Northern Blues dethrone WP as Southern Gauteng retain men’s crown at SA Indoor Hockey IPT

Northern Blues edged defending champions Western Province 5-3 in a thrilling see-saw battle in the women’s A Section final at the 2026 SA Indoor Hockey IPT at UKZN Westville Campus in Durban on Saturday.

Southern Gauteng, meanwhile, held on to the men’s title with an equally dramatic 7-5 victory over Western Province in the decider at the same venue.

A brace from Calie den Bakker gave the Northern Blues women a flying start before Province hit back through strikes from star Malikah Hamza and skipper Jamie Southgate.

Northern Blues regained the lead through Cassandra Forbes, only for Hamza to respond once more for Province to level matters at 3-3 in the 34th minute. The final word in the gripping finale, however, belonged to Northern Blues captain Celia Seerane, who struck twice late on to clinch the title.

Southern Gauteng appeared on course for a comfortable defence when they surged into a 3-1 lead in the first half. Province roared back, though, with a goal from World Cup bronze medallist Hans Neethling levelling the scores at 4-4 in the 33rd minute.

As in the women’s final, the closing stages produced a flurry of goals. Once again it was the winning captain who rose to the occasion when it mattered most, Liam Hermanus grabbing a decisive double to ensure the trophy returned to the highveld.

Western Province Peninsular claimed bronze in the men’s A Section after edging hosts KZN Raiders 3-2 in another pulsating encounter. Amber Fairon’s hat-trick secured bronze for the Southern Gauteng women, who won their play-off 4-2.