Ashton International College Ballito Crowned Regional Champs In Spar Kzn Schoolgirls' Hockey Challenge

Ashton International College Ballito are back, being crowned the Durban North Regional champions in the Spar KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge that they hosted on Sunday, April 13.

In an edge-of-your-seat final, Ashton beat defending champs Our Lady of Fatima 1-0. They dialled up their classy performance in their semi-final against Danville Park Girls High, which they won 3-0.

From the get-go, Fatima dominated with an array of well-crafted attacking moves, including nine slick set plays with six short corners and three long corners being awarded. Ashtons keeper, Isabella Baxter played the game of her budding career, backed by a determined and unpassable backline.

Baxter pulled save after save out of her talented hat, with a miraculous stick save that deflected a near perfect missile that was rocketing into the top right corner of the Ashton goal. The last line of defence put her body on the line, diving left and right and with catlike reflexes, was batting away balls fired in by the persistent Fatima forwards.

Ashton got a few rare opportunities to test Fatimas defenders, but play got quickly pushed back up field with Jenna Shaw skilfully leading her troops in Ashtons half.