Province Peak in Final to Win U21 IPT Title

Tarryn Glasby scored twice in twelve minutes to win a captivating 2013 SA U21 Hockey Interprovincial tournament title 2-0 for Western Province, as the hopes and ambitions of the powerful North West – undefeated throughout their six matches leading in to the decider, were dashed in a thrilling final on Friday, 4 May 2013 at Queensmead in Durban.

WP 2 – 0 North West. @hockeywp ladies are the gold medal winners at #u21IPT2013 #gladiators pic.twitter.com/wER7yKwR9d

— Craig West (@craigwest4) May 4, 2013

A power failure caused a delay in the evening matches, but the Western Province defence was undeterred.

Having put up a super effort throughout the tournament, conceding only twice – a lone goal each to KZN Inland and eventual bronze-medal winning Northern Blues in the pool stages, the Cape Town ladies shut down the powerful North West attack that had been the toast of scoring success in this year’s tournament.

The focus on finding the chink in the other team’s defence brought the tension of the final to fever pitch with both teams tied nil-all at half-time, but coach Andi Bernstein and skipper Taryn Mallett managed to add the right mental frame during the turn-around.

Glasby’s first goal early in the second half gained the Province attack the confidence that allowed them to make the final theirs with Glasby’s second just less than a quarter-hour later, and their defence kept cool heads for a faultless turnout when it counted most.

Western Province’s journey to the final wasn’t as glamorous as the performances that the North West racked up early in the tournament, but their steady ascent to the gold-medal turnout indicates that plans to peak at the right time had paid dividends.

In the bronze-medal match, Northern Blues lived up to their favourites tag in the penultimate match in Durban with Kylie Oosthuizen putting the Pretoria outfit 1-0 ahead at half time, before Amoné Mouton doubled the advantage to claim honours in the Highveld derby.

After being edged KZN Raiders 0-2 Free State (0-1) on Friday, Free State rose to their potential in the 5th/6th place play-offs, adding four unanswered second-half goals to beat KZN Inland 10-2, after leading 6-2 at the halfway mark.

Caitlyn Seegers, Vicki Jonker both scored in the first half as Inland tried to impose some authority, but star performers Izelle Lategan (3) matched the three goals by Tanya Britz, with Lisa Hawker, Cornelle Botha, Line Malan and Nicole Walraven each adding a goal, for Free States’ ten-up winner.

Eastern Province rose to the challenge to finish top of the bottom half of the log in their 7th/8th match win against the 4-1 KZN Coastal Raiders, after the two sides were tied 1-1 at half-time.

Marian Laubscher, Marcia Venter and Dunell van Taak indicated the talent from Namibia, when the tournament’s sole international contestant took honours in the 9th/10th play-offs to win 3-0 against WP Peninsula, the halftime score 2-0.

Kaspersky Witwatersrand came good 6-0 against Eastern Gauteng in the wooden spoon match, with Annene Janse van Rensburg (2), Bianca Viljoen and Kayla van der Walt all adding to an enjoyable conclusion to the tournament for the Joburg team.