.

Our girls started the festival with two excellent wins on the first day. We played Scottsburgh and took the lead in the first half with amazing teamwork and great passes. We had plenty of opportunities to score; dominating the majority of the game, but just couldn’t finish the final pass. Despite missed opportunities, the girls held their own and sealed the game with a 3-0 win.

We went on to play Tableview in the afternoon and the girls burst into the first half with a 4-0 lead. We forced the opposition to make mistakes and broke down play very well. The passes were once again immaculate, setting up amazing goals. We finished the game with a 5-0 result. Susan Wells had a fantastic game scoring a hat-trick. Donna-Lee also had a great day, scoring 4 goals in 2 games.

On Sunday afternoon, we had two consecutive games. Our first game against Cambridge was very closely contested, with both teams penetrating each other’s circles. Tension was high with both teams fighting for the first goal. We managed to hold them in the first half and after a fiery half-time talk, the girls pulled themselves together and took the lead and held it to final whistle. The final score was 1-0.

The girls, despite having just played a game, kept their great form against their next opposition, Bergvliet. We had some unfortunate decisions against us and also made some unforced errors, but despite all that, we felt accomplished as we held them to a 0-0 draw.

The last game was played at 8am on Monday morning against Oakhill. Despite the cold weather conditions, the girls played hard against a team that matched us evenly. We had opportunities in the first half that we did not take advantage of, but Susan Wells scored the winning goal in the second half, from a very tight angle.

The girls finished the festival unbeaten and more importantly, no goals were scored against us, credit to all the defenders and goalkeeper! We also played without two of our key players, Louise Pretorius and Michelle Drake, who were representing EP. The girls averaged 2 goals per match, finishing with 10 goals after 5 matches. The girls did VP proud and we hope to continue into the next term.

Girls’ hockey Goal Scorers