Promising start unravels for Madibaz

AFTER a promising start, the NMMU Madibaz came unstuck against Stellenbosch and Pretoria University to finish the first weekend of the Varsity Hockey women’s tournament in sixth place in Potchefstroom at the weekend.

The Madibaz opened with a 2-1 win over UCT and followed that with a 2-2 draw against Wits. However, the strong Maties team then beat them 6-0 before they were defeated 4-1 by Tuks in their final match of the weekend.

There was no disgrace in losing to Tuks as the Madibaz put up a good fight, but the Pretoria side underlined their strength by surging to the top of the table with four wins, while also grabbing three bonus points.

Tuks also defeated University of Johannesburg 4-3, UCT 8-0 and hosts Pukke 2-1.

Things are tight at the top of the table, though, as Tuks are followed closely by Free State University, who have also won four out of their four matches, but have claimed one less bonus point.

Next come Stellenbosch and UJ, followed by Wits (5th) and NMMU, with both having won just one out of their four matches. At the bottom of the table sit Pukke and UCT who have failed to claim a single win.

Interestingly, there has been just one draw in the tournament so far. That was between Wits and NMMU, when both sides let in two goals.

The next round of fixtures will be played from Friday to Sunday at Wits and UJ, with the teams vying for semifinal spots.