Gauteng -
The South African Under-21 team and Northern Gauteng booked their places in the men's interprovincial (IPT) hockey semi-finals with victories on the fifth day of the tournament in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
Eastern Province, already out of the running for a place in the top four, were looking to cause an upset against the U-21 side, but the juniors made their intentions clear from the outset.
The U-21 outfit dominated EP from the start, only allowing them out of their own half on a handful of occasions.
Matthew Guise Abrown scored his second hat-trick of the tournament, netting all of their goals, and while Province hit back with two strikes of their own, the junior side progressed with a 3-2 victory.
Northerns, meanwhile, upset title holders KZN Raiders, preventing the coastal team from bagging their fourth successive IPT title.
Each team scored on either side of the break, but Northerns took the lead with 16 minutes left in the second half, and they netted a third in the dying stages to bag a 3-1 win.
Southern Gauteng and Western Province, both already assured of a place in the semi-finals, faced off with little more than pride at stake.
Southerns took the honours with a 2-0 victory.
Western Province square up against the SA U-21 side in the semi-finals on Friday, while Southerns face Northerns for a place in the final. - Sapa