SA reign supreme 

South Africa won the men and women’s Junior Africa Hockey Cup titles in Windhoek on Friday evening after beating Namibia 5-0 in both finals. 

In the men’s final, SA took an early lead through Rueben Sendzul after a quick counterattack, while a short corner goal by Jaydon Brooker made it 2-0 at the end of the first quarter. 

Another Brooker short corner goal made it 3-0 by half time, while a short corner goal by Ross Montgomery made it 4-0 by the third quarter. 

Namibia came back strongly in the final quarter but SA had the final say when Viwe Mbatwa added a field goal in final stages to complete a resounding win. 

Despite the defeat Namibia will join SA at the Junior World Cup in India in December. 

Egypt also booked a spot at the Junior World Cup after beating Kenya in a thriller. 

Ahmed Elhadi gave Egypt the lead midway through the second quarter, but Charles Ashihundu equalised for Kenya at the end of the third quarter. 

Mohab Hegab restored Egypt’s lead in the final quarter but Ashihindu immediately equalised to send the match into penalties, where Egypt held their nerve to win 4-2. 

Jaydon Brooker of South Africa was a runaway winner of the top goal scorer award with 16 goals, followed by compatriot Litha Kraai on six, and Namibia’s JP Britz and Owen Hatton as well as SA’s Carlon Mentoor on five goals. 

SA also gave a dominant display in the women’s final, beating Namibia 5-0. 

They took a while to break down Namibia’s defence with captain Caylin Maree scoring midway through the second quarter.

Two goals in quick succession in the third quarter by their pacey striker Ntsopa Mokoena and Maree, however, but them in command, and when Jodie Blows added a fourth they were cruising. 

Mokoena added her second in the final minutes to complete a comprehensive win. 

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, booked their world cup ticket to Chile after beating Uganda 6-1 in the bronze medal match. 

Amber Tozana scored a brace and Elijah Tinodiwanashe, Nyasha Nyaguze, Mufarowashe Matambo and Ruvarashe Mushavi one goal each, while Janet Nakato scored Uganda’s solitary goal.

Caylin Maree of SA was the top goal scorer with 10 goals, followed by Elijah Tinodiwanashe of Zimbabwe with six goals; Teshawn De la Rey, Germarie Spershott and Ntsopa Mokoena of SA; and Mia Karsten and Marika Neethling of Namibia with five goals each. 

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.