Hockey Tour Blog

Posted: 27/07/2017

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Day 8
The day started off with our very kind hosts taking us to school with them in the morning. We spent the morning visiting our hosts classes. At 9am the coach arrived to take us all the the hockey astro in Bellville where we would soon play our two final games.

The girls went first coming up against a strong Bellville side. The girls dominated the first half with many chances and ended up 1-0 to Bromsgrove. A wonderful goal coming from Charlotte Campbell. The second half carried on with this intensity and further goals coming from Lauren Watts, Jess Ward and Sienna Horton. The game finished 4-0.

It was now the boys turn. Bellville produced yet another strong performance. Bromsgrove came out flying. Great team spirit and team work meant that Bromsgrove entered the break 2-0 up. Goals came from all over the pitch with Joe Newbon and Morgan Hammond putting them home. We entered the second half with great belief that we could make up for the great defeat on Pretoria. We did ourselves justice after finishing the game 5-1.

With two wins under Bromsgrove's belt, the girls now faced the Bellville 1sts. A tough game that was well fought by both sides. Unfortunately, Bellville ended the girls unbeaten streak with a 1-0 win.

The last game, the boys faced another strong Bellville side. Having put up a strong fight the boys went 1-0 down in the first half. A great team talk fired up the boys and despite going two down the boys rallied themselves up. Pearce Child's scored a great goal to put us one closer. Gabriel Thornton then scored to even the score line. Pearce then grabbed another to put Bromsgrove 3-2 up. Bromsgrove then parked the bus and after a fearless challenge from Will Randall that sent him to hospital with a fracture and stitches, the final whistle blew. A great way to end the hockey part of the tour for both teams.

After the matches finished the team enjoyed a post match function with the opposition, shortly followed by some photos before everyone left with their hosts. Everyone then spent an afternoon of leisure with their hosts; some going shopping, others playing mini golf or visiting the traditional market, as well as the last evening spent with their billets.

William Randall



Day 7
Today began with the final morning with our hosts, to whom we bade farewell. We then travelled to Langa Township to learn about how people within the community live and what is being done to help them. We were shown a pottery studio, filled with many intricate and creative designs; a way of helping the people of the township find work and become self-sufficient. We were then taught some traditional African music, using African drums, which was really enjoyed by all and had everyone singing along! Next, we were shown the Kindergarten, set up by a local woman three years ago, which has thrived ever since. The children were very welcoming and treated us to a small performance of a song they have learnt.

We had a guided tour of the township itself, including the local markets and houses. It was a real eye-opener to see the conditions in which these people live, and it makes you realise how lucky we are. One hostel we were shown was built for 16 people, but actually housed closer to 48.

Following this, we drove to Boulder Beach, which was filled with lots of African penguins. The penguins are an endangered species and so they are kept in this protected natural environment, wandering freely for us to see.

We then got back on the bus and drove to The Cape Of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point of Africa, where we enjoyed a lovely meal with the breathtaking scenery, whilst trying to keep our food away from the baboons.





Finally, we travelled to Bellville School to meet our new hosts, with whom we spent a relaxing evening.

Abbie Saker & Sophie Ward



Day 6

Day six began with a traditional home cooked South African breakfast from our hosts before we set out for a full day of activities around Cape Town. We travelled to Lions Head Mountain, where we embarked on a fun hike to the top to take in the incredible and breathtaking scenery of Table Mountain and all of the Cape Town. Our next stop was the V&A Waterfront. We had some free time to do some shopping and all sat down for a yummy lunch.


Our final stop of the day was back to DF Malan, where we played our second game against the school. The girls and boys triumphed in both games, with close score lines of 1-0 for the girls, and 2-1 for the boys, reflecting the competitive, and high intensity match between both teams. We later returned to our hosts' houses for our final evening with them, and enjoyed a relaxing evening of socialising and a well earned sleep. 

Max Butterfield & Ed Hubsher



Day 5
We woke up bright and early for a sharp check out of the HPC at 7am. We set off to the airport, for a flight to Cape Town which was quickly over. After collecting all the luggage the squad made their way to their new bus and swiftly set off to a near by mall for lunch. After our pit stop, we moved onto DF Malan high school where we would play our first match in Cape Town.



Despite a valiant effort from both teams sadly neither emerged victorious; the girls drawing 2 all and the boys loosing 2-1. Both teams played well and fought hard in the blazing heat.

