Old Oaks' title defence ends

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KNYSNA NEWS - The chance for Old Oaks Knysna Hockey Club to defend their titles in the men's and ladies sections of the Eden Senior Hockey League is over. Both teams will be playing in the third-place playoff this weekend instead, hoping to claim a bronze medal from the 2022 season.

While Old Oaks' ladies came up against Crusaders in the semi-final last weekend, the men's team did not play a semi-final, but went straight through to the third-place-playoff this Saturday, 10 September, where they will face the Crusaders men's team.

Their match will be played at Outeniqua High School in George. The men's team will undoubtedly be a bit disappointed that their title defence has come to a premature end after winning the title twice in a row.

The ladies team, on the other hand, would have been gutted that their title defence has ended, as their hopes of winning the Eden Senior Hockey League for a sixth consecutive time ended on Saturday 3 September with a narrow loss to Crusaders.

Their semi-final game against Crusaders was played on Saturday at the Oakhill Sports Campus, and they were without their usual midfield maestros, Donné and Charné de Wet, who were representing the South African Country Districts side in the B section of the 2022 SA Women's Inter-provincial Tournament in Pretoria.

PHOTO GALLERY: Old Oaks Knysna Hockey Club in playoffs over the weekend

Nonetheless, with a wealth of experience in the side, Old Oaks were well-equipped to stake their claim for a spot in the final.

Right from the jump it proved a tough game for Old Oaks though as a resolute Crusaders defence refused to buckle in the first or second quarters, despite Old Oaks regularly banging on the door.

Several circle entries and shots at goal went a-begging for Old Oaks and for the first time this season, they were not leading at half-time, the score being 0-0.

It wasn't long into the second half that Old Oaks would rue their missed chances - Crusaders' Aimee Cronjé pounced on a loose ball in the Old Oaks defensive circle and slotted it into the back of the Old Oaks goal in the 34th minute, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Old Oaks continued to pile on the pressure in the third and fourth quarters, but Crusaders' defence just refused to budge and the home team could not find that ever-elusive goal.

The game finished 1-0 to Crusaders, who will play in the final this weekend against York High School.

This means that, despite dominating the league for the entire season, Old Oaks' ladies will play in the third-place playoff against George Hockey Club this Saturday.

Old Oaks gather for a team talk after the first quarter.