Sam shines bright at IPT

KNYSNA NEWS - Local hockey star Sam Mvimbi recently outshone all at the SA Hockey Association's Senior Men's Inter-provincial Tournament (IPT), where he was named the player of the tournament.

Mvimbi (23) represented Western Province alongside fellow Southern Cape locals Rohniel Terblanche (22) and Nathan Loff (25), as they earned a gold medal in the A section of the tournament.

The three were the only players from the Southern Cape – Mvimbi was born and raised between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, attending Oakhill College; Terblanche was born and raised in Plett, attending York High School in George; and Loff was born in Secunda and grew up in George, also attending York.

All three were part of WP's first team at the IPT that took place in Pretoria from 29 August to 3 September.

They were placed in Pool A alongside Free State, SA U21 and KwaZulu-Natal Coastal.

WP was undefeated in the group stages, beating Free State 7-1 before drawing 1-1 with both SA U21 and KZNC. They then beat Eastern Cape 6-3 in a thrilling quarter-final before overcoming Southern Gauteng 3-1 in the semi-final.

WP came up against their foes from KZN Coastal once more in the final, but were able to one-up them on this occasion. A 2-1 win for WP earned them the gold medal and trophy as top of the pops in the A Section.

Mvimbi scored one goal for WP in the tournament while Loff scored two. Mvimbi's performances were significant enough, however, to earn him the prestigious award of Player of the Tournament.

Western Province in a team huddle on the night of the final.