Northern Blues and Western Province share Under-21 IPT glory in contrasting finals
Hockey
It was honours even when the Northern Blues and Western Province faced off in the men’s and women’s finals of the SA Under-21 Interprovincial Tournament (IPT) at Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria over the weekend.
The women’s final was a tightly contested tactical battle, played largely between the 25-yard lines. Both teams struggled to carve out clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
Western Province had a single penalty corner chance in the first half, which was safely dealt with, and the match remained goalless at the break. The deadlock was finally broken in the second half when a re-awarded penalty corner gave the Blues another bite at the cherry. Emily Macquet stepped up to drill it home.
The Northern Blues edged Western Province 1-0 to take the tile at the SA U21 IPT at Cornwall Hill College in Pretoria.
Image: Silver Edge Photography
Province, contesting their second consecutive final, threw everything forward in the closing minutes. But Northern Blues goalkeeper Manisha Desai — named Goalkeeper of the Tournament — and her defence held firm, successfully repelling a string of late penalty corners.
There was jubilation for the Northern Blues at the final whistle as they lifted the title after going unbeaten throughout the tournament. The Blues had also edged Southern Gauteng 1–0 in the semi-finals with another clinical defensive display.
Hannah Quinton of Southern Gauteng was named Player of the Tournament.
Western Province were crowned men's champions of the SA U21 IPT after a resounding 7-2 win over the Northern Blues in the final.
Image: Silver Edge Photography
The men’s final was a stark contrast to the tense, cagey women’s decider. Western Province were determined to erase the heartbreak of last year’s final defeat and had come through a semi-final win against North West. They did so in emphatic fashion, crushing the Northern Blues 7–2 in the final.
A James Flint brace from set pieces and a stunning aerial finish from Matt Rout made it 3–0 within the first quarter, before the Blues could settle. Corne Burger, the tournament’s leading scorer, offered the hosts a glimmer of hope, but Nathan Msakiwe restored the three-goal cushion just before half-time at 4–1.
Flint went on to complete his hat-trick, while Msakiwe added a second with a brilliant deflection to make it 6–1. Western Province captain Alex Blows fittingly had the final say with a late tap-in to seal the 7–2 victory.
The Northern Blues had defeated Southern Gauteng in their men’s semi-final, but their neighbours did find some consolation by bagging bronze in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The women beat North West 2–1, while the men hammered North West 6–3 in the bronze medal play-off.