Gallery
KNYSNA HOCKEY NEWS - Despite having no crowds to cheer them on, the Old Oaks Knysna Hockey Club's ladies and men's teams got their title defences off to flying starts last weekend with victories over George Hockey Club and York High.
The 2021 Eden Senior League officially got under way on 8 May, ending a year-and-a-half of no league hockey in the district due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The last time league hockey was played was at the end of the previous season in August 2019, when the Old Oaks' ladies secured their fourth consecutive league title while the men's team snatched league honours back from Quarry.
Things were already in place for the 2020 season, with preseason games even held by various clubs in the district. But, as with most sport diciplines around the world in the past year, the season was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Knysna, hockey eventually resumed in April this year with Old Oaks' annual social Summer League.
This, combined with a few warm-up games played on 1 May, was valuable preparation for Old Oaks ahead of the start of the league on Saturday 8 May. While not the same without crowds, players were jubilant to finally be back on the turf for competitive hockey. The Old Oaks ladies lined up first at the Oakhill Sport Campus to take on their opponents from George.
The game was a largely one-sided affair, with Old Oaks thoroughly dominating from the first whistle to the last.
In a performance that left no doubt that the ladies intended defending their title, Old Oaks ran out 18-0 victors. Britney Booysen hit the backboard the most for Old Oaks with six goals, while Charné de Wet also secured a hat-trick with four goals to her name.
Old Oaks' Marcello Moretti (right) fires a shot at goal as York goalkeeper Khazi Kema dives to make the save.
The men's team arguably faced a much tougher challenge in the first game of their season as they came up against the boys from York High School. The first quarter was a good indicator of what was to come as the teams were off to a fast-paced start from the get-go.
Both sides enjoyed their fair share of possession and chances on goal throughout the game, but strong performances from goalkeepers Lyle Katzen (Old Oaks) and Khazi Kema (York) had the score still at 0-0 going into the final quarter.
Old Oaks' men refused to rest on their laurels, however, and tapped into their reserves to push on for the win, with goals from Stuart Daniel and Marcello Moretti securing a 2-0 victory. Both sides will now face off with Wanderers in the second game of the season this coming Saturday.
Old Oaks' Nick Olivier (middle, red) tussles with York's André Stoffels (right, blue) to reach the ball.
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