Author: asawula

After the group stages of the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia, the South African u17 girls will battle it out for the bronze medal on the final day of competition, Saturday, 9 November.

This follows a 1-3 defeat against Australia in the semifinals, on Thursday, in Kuala Lumpur.

Heading into that final-four clash, coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer’s side had recorded a 4-0 victory over Malaysia Tigress but then went down 2-4 against Japan.

Their opening win against the hosts was sparked by some exceptional and enterprising hockey. Lenique Vogel and Lucy Holderness both found the back of the net, while Amber Fairon struck twice to seal the win for the visitors.

The meeting with Japan proved to be a far tougher challenge for the SA girls. They took an early lead through a goal from Alanda Rademeyer, but Japan hit back strongly to seal the win and cancel out a further South African strike by Asanele Zuma. 

By then, though, the South African side had already sealed a spot in the semifinals after finishing second behind Japan in their group, with three points from their two matches.

In the semifinals, they came up against a strong Australian side that dominated Group X, scoring two wins while picking up seven points.

The Aussies were quickly out of the blocks and struck twice in the first chukka.

Coach Pienaar-Geyer’s advice during the short interval appeared to do the trick as South Africa pulled one back in the second chukka through vice-captain, Caprice Bengston.

Heading into the final chukka, the outcome hung in the balance, with Australia still 2-1 ahead.

They avoided an upset by scoring from a well-executed short corner to extend their lead to two goals, which they maintained to the end of the contest.

The girls from Down Under will take on Japan in the final while South Africa will meet South Korea in the third/fourth playoff match.

It’s the second year in a row in which South Africa will play for the bronze medal. Last year, they missed out against India.

Saturday’s action at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium starts at 02:00 (SAST).

Click HERE to watch the action, including the SA u17 boys’ against Canada in the 5th/6th playoff match.

The South African u17 boys’ hockey team entered the third edition of the Dato Mirnawan Cup intending to go all the way.

However, it was far from smooth sailing for coach Justin Collins and his team in the opening rounds of the tournament.

Ahead of the event, the South Africans would’ve drawn inspiration from last year’s team, which won silver.

On Sunday, the opening day of the tournament, they began well, delivering a blistering performance to whip Canada 9-1. It was a commanding victory that filled the team with confidence.

Captain Reece Theunis scored a hattrick while Siwaphiwe Sithembu found the back of the net on two occasions. The other goals were netted by Callum Anderson, Keegan Le Roux, Chris Abrahams, and Ryde Brisset.

Up against South Korea in their second outing, South Africa’s confidence was jolted when the Koreans’ quick and aggressive play caught Theunis and company off guard.

They found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 0-3. South Africa, though, staged a valiant comeback, but South Korea found a decisive strike to score a 4-3 win.

The team’s last group match was against the hosts. It was a must-win clash with a place in the top four on the line.

Unfortunately for the touring side, they lacked a cutting edge and struggled to find their rhythm. Meanwhile, Malaysia was on song and scored three goals to secure their second win of the tournament.

Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus after day three’s action, South Africa’s head coach Collins said they were disappointed by the results but will continue to soldier on and take lessons from their performances.

“It’s not the position we would’ve liked to be in, but that’s the nature of tournament hockey,” he said from Malaysia.

“It’s a game of inches. We never prepare to lose. No team does. This is a great experience for our young players on an international stage.”

With the group matches done and dusted, the South Africans are out of medal contention and will enter the playoffs aiming to finish in fifth place.

On Thursday, 7 November, they will face Queensland at 10:00 SAST. Click HERE to watch the match.

After their teams made strong strides during the 2024 SASHOC National Weeks, consistently finishing at the upper end of the various tournaments, the Boland Schools Hockey Association has set its sights on even higher achievements and has launched a High-Performance League for players in the region.

The league is set to kick off on 8 November. After a sharp and intense two weeks of competition, the finals will be played on the Maties AstroTurf in Stellenbosch on Friday, 22 November. 

The league is the first of its kind in the region, and it will see players from u13 to u17 challenged by a series of highly competitive matches.

Boland coaches will take charge of each of the sides, and their main objective will be to implement systems and structures, with a key focus being the 2025 SASHOC National Weeks.

Besides helping players, the league will also assist coaches enhance their skills by putting them through their paces and ensuring everyone is aligned with the same goals.

Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus after the announcement of the High-Performance League, the Chairlady of Boland Schools Hockey, Adele Bothma, said the idea of a high-performance league was motivated by a desire to build on Boland’s successes during 2024.

“We recognise the need to continuously enhance our structures and systems with a focused effort on improving the high-performance format,” she said.

“More than 200 players will compete in the High-Performance League. The committee looks forward to building on this format and including many more players in the future.

“Out of 12 teams this year, seven Boland teams finished in the top three places [at SASHOC National Weeks], highlighting the strength and development of our hockey programme.”

The coaches set to take charge of the teams are familiar faces within the Boland system.

The u13 boys will be under the guidance of Scott Patterson and Michael John Alexander, while Lou Foster, Scott Hendricks, and Michaella Beart will take charge of the u13 girls. 

The u15 boys’ section has three teams, which will be overseen by Rowan McLachlan, Mick Ouwerkerk, and Kyran Fortuin, respectively.

In the girls’ U15 section, Darren Davies and Chris Gerber will serve as the coaches, while Alvin August will do duty as an assistant coach.

Matt Smith, Fred Olivier, and Dewald Raath will guide the three boys’ u17 teams, while in the girls’ senior section, Jackie Scheepers‘ team will compete against Mignon Collinse‘s side, with Marc Landman serving as an assistant coach.

Mentoring of the coaches will be managed by Jarred Pitout, Michael Baker, and Jacques Grobler.

Pitout said he believes if the High-Performance League is properly utilised, it could work wonders for Boland hockey.

“The plan is to contact our players eight months before tournaments, track them through high-performance, and guide our coaches on this journey, too,” he explained.

“Boland is making a conscious effort to engage our coaches to become a community that can rely on one another, be supportive, and be the sounding boards because we need to break the mold of all of us competing for our own gain.

“I believe that if Boland can get this right and the coaches buy into our vision, we are standing at the beginning of something great that can make our Boland Schools Hockey programme one of the greatest,” he concluded.

Fixtures for the Boland HP League

Round 1 

WEEK 2 (8 November)
TIME	TURF	TEAMS
15:00-16:15	Maties C	Girls U17 1 vs 2
15:00-16:15	Maties A	Girls U15 1 vs 2
15:00-16:15	Maties B	Boys U17 1 vs 2
15:00-16:15	Rhenish	Boys U13 1v2
16:30-17:45	Rhenish	Girls U13 1v2
16:30-17:45	Maties C	Boys U15 1 vs 2
16:30-17:45	Maties A	Girls U17 1 vs 2
16:30-17:45	Maties B	Girls U15 1 vs 2
18:00-19:15	Maties C	Boys U17 1 vs 3
18h00-19:15	Maties A	Boys U15 1 vs 3
18h00-19h15	Maties B	Boys U13 1 vs 2
19:30-21:00	Maties C	Girls U13 1 vs 2
19:30-21:00	Maties A	Boys U17 2 vs 3
19:30-21:00	Maties B	Boys U15 2 vs 3

Round 2 

WEEK 3 (15 November)
TIME	TURF	TEAMS
15:00-16:15	Maties C	Girls U17 1 vs 2
15:00-16:15	Maties A	Boys U15 1 vs 2
15:00-16:15	Maties B	Boys U17 1 vs 2
16:30-17:45	Maties C	Boys U13 1 vs 2
16:30-17:45	Maties A	Girls U15 1 vs 2
16:30-17:45	Maties B	Girls U13 1 vs 2
18:00-19:15	Maties C	Boys U17 2 vs 3
18:00-19:15	Maties A	Boys U15 2 vs 3
18:00-19:15	Maties B	Girls U17 1 vs 2
19:30-21:00	Maties A	Boys U17 1 vs 3
19:30-21:00	Maties C	Boys U15 1 vs 3
19:30-21:00	Maties B	Girls U15 1 vs 2

FINALS 

WEEK 4 (22 November)
TIME	TURF	TEAMS
15:00-16:15	Maties C	U15 Boys Semi
15:00-16:15	Maties A	U17 Boys Semi
16:30-17:45	Maties C	U13 Girls Final
16:30-17:45	Maties A	U13 Boys Final
18:00-19:15	Maties C	U15 Girls Final
18:00-19:15	Maties A	U15 Boys Final
19:30-21:00	Maties C	U17 Girls Final
19:30-21:00	Maties A	U17 Boys Final

 

After finishing fourth at the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia in 2023, the South African u17 girls’ hockey team enters this year’s event focused on being in the mix for the silverware.

