Author: asawula

Grey High School and St Andrew’s College made history on Saturday, day three of the Grey High Water Polo Tournament, by securing their places in the final of the inaugural event in Gqeberha.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

They were the only unbeaten teams left in the tournament after dominating the field from the get-go.

Drawn in Pool A, St Andrew’s breezed through their pool assignments. In their final group match, they thumped Pearson High 12-1. Grey, meanwhile, put 14 goals past Stirling High to set up a quarterfinal clash with Hudson Park.

With semi-final places on the line, the duo upped the ante. St Andrew’s executed their job proficiently against Paarl Boys’ High, beating the Western Cape side 9-2, while Hudson was on the receiving end of a hