Author: asawula

The annual National Aquatics Festival, which is being hosted by Durban’s Maris Stella this year, gets underway on Friday, 9 February, and culminates in the final of the water polo tournament on Saturday at 12:00.

Three venues, Maris Stella, the Kings Park Pool, and Durban High School (DHS) will host 10 of the best girls’ water polo teams from around South Africa.

St Stithians College have their sights set on a successful defence of the title they won last year, when St Mary’s Waverley hosted the event.

Coach Etienne Le Roux’s charges are expected to progress beyond the pool stages, but they’re drawn in a tough pool side alongside four KZN schools: St Mary’s DSG Kloof, Durban Girls’ High School, Durban Girls’ College and Danville Park Girls’ High.

The second pool is also stacked with some long-time powers, which will mean a place at the upper end of the playoffs is far from guaranteed.

Last year’s runners-up, Clarendon High School will be challenged by Pretoria High School for Girls, and the always tough St Mary’s Waverley. Local interest comes in the form of the hosts, Maris Stella, and Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School.

Recently, at the Brian Baker Tournament in Makhanda, Clarendon defeated St Stithians. They made it to the semi-finals but were then beaten 8-13 by Reddam House Constantia. After going down 7-14 to Roedean in their last playoff contest, they finished in a very credible fourth place.

The hosts, on the other hand, snatched fifth place at the National Aquatics Festival in 2023, but they will enter this year’s event with high hopes of an even more impressive showing, playing in front of their home crowd.

Pretoria High will have their sights set on an improved performance over their 2023 campaign, which was lacklustre and resulted in them finishing at the bottom of the standings.

The festival also includes a swimming gala and a diving competition.

Our Lady of Fatima captured the honours in the gala last year, scoring 409 points to edge out St Mary’s Waverley, who finished in second place, on 406 points, with St Stithians taking third on 387 points.

Saints claimed the overall title in diving, with their u15, u16 and senior divers putting up 181 points.

The gala features 10 schools renowned for their swimming excellence, while seven top schools will compete in the diving competition.

The National Aquatics Festival will be broadcast live on SuperSport Schools.

Swimming Gala Participants

Clarendon High School
C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje
Durban Girls’ College
Durban Girls’ High School
Eunice High School
Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School
Pretoria High School for Girls
St Mary’s DSG Kloof
St Mary’s Waverley
St Stithians College

Diving Participants

Brescia House School
Maris Stella
Roedean School
St Andrew’s School for Girls
St Mary’s DSG Kloof
St Mary’s Waverley
St Stithians College

Water Polo Fixtures

Pool A
St Stithians College, St Mary’s DSG Kloof, Durban Girls’ High School, Durban Girls’ College, Danville Park Girls’ High.

Pool B
Clarendon High School, Pretoria High School for Girls, St Mary’s Waverley, Maris Stella, Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent School.

Fixtures: Day 1

Friday, 9 February – North Pool

14:00 – St Stithians College vs St Mary’s DSG Kloof; 14:40 – Durban Girls’ High vs Danville; 15:20 – St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Durban Girls’ College; 16:00 – St Stithians vs Danville; 16:40 – Durban Girls’ High vs Durban Girls’ College; 17:20 – St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Danville; 18:00 – St Stithians College vs Durban Girls’ College; 18:40 – St Mary’s DSG Kloof vs Durban Girls’ High.

South Pool

14:00 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Maris Stella; 14:40 – Clarendon High School vs Pretoria High; 15:20 – Fatima vs St Mary’s Waverley; 16:00 – Pretoria High vs Maris Stella; 16:40 – Clarendon High School vs Fatima; 17:20 – Pretoria High vs St Mary’s Waverley; 18:00 – Fatima vs Maris Stella; 18:40 – Clarendon High School vs St Mary’s Waverley.

Day 2

Saturday, 10 February @ Durban High School

07:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Danville; 07:40 – St Stithians College vs Durban Girls’ High; 08:30 – 3^rd Pool A vs 2^nd Pool B; 09:10 – 2^nd Pool A vs 3^rd Pool B; 09:50 – 1^st Pool A vs Winner 21; 10:30 – 1^st Pool B vs Winner 22; 11:25 – Loser 25 vs Loser 26; 12:05 – Winner 25 vs Winner 26.

@ Maris Stella

07:00 – Pretoria High vs Fatima; 07:40 – Clarendon High School vs Maris Stella; 08:40 – 4^th Pool A vs 5^th Pool B; 09:20 – 5^th Pool A vs 4^th Pool B; 10:00 – Loser 23 vs Loser 24; 10:40 – Winner 23 vs Winner 24; 11:20 – Loser 21 vs Loser 22.

Selborne College’s talisman Liam Hansen netted four goals to lead his side to a comfortable 12-8 victory over Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in the final of the Grey College ITEC Water Polo Tournament in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

Hansen and his teammates were superb throughout the tournament and remained unbeaten after finishing atop Pool B before cruising past their opponents in the knockout stages.

Affies were equally impressive throughout the weekend and, led by the sharp-shooting Alexander Kelbrick, had set their sights on redemption after losing last year’s final 5-11 against the same opponent.

The first chukka of the match was one to savour, with both sides playing an attacking brand of water polo. Meanwhile, both shot-stoppers, Matt Bean and Etienne Nortje, were solid between the sticks.

Kelbrick opened the scoring for his side, before Selborne’s skipper, Daniel Breetzke, levelled matters.

The champions went on the attack again and were duly rewarded when Hansen and Connor Maree netted to put them into a 3-2 lead after the opening quarter.

In the second chukka, Selborne turned up the heat and opened up a four-goal advantage at the break, leading 7-3.

The final two chukkas were highly entertaining, as Kelbrick and Hansen recorded hattricks, with Affies making up some ground to leave the outcome of the contest still in the balance as time ticked away.

Selborne led 8-6 in the final quarter, and, with a successful defence of the ITEC title beckoning, they extended their advantage once more through Daniel Breetzke, Kairon Roux, Dominic Stegmann, and Hansen to finish four goals clear of Affies.

The back-to-back champions received a late red card when Maree infringed in the pool, but it did little to slow their charge to capture the crown as they completed the tournament unbeaten.

Earlier in the day, in a thriller, Glenwood High edged Stirling 11-10 to finish in seventh place, while Pretoria Boys High thumped Pearson High 13-5 and took ninth spot.

There was a happy ending for the hosts as they took a 10-8 win over Jeppe, which sewed up fifth spot, while Northwood had the measure of Grey High, beating the side from Gqeberha 7-4 to claim the bronze medal.

Results: Day 4

Pretoria Boys High 13-5 Pearson High School
Glenwood High School 11-10 Stirling High
Grey College 10-8 Jeppe High for Boys
Northwood School 7-4 Grey High School
Selborne College 12-8 Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool

Scorers in the final

Selborne College 12 (7): Daniel Breetzke (x2), Liam Hansen (x4), Conner Maree, Samuel Van de Venter, Armand Van Rooyen, Mitchell Holl, Hairon Roux, Dominic Stegmann. Affies 8 (3): Alexander Helbrich (x4), Andre Van der Heever, Christiaan Truter, Julien Du Toit, Ettiene Van der Merwe.

Final standings:

Selborne College
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool
Northwood High School
Grey High School
Grey College
Jeppe Boys High School
Glenwood High School
Stirling High School
Pretoria Boys High School
Pearson High School

Bad weather, which led to a two-hour delay, and competition for the final were the order of the day at the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament on Saturday in Bloemfontein.

As had happened on Friday, bad lightning halted play for several hours, which resulted in late starts for the semi-finals’ showdowns involving Selborne College, Northwood, Affies, and Grey High School.

The delay didn’t seem to have any negative impact on the final four teams as they brought their A-games to the contests which would decide the finalists.

Selborne College and Affies entered the semi-finals as the only teams unbeaten after breezing through the pool stages and securing victories against Jeppe and Glenwood respectively in the quarterfinals.

Northwood, on the other hand, edged Pretoria Boys High 6-5, while Grey High broke the hearts of the hosts, beating Grey College 13-10.