The competition, which is in its third year, runs from 1-10 November in Kuala Lumpur.

Stay glued to SuperSport Schools Plus for all the updates.

In 2023, coach Omari Pienaar-Geyer’s side won three of their six matches, beating Malaysia A, Malaysia B, and India. However, in the bronze medal match, the Indians reversed their earlier defeat, scoring a 2-0 win.

A new crop of talent, co-captained by Jehan Abrahams and Amber Fairon, with Caprice Bengtson serving as the vice-captain,  will be flying the flag of the Rainbow Nation.

That trio participated in last year’s Mirnawan Cup and will carry with them valuable lessons learnt from that experience.

The dangerous Abrahams plies her trade for Wynberg Girls’ High and represented Western Province during the u18 SASHOC National Week.

Fairon is a product of Dainfern College and played for the Southern Gauteng team that won the u18 title at the SASHOC National Week for the first time in 14 years; meanwhile, Bengston will be flying the Durban Girls’ College and KZN Coastal flag high in Malaysia.

Eastern Province has three representatives, including Diocesan School for Girls‘ Holderness sisters, Lucy and Abigail, who have jumped on the plane with Collegiate Girls’ High star, Emihle Mazomba.

Apart from skipper Abrahams, Western Province will be represented by Chelsey McGregor (St Cyprian’s School) and Peyton Marais from Curro Durbanville.

Boland, on the other hand, has the most representatives, with five players. They include three – Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Grace Hobbs, and Philippa Viljoen – from the Fairtree Super 12-winning Rhenish Girls’ High. They are joined by the Paarl Gimnasium duo of Alanda Rademeyer and Karli van Deventer.

For KZN Coastal, it’s Bengston, Chelsey Woolf, and Asanele Zuma from Durban Girls’ College, and Sibabalwe Mfazwe, from St Mary’s DSG (Kloof).

Southern Free State‘s Kirstin Booysen, from Oranje, and Northern Gauteng’s Lenique Vogel, who like the team’s coach Omari Geyer-Pienaar, hails from Hoërskool Waterkloof. complete the squad.

SuperSport Schools Plus caught up with head coach Pienaar-Geyer ahead of the tournament to discuss the team’s preparations.

“The team is feeling really excited and optimistic ahead of our hockey tour to Malaysia,” she said.

“We’ve been training hard, both as a team and individually, and we are excited to showcase our skills on an international stage.

“There’s a great sense of team spirit, excitement, and determination among the players, and we’re all looking forward to the adventure, challenges, and opportunities that this tour will bring us.”

In an attempt to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish, and taking lessons learnt from that tournament, the team has adopted different methods of preparation, including training at a high intensity in hot conditions.

Pienaar-Geyer said 2023’s experiences have equipped her charges to compete well in Malaysia.

“I think we are a lot more prepared than last year,” she explained. “We have had the opportunity to play as a team, and that’s something I feel would have been really beneficial for last year’s team.

“Also, with having experience from last year, it was a lot easier for us to get across to the girls the extreme conditions we would be playing in, which has been so helpful in mentally preparing the team.

“In comparison to last year, we have had a lot more structured training schedule and high-performance plan, which has the girls feeling confident and ready, which we lacked last year. Overall, the girls are fit and ready to take on Malaysia.”

Emulating the SA u17 boys’ team, which will do battle in the same tournament, the girls have set their sights high.

“As a team we have goals: firstly to go and compete, not to just participate,” Geyer-Pienaar said.

“I would say [we’re] putting ourselves outside of our comfort zone and gradually building our team’s confidence much higher than what it is and hoping to bring home the gold when we’ve played well and ticked all of our personal and team goals.

“The ideal goal would be to do better than fourth place last year,” she concluded.

South Africa u17 Girls Squad

Jehan Abrahams, Chelsey McGregor, Peyton Marais (Western Province), Caprice Bengston, Sibabalwe Mfazwe, Chelsey Woolf, Asanele Zuma (KZN Coastal), Kirstin Booysen (Southern Free State), Amber Fairon (Southern Gauteng), Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Philippa Viljoen, Grace Hobbs, Alanda Rademeyer, Karli van Deventer (Boland), Lucy Holderness, Emihle Mazomba, Abigail Holderness (Eastern Province), Lenique Vogel (Northern Tigers).

