EP determined to make home advantage count in interprovincial tournament

Eastern Province U21 women’s hockey coach Kurt Petersen believes unity will be the cornerstone of his side’s bid to make home advantage count when they host next week’s SA U21 Interprovincial Tournament in Gqeberha.

The country’s top provincial under-21 teams will once again converge on the city from Monday to Friday, with matches being played at the KC March and Grey High School hockey fields as they battle for national honours.

The tournament was last held on these shores in 2022, with the Northern Gauteng women and Southern Gauteng Men claiming gold in that edition.

Petersen believes one of the biggest positives following the selection trials was being able to announce his squad almost immediately, giving the players valuable time to prepare together and build combinations ahead of the tournament.

“The team that was selected, they were all willing to learn, and they were all teachable,” Petersen said.

With the squad assembled from several clubs across the province, Petersen said the focus since then had extended beyond hockey skills, with emphasis placed on developing a close-knit group before the opening whistle.

“The main key is that we need to get these girls to be a united.”

He believes that togetherness will be crucial in tournament hockey, where provincial teams have limited time to build combinations and settle into a common style of play.

“They need to understand that we’re coming into a tournament; we’re not going into club hockey,” he said.

“The team will make you look good.”

Hosting the tournament also presents Eastern Province with the opportunity to play in front of family, friends and the local hockey community, something Petersen believes could prove invaluable over the five days of competition.

“When you play away, you don’t always have your people there,” he said.

“At home, they’ll come and support us and encourage the girls.

“The crowd is going to play a big role in supporting us on home soil.”

With less than a week before the opening fixtures, Petersen said the foundations had already been laid, with the final stretch of preparation now centred on refining the finer details.

“It’s basically a little bit of tactics now,” he said.

“We’ll have three or four sessions during the week, hopefully a friendly game on Friday, and then on Saturday we’ll have our final debrief where we discuss our strengths, weaknesses and the areas we want to improve.”

While the tournament presents an opportunity for players to impress national selectors, Petersen has encouraged his squad to focus on enjoying their hockey rather than becoming consumed by individual ambitions.

“They should not feel any pressure. They must just play their normal game because if they put too much pressure on themselves, they can lose focus.”

Though Petersen acknowledges the quality of the opposition will be high, he believes Eastern Province can challenge if the players remain committed to the team’s collective approach.

While every side arrives with ambitions of lifting the title, he said a place in the medal rounds would represent another positive step for a young squad determined to make home advantage count on the national stage.

Squad: Jorja Andrews (capt), Ahluma Bambiso, Iman Bonnasse, Taytum-Paige Bosch, Tristyn Burger, Kacey Campher, Khadijah Conrad, Tanna Cuff, Hannah Griffin, Mija Kliment, Keagan Lottering, Zanokuhle Mnikina, Zoey Mostert, Zara Nagan, Amber-Rose Roth-Uren, Gabriella Tait, Hanna Wannell and Ngomusa Zweni.