The series of three test matches between the South African men’s hockey team and Great Britain comes to an end this Saturday, with the final match being played at Hartleyvale Stadium at 6pm. With the series tied at 1 – 1, it’s a fight for the series and bound to be a great game.
The first test match was won by the 12th-ranked South Africa after they beat Great Britain, ranked 4th in the world, 5 – 3 at Hartleyvale on Friday 3 February. It was thrilling, fast-paced game hugely enjoyed by the crowd of more than 3 000, and afterwards the South African team was mobbed by a large group of youngsters eager to get photos with and autographs from their heroes.
The second test was played in Stellenbosch last night in front of a 2 000-strong crowd. Though SA scored the first goal, Great Britain fought back to win the game 3 – 1. This means that Saturday’s game is the decider for the series. It would be great to see as many people come down to support the SA team as possible!
The SA team will also play Pinoke, the top Dutch hockey club from Amsterdam, on Thursday 9 February at 7pm and again on Sunday 12 February at 12pm, both games at Hartleyvale.
Tickets for the matches cost R30 for adults and R10 for children under 18. All proceeds go towards sending the SA team to an Olympic qualification tournament being held in Japan in April.
Written by Marc Pelteret, Chairman of Pinelands Hockey Club, home club of Austin Smith – SA men’s club captain
I can’t tell you how good the quality of hockey on offer is! Simply amazing! So stoked that we finally got some international hockey down in the Cape after so many years of nothing, and I think the crowds at the two games showed that full appreciation! The organizing at Stellies was shocking poor and it is no surprised that the 3rd Test was moved back to Hartleyvale!
Looking forward to watching the Pinoke game tonight and then SA cleaning GB off on Sat! Rawr!