There was little to separate Northwood and Selborne in the first of the semi-finals. The sides were neck-and-neck and went into half-time level at 2-2, courtesy of goals by Northwood’s Morne Earle and Selborne skipper, Liam Hansen.

The defending champions however, flipped the script in the final two chukkas. They scored six goals and conceded only three, with Hansen completing his hattrick, while a brace by Armand Van Rooyen also added to their 8-5 victory.

The second semi-final saw last year’s runners-up, Affies, down Grey High in the last match of the day.

Affies began Saturday was a tough 13-10 win over Jeppe in their final pool match. They comfortably accounted for Glenwood in the quarterfinals to keep the unbeaten record intact. Thus, it was no surprise when they booked themselves a place in the final by defeating Gqeberha’s Grey High 11-6.

On Sunday, they’ll aim to reverse their 5-11 defeat to Selborne in the 2023 final. The match takes place at 13:00 on Sunday.

Northwood will face Grey High in the third/fourth play-off match, while Jeppe and Grey College will scrap it out for fifth and sixth. It’s Stirling versus Glenwood for seventh and eighth.  The action begins at 08:00 with the ninth/10^th play-off between Pretoria Boys’ High and Pearson.

All the matches will be live on SuperSport Schools.

Day 3: Results

Affies 13-10 Jeppe 
Selborne College 18-2 Pearson High School
Grey High 17-9 Glenwood High School
Stirling High School 12-9 Pearson High School
Affies 19-7 Glenwood High School
Selborne College 13-6 Jeppe
Grey High 13-10 Grey College
Northwood 6-5 Pretoria Boys high
Jeppe 9(4)-9(3) Pretoria Boys High
Grey College 16-7 Glenwood High School
Selborne College 8-5 Northwood
Affies 11-6 Grey High

Day 4, Sunday, 4 February @Grey College

08:00 – Pretoria Boys’ High vs Pearson 31; 09:00 – Glenwood vs Stirling; 10:00 – Grey College vs Jeppe; 12:00 – Northwood vs Grey High; 13:00 – Affies vs Selborne College

On a day filled with stoppages, matches delayed due to lightning, and bad weather, Selborne College and Affies continued their impressive performances to remain unbeaten at the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament in Bloemfontein after two days of action.

The two sides, who are in different pools, got their campaigns off to convincing wins on the opening day against Stirling High School and Pretoria Boys High respectively.

After scoring 21 goals on Thursday, Affies were aiming for another offensive onslaught against Durban’s Northwood. The side from Pretoria found the going much harder the second time out, though, with the Knights putting up stubborn resistance, which produced an entertaining show for the spectators.

Eventually, after half-time, Affies opened up a narrow two-goal advantage and stayed in front to grab a nervy 10-8 victory.

Meanwhile, the defending champions, Selborne College, were once again on song. In their first outing on Thursday, coach Storm Siebert’s side was made to work hard before they accounted for a determined Pretoria Boys High team by an 8-5 margin.

Their first encounter of day two was against their provincial rivals, Grey High, and the team from East London eased to a 9-4 win over their Gqeberha opposition.

They next took on KwaZulu-Natal’s Glenwood High, who had beaten Pearson 19-11 in their Thursday opener, and powered their way to a big 18-4 victory.

The Durban boys ran out of luck on day two, conceding a whopping 32 goals in their meetings with Selborne and Pretoria Boys High.

Meanwhile, the hosts, Grey College bounced back impressively from their 7-13 loss to Grey High in an exhibition match on the opening day. They won two of their three matches, defeating Stirling High 17-5, and Jeppe 12-11 in a thrilling clash that went down to the wire.

Stirling’s woes in the pool continued as the East London team was dominated in all three of their matches, scoring 15 times while conceding 43 goals.

Day three sees the start of the playoffs after the completion of the remaining three pool games.

The action begins with a Gauteng derby between Jeppe and Affies, followed by an Eastern Cape clash between Selborne and Pearson. In the last pool match, Glenwood will hope to turn their fortunes around when they tackle Grey High at 09:00.

All the action will be live on SuperSport Schools.

