U16 Champions Cup Hockey and Netball Tournament
Rustenburg hosted the 7th annual U16 Champions Cup Hockey and Netball tournament from 14-16 April. 16 hockey and 12 netball teams started arriving on the school campus from 11h00 on Friday morning, with the Diocesan School for Girls making their presence felt and having a quick training session before their first match at 13:00.
It was so exciting to see teams from all around the Cape, coming onto our campus to marvel at the beauty of sport. The thrill of hosting this tournament and the excitement felt on the campus were imminent throughout the three days. Food trucks and vendors on campus provided a wonderful assortment of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, while our coffee cart ensured that the cold, early mornings were bearable for all. The weather was almost perfect throughout the weekend, which is always a great added bonus.
Many of the academic, cleaning and ground staff assisted us throughout the weekend all kitted out in their new Rustenburg shirts. We were able to secure the assistance of the Rondebosch Medical Centre staff once again, who ensured that not only were our own Level 3 First Aiders equipped with the best team, but that all the players would be well looked after throughout. Their staff so ably assisted and inspired our own Level 3 First Aiders throughout the tournament.
The competition was of the highest order. Most matches were closely contested and usually decided by the odd goal. Thanks must go to Sportivo who made sure we had live updates on scores and results throughout the weekend, and to SuperSport Schools who came on board to live-stream all matches for the first time in the tournament’s history.
A massive thank you to the parents, staff and learners who were always available in assisting running the technical table, providing snacks and refreshments, as well as assisting in the tuckshop.
We are looking forward to hosting the 8th tournament in April 2024.
NETBALL RESULTS
This year, Netball had 12 competing teams, all from the Western Cape region. The teams competing looked to make their mark on this year’s tournament by taking top honours and setting the standard for the season. Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof were gold medal and cup winners, going undefeated the entire tournament. Runner-ups were Parel Vallei High School taking the silver medal and the very impressive Wise-Up team taking the bronze medal, beating Reddam House Constantia in the 3rd/4th play-off.
Rustenberg entered two teams, the U16A and U15A Netball teams, coached by Queen Mkhize and Sarah Murashiki, respectively. Both teams had tough competition against some strong opposition and were challenged throughout the tournament. The U15A’s were quite impressive, beating the U16A’s in the positional play-off. The U15A’s finished 6th overall and the U16A’s finished 7th. Scores for the Rustenburg teams are as follows:
U16A Results at Champions Cup:
| Opponent | Result | Scores |
| WISE-UP | Lost | 6 – 17 |
| SPRINGFIELD | Won | 9 – 6 |
| WESTERFORD | Won | 12 – 7 |
| PAREL VALLEI | Lost | 5 – 31 |
| HERSCHEL | Lost | 9 – 13 |
| BLOEMHOF | QF – Lost | 7 – 31 |
| RGHS U15A | PLAY-OFF – Lost | 10 – 28 |
| WYNBERG | 7th/8th – Won | 18 – 14 |
U15A Results at Champions Cup:
| Opponent | Result | Scores |
| SOMERSET COLLEGE | Won | 16 – 5 |
| WYNBERG | Won | 15 – 9 |
| ST. CYPRIANS | Drew | 12 – 12 |
| BLOEMHOF | Lost | 2 – 20 |
| REDDAM | Lost | 8 – 13 |
| WISE – UP | QF – Lost | 13 – 31 |
| RGHS U16A | PLAY-OFF – Won | 28 – 10 |
| HERSCHEL | 5th/6th – Lost | 19 – 22 |
HOCKEY RESULTS
Our U16A hockey team managed to finish in a respectable 7th place, conceding only 3 goals in their five matches.
The Hockey tournament was won by a gritty and resilient Herschel team that managed to edge last year’s champions, Paarl Gimnasium, in a nail-biting final. The bronze medal went to Hoer Meisieskool Bloemhof, with St Cyprian’s completing the top 4.
Champions Cup 2023 Final Hockey Positions
| POSITION | SCHOOL |
| 1 | Herschel Girls’ School |
| 2 | Paarl Gimnasium |
| 3 | HMS Bloemhof |
| 4 | St Cyprian’s School |
| 5 | Fairmont High School |
| 6 | Paarl Girls’ High School |
| 7 | Rustenburg Girls’ High School |
| 8 | Diocesan School for Girls |
| 9 | Stellenberg |
| 10 | Parel Vallei |
| 11 | Somerset College |
| 12 | Springfield Convent School |
| 13 | Wynberg Girls’ High School |
| 14 | Wise-UP |
| 15 | Westerford High School |
| 16 | Reddam House Constantia |
RGHS U16A Hockey Results
| TEAM | OPPONENT | RESULT |
| RGHS U16A | Springfield | RGHS drew 0-0 |
| RGHS U16A | Paarl Girls’ High School | RGHS won 2-0 |
| RGHS U16A | WISE-UP | RGHS won 3-0 |
| RGHS U16A (QF) | St Cyprian’s School | RGHS drew 0-0 (lost 1-0 in showdowns) |
| RGHS U16A | Paarl Girls’ High School | RGHS lost 0-1 |
| RGHS U16A | DSG | RGHS won 2-0 |
Tennis
Margaret Krieg (Grade 10) competed in the Inter-Provincial Tennis Tournament that was held in Pretoria between the 26th – 29 March 2023 where her team achieved a fourth position. What a great achievement Margaret. We are so proud of you.
Sailing
Isabella Keytel (Grade 11) competed in the Western Province Championships during the Easter Weekend in False Bay where she achieved a second position out of a fleet of 14 ILCA 4 boats. Well done Isabella, we are proud of you.
