Eden District Hockey on a comeback

KNYSNA HOCKEY NEWS - Club hockey action will be returning to the Southern Cape this weekend with the resumption of the 2021 Eden Hockey Senior League after a two-month break due to the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The last hockey action seen in the region was on 12 June, just two days before an announcement from the South African Hockey Association (Saha) that recommended the suspension of any hockey activities around the country.

On 14 June, Saha issued its announcement and on 16 June the country moved to lockdown level 3 before moving to level 4 on 28 June.

Under level 4 regulations amateur sport was prohibited, which meant no hockey could take place at all. Any resumption of hockey would require the country to revert to level 3, which eventually happened on 26 July.

This meant that clubs could return to training as long as they adhered to Saha's strict Covid-19 protocols for clubs. With those systems already in place thanks to the start of the league a few months ago, Old Oaks Knysna Hockey Club could get its players back on the turf that same week.

Alan Gerber (right, red) tussles for the ball with a Crusaders 2 player in Old Oaks Men's last game before the suspension of hockey.

They have been able to train and shake off the two months' worth of rust for the past two weeks in preparation for the matches this Saturday, 14 August. Both Old Oaks sides will be playing their last round-robin games of the 2021 season.

Old Oaks Men will be facing off with the men from George Hockey Club in Knysna while Old Oaks Ladies will be playing against Crusaders Ladies in George.

Kyle Groome injects a short corner for Old Oaks Men.

Old Oaks Ladies have already secured top spot in their league along with a home semi-final on 28 August, but the men need to walk away with at least a draw this weekend to cement top spot and book themselves a home semi-final too.

The finals of the league will be played on 4 September, with the locations dependent on who progresses from the semi-finals. Spectators will still not be allowed at any of the matches due to Covid-19 protocols.

In Old Oaks Ladies' last match before the suspension, Emily Edkins bounds forward with the ball. Photos: Blake Linder