All Old Oaks secure home semis
KNYSNA - Both teams from Old Oaks Knysna Hockey Club will be playing in home semi-finals in the 2021 Eden Hockey Senior League, after both sides secured comprehensive wins last weekend.
The weekend saw the return of the league two months after its Covid-related suspension. Going into the round of fixtures on Saturday 14 August, only Old Oaks Ladies had already secured a home semi-final by virtue of an unassailable lead at the top of the table.
They were facing Crusaders Ladies in George who wanted to improve their chances of moving up into second place. Old Oaks Ladies were, however, determined to go into their home semi-final on a run of good form. A strong first half saw Old Oaks take a 5-1 lead going into half-time. A further three goals for the away team led to Old Oaks emerging 8-1 victors.
Donné de Wet was the top goal scorer in the game for the ladies with a hat-trick of goals, while her sister Charné contributed two goals with Terri Pautz, Tarryn Edkins and Christine van der Merwe each contributing one goal. The men's team needed to get at least a draw in their final game of the round-robin stage. They had to overcome a challenge from bottom-ofthe-log George Hockey Club, whom they faced on their home turf in Knysna. The two sides faced off in the second game of the day, following a game between Wanderers Ladies and Quarry Ladies 2, which the latter won 15-0. With the weather a little better after a cold week, the men got the ball rolling at 15:30, getting off to a slow start with a 0-0 scoreline after the first quarter as both sides needed to shake off their two-month rustiness. The next three quarters were vastly different though as Old Oaks took hold of the game by the scruff of the neck. Four goals from James Chauncey along with goals from Jacques Potgieter, Blake Linder, Sean McKenzie and Liam Bell saw Old Oaks secure a solid 8-0 victory.
The win sees Old Oaks Men open up a six-point lead at the top of the table with Quarry Men 2 in second place with a game in hand. Along with the ladies, the men's team will be playing their semi-final on Saturday 28 August.