Hockey on the ball

THE hockey club must be considered one of the strong contenders for Club of the Year accolade at this year's UCT sports awards dinner, what with four of its 25 teams winning their respective leagues and chalking up a number of impressive results along the way.

The men's side, for example, beat Western Province Cricket Club 4–1 in a “must win” season finale to take the Western Province Hockey Union's (WPHU) Grand Challenge trophy.

They also won the indoor league for the first time in some years early in 2002, finished second at the SASSU championships and ended third in the Champs of Champs challenge in Durban more recently.

In turn, the women's side competing in the Grand Challenge earned their best placing in the league for close on a decade, finishing third, two places up from their fifth spot last year. They were also unbeaten in the second half of the season, and recorded a memorable 1–0 victory over eventual league winners Stellenbosch University.

The men's sides competing in the M5 and M6 divisions also won their respective leagues, as did the women's squad in the L3 section.

Coach Paul Remington and star players like Ian Symons were among those who contributed to the men's side victory in the Grand Challenge league, commented club chairperson, Sean Dane.

The continued progress of the women's sides and the growing popularity of the club – it boasts around 400 members – have all contributed to make the season a very special one, Dane added. “It was a long season, but the guys were still having good fun. It's nice to see all our hard work pay off.”

---

---