Staff

Manager: Pearl Mashego
Head Coach: Omari Pienaar-Geyer
Assistant Coach: Chardinay Penniston
Video Analyst: Jamie Smith

Group Y: South Africa, Japan, Malaysia Tigers.

Group Fixtures

3 November

20:00 – South Africa vs Malaysia Tigers

5 November

18:00 – South Africa vs Japan

The South African u17 boys’ hockey team is gearing up to take part in the third edition of the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia over the coming week.

The tournament, which is hosted by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, will be played in Kuala Lumpur and is scheduled to run from 1-10 November.

It will be the second time that a South African team contests the event after last year’s crop of players won silver medals after losing 3-4 to India in the final.

For a second year running, the team will be coached by Northwood’s Justin Collins, while the captain will be SACS dangerman Reece Theunis.

It’s an 18-player squad filled with talent from across the country, with a variety of provinces represented.

Eastern Province boasts five players, including three – Dante Elkington,  goalkeeper Kaino Broadhurst, and Keegan Le Roux – from Grey High School.

Chulumanco Mkontwana, who shone for Pearson High this past season, also earned himself a spot in the team along with Gregory Rodwell, from St Andrew’s College.

The Western Province representatives are the SACS‘ trio of Josh Le Roux, Mohlodi Maseko, and Theunis, who are joined by Callum Anderson, from Bishops.

Boland won the u16 SASHOC National Week in the mid-year holidays, and three players who were part of that winning team – Logan Lackay (Paul Roos), Tylor Carter (Paul Roos), and Stephan Malan (Parel Vallei) – will also jet off to Malaysia.

They will be joined by the experienced Christo Swanepoel, also from Paul Roos Gimnasium, who was called up to replace Litha Kraai after his selection for the SA Men’s Indoor World Cup squad.

The rest of the side is made up of three KwaZulu-Natal players: Coastal‘s Christopher Abrahams, from Durban High School (DHS), and Ryde Brisset, from Clifton College, were included, along with Maritzburg College‘s Siwaphiwe Sithembu, who was in top form for the KZN Inland side at the SASHOC National Week.

Jeppe‘s Juan Martin (Southern Gauteng) and Pretoria Boys High‘s Victor Louw (Northern Tigers) complete the squad.

Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus ahead of the tournament, skipper Reece Theunis said he was looking forward to leading his team on the world stage, despite the limited time they have had to train as a unit.

“Training in a centralised area with the whole team would be the most ideal situation, but being in different cities, it is tough,” he said.

“We will have to create that team culture and chemistry. Other than that, our team is looking extremely strong, with a lot of raw talent shown, and skilled players among the boys.

“It will be my first time playing with most of the boys in the team, so I’m quite excited to see how we will get on.”

Theunis, who won the u18 SASHOC National Week title with Western Province, is the only player remaining from last year’s silver medal-winning team.

He said he’s picked up lessons from last year’s campaign and that experience should serve him well in Malaysia.

“The tour is a big step up from provincial hockey to international hockey, as the game is much quicker and has an even smaller margin for error.

“Personally, I struggled with emotions on the field last year and this year, but with the help of many people, I have learnt how to deal with my emotions much better,” he admitted.

“Going to Malaysia, I am more than prepared for this and am very thankful for those who have helped me overcome this.”

Theunis said he understands the responsibility that comes with wearing the captain’s armband for his country.

South Africa opens their account on Sunday, 3 November, against Canada before taking on South Korea the following day.

They play their final Group A game on Tuesday, 5 November, against the Malaysia Tigers.

Theunis insisted that the South African team is not going to Malaysia to make up the numbers, They intend to challenge for the title.

“Obviously, as a team, we are going to Malaysia to go unbeaten and to get that gold medal around our necks.

“We want to show the world that South Africa has that fighting spirit and will compete against every team that we face,” he said.

South Africa u17 Squad

Kaino Broadhurst, Chulumanco Mkontwana, Keegan le Roux, Gregory Rodwell, Dante Elkington (all Eastern Province), Joshua le Roux, Mohlodi Maseko, Callum Anderson, Reece Theunis (all Western Province), Logan Lackay, Stephan Malan, Tylor Carter, Christo Swanepoel (all Boland), Ryde Brisset, Christopher Abrahams (KZN Coastal), Siwaphiwe Sithembu (KZN Inland), Juan Martin (Southern Gauteng), Victor Louw (Northern Tigers).

Staff

Manager: Jason Syce
Head Coach: Justin Collins
Assistant Coach: Lance Louw
Physio: Keagan Lailvaux
Video Analyst: Keegan Pearce

Group Fixtures

3 November 

16:00 – South Africa vs Canada

4 November

16:00 – South Africa vs Korea

5 November

20:00 – South Africa vs Malaysia Tigers

Kearsney College made history at the annual St Stithians Invitational Water Polo Tournament when they came from behind to clinch an impressive 17-14 win over Bishops Diocesan College in the final, played in the Olympic Pool on Sunday.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit entered the final unbeaten after recording wins over SACS, Hilton College, Pretoria Boys High, and Jeppe High School for Boys in Group C.

In the knockout stages, coach Nick Rodda‘s team edged out St Andrew’s College 11-9 before beating a highly regarded St John’s College team 8-7 to book themselves a spot in the final against Bishops.

In Bishops, they came up against a side that had enjoyed a similar run of success after an emphatic showing during their Group B matches. Coach Jabulani Sibiya‘s team collected victories over St John’s, King Edward VII (KES), Michaelhouse, and Pearson High while finishing the group stage as the event’s highest scorers by 20 goals.

In the quarterfinals, they dealt their Cape Town rivals, SACS, a 14-10 defeat. Then, in the semi-finals, they were pushed all the way by Hilton College, but a late goal from Matt Fenn sealed a 7-6 win and a place in the title decider.

Bishops, as they had done throughout the tournament, started the final like a house on fire and, after two chukkas, they led Kearsney 8-6.

The Botha’s Hill boys were kept in the game by a brace each from Thomas Francke and Levi Thom, while captain James Pohl struck once, as did Luca Sandri.

In the third chukka, coach Rodda’s team changed the complexion of the match by scoring first from a five-metre penalty that was converted by the experienced Oliver Ludwig.

Matt Fenn, who had been deadly for Bishops throughout the tournament, inched his side ahead again, and at the end of the third chukka the Cape Town outfit was a goal to the good in a high-scoring clash by an 11-10 margin. Thomas Aylward had netted twice for Kearsney, with Sandri adding a second to his tally.

With the title on the line and one more chukka to play, Kearsney came alive and blew Bishops away as Sandri, Thom, and Aylward all completed their hattricks.

James Whatmore also struck twice, with his second coming with only four seconds remaining to seal the win by a three-goal margin for the KZN team.

Reacting to the victory, head coach Nick Rodda said he was pleased with the fighting spirit that brought his team from behind to victory and the title.

“We’ve had some slow starts and some fightbacks in some of the games,” he admitted, “but, overall, it’s been exceptional,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We were the underdogs. Having not performed here before, we came in unaware of Bishops and their talent.

“Overall, I’m incredibly happy and [we’re] looking good for the next two years. We have some great youngsters who aren’t here to join the team in the future.”

The Saints Invitational title is Kearsney’s second piece of silverware this season after they claimed top honours at the KZN Top 10 Water Polo Tournament two weeks ago.

Rodda believes the water polo programme at Kearsney will go from strength to strength. “We’ve just been working on our foundations,” he explained.

“The previous coach, Pierre Le Roux, who moved to New Zealand, did the groundwork. I’ve come through and put the pieces together, having been at Kearsney for only two years.

Kearsney’s season in KZN is almost done. In December, some of the school’s players will be in action for KZN at the annual Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in East London.

Rodda said he’s setting the bar high for 2015. “We have two fixtures left in KZN. Our next goal is to hopefully get an invite to the KES (King Edward VII) tournament and go for gold there next year.

“If not, we are hoping for another gold at the Reef Cup, should we not go to KES,” he concluded.

St John’s College took home the bronze medals after beating Hilton 6-5 in the third/fourth playoff match. The defending champions, SACS had to settle for sixth place after going down 3-7 to St David’s Marist Inanda.

Among the other winners on the final day were St Alban’s, Affies, Pretoria Boys High, Michaelhouse, Durban High School, St Stithians, and Rondebosch.

