The Rhodes Men’s hockey side has experienced a tough start to their Varsity cup campaign this past week at Wits University.
The Rhodes Men’s hockey side has experienced a tough start to their Varsity cup campaign this past week at Wits University.
They have drawn one match and lost two. They drew 1-1 with UCT and suffered heavy defeats at the hands of NMMU and UJ, to whom they lost 5-0 and 7-1 respectively.
The team has been able to take part in this year’s Varsity Cup following their victory in the B-division of a USSA tournament in Cape Town last year.
This has seen them facing the top hockey universities in the country for the first time.
The team has been training vigorously in preparation for Varsity Cup hockey. They train three times a week and occasionally take part in pre-season matches on Wednesday evenings.
These results do seem disastrous. However, it is the side’s first time participating in such a highly competitive tournament. “It’s been an absolutely incredible experience for our guys. I think the level of excitement has been difficult to cope with,” said Gregg van Molendorff, the side’s coach.
The squad is also made up of many youngsters. Six of the squad members are a part of the EP under-21 set up, which indicates that the future of Rhodes hockey should be bright.
“This tournament is something the guys will never forget. For me, as a coach, it is also the perfect build up to the league, which is a very big goal that we are working towards,” said van Molendorff.
The team heads off to Bloemfontein this coming Thursday, were they will once again face tough opposition in Tuks, Koffsies and Wits.
Rhodes was always the underdogs going into this competition. They currently sit bottom of the table with a few fixtures remaining.
They still have a chance to reach their goal of remaining in this competition and, at the same time, can gain valuable experience for future competitions where they will face the same opposition.
