U21 IPT Pool-Stage Fixtures Shake Out Favourites

SA Hockey Association logoWith three out of the five pool fixtures already completed, North West leads Kaspersky Southerns in Pool A of the 2013 U21 Girls’ Interprovincial Hockey tournament by virtue of a better goal difference, while Western Province alone is undefeated to top Pool B in the national champs played simultaneously at Tuks in Pretoria and Queensmead in Durban, from 28 April to 4 May, 2013.

North West’s advantage is courtesy 17 goals in their opening fixture against Eastern Gauteng and another five goals in their second fixture against Namibia, but their leading status was tested against Eastern Province on Tuesday, when they tenaciously added three second-half goals to swing a 2-all halftime tie into a 5-2 win.

North West’s May Day fixture against KZN Raiders followed up by a closing pool A fixture against Kaspersky Southerns will determine their true status, but their advantage already gained may be sufficient to qualify for the knock-out rounds that follow.

Southerns have earned their nine points more conservatively, an opening day 5-2 win against Namibia followed by a 4-1 win over the plucky Raiders, before the team eased into more fluid form, showing off with a 9-0 demolition of Eastern Gauteng.

Eastern Province is better-placed than Raiders, with two wins against one, to challenge North West for a quarter-final berth with likely qualifiers Southerns, and their Friday duel may the the decider in that contest.

Western Province are comfortably atop Pool B, their dominance demonstrated in the team scoring 17 unanswered goals against Kaspersky Wits and Peninsula.

Their second fixture against Northern Blues was a narrower 3-1 win, and though they are likely to play Free State with the respect the log runners-up deserve in their final pool B match tomorrow, the Western Cape outfit will look to ratchet up the goal difference advantage against KZN Inland, at 4:30pm this afternoon.

After falling 2-4 to the Blues in their opening match on Sunday, Free State have flexed their muscles with a 4-0 win over KZN Inland followed by a 7-0 thrashing of Kaspersky Wits, and the inland ladies are likely to be planning a third win in their 8:30am public holiday start against Peninsula this morning.

The Northern Blues will be looking to upset those intentions as they look to add to their two wins with another against Wits in their mid-day fixture today, and with a final pool B match against Peninsula on Thursday, the Blues may have a less threatening route to a quarterfinal berth.

 

Results of the 2013 U21 Women’s Hockey IPT, at Tuks in Pretoria and Queensmead in Durban, from 28 April to 4 May, 2013:
Match / Pool / Date / Time / Team A / Final Score / Team B (Halftime Score)
01 WA01 28 Apr 8:30 Kaspersky Southerns 5-2 Namibia (3-1)
02 WB01 28 Apr 10:30 Free State 2-4 Northern Blues 0-1)
03 WA02 28 Apr 12:30 North West 17-0 Eastern Gauteng (7-0)
04 WB02 28 Apr 14:30 Western Province 12-0 Kaspersky Wits (6-0)
05 WB03 28 Apr 16:30 WP Pens 3-4 KZN Inland (2-2)
06 WA03 28 Apr 18:30 Eastern Province 2-1 KZN Raiders (2-0)
07 WA04 29 Apr 8:30 North West 5-0 Namibia (3-0)
08 WB04 29 Apr 10:30 Western Province 3-1 Northern Blues (0-1)
09 WA05 29 Apr 12:30 Eastern Province 6-0 Eastern Gauteng (2-0)
10 WB05 29 Apr 14:30 WP Pens 7-1 Kaspersky Wits (4-0)
11 WB06 29 Apr 16:30 Free State 4-0 KZN Inland (3-0)
12 WA06 29 Apr 18:30 Kaspersky Southerns 4-1 KZN Raiders (1-1)
13 WB07 30 Apr 8:30 Western Province 5-0 WP Pens (0-0)
14 WA07 30 Apr 10:30 North West 5-2 Eastern Province (2-2)
15 WB08 30 Apr 12:30 Free State 7-0 Kaspersky Wits (3-0)
16 WA08 30 Apr 14:30 Kaspersky Southerns 9-0 Eastern Gauteng (6-0)
17 WB09 30 Apr 16:30 Northern Blues 7-1 KZN Inland (2-0)
18 WA09 30 Apr 18:30 Namibia 0-4 KZN Raiders (0-0)
 
2013 U21 Women’s Hockey IPT Fixtures, at Tuks in Pretoria and Queensmead in Durban:
19 WB10 01 May 8:30 Free State vs WP Pens
20 WA10 01 May 10:30 Kaspersky Southerns vs Eastern Province
21 WB11 01 May 12:30 Northern Blues vs Kaspersky Wits
22 WA11 01 May 14:30 Namibia vs Eastern Gauteng
23 WB12 01 May 16:30 Western Province vs KZN Inland
24 WA12 01 May 18:30 North West vs KZN Raiders
25 WA13 02 May 8:30 Eastern Province vs Namibia
26 WB13 02 May 10:30 WP Pens vs Northern Blues
27 WA13 02 May 12:30 Kaspersky Southerns vs North West
28 WB14 02 May 14:30 Free State vs Western Province
29 WB15 02 May 16:30 KZN Inland vs Kaspersky Wits
30 WA15 02 May 18:30 KZN Raiders vs Eastern Gauteng
 
Pool A Log:
Rank Team Played-Won-Drawn-Lost For-Against Diff Points
1. North West 3-3-0-0 27-2 +25 9
2. Kaspersky Southerns 3-3-0-0 18-3 +15 9
3. Eastern Province 3-2-0-1 10-6 +4 6
4. KZN Raiders 3-1-0-2-6-6 0 3
5. Namibia 3-0-0-3 2-14 -12 0
6. Eastern Gauteng 3-0-0-3 0-32 -32 0
Pool B Log:
1. Western Province. 3-3-0-0 20-1 +19 9
2. Free State 3-2-0-1 13-4 +9 6
3. Northern Blues 3-2-0-1 12-6 +6 6
4. WP Pens 3-1-0-2 10-10 0 3
5. KZN Inland 3-1-0-2 5-14 -9 3
6. Kaspersky Wits 3-0-0-3 1-26 -25 0

 

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