Day 2: Results

Jeppe Boys High 17-7 Stirling High
Pretoria Boys High 14-8 Glenwood
Northwood 11-6 Grey College
Selborne College 9-4 Grey High
Pretoria Boys High 17-2 Pearson High
Grey College 17-5 Stirling High
Affies 10-8 Northwood
Grey College 12-11 Jeppe Boys
Grey High 18-3 Pearson High
Selborne College 18-4 Glenwood
Northwood 9-4 Stirling High
Grey College 5-11 Affies
Grey High 11-7 Pretoria Boys High

Day 3, Saturday, 3 February @Grey College

 07:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs Affies; 08:00 – Selborne College vs Pearson High School; 09:00 – Glenwood High vs Grey High; 10:00 – 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B; 11:00 – 1st Pool A vs 4th Pool B; 12:00 – 1st Pool B vs 4th Pool A; 13:00 – 21d Pool A vs 3rd Pool B; 14:00 – 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool A; 15:00 – Loser 23 vs Loser 24; 16:00 – Loser 22 vs Loser 25; 17:00 – Winner 23 vs Winner 24; 18:00 – Winner 22 vs Winner 25; 19:00 – Loser 26 vs 5th Pool A; 20:00 – Loser 27 vs 5th Pool B.

Selborne College, the defending champions, along with Affies, Glenwood High School, and Northwood, were among the winners on Thursday at the ITEC Water Polo Tournament, being hosted by Grey College in Bloemfontein.

Day one’s festivities started with a high-scoring clash between Affies, and Stirling High School. The Pretoria-based side was in superb form, and got off to the best possible start by scoring a mammoth 21 goals, while their relentless defence allowed only four goals in.

Last year’s winners, Selborne College, were challenged by Pretoria Boys High in their first encounter of the tournament.

Selborne came into the tournament off the back of a sixth-place finish against an elite field in last weekend’s SAC Shield in Makhanda, and they showed signs of the toll that tournament had taken when they lost concentration at times in the match.

Nonetheless, star scorer, Liam Hansen, netted a hattrick, while a brace from Armand Van Rooyen, and solitary goals from Thomas Caswell, Daniel Breetzke, and Connor Maree sealed the win for the Eastern Cape side.

Pearson High School was also in action on the opening day and will be disappointed after going down 11-19 to Durban’s Glenwood High School in a goal fest.

Another Kwa-Zulu Natal outfit that impressed was Northwood School, who produced a gritty performance against Jeppe High School for Boys.

The Knights were on the front foot from the get-go and led 5-2 in the second chukka. They continued their dominance in the final two chukkas, adding a further eight goals, to dismantle a disjointed Jeppe side 13-7.

The last match of the day was a non-tournament fixture, featuring Grey High against Grey College, with the team from Gqeberha claiming an impressive 13-7 win.

The hosts will need to dust themselves off as a blockbuster of a day awaits them on Friday, with four tough matches against Northwood, Stirling, Jeppe, and one of the tournament’s favourites, Affies.

The day’s action will commence with a clash between Stirling and Jeppe at 08:00, while Grey High and Pretoria Boys High will conclude matters at 19:00.

All the action will be live on SuperSport Schools.

Results: Day 1

Affies 21-4 Stirling High School
Glenwood High School 19-11 Pearson High School
Selborne College 8-5 Pretoria Boys High
Northwood School 13-7 Jeppe Boys High School
Grey High School 13-7 Grey College

Day 2, Friday, 02 February @Grey College

08:00 – Stirling High School vs Jeppe; 09:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Glenwood; 10:00 – Grey College vs Northwood; 11:00 – Grey High vs Selborne; 12:00 – Grey College vs Stirling High School; 13:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Pearson; 14:00 – Northwood vs Affies; 15:00 – Jeppe vs Grey College; 16:00 – Grey High vs Pearson High School; 17:00 – Glenwood High vs Selborne College; 18:00 – Grey College vs Affies; 19:00 – Grey High vs Pretoria Boys High.

