8 April 2025
Only Michaelhouse and St Charles College flew the flag KwaZulu-Natal flag at the Independent Schools Hockey Festival (ISHF), which finished in Pretoria on Monday after three days of competition.
‘House provided more evidence of the step up they have taken in their second season under coach Nick Bérichon, while Saints, after a slow start, provided cause for optimism by finishing well.
Michaelhouse was one of three unbeaten teams at the festival. It was a triumph for the hosts, St Alban’s College, who won five out of five matches, a mark that was matched by Reddam House Constantia. Michaelhouse, meanwhile, won four and drew one.
They won a tight opener against St David’s Marist Inanda by a 2-1 margin and were then held to a 1-1 daw by Bishops in Saturday’s last game.
Bérichon’s boys, then, were part of a 10-goal entertainment fest, on Sunday, which they won 6-4 against a never-say-die York High. That was followed by a narrow 1-0 win over St Andrew’s School in a game that ‘House dominated, but they found it tough trying to break down the Bloemfontein school’s defences.
On Monday, Michaelhouse completed their assignments with a 2-1 win over St Benedict ‘s College.
That brought an end to a busy but very successful couple of weeks, which began with the Coastal Cup, in Durban. There, Michaelhouse lost only to an outstanding Paul Roos side, but they gave them a good game, going down 2-4. They also beat St Alban’s, Garsfontein, and Parel Vallei – three notable victories.
The foundation laid by coach Bérichon last year appears to be bearing fruit.
St Charles, meanwhile, had a stuttering start to the season, losing 0-2 to Glenwood before being thumped 6-1 by Bishops on day one of the ISHF, while was followed by a 0-4 defeat to St Alban’s. It looked bad, but credit to the Saints’ boys, they quickly turned their fortunes around.
On day two, they scored a 2-1 win over Helpmekaar Kollege and the confidence drawn from that win helped them to a 2-2 draw with St David’s Marist Inanda in their second outing on Sunday.
On Monday, Saints closed with a 2-2 draw against Somerset College.
It will be interesting to view the benefits they derived from the festival when the KZN season gets into full swing.
RESULTS
Saturday
Trinityhouse Centurion 3-2 St Andrew’s School
St Benedict’s College 2-3 Reddam House Constantia
York High 7-3 Helpmekaar Kollege
St Alban’s College 2-0 Somerset College
Bishops 6-1 St Charles College
Michaelhouse 2-1 St David’s Marist Inanda
St Benedict’s College 3-2 Trinityhouse Centurion
York High 4-2 St Andrew’s School
Reddam House Constantia 6-1 Helpmekaar Kollege
St Alban’s College 4-0 St Charles College
St David’s Marist Inanda 3-0 Somerset College
Bishops 1-1 Michaelhouse
Sunday
Reddam House Constantia 1-0 St David’s Marist Inanda
St Charles College 2-1 Helpmekaar Kollege
Somerset College 3-2 Trinityhouse Centurion
St Alban’s College 1-0 St Andrew’s School
Bishops 3-3 St Benedict’s College
Michaelhouse 6-4 York High
Reddam House Constantia 6-2 Trinityhouse Centurion
St Charles College 2-2 St David’s Marist Inanda
Helpmekaar Kollege 1-0 Somerset College
St Alban’s College 2-1 Bishops
Michaelhouse 1-0 St Andrew’s School
St Benedict’s College 3-0 York High
Monday
Bishops 6-1 St David’s Marist Inanda
Reddam House Constantia 6-1 York High
Somerset College 2-2 St Charles College
St Andrew’s School 4-2 Helpmekaar Kollege
Michaelhouse 2-1 St Benedict’s College
St Alban’s College 5-0 Trinityhouse Centurion
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