We then enjoyed a post match function at the school with our opposition, where we awaited the news of who we were billeting with. After finding out who we would be staying with, we then set off with our new hosts to our home for the next two days. Everyone settled into their new homes, and enjoyed an evening of leisure with their wonderful new hosts.

Emily Lyle


Day 4
On our way to Sun city, we saw numerous townships and we passed through multiple platinum mines through miles and miles of straight, lifeless roads surrounded by a barren Savannah. This is a great example of polarisation in the South African outback. As we finally entered the sun city gates, we were amazed by this fore coming tropical paradise in front of our eyes. We were submerged by beautiful, golden, native African animal statues such as lions, gazelles and the national springbok.



With the sun shining, everyone was able to enjoy the rides in addition to a lazy river and a wave pool. Sun city contained many different shops and restaurants which we could explore. One feature of sun city was 'The Maze of the Lost City'. This was entertaining but frustrating, with lots of dead ends which we kept encountering, however everyone was able to complete the maze. Finally as we made our way to the coach everyone could agree that it was an enjoyable day.

Returning to the HPC after a two hour drive, we partook in another game of volleyball between the girls and boys (victory for the boys), and afterwards we enjoyed another delicious meal. We then returned to our rooms to pack our suitcases for tomorrow's journey to Cape Town. With an hour and a half to pack, we had plenty of time for relaxation. Mr Moore arranged an exhilerating quiz in which students became incredibly competitive however the final winners were Euan, Max and Pearce. This was a great end to the day and left students exhausted ready for a good night sleep for tomorrow's travelling.


Written by Ella Gardner, Jess Ward, Gabe Thornton, Dan Ashton and Jack Stokes


Day 3
Today we awoke to the beautiful, soothing voice of a man over the telecom at approximately six fifteen.... for a fire drill.

To say the least the weather was refreshing, however we summoned our inner Eskimo and were bright eyed and bushy tailed for a solid two hour training session.

After a brisk lunch we had a feisty game of volleyball (in which the girls were victorious, much to the boys denial) then we visited the stunning union gardens and had pictures with good old Nelson. We were all astonished by the building's intricate design and the beauty of the gardens.

Following a quick experience at the supermarket to try out the local cuisine (very insightful), we embarked on our second match.

The girls and boys both played excellently, however the boys sadly lost whilst the girls tightly fought their way to a win (goals scored by Tilly and Esme) 2-1. The boys kept their spirits up despite the loss and fought hard till the last second.

Overall we have had a tiring but wonderful day.

Lydia Wright and Scarlett Fender



Day 2
We have had an exhilarating second day in South Africa. Firstly we visited Freedom Park based in Pretoria, this was where Nelson Mandela gave one of his most famous speeches. This was an enjoyable experience where we learnt about the history of the apartheid and the struggle for equality in South Africa. This park also highlighted the key events of the First and Second World War. We learnt about the history of the 16th of December, when the white invaders celebrated their victory over the native Zulu tribe with the supposed help of God. In addition to this, it was interesting to observe a different culture's version of the creation story. Overall it was a memorable experience (although, not for Leo the lion, who was left in one of the rooms!).

Next we headed across town to play against Hoërskool Zwartkop. The girls played first and came away with a well earned victory of 6-0. Goals were scored by Elouise, Siena, Esme, Claudia, Charlotte and Ellie. The boys fought hard for a narrow draw of 3-3, with goals scored by Gabriel and Euan. Overall it was a successful day and everyone would agree that they had a fantastic time. Thank you very much to our hosts for a lovely Braai and post match celebration.





Written by Siena Horton, Tilly Giles, Max Campbell & Joe Hawkeswood



Day 1
On Tuesday lunchtime, thirty-nine pupils and four teachers left Bromsgrove for Johannesburg. After a twelve hour slog, Ollie Walker was given the honour of carrying our tour mascot, Leo the Lion. We arrived tired but excited for the forthcoming days. We checked into the High Performance Centre accommodation and went for our first training session on the excellent water-based astro.

In the afternoon, we went to Fort Schanskop and the Voortrekker Monument where we were given a guided tour telling us about the history of the Dutch, British and Zulu wars over the past 400 years. We walked the 200 plus steps up the Voortrekker Monument and had panoramic views of Pretoria and the surrounding area which was stunning. The squad then returned back to the HPC for a quiet and relaxing evening of leisure and cake filled celebrations for Emily's 16th Birthday.

Written by Mollie Trow, Elyssa Jones, Morgan Hammond & James Lord