Bishop Diocesan College maintained its unbeaten record in the SACS Night Series with a 16-9 defeat of Paul Roos Gimnasium in round two of the tournament in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Both sides entered the showdown off the back of hard-fought campaigns at the SAC Shield in Makhanda, where Paul Roos claimed fifth place, while Bishops lost 10-11 in the final against SACS.

They were also among the winners in the opening round, in which Bishops shocked SACS 11-5 and Paul Roos thumped Wynberg 11-6.

The Bishops versus Paul Roos clash got off to a flying start, with both sides trading goals in quick succession, which left them level at 3-3 after the first chukka.

Bishops, then, came out firing in the second chukka, and gained the upper hand, scoring a further three goals courtesy of an Owen Cross double, and a goal by Bryn Parry to go into half-time 6-3 to the good.

There was very little to separate the teams early in the third chukka, as both goalkeepers, Nicholas Ward and Jordan de Sousa, remained resolute and firm between the sticks.

Bishops, however, created more chances and found their goal-scoring touch once more, scoring a further five goals through Parry by the end of the contest, while Tim Young, and captain Ross Stewart netted twice each to complete their hattricks, much to the delight of head coach Jabulani Sibiya in the dugout.

Paul Roos continued working hard and kept themselves in the match, down by three goals at the end of the third quarter.

Try as they might, though Vaughn Marlow‘s side couldn’t break the Bishops’ wall, and despite impressive late cameos by Juan-Paul Germishuis, and Migael Terblanche, the damage had already been done, leading to the Stellenbosch school’s first defeat of the tournament.

In other matches

There was a surprise in the second match of the day as Rondebosch Boys High handed SACS their second straight defeat of the tournament.

The win for Jared Wingate’s team comes after they achieved an impressive fourth-place finish at the SAC Shield. Rondebosch was all over the hosts, and with Noah Reiback, Brad Warneke, Harry Soboil, Matt Gulpin, and Connor Arbuthnot all getting on the scoresheet, they came away with a two-goal victory.

Wynberg Boys High picked up their first victory of the tournament, claiming a 10-8 win over Reddam House Constantia.

They will next face a highly motivated Rondebosch side, while Reddam will turn its attention to the team in top spot, Bishops.

Both Paul Roos and SACS will seek to return to winning ways when they clash in round three on 7 February.

Results: SACS Night Series round two

Bishops Diocesan College 16-9 Paul Roos Gymnasium
Rondebosch Boys High 9-7 South African College School
Wynberg Boys High 10-8 Reddam House Constantia

Scorers

Bishops 16: Tim Young (x4), Ross Stewart (x5), Bryn Parry (x2), Owen Cross (x2), James Malan, Michael Voogt, Noah Edmunds. Paul Roos 9: Arkin Marais (x2), Adam October (x2), Salahuddin Ayyubi khan, Milan Herman van der Westhuizen, Juan-Paul Germishuis, Migael Terblanche (x2).

Rondebosch Boys High 9: Noah Reiback, Brad Warneke, Harry Soboil, Matt Gulpin, Connor Arbuthno. SACS 7: Nicholas Fall (x3), Connor Melling-Williams (x3), Ma Lecuona.

Wynberg Boys High 10: Tristan Van Rooyen (x2), Ryan Barkhuizen, Jack Centurier-Harris, Alex Barrett (x2), Ross Prinsloo, Sebastian Kastern (x3). Reddam House Constantia 8: (scorers not provided).

Round 3 Fixtures, 7 February

17:00- Rondebosch Boys High vs Wynberg Boys High
18:00- Bishops vs Reddam House Constantia
19:00- SACS vs Paul Roos Gymnasium

 

The 2024 water polo season is in full swing, and the action this coming weekend turns to the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament in Bloemfontein.

The tournament will see 10 schools from across the country go head-to-head over four days in search of the title.

One team that will be out to dominate the event is East London’s Selborne College, who are the defending champions.

The squad heads to the Free State after a strong sixth place finish against an elite field in last week’s SAC Shield at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda. There, they recorded a win over one of their pool rivals in Bloemfontein, Grey High, and they also beat Clifton College, St Stithians, and Westville. They took the eventual silver medallists, Bishops, to a penalty shootout, which they lost 4-5, after the teams had finished regulation time level at 9-9.

