Langa hockey on the rise this season

LANGA hockey are experiencing their best season ever and are currently occupying fourth position on the Grand Challenge log.

The local hockey season is on a four-week break due to the school and university holidays and will recommence on the July 21.

The biggest surprise of the first 10 weeks of the season has been the turnaround in fortunes of township club, Langa.

Their current fourth position on the eight-team Grand Challenge log is well-deserved, and they have tasted victory in five of their 10 matches thus far. That’s as many games as they’ve won in the past two seasons.

They should have beaten Central as well and conceded a goal with eight seconds left on the clock to draw the game, 4-4, last Sunday.

They followed that up with a 3-2 victory against UCT the next evening to firmly entrench their position on the table.

The biggest victory of the season thus far was their 2-1 defeat of the much vaunted WPCC.

This was the first time in the club’s history that they have beaten the Rondebosch outfit and they have made the other clubs take note of their improvement.

Lungile Tsolekile, the Langa player/coach, has not being surprised by their great form of late.

“We have had the core of this team together for a few seasons now and have added Max Bissolati to our defence.

“His drag-flicking has been a potent weapon for us and he has converted four goals thus far. The return of Luthando Jonas and Thulani Mnani from Central has also brought a lot of pace to our attacks.”

Bissolati and Jonas have allowed Langa to have a more balanced midfield and this has also freed up Tsolekile to wreak havoc up front.

Mnani has been in great form and has bagged five goals to date.

The club has also had five players selected for the two provincial teams, another first for the club.

Rob Edwards, Owen Maqula and Jonas have made the A team, with keeper Siphamandla Nkuzo and Thandekile Maboee-Banzi making the Pens team. Nkuzo has been the best player to date and his performances have been rewarded with the call-up to the Peninsula Squad for his first taste of a senior IPT.

Langa will look to continue with their good form when the season commences in July. They have the platform to finish in the top four for the first time since they were founded in 1988.