South African title stays in Kempton Park

The nickname changed, from historical Wildcats to Sabres, but not the result: the team from Kempton Park, in the Gauteng province of South Africa, is again national champion, after a SASL - South African Super League - thrilling final. Before the last round, Cape Town Kings were virtual champion with three points more than Sabres, despite three consecutive defeats in the last games, twice against Pretoria Capitals and one against same Sabres. In the last game, a real winner-take-all match, Sabres won 8-4 with two goals and an assist from captain and league top-scorer Jack Valadas, tied rival in the standing, but with a better goals difference (+7 versus +5), enough to retain the title for the third consecutive years, remaining the only team to win SASL league since its creation in 2015.

The Super League is South Africa’s highest level of competition. The league features teams from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Founded in 2015 the League formed to create a high level of competition for the elite level of players in the country. The format of the competition is based on a home and away principle with both Gauteng teams (Kempton Park Sabres and Pretoria Capitals) travelling to Western Province once to play 3 games.

The seasonal awards were assigned to:

SASL MVP: Marc Giot (Cape Town Kings)

Top Scorer: Jack Valadas  (Kempton Park Sabres)

Best Goalie: Ashley Bock (Kempton Park Sabres)

Best Defence: Andre Marais (Pretoria Capitals)

Best Forward: Dylan Compton (Kempton Park Sabres)

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