Day 4 Results | Boys

St Alban’s College 8-7 Grey College
Affies 10-1 Pearson
Pretoria Boys High 5-2 Grey High
Michaelhouse 9-6 Jeppe High School for Boys
Durban High School 11-6 Reddam House Constantia
St Stithians College 5-3 King Edward VII
Rondebosch Boys’ High 12-4 St Andrew’s College
St David’s Marist Inanda 7-3 SACS
St John’s College 6-5 Hilton College
Kearsney College 17-14 Bishops Diocesan College

New champions will be crowned at the St Stithians College Invitational Water Polo Tournament after Bishops Diocesan College and Kearsney College booked their spots in the final of the prestigious tournament on Saturday.

Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Bishops came into the event looking to make history, having never won the tournament before. Meanwhile, Kearsney College was brimming with confidence after recently claiming top honours at the KZN Top 10 Water Polo Tournament.

Both teams were dominant leading up to the play-offs. Bishops were drawn in Group B and breezed past their opponents on the opening two days. During the group stages, coach Jabulani Sibiya‘s team scored a mammoth 57 goals in four matches and conceded only 18.

In the quarterfinal, they eliminated last year’s champions, SACS, beating coach Devon Card‘s side 14-10 to progress to a semifinal showdown with Hilton College.

It was filled with drama. After a slow start, the fixture came to life in the second half. Bishops led 3-1 at the halfway mark, but coach Jason Sileno‘s message at the break must’ve inspired his Hilton team.

The KwaZulu-Natal boys staged a strong comeback after conceding goals to Timothy Young, Luke Cartwright, and James Malan. They refused to let Bishops get away and, despite Harry Ford‘s brace, Hilton kept clawing their way back into the contest.

They levelled at 6-6 with time winding down and a penalty shootout beckoning. Bishops, however, avoided the shootout, scoring with only seconds left through Cartwright to snatch a hard-fought win.

In the second semifinal, Kearsney College tackled St John’s College. Kearsney, like Bishops, had won all four of their group stage matches in a very tough pool, which included Hilton and SACS, while St John’s finished second in group B.

Coach Nick Rodda‘s side, on their way to the last four, beat SACS 10-8, their provincial rivals, Hilton College, 7-5, and Jeppe High School for Boys 11-8. In the quarterfinals, they scored an 11-9 win over St Andrew’s College.

They were pushed hard by St John’s in their semifinal but showed off their mettle to again emerge the victors after a tremendous tussle, this time by an 8-7 margin.

Thomas Francke led the charge for Kearsney early in the first chukka when he scored two goals for his team. In the second chukka, James Pohl added another for the Botha’s Hill boys, but they found themselves 3-4 down at the break.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit came out firing in the second half, scoring three times through Luca Sandri, Levi Thom, and Pohl, who bagged a brace.

Despite being pushed to their limits by a resilient St John’s outfit, Kearsney clinched the win in the final chukka, with Francke notching a hattrick before Robert Smith scored in the dying seconds to win it.

Kearsney will face Bishops in the final at 12:40, while St John’s and Hilton will play in the bronze medal match at 09:20.

Boys | Day 3 Results

St Andrew’s College 8-5 King Edward VII
St John’s College 10-7 Durban High School
Hilton College 12-11 Reddam House Constantia
SACS 5-4 St Stithians College
Michaelhouse 9-4 Affies
Grey High School 9-4 Pearson High School
Pretoria Boys High 10-9 Grey College
Jeppe High School for Boys  12-2 St Alban’s College
Affies 13-3 Grey College
Pearson High School 4-3 St Alban’s College
King Edward VII 12-6 Reddam House Constantia
St Stithians College 4-3 Durban High School
SACS 6-3 Rondebosch Boys’ High
St Andrew’s College 6-9 St David’s Marist Inanda

Quarterfinals

Hilton College 10-7 Rondebosch Boy’s High
Bishops 14-10 SACS
Kearsney College 11-9 St Andrew’s College
St John’s College 6-2 St David’s Marist Inanda

Semifinals

Bishops 7-6 Hilton College
Kearsney College 8-7 St John’s College

Day 4 | Fixtures

Saints Olympic North 

06:00 – Grey College vs St Alban’s College
07:40- Reddam House Constantia vs Durban High School
09:20- SACS vs St David’s Marist Inanda

Saints Olympic South 

06:00- Affies vs Pearson High
07:40- Michaelhouse vs Jeppe High School for Boys
09:20- Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St Andrew’s College

Saints Pool

06:00- Pretoria Boys High vs Grey High School
07:40-King Edward VII vs St Stithians College
09:20- St John’s College vs Hilton College – 3rd/4th
12:40 Bishops Diocesan vs Kearsney College – Final

The St Stithians College Olympic North and South swimming pools played host to the second day of the highly competitive St Stithians College Invitational Water Polo Tournament on Friday.