The side from East London is the only ITEC participant that has taken part in a competitive tournament so far this season.

Selborne are drawn in a tough pool, alongside Pearson High School, Pretoria Boys High, Grey High, and Glenwood High School. The other pool features Grey College, Northwood, Jeppe, Affies and Stirling.

Speaking exclusively to SuperSport Schools ahead of the tournament, Selborne head coach Storm Siebert said his side is in high spirits after their showing in Makhanda. However, they’re aiming to be more consistent.

“We’re feeling very motivated and encouraged by our SAC Shield performance,” he said.

“We definitely have a lot to work on, but we are heading in the right direction.

“Last season was a tough one for our boys, as we struggled for consistency throughout the season. While posting some good results, we couldn’t step it up in the important stages of tournaments.”

Selborne’s run at the title in Makhanda was ended by an 8-3 defeat to Rondebosch in the quarterfinals.

Last year, without having to deal with the high pressure of the very tough SAC Shield competition, Selborne played with confidence at the ITEC Tournament, and they’ll endeavour to adopt a similar mindset in their efforts to repeat as champions.

Siebert said he’s pleased that most of the players from last year’s team have returned, which has been beneficial in the early going of a challenging season for his side.

“We figured out last year at the ITEC tournament that we have to be at our best in every game, regardless of who we are playing. We will take that same mindset into this year’s tournament,” he said.

“Our core group of players has remained the same, which is going to help us gain that consistency throughout the year.

“We have tried to introduce a couple of new players into the side to help gain the valuable experience that they need moving forward,” he added.

Selborne opens its campaign against Pretoria Boys High on day one, Thursday, 1 February, at 16:00.

They tackle Grey High and Glenwood on Friday before concluding their group-stage encounters with an Eastern Cape derby against Pearson on day three at 08:00.

ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament Fixtures

Pool A: Affies, Grey College, Jeppe Boys High, Northwood School, Stirling High School.
Pool B: Pearson High School, Pretoria Boys High, Grey High, Glenwood High, Selborne College

Day 1, Thursday, 1 February @Grey College

14:00 – Stirling High School vs Affies; 15:00 – Pearson High School vs Glenwood; 16:00 – Selborne College vs Pretoria Boys High; 17:00 – Northwood vs Jeppe Boys High; 18:00 – Grey High School vs Grey College.

 Day 2, Friday, 2 February @Grey College

08:00- Stirling High School vs Jeppe Boys High; 09:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Glenwood; 10:00 – Grey College vs Northwood; 11:00 – Grey High vs Selborne; 12:00 – Grey College vs Stirling High School; 13:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Pearson; 14:00 – Northwood vs Affies; 15:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs Grey College; 16:00 – Grey High vs Pearson High School; 17:00 – Glenwood High vs Selborne College; 18:00 – Grey College vs Affies; 19:00 – Grey High vs Pretoria Boys High.

Day 3, Saturday, 3 February @Grey College

07:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs Affies; 08:00 – Selborne College vs Pearson High School; 09:00 – Glenwood High vs Grey High; 10:00 – 5^th Pool A vs 5^th Pool B; 11:00 – 1^st Pool A vs 4^th Pool B; 12:00 – 1^st Pool B vs 4^th Pool A; 13:00 – 2^nd Pool A vs 3^rd Pool B; 14:00 – 2^nd Pool B vs 3^rd Pool A; 15:00 – Loser 23 vs Loser 24; 16:00 – Loser 22 vs Loser 25; 17:00 – Winner 23 vs Winner 24; 18:00 – Winner 22 vs Winner 25; 19:00 – Loser 26 vs 5^th Pool A; 20:00 – Loser 27 vs 5^th Pool B.

Day 4, Sunday, 4 February @Grey College

08:00 – Loser 30 vs Loser 31; 09:00 – Winner 30 vs Winner 31; 10:00 – Winner 26 vs Winner 27; 12:00 – Loser 28 vs Loser 29; 13:00 – Winner 28 vs Winner 29.

