The senior women’s national Hockey Team has been lead to an overwhelming victory of the six-nations Africa Olympic Qualifying Tournament by coach Jenny King and captain Marsha Marescia on Sunday.
Having performed commendably in the Nairobi, Kenya, the SPAR SA team now return home for final preparations in advance of the ideal testing grounds for the global event next year.
But the team must be allowed opportunity to savour the manner in which victory came on Sunday, as the continent’s six best teams aspired to grasp the single 2008 Beijing Olympic place on offer.
But by the time the dust settled on South Africa’s victory against tournament hosts Kenya, the extent was that the South African team had not allowed a single goal to be scored against them in the six matches played.
The final tally on Sunday was five for South Africa, with Kate Hector, Tarryn Bright, Shelley Russell and Henna du Buisson each scoring in the first half, and Sharne Bailey finishing it off in the second half.
Coach King had her concerns about her team’s performances, including a perceived lack of killer instinct when the opposition was easily outplayed, and the gap in the opposition’s skill set ability, with the result that her outfit was never stretched to capacity.
But the regular game-time in the past three months, which featured a relatively successful tour of Ireland’s Setanta Sports Trophy tournament, also including a talented Germany and a testy Scotland, will give coach King a keen sense of what remains to be achieved.
The squad’s next appearance will be in the Beijing dress-rehearsal in two weeks time, where South Africa will have the opportunity to gauge the facilities, weather and some of the best of next year’s Olympic hockey talent in China, Australia and Argentina.
Match Schedule:
Saturday 14th July: South Africa 7-0 Namibia
Sunday 15th July: South Africa 8-0 Nigeria
Tuesday 17th July: South Africa 9-0 Zimbabwe
Wednesday 18th July: South Africa 7-0 Ghana
Friday 20th July: South Africa 9-0 Kenya
Sunday 22nd July: Final: South Africa 5-0 Kenya
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