After a sizzling opening day, during which the defending champions in the boys’ section, South African College High School (SACS) suffered a 6-7 defeat to Hilton College, day two threatened more upsets and it duly delivered.

Heading into the day’s action, Bishops Diocesan College, Rondebosch Boys’ High, St David’s Marist Inanda, and Kearsney College were all unbeaten.

Those four sides maintained their clean records on Friday, adding another two wins to their records to end the round-robin stage sitting atop their respective groups.

In Group A, Rondebosch, coached by Jared Wingate-Pearse, claimed victories against two Eastern Cape schools, sneaking by St Andrew’s College 10-9, before scoring a more convincing 8-2 win over Grey High School.

St Andrew’s, who won the Woodridge Stayers tournament recently, finished the day in second place after winning three of their four matches. They were followed by Durban High School (DHS), Grey High, and Affies, with the latter two remaining winless after they shared a 7-7 draw.

Bishops was dominant in Group B and on Friday continued the impressive form they showed on day one. They rolled to a 16-5 win over King Edward VII 16-5 (KES) before Matt Fenn netted five times against St John’s College to lead his team to an outstanding 9-6 win over a strong side. St John’s star, Nicholas Searle, netted five of his team’s six goals.

Heading into the tournament, Group C had been dubbed the “group of death” with three top-quality teams – Hilton, Kearsney, and SACS – set to face each other.

It has been the KwaZulu-Natal teams that have stepped up to the plate. Kearsney, coached by Nick Rodda, notched up four notable wins, and on day two defeated the defending champions, SACS, 10-8 in the final match of the day.

Hilton also cemented their spot in the play-offs with wins against Pretoria Boys High and Jeppe High School for Boys, which followed victory over SACS on Thursday and a loss to Kearsney. Pretoria Boys High remains winless, while Jeppe has picked up just one win so far in the tournament, although they were very competitive in losses against the group’s three favoured teams.

Group D, while maybe not one that immediately captured the imagination, has delivered some fine play in the pool, with St David’s Marist Inanda catching the eye.

They surprised some by beating St Stithians 5-3 in the group’s key clash on day two, which kept their record at a perfect four from four. They also won against Reddam House Constantia on Friday.

Grey College, meanwhile, picked up their first victory of the tournament after edging a struggling St Alban’s team 6-4.

The group matches are done and dusted and the top teams will enter day three pursuing a place in the semi-finals.

SACS, the three-time defending champions, despite suffering two defeats in their group, are not out of the running. They can still secure a quarterfinal berth if they beat Saints in a cross-pool playoff. The top four teams will await other results to see who will join them in the quarterfinals.

Day three’s action will be LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

Boys | Day 2 Results

Group A

Durban High School 6-5 Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool
Rondebosch Boys’ High 8-2 Grey High School
St Andrew’s College 6-4 Durban High School
Rondebosch Boys’ High 10-9 St Andrew’s College
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool 7-7 Grey High School.

Group B

Bishops Diocesan College 16-5 King Edward VII
St John’s College 12-4 Pearson High School
Michaelhouse 8-3 Pearson High School
King Edward VII 10-8 Michaelhouse
Bishops Diocesan College 9-6 St John’s College

Group C

Hilton College 12-5 Pretoria Boys High
Kearsney College 11-8 Jeppe High School for Boys
South African College High School (SACS) 12-4 Pretoria Boys High
Hilton 10-8 Jeppe High School for Boys
South African College High School (SACS) 8-10 Kearsney College

Group D

Reddam House Constantia 15-4 Grey College
St Stithians College 9-4 St Alban’s College
St David’s Marist Inanda 8-6 Reddam House Constantia
Grey College 6-4 St Alban’s College
St Stithians College 3-5 St David’s Marist Inanda

The highly anticipated 30th edition of the annual St Stithians College Water Polo Invitational takes to the water on Thursday at the St Stithians Aquatic Centre.

The opening day features 40 matches, 20 in the boys’ section and 20 in the girls’ section. All in all, 144 games will be played, with the action concluding on Sunday, 27 October.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

A team aiming to make history and build on an excellent 2024 is Cape Town’s Bishops Diocesan College.

