Durban — Various schools descended on Hillcrest last weekend to participate in a sporting extravaganza.
The Easter Sports Festival was held at Hillcrest High School (HHS) on March 18 and 19 which included the schools participating in rugby, netball and boys’ and girls’ hockey.
HHS head of sport and festival director Patrick Windsor said the festival was played in a sporting manner by the teams and was a perfect opportunity for the various coaches to assess different tactics and combinations before their respective seasons started.
“The Hillcrest High Invitational team for both boys’ and girls’ hockey played exceptionally well, which shows the depth we have in those sporting codes,” Windsor said.
“The festival was also played in a good spirit,” he added.
HHS assistant sports administrator Lauren Topham said that the sportsmanship between the teams and the never-say-die attitude of the visiting schools impressed her the most.
“Edenglen High School and Carter High School were not at our first team level, but they played hard and kept going until the very end whistle,” said Topham.
She also said that the first-team coaches had been able to see how the younger players could perform under pressure and that there had been some changes in the first teams after the festival. She was encouraged by the depth the school now has in boys’ hockey.
HHS first-team rugby coach Connor Steedman said that this festival was a stepping stone into the season for the rugby boys to show what they had got right and what could be fixed.
“It gives us as coaches the opportunity to see what we need to fix and allows players the opportunity to show their talents in a large-scale format such as a tournament,” said Steedman.
He said he was impressed with the talent and abilities shown amongst the schools and their players, as well as the discipline shown by all the different schools and their teams.
HHS head of cricket Cayle Marillier also assisted with the running of the festival and said his role was to ensure team meals arrived at the respective fields, and ensuring the electronic scoreboards were working as they should.
“I think for any tournament organiser, especially with the size of the festival, we just wanted everything to run smoothly and as close to the planned scheduling as possible. There was an ambulance on standby in case there were any injuries which required emergency attention. As a department, we were prepared for anything, and that’s why I believe the festival was a success,” said Marillier.
Marillier said he was impressed by the spirit of the Hillcrest players and that they showed no signs of malicious intent.
“A lot of the teams made for excellent spectator sport because of the level at which they played. I hope the parents and supporters also enjoyed it as much as we did, as coaches,” said Marillier.
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