 

Late goals by Nicholas Fall and Conor Melling-Williams sealed a hard-fought 9-7 win for South African College High School (SACS) over Bishops Diocesan College in the final of the SAC Shield at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda on Sunday.

The sides had met on day one of the tournament, with Bishops claiming an exhilarating 11-10 win in their Pool A showdown.

SACS were undoubtedly out for revenge because they had also succumbed to a humiliating 5-11 defeat against the same opponents in the opening round of the SACS Night Series on Tuesday.

In the title-decider, there was nothing to separate the sides in the first two chukkas, as they traded goals.

There were 11 of them in all, with Bishops leading 6-5 at the break, courtesy of goals netted by Matt Fenn, Tim Young, Thomas Truter, and Milo Letschert, a double from the skipper, Ross Stewart, and an acrobatic goal by Michael Voogt.

In the last two chukkas, SACS came alive and changed the trajectory of the match. Firstly, they limited the go-forward of coach Jabulani Sibiya’s charges, forcing them to slow their pace before closing them down in the box.

SACS’ coach Devon Card’s final speech in the dugout must’ve hit the mark because his team came out firing and capitalised on a lapse in Bishops’ concentration, which saw Bishops’ shooting go awry.

Fall powered a five-metre penalty into the back of the net, before Melling-Williams scored the ninth and final goal to secure the SAC Shield for SACS.

It was only the second time that they had lifted the title, with their previous success having been achieved in 2019. Their focus will now shift back to round two of the SACS Night Series, which resumes on Wednesday, 31 January, with an eye also being cast towards some forthcoming tournaments.

Classification matches

In other matches on the final day, St John’s College finished their campaign on a high by beating Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 in the 3^rd/4^th play-off match.

There were also wins for Paul Roos, St Stithians College, and Clifton College, while the hosts lost 7-8 against Michaelhouse, which left them second last in the final standings.

Scorers from SACS vs Bishops

SACS 9 (5): Jandro Rojo-Roos (x2), Mac Lecuona, Zack Cicero (x3), Matt Forbes, Nicholas Fall, Conor Melling-Williams; Bishops 8 (6): Matt Fenn (x2), Tim Young, Thomas Truter, Milo Letschert, Ross Stewart (x2), Michael Voogt.

Results: Day 4

Michaelhouse 8-7 St Andrew’s College
St Stithians College 11 (3)- 11 (1) Hilton College
Clifton College 4-3 Westville Boys’ High
Paul Roos 9-4 Selborne College
St John’s College 6-5 Rondebosch Boys’ High
SACS 9-8 Bishops Diocesan College

Final standings

South African College School
Bishops Diocesan College
St John’s College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Paul Roos Gymnasium
Selborne College
Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High
St Stithians College
Hilton College
Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s College
Grey High School

New champions were crowned at the 2024 Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament when Herschel Girls defeated Reddam House Constantia 14-11 in the final to claim top honours and the bragging rights in Makhanda on Sunday.

While the sides battled it out at the Kingswood College pool, SACS and Bishops were also in action in the final of the SAC Shield, a few kilometres away at St Andrew’s College.

Herschel’s focus, however, was entirely on their final as they took the fight to Reddam in the opening exchanges.

There was little to separate the two after the first half, with Herschel taking a slender 5-4 lead into the dugout.

In the final two chukkas, however, the girls from Claremont turned up the heat. With one to go, they led by two goals.

That advantage was extended by a further goal in the final chukka. Reddam tried to claw their way back into the contest, but Herschel had done just enough and scored their final goal with a second left to clinch victory by a three-goal margin.

Classification matches

Third place went to Roedean School, who signed off on positive note by breezing to a 14-7 win over Clarendon.

The hosts, Kingswood College, completed their campaign with a 10-9 victory over Reddam House Bedfordview, while there were also wins for Diocesan School for Girls, Pearson High, and last year’s champions, St Stithians College, who finished in ninth spot.

