WP teams disappoint in PHL

THE SA Premier Hockey league (PHL) enters the third weekend of competition today at the Randburg Astro in Johannseburg. The competition will continue into Monday and Tuesday, with the finals scheduled for Tuesday evening.

There have been few surprises in this year’s edition of the PHL, with last year’s top- performing teams again excelling. This could be attributed to the fact that they have proven combinations and have settled far easier than teams that have had line-up changes.

The Mapungubwe Mambas have been a revelation in this campaign and currently top the table with 11 points from three matches in the men’s division. Their coach, Krinesan Moodley, has done a sterling job in getting the best out of his charges.

Greg Last, the Mambas dragflicker, is in imperious form at present and he is rivalling Ricky West from the Maropeng Cavemen as the best drag-flicker at this year’s tournament.

The Mambas play Austin Smith’s Drakensberg Dragons in the early game this morning and then have a top-of-the-table clash with defending champions, the Maropeng Cavemen.

They have key players right up the middle of the field and have a strong offensive and defensive PC. They have a defensive game which will make them hard to break down.

The Western Cape teams have been disappointing to date, with both the men’s and women’s teams suffering two defeats in last week’s round of fixtures.

The Garden Route Gazelles looked a disjointed unit and have yet to find any rhythm. They threw away a 3-0 lead against the SA-U21s last week and ended up losing 6-3, and leaked six goals in the second stanza and this showed a lack of unity in the team.

Lloyd Norris Jones is playing far too deep and he should be higher up the park. The SA -U21s do have 11 Western Cape players in their current squad, with current SA players, Dayaan Cassiem and Andrew Hobson amongst the group.

The Wineland Wings lost both their encounters as well and are currently at the bottom of the log. Their lack of finishing has cost them dearly and they will struggle to make the play offs.