HOCKEY NEWS - Eden District Hockey will see one of its provincial youth teams return to the A Section of a national tournament next year, following the u.13 Eden boys' B Section triumph in Bloemfontein last week.

The u.13A Eden boys side was one of six sides that Eden District Hockey dispatched to interprovincial tournaments (IPTs). 

The other five were the u.13A girls, the u.16A boys and girls, and the u.18A boys and girls. All six of the sides took part in the B Section of their respective IPTs, which were held in Bloemfontein. 

The u.13 boys and girls tournaments were the second in the series - held from 2 to 5 July - following on from the u.18s (25 to 30 June) and preceding the u.16s (7 to 12 July), which wrapped up last week.

The u.18 Eden boys, coached by Georgian Gertian van der Linde and managed by Knysnarian Wanda Mtshilibe, were the first Eden side to throw down the gauntlet. 

Eden's U13 boys captain Yandisa Litole in action during the IPT. Photos: Daphne Basson

They narrowly missed out on promotion to the A Section, losing the final 2 - 1 to Southern Gauteng B courtesy of a last-minute goal for Southerns. The u.18 girls finished 10th in their IPT.

Hoping to better their senior counterparts' performances, the u.13 Eden teams bussed off to Bloemfontein with high hopes. 

Things didn't quite work out for the u.13 girls, who finished eighth, but the boys were in a class of their own. Coached by Knysnarian Lumko Mart and managed by Mossel Bay's Daphne Basson, the u.13 Eden boys not only emerged victorious in the B Section, but did so by winning every single one of their seven games.

The Eden U13 boys team engage in a team huddle.

They simply outplayed and outclassed every opposition they faced on their way to victory, with Eden's Konrad Gouws emerging as the B Section's top goal scorer. 

The team was made up of Sange Mayekiso (goalkeeper), Jayden Solomons, Stian Basson, Migael Fick, Dehan Meyer, Konrad Gouws, Yandisa Litole (captain), Adam Goldberg, Johannes Immelman, Nico Pretorius, Buhle Sompani, Chulumanco Mgudlwa, Nkosinathi Vanqa and Sergio Solomons.

Their efforts will now see Eden return to the u.13 IPT A Section for the first time since 2019. Next year they will face off with Western Province, Southern Gauteng, KZN Coastals, Eastern Province, Northern Gauteng, Boland and Amathole.

At the u.16 IPT, neither the boys nor girls could replicate the u.13s or u.18s' success.

Sergio Solomons during a warm-up session.

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