IPT Experience Boosts SA U21s

The SA Women’s Under-21 hockey team will look to draw on the experience they gained at the recent Senior Interprovincial Tournament (IPT), when they represent the country at the Under-21 Junior World Cup Africa Qualifier Tournament at Randburg Hockey Stadium, from October 13 to 20.

The South African Hockey Association has announced an 18-player side, to be led by senior SA cap Izelle Lategan of Free State. The team also includes another senior national cap in striker and provincial team-mate Tanya Britz, and contains five players from Southern Gauteng, four from Western Province, three apiece from Northern Blues and Free State, two from Amathole (Border) and one from Eastern Province.

SA’s opponents in Randburg will be Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia and Zimbabwe. SA are favourites to represent the continent at next year’s Junior World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in June/July at a venue still to be determined. Canada was to have hosted the women’s event.

Former SA captain Lindsey Wright, the coach of the SA U21 side, said that the team’s performance at last month’s Senior IPT at Randburg, which saw them finish top of Pool A before ending fourth after losing the bronze medal match against Northern Blues, was most encouraging.

“The team developed tactically over the week, while a key focus was maintaining consistency, which is very difficult at this age,” said the Olympian.

The highlights were the 4-1 victory over a North West side containing senior national players, the 1-1 draw with defending champions Western Province, who also fielded recent national players, “and the way we dealt with pressure at times during the other matches”, said Wright.

Four players eligible for the Africa Qualifier but over the age limit for next year’s Junior World Cup are Demi du Toit, Kaila Flemming and Christine Roos (all Southern Gauteng), Lisa Hawker of Amathole (previously known as Border) and Nicole Kemp (Eastern Province).

Wright said the quartet add experience to the side for the all-important Africa event, while the three non-travelling reserves plus three injured players not considered for Randburg, will all be eligible for Junior World Cup 2013, should SA qualify. The JWC 2013 team is not a closed shop, as players outside the current crop will be seriously considered, should they have outstanding performances at next year’s SA U21 Interprovincial Tournament.

SA U21 team manager Charmaine Koekemoer said players not considered for the Africa Qualifier due to injury were Heather McEwan of KZN Inland, Jenna-Leigh du Preez of Southern Gauteng and Tarryn Glasby of Western Province.

“Leading into the Africa Qualifier, the team is scheduled to have a two-day training camp on October 11 and 12,” said Koekemoer, who added that there are four Grade 12 schoolgirls in the team in Anelle van Deventer (Driehoek, Vanderbijlpark) and Nicole Walraven (Eunice, Bloemfontein), plus Tiffany Jones and Lisa Hawker (both Hudson Park, East London), while  McEwan (Grade 12 at Epworth in Pietermaritzburg) and Glasby (Grade 11 at El Shaddai in Cape Town) were among the reserves.

There was widespread concern as to the fitness of the SA U21 squad at the training camp and practice matches that took place at Randburg in January, but Wright said the remarkable improvement shown last month could be attributed in large measure to the hard work put in with the players by Johannesburg-based fitness trainer Georgia Torres.

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