The side, led by head coach Jabulani Sibiya, is in outstanding form and will head into the four-day tournament intent on adding to a very successful year in which they’ve captured three trophies, including a memorable and first-ever triumph at the SACS Water Polo Tournament last month.

“It’s a big one coming up. It’s a tournament we’ve never won before in the history of the competition,” Sibiya told SuperSport Schools Plus before the tournament. “We’re feeling confident about it. I think winning the SACS Water Polo tournament was a huge boost for us.

“I think just because of the season we’ve had this year – winning three tournaments, being in four finals, and medalling at each tournament – that allows us to be keen and excited.”

Sibiya’s side has prepared well before heading to St Stithians. A recent outing against their rivals, Rondebosch Boys’ High made it clear that tough obstacles lie ahead for Bishops.

“The preparation has been good, and the guys have been playing well. We beat Rondebosch Boys’ High 12-11 in a tight game,” Sibiya said. “We found ourselves leading by five goals, and Bosch managed to come back.

“We know the Cape teams will be strong in these national tournaments, but we believe in our preparation, and we’re staying humble.”

Bishops, in many of the tournaments they play, are known for dominating during the pool matches and setting themselves up early for the knockout stages. This time around, they’ll aim to follow that recipe in group B when they take on King Edward VII (KES), Michaelhouse, Pearson High, and a strong St John’s College team. They met St John’s in the final of the SACS tournament, beating them 5-2.

“For us, the approach is to track our footsteps as we get up in the tournament and treat each game with the respect it deserves,” Sibiya said.

“We don’t want to get distracted, and, honestly, we know we have to work hard to go all the way; it won’t be handed to us.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to close the season on a high. I’ve won this tournament as a player and would love to win it as a coach and for Bishops to make history,” he concluded.

Bishops will open their challenge with two matches on day one. In the morning, they face Michaelhouse at 09:30 before taking on Pearson later in the day, at 16:10.

It was a weekend to savour for two Makhanda powerhouses as St Andrew’s College and DSG Makhanda claimed top honours at the Woodridge Stayers Water Polo Tournament in Thornhill on the weekend.

St Andrew’s defeated Selborne College 6-5 in the boys’ final, while DSG thumped their Makhanda rivals, Kingswood College, 5-0 in the girls’ final.

St Andrew’s was dominant from the get-go in Pool B, comfortably winning their three matches, beating Glenwood House 11-2, East London’s Merrifield College 12-2, and Bridgehouse 27-0.

In the quarterfinals, they came up against Gqeberha’s Pearson High School and made light work of them, scoring 13 times while conceding once, before edging out Gqeberha’s Grey High School 7-5 in the semifinals.

On the final day, they came up against the defending champions, Selborne College. There was little to separate the sides, but St Andrew’s eventually edged out their East London opposition by a single goal.

“We are very excited to come away with the win,” St Andrew’s head coach, Grant McKenzie, told SuperSport Schools Plus after the tournament.

“Our preparation was not what we wanted it to be with the holidays in between. I was very happy with the team’s overall performance and it was a good way to start our new season. We do, however, have lots of work to still put in.

“This was the start of a new season, with a new team, so positive starts are always important. The bar has been set for the rest of the season, and we are going to have to put in extra effort to stay competitive across the country,” he added.

The next big challenge for McKenzie and his troops will be against top teams from throughout South Africa in Johannesburg.

“The team has had a very inclusive approach for all the new boys that have joined us,” he said. “We have the St Stithians Stayers Tournament coming up, which is also a tough tournament. We have two weeks to prepare and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The girls’ final was contested between traditional rivals, with DSG Makhanda facing Kingswood College for the title.

DSG posted an emphatic victory, scoring five times without conceding to close off the tournament on a high. They also recorded wins over Merrifield College, Somerset College, Glenwood House, and Pearson High.

In the semi-finals, they faced a tough challenge from Clarendon School for Girls. They had gone down to Clarendon in a pool stage clash but with a place in the title decider on the line they ran out 6-3 winners.

Winning the title also secured DSG a slice of history as they became the first winners of the girls’ title, which was introduced this year with 12 teams competing for it.

Reacting to the win, head coach Julia Gaybba said: “The DSG water polo girls have worked hard to get to this point and we have started the season off well with a bronze medal at the MacKenzie Cup and now with gold at the Woodridge Stayers.”

“I feel that the girls are improving with each game we play, but there are always things we can work on.”

“Hopefully, everything will come together at the St Stithians Tournament,” she added.