With the Western Province Hockey Union (WPHU) League’s mid-season break under way, players and staff of Stellenbosch University’s Maties Hockey Club are gearing up for the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Hockey Championships.
Maties are hopeful of winning the competition and being recognised as the “best hockey university in the country”, according to Bevan Bennett and Lenise Marais, the Maties men’s and women’s respective head coaches.
“We play against the likes of Tuks, North West, NMU, Free State […] And basically the whole tournament is to determine the best university in the country,” said Bennet. “Along with the [WPHU] league, USSA is a really important one for us to win,” he added.
The competition takes place from 4 to 8 July in Cape Town. Eight universities, including Maties, will compete in the men’s and women’s A sections respectively.
Maties women have won seven and drawn one of their league games this season. Lenise Marais, the team’s head coach, addressed her side following a 2-1 win against Maties Vics (second team). PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
A good season so far
Both the Maties men’s and women’s first teams have enjoyed good results so far and are seeking to improve on their performances during the USSA Hockey Championships and the second half of the season, said Bennet and Marais.
“The season has progressed nicely,” said Bennett about the first half of the men’s season. “We’ve got some good results, but our performances can be better,” he added.
Improvements in mentality, fluidity and technical development are necessary for the men’s side to “be where [they] want to be”, said Bennett.
Bevan Bennett, the Maties men’s head coach, said he hoped his team would improve on their performances as they head into the USSA Hockey Championships in July. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Similar sentiments were shared by Marais, who stated that the women’s team have “had a good start to the season”, but face various challenges in their own right.
“We have had eight games; seven wins and one draw,” said Marais. “It’s been good results-wise. We go through good patches and we learn in really nice moments.”
“We are where we want to be going into USSA,” said Marais, who added that her team’s improvements throughout the season have set them up for a successful tournament.
The one draw on Maties women’s record came in their match against Western Province Cricket Club.
Maties men have won seven of their nine games this season; having drawn their match against Western Province Cricket Club and losing against the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) first team in their third game of the season.
Both the Maties women’s and men’s sides have enjoyed positive results thus far in the season. This has made both sides optimistic about winning the USSA Hockey Championships. GRAPHIC: Tim Malinzi
A big one for the players
“[USSA] is our chance to play against all the universities from across the country, which doesn’t happen too often,” said Peter Jarvis, the Maties men’s captain. “It’s our opportunity to prove our worth.”
The Maties men’s team is peaking at the right time, according to Jarvis, who explained that the “early slip-up” against UCT allowed the team to learn from their mistakes and get on the same page.
Additionally, Jarvis mentioned how having Clayton Saker, who has 13 caps for South Africa, return from national duty to join Maties at the USSA Championships will further bolster their chances of winning.
The importance of the USSA Hockey Championships also lies in the fact that Maties men have not won the competition in several years, despite coming “agonisingly close”, according to Jarvis.
Maties men placed fourth in the 2021 USSA competition, while the women’s side placed second.
“We’re not here to participate; we are here to win,” said Laylaa Davids, a midfielder for Maties women. “That’s our next goal; to win USSA.”
The lessons learnt throughout the season so far will aid Maties women in achieving their goals, added Davids. She said that coming back from tough positions to win matches has boosted the team’s morale.
In pool B of the women’s A section, Maties will play against North West University, UCT and the University of Johannesburg. Maties men will face Nelson Mandela University, University of Pretoria and Varsity College in pool B of the men’s A section.
Maties men have won seven of their nine matches this season. The only blemishes on their record are a draw to Western Province Cricket Club and a loss to the University of Cape Town. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi