The New Zealand 18 day tour worked

ERNEST MABASA

The New Zealand tour experience could have been the reason why St Alban's College hockey team smashed Hoerskool Menlopark and claim top position in the Northerns Pretoria Boys Hockey A league.

In  the beginning of the year, the team was hard at training and during the school recess in April, Saint Albans took on an 18-days tour to New Zealand capital and played nine games.They played three games against Christ church, Christchurch Boys’ High Invitation, Shirley Boys’ High School and Christchurch Boys’ High 1st XI, two against Dunedin Otago Boys’ High School and John McGlashan College.

After 3 days in Dunedin they flew into Wellington and drove up to Palmerston North. Here we will be hosted by Palmerston North Boys’ High School. Palmerston North Boys’ High 1st XI and Palmerston North Boys’ High 2nd XI. The other game was hosted in Wanganui Collegiate against Wanganui Collegiate 1st XI. They had managed to win eight out of the nine games. College coach Ryan Anderson, who was over the moon after they beat Menlo Park four goals to two, said: “I am very grateful that we are at the top of table log. It is great feeling and means we are doing the right things. We train hard. It creates good brand in our college because hockey is very good.

Ryan Anderson still remembers the heartfelt happiness that they had in 2012 when they won the title, but even sorrow that they had to go through last year when they were dethroned. Pretoria High School for Boys, who are in position two with 18 points, won the title in 2013.”We have 21 points and defending champions have 18 points. We have three points ahead them. We never lost and that counts. We are looking forward to winning this year. We want to be consistent. We can dethrone them as well.” coach Anderson said. With Saint Albans and PHSB have being enjoying the creature comforts of top positions, centurion based Zwartkop High School and Hoerskool Garsfontein are struggling, the latter with only one point. Zwartkop has nine points having won only two games.

Garsies Stewart Dunbar has not given up for this but believes that his may do well next year.he says his youngest club is not performing and that this will come to an end soon. The problemis that he has all young players with the oldest at 19 years and “we are building this  team for next year. You can even see that we do not lose matches with big matches. We have young stars but next it will be difficult for all these schools,” he said.