280 hockey mad youngsters gathered at the Wynberg Campus Astros on Tuesday for the annual Sporting Chance Wynberg Super Skills Hockey. Participants from schools all around greater Cape Town, including teams from Bellville, Somerset West and even Hermanus made the trip to be a part of the action. For the first time the girls joined in the event and both the astro turfs were abuzz with activity.
The unique Super Skills format again proved extremely popular and the competition was played in a competitive yet friendly spirit. Boys and girls in three age groups u11, u12 and u13 pitted themselves against one another over five specially formatted hockey drills.
Wynberg Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools has produced some of the country’s best hockey players and it was fitting that the stations were named after some of the Wynberg old boys who have made a significant mark of the South African and international hockey scene. The five stations were carefully laid out on the astros and they proved challenging for the young competitors. The ‘Halkett Passing’ ensured accuracy and speed; the ‘Haley Yardstick’ concentrated on the fundamental skill of the game; the ‘Robinson Dummy’ tested hand and foot speed; the ‘Denne Dribble’ focussed on carrying the ball and footwork, while the ‘Norris-Jones Goal shooting’ was a hit (excuse the pun) as the players smashed the ball into the goal box from different angles.
Despite some misty rain intermittently, the afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved and it was fantastic to have SuperSport Let’s Play in attendance filming the players concentrating on every skill in order to record maximum points for their team.
After an afternoon of top skills the scores were carefully tallied up and the winners rewarded. Kenridge Primary School from Bellville showed their hockey prowess winning the champions medals in a number of the age groups.
The results were as follows:
| U11 Girls 1. Kenridge A: 47 points 2. Wynberg Girls’ Junior: 42 points |
U11 Boys 1. Kenridge A: 47 points 2. Kenridge B: 46 points |
| U12 Girls 1. Springfield: 46 points 2. Kenridge B: 43 points |
U12 Boys 1. Kenridge A: 47 points 2. Kenridge B: 45 points |
| U13 Girls 1. Herschel A: 42 points 2. Springfield: 40 points |
U13 Boys 1. Kenridge A: 49 points 2. Grove: 44 points |
| Individual Winners 5 drills, each with a maximum score of 100 points |
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| U11 Girls Lara de Lange, Kenridge: 399/500 |
U11 Boys James Visagie, Somerset College: 405/500 |
| U12 Girls Rutendo Ndlhumi, Herschel: 392/500 |
U12 Boys Matthew Keys, Kenridge: 419/500 |
| U13 Girls Rachel Vermaak, Kenridge: 395/500 |
U13 Boys Nicholas Day, Kenridge: 408/500 |
Congratulations to all our prize winners and thanks to our Sporting Chance sponsors for the product and spot prizes which added tremendous value to the event: Liqui-Fruit Vitality, Kauai, Hi-Tec, Flip File and SuperSport Let’s Play.
Also a big Thank You to the team from Wynberg Boys’ and Girls’ High schools, it was wonderful working with you and we look forward to continuing to grow and expand the exciting Super Skills concept.
