Belgotex Sport Fairmont Easter Hockey Tournament: Teams Battle for Cup Glory

On Thursday, the Belgotex Sport Fairmont Easter Hockey Tournament continued its march towards its peak as both the group stages and round of 16 took place in the Northern Suburbs. Destiny, it seems, waits for no one.

Now that the group stages and round of 16 have concluded, the 32 teams in each tournament have been separated into the Cup, Plate, Shield, and Bowl categories.

In the boys' competition, eight teams will compete for the coveted cup glory: Worcester Gym, Somerset College, Paarl Gim (who defeated the hosts Fairmont with a final second winner), Jim Fouche (who stunned Durbanville), Woodridge, Paarl Boys, Hudson Park, and SACS Inv. Paarl Gim, the defending champions, will be hoping to lift the crown once again this year.

Meanwhile, in the girls' tournament, St Cyprians still look like potential back-to-back winners after eliminating Durbanville Girls. They are joined in the final 8 of the cup by York (with a good Stellenberg win), Fairmont, Hudson Park, Rustenburg Girls, Monument, and Kingswood. Woodridge Girls have secured the last spot in the top 8 and are looking like a favourites for the title after two days of elite performances.

While some teams may be disappointed that they missed out on the Cup competition, the focus will now shift to finishing as high up the pyramid as possible. With two days of action remaining, each team will be vying to win the hunt for gold.

On Friday, the main venue will be lit up with cameras and action. Streaming will be available, and video referrals will be in place for the semi-finals. The entertainment factor promises to be at a level that would epitomise Marcus Aurelius's scream "Are you not entertained!".

‍