Central on cusp of glory

THE local men’s hockey league is heading for a dramatic final weekend with Central Hockey poised to clinch their first title in 20 years. They have two matches to play and will clinch the title if they are victorious in both.

Central play Cape flats rivals, Langa at 7.30pm tonight and will conclude their campaign with a home game against Pinelands on Saturday.

The Athlone-based team have been in imperious form this season and are on a 12-match winning streak.

Central’s only loss was against Maties at the beginning of May. They are averaging four goals per game, with their strike force and drag flickers the most deadly in the province.

The Cassiem brothers, Dayaan and Mustapha, have been immense for Central this year with Lance de Kock, Ryan Julius, Keenan Horne, Pierre de Voux, Jody Erasmus, Damian Benjamin and Bernard Greybe all playing their part during the season.

Goalkeeper Greybe has been a standout and has made some breathtaking saves to keep opponents at bay. Two more victories, that’s all they need.

In the ladies division WPCC have already clinched the title with two games left.

They are unbeaten this season with a perfect record of having played 16 and won 16. Andi Bernstein has done a magnificent job with her charges and she has to be commended for proving that last year was no fluke as they sealed back-to-back titles.

WPCC struggled with player numbers during the season and still maintained an extremely high standard of play.

They had tough games against Victorians and Maties towards the end of the season and managed to overcome their fiercest rivals to maintain their unbeaten record.

WPCC play UCT on Saturday and Pinelands on Sunday to finish off the season.