Results: Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @Kingswood College

Herschel 7-4 Roedean School
Reddam House Constantia 13-8 Clarendon Girls
Diocesan School for Girls 10-9 St Mary’s Waverley
Kingswood College 10-9 Reddam House Bedfordview
Roedean School 14-7 Clarendon
Herschel Girls 14-11 Reddam House Constantia

Results: Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @DSG

Pearson High School 10-5 Crawford Lonehill
St Dominic’s 8-5 Collegiate
Rhenish 7-6 St Anne’s 
St Stithians College 9-6 Durban Girls’ College.

Final standings

Herschel Girls
Reddam House Constantia
Roedean School
Clarendon
Kingswood College
Reddam House Bedfordview
Diocesan School for Girls
St Mary’s Waverley
St Stithians College
Durban Girls College
Rhenish Girls
St Anne’s Diocesan
St Dominic’s
Collegiate
Pearson High School
Crawford Lonehill
Hudson Park High School
Woodridge College
Stirling High School
Alexander Road High School

Clarendon High School for Girls defied the odds, on Saturday at the Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament, by beating the defending champions, St Stithians College, and in the process booked themselves a spot in the semi-finals of the spectacle being hosted by Kingswood College in Makhanda.

The team from East London went into the tournament carrying the label of “dark horses” and lived up to that billing by prevailing against some of South Africa’s best sides on day three to seal themselves a place in the final four.

They were drawn in Pool C, alongside St Dominic’s, Durban Girls’ College, Reddam House Bedfordview and Alex Road and, after a rather unconvincing showing in the pool stages, Hannah Muller‘s charges found their form to make waves in the playoffs.

In the pool stages, they lost two of their four matches, but they turned their fortunes around when the chips were down, beginning with that 12-11 upset win over Saints.

They went on outplay the hosts, Kingswood College, 13-7 in the quarterfinals. Those impressive performances procured them a semi-final showdown with Reddam House Constantia on Sunday at 08:00.

Meanwhile, the other semi-finalists are the impressive and unbeaten Roedean School and Stellenbosch’s Herschel Girls.

St Stithians College will be massively disappointed by their showing at the tournament and will contest the 9^th/10^th playoff against Durban Girls’ College at 10:00 in the DSG Pool.

The bottom four positions were also confirmed, with Alex Road finishing last and Stirling High in 19^th, while Hudson Park’s 7-2 win over Woodridge College earned them 17^th place.

Sunday’s action in the main pool commences at 10:00, with the final scheduled for 12:00. All the action will be live on SuperSport Schools.

Results: Day 3

Pool 1

Diocesan School for Girls 3-1 St Anne’s
Reddam House Constantia 14-0 Rhenish
Clarendon 12-11 St Stithians College
St Mary’s Waverley 12-6 Durban Girls’ College
St Stithians 4-3 St Anne’s
Durban Girls’ College 11-6 Rhenish
Reddam House Bedfordview 7-6 St Mary’s Waverley
Kingswood College 11-9 Diocesan School for Girls

Quarterfinals

Roedean 11-1 St Mary’s Waverley
Clarendon 13-7 Kingswood College
Reddam House Constantia 10-5 Reddam House Bedfordview
Herschel 15-5 Diocesan School for Girls

Pool 2

Pearson High School 14-3 Woodridge
Crawford Lonehill 9-8 Hudson Park
St Dominic’s 7-4 Stirling High
Collegiate 22-0 Alex Road
Woodridge 15-4 Alex Road
Hudson 7-5 Stirling High
Collegiate 7-5 Pearson
St Dominic’s 13-2 Crawford Lonehill
Stirling High 11-2 Alex Road
Hudson Park 7-2 Woodridge 

Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @Kingswood College

07:00- Roedean vs Hershel; 08:00- Clarendon vs Reddam House Constantia; 09:00- St Mary’s Waverley vs Diocesan School for Girls; 10:00- Reddam House Bedfordview vs Kingswood College; 11:00- Loser 63 vs Loser 64 (3^rd/4^th play-off); 12:00- Winner 63 vs Winner 64 (Final).

Day 4, Sunday, 28 January @DSG

07:00– Pearson vs Crawford Lonehill; 08:00– Collegiate vs St Dominic’s; 09:00-St Anne’s vs Rhenish; 10:00-St Stithians vs Durban Girls College.