31 March 2026
“We’ve scored 18 goals in our first five games,” Hezlett pointed out. “That’s huge for us. Already, we have a player with five goals, and last season our top scorer had only nine.
“We have a strong group of forwards. There are five of them, and, at almost any other school, all five of them would start.
“They’re starting to understand that it is about them as a group, who are not necessarily competing against each other, but trying to make each other look good, which is really cool.”
One of the best results of the event, across all age groups, was achieved by the DHS u16A side, which, inspired by their 1st XI’s win over Paul Roos on Friday evening, overran the Bolanders 5-1 on Saturday morning. They enjoyed a good run, winning three and drawing only one, with their game against Paarl Boys’ High finishing 2-2.
Their u14A side won two and lost two, with both defeats coming by a single goal only. They gave Paul Roos their toughest game, eventually succumbing 2-3.
CLIFTON COLLEGE
Clifton College produced an exceptional performance in their opener, avenging a 2-4 loss to Paarl Boys’ High in 2025 with a thrilling 5-2 victory on Friday evening.
They ticked the boxes that make them dangerous, scoring twice from penalty corners and three times from counterattacks. It’s the counterattack that is their calling card, and it has made them one of the most entertaining and exciting teams to watch.
Coach Calvin Price‘s boys followed up with a 2-1 win over Menlopark, which was a touch tighter than it should have been. For most of the contest, Clifton was in full control, but they allowed their intensity to slip in the third chukka.
Their unbeaten record fell, though, when they suffered consecutive defeats to Bishops and Parel Vallei, losing those matches 2-3 and 3-4 respectively. They were close to continuing their unblemished run, but they’ll find value in the lessons they take from those narrow defeats.
They’ll be focused on tightening up their defence at the Saints Sports Festival in Johannesburg, where they face a demanding list of fixtures against Falcon College (Zim), St Stithians, Pretoria Boys High, Reddam House Constantia, and Affies.
That’s a tough schedule, but it is also a testament to the quality of the Clifton 1st XI.
Clifton’s u16A team won one, drew one, and lost two matches, with both defeats coming by a single goal. Overall, they scored seven times and conceded six.
Their u14A side won two and lost two, with a 4-3 win over Parel Vallei the highlight of their campaign.
GLENWOOD HIGH
For Glenwood High, the Coastal Cup was a good experience, with the boys in green demonstrating quality across all three age groups.
The 1st XI showed its character when, after a 7-0 pounding from Parel Vallei, they bounced back to beat Menlopark 3-2. They also opened their account with a 3-2 win over St Alban’s.
In their last outing, they were level at 1-1 against a good St Andrew’s School side after three chukkas. The Bloemfontein boys struck twice in the last quarter, though, to take a hard-fought 3-1 win.
Glenwood’s u16A team won one and lost three, which included a 3-0 win over St Alban’s. They also scored in three of their four matches. In the only match in which they didn’t score, they fell 0-1 to Menlopark.
Their most impressive side early in the season has been their u14A team. They lost their unbeaten record when they went down 0-1 against Pearson, but they added victories over St Alban’s, Parel Vallei, and Menlopark.
MICHAELHOUSE
As a hockey programme, Michaelhouse should be very happy with their overall results: they won eight, drew two, and lost two matches.
Their 1st XI went down 1-4 to Paul Roos in a high-quality contest in which the result didn’t do them justice. They pushed PRG hard.
In their other games, they beat St Alban’s 2-0 and ground out one-goal wins over Paarl Boys’ High and Garsfontein, coach Nick Bérichon‘s former team.
The ‘House u16A side, like DHS, posted a record of three wins and one draw, which came against Paul Roos (1-1). They surrendered only two goals and scored nine, which was bolstered by a 5-1 win over St Alban’s College.
Michaelhouse’s u14A team won two, drew one, and lost one, going down 0-1 to Paul Roos, the top team in that age group.
WESTVILLE BOYS’ HIGH
The Westville 1st XI headed into the Coastal Cup frustrated by a challenging start to the season in which they had played some good hockey, but not a complete game, which had cost them. They changed that narrative in their opening game against a St Andrew’s School team that has enjoyed a strong start to the season, scoring a 3-1 win on Friday night.
They also drew 2-2 with Bishops and St Alban’s, and lost 1-3 to Paul Roos. It was, on reflection, a step forward from the Griffins.
Their u16A side won two, drew two, and lost one, with both of their wins coming by 2-0 margins over Pearson and St Alban’s.
Westville’s u14A team, under the guidance of Director of Hockey Cameron Mackay, won two and lost two. They struggled against the physically bigger Paul Roos and lost to Pearson despite dominating the contest. Their wins came against St Alban’s and Bishops.
GROWING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
Cam Mackay, one of the event’s co-founders, believes it has found its sweet spot. “It’s exactly where we want it to be,” he said. “We’ve tried to make it bigger and better every year, and I think we have found our limit in terms of the number of players we can handle. We have now expanded to about 670 players and 80 to 100 staff involved.
“We’re at a stage now where we’re happy with where we are. We have space for 13 schools, and this year we had 14, with Pearson not coming and St Andrew’s School taking their place.”
He said the addition of Bishops was also a boost for the festival, with the prestigious Cape Town school providing evidence of the interest that the event commands.
RESULTS BY KZN SCHOOLS
Clifton
1st XI
Clifton 5-2 Paarl Boys’ High
Clifton 2-1 Menlopark
Clifton 2-3 Bishops
Clifton 3-4 Parel Vallei
u16A
Clifton 2-3 Paarl Boys’ High
Clifton 3-0 Menlopark
Clifton 0-1 Bishops
Clifton 2-2 Parel Vallei
u14A
Clifton 0-1 Menlopark
Clifton 1-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Clifton 1-3 Bishops
Clifton 4-3 Parel Vallei
DHS
1st XI
DHS 2-1 Paul Roos Gimnasium
DHS 3-1 Paarl Boys’ High
DHS 6-1 Menlopark
DHS 6-3 Parel Vallei
u16A
DHS 5-1 Paul Roos
DHS 2-2 Paarl Boys’ High
DHS 5-1 Menlopark
DHS 1-0 Parel Vallei
u14A
DHS 2-3 Paul Roos
DHS 7-1 Paarl Boys’ High
DHS 2-1 Parel Vallei
DHS 1-2 Menlopark
Glenwood
1st XI
Glenwood 3-2 St Alban’s
Glenwood 0-7 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 3-2 Menlopark
Glenwood 1-3 St Andrew’s School
u16A
Glenwood 3-0 St Alban’s
Glenwood 1-4 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 0-1 Menlopark
Glenwood 2-4 Pearson
u14A
Glenwood 1-0 St Alban’s
Glenwood 2-1 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 0-1 Pearson
Glenwood 3-1 Menlopark
Michaelhouse
1st XI
Michaelhouse 2-0 St Alban’s
Michaelhouse 1-4 Paul Roos
Michaelhouse 2-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 1-0 Garsfontein
u16A
Michaelhouse 5-1 St Alban’s
Michaelhouse 1-0 Garsfontein
Michaelhouse 1-1 Paul Roos
Michaelhouse 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
u14A
Michaelhouse 4-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 2-1 St Alban’s
Michaelhouse 0-1 Paul Roos
Michaelhouse 1-1 Garsfontein
Westville
1st XI
Westville 3-1 St Andrew’s School
Westville 2-2 St Alban’s
Westville 1-3 Paul Roos
Westville 2-2 Bishops
u16A
Westville 2-0 Pearson
Westville 0-0 Paul Roos
Westville 2-0 St Alban’s
Westville 1-2 Bishops
u14A
Westville 1-2 Pearson
Westville 1-0 St Alban’s
Westville 1-4 Paul Roos
Westville 2-0 Bishops
FULL RESULTS
1st XI
Friday, 27 March
Bishops 3-1 Menlopark
Westville Boys’ High 3-1 St Andrew’s School
Clifton College 5-2 Paarl Boys’ High
DHS 2-1 Paul Roos Gimnasium
Garsfontein 0-0 Parel Vallei
Michaelhouse 2-0 St Alban’s
Saturday, 28 March
Garsfontein 3-3 St Andrew’s School
Glenwood High 3-2 St Alban’s
Clifton College 2-1 Menlopark
Paul Roos 4-1 Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s School 4-3 Bishops
DHS 3-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Westville Boys’ High 2-2 St Alban’s
Parel Vallei 7-0 Glenwood
Under-16
Friday, 27 March
Paarl Boys’ High 3-2 Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High 2-0 Pearson
Saturday, 28 March
Parel Vallei 3-1 Garsfontein
Michaelhouse 5-1 St Alban’s
DHS 5-1 Paul Roos
Bishops 2-1 Menlopark
DHS 2-2 Paarl Boys’ High
Glenwood 3-0 St Alban’s
Clifton College 3-0 Menlopark
29 March
Bishops 3-0 Pearson
Parel Vallei 4-1 Glenwood
DHS 5-1 Menlopark
Garsfontein 0-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Westville 2-0 St Alban’s
Paul Roos 1-1 Michaelhouse
Bishops 1-0 Clifton College
DHS 1-0 Parel Vallei
Menlopark 1-0 Glenwood
Pearson 4-1 Garsfontein
30 March
Pearson 4-2 Glenwood
Clifton 2-2 Parel Vallei
Paul Roos 5-0 St Alban’s
Bishops 2-1 Westville
Michaelhouse 2-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Under-14
Saturday, 28 March
Glenwood 1-0 St Alban’s
Garsfontein 5-2 Parel Vallei
Michaelhouse 4-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Menlopark 1-0 Clifton College
Paul Roos 3-2 DHS
Pearson 2-1 Westville Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 2-1 St Alban’s
Glenwood 2-1 Parel Vallei
Bishops 2-1 Menlopark
Clifton College 1-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Garsfontein 1-0 Pearson
Sunday, 29 March
Glenwood 3-2 Menlopark
Bishops 3-2 Clifton College
Paarl Boys’ High 2-1 Garsfontein
St Andrew’s School 3-1 Glenwood
DHS 6-1 Menlopark
Paul Roos 3-1 Westville
Parel Vallei 4-3 Clifton College
Michaelhouse 2-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Monday, 30 March
DHS 6-3 Parel Vallei
Paul Roos 3-1 St Alban’s
Westville 2-2 Bishops
Michaelhouse 1-0 Garsfontein
Under-14
Saturday, 28 March
Glenwood 1-0 St Alban’s
Garsfontein 5-2 Parel Vallei
Michaelhouse 4-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Menlopark 1-0 Clifton College
Paul Roos 3-2 DHS
Pearson 2-1 Westville Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 2-1 St Alban’s
Glenwood 2-1 Parel Vallei
Bishops 2-1 Menlopark
Clifton College 1-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Garsfontein 1-0 Pearson
29 March
Bishops 3-1 Clifton
Pearson 1-0 Glenwood
DHS 7-1 Paarl Boys’ High
Westville 1-0 St Alban’s
Paul Roos 1-0 Michaelhouse
Clifton 4-3 Parel Vallei
Glenwood 3-1 Menlopark
Garsfontein 1-0 Paarl Boys’ High
Bishops 3-2 Pearson
Paul Roos 4-1 Westville
DHS 2-1 Parel Vallei
30 March
Menlopark 2-1 DHS
Paul Roos 5-0 St Alban’s
Garsfontein 1-1 Michaelhouse
Westville 2-0 Bishops
Leave a Reply