The eighth regional in the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge is set to tip off at Wartburg Kirchdorf School on Saturday 13 May when they host the uMvoti and oThukela Regional. Seven teams will be running onto the field at Wartburg Kirchdorf School. Joining hosts are Hermannsburg School, defending champions Domino Servite, Greytown High School and Wembley College. This regional also welcomes back Estcourt High School and Ladysmith High School.

The games get underway early, with hosts Wartburg Kirchdorf meeting Hermannsburg in the first game of the day that gets rolling at 7.30am. This regional follows a round robin format with all seven teams getting twenty minutes to shine, with play only running one way. A victorious team earns their school 4 points, a goalless draw will only earn the two teams one point each for their efforts, but if both teams manage to net the same amount of goals, they will share 2 points each. A loss won’t register on the overall log with teams accumulating zero points if they go down. The top two teams on the scorecard will then play each other in the regional final.

In the thirteen years since the tournament’s inception, five teams have raised the trophy in this region. Host school, Wartburg Kirchdorf has represented the area six times at the Grand Finals. Wembley College won the inaugural regional in 2011, and again were winners in 2021. Ladysmith High School was the second named engraved on the trophy while both Greytown High School and Domino Servite – the defending champions, have both won once. The uMvoti and oThukela Regional is followed by the Pietermaritzburg Central Regional, hosted by Epworth School on Sunday 14 May. Thereafter, the final tournament, the Northern KZN Coastal Regional takes place at Grantleigh College on Saturday 20 May.

Six victorious teams representing their regions have already earned a spot at the Grand Finals that takes place at St Mary’s DSG in Kloof in July. The winner of the uMvoti and oThukela Regional will join Danville Park Girls High School (Durban North Regional); St Mary’s DSG (Highway Regional); Kuswag Hoërskool (Durban South Regional), Durban Girls’ College (Durban Central Regional); The Wykeham Collegiate (Pietermaritzburg North Regional) and Hoërskool Suid Natal (Sisonke and uGu Regional). (The seventh team representing the Northern KZN Region will be decided on 6 May in Newcastle.)For spectators that are unable to get to the side of the pitch, the ten regionals and the Grand Finals will be live streamed by SuperSport Schools on their mobile app or website. For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page (SparSchoolGirlsHockeyTournament) or follow on Instagram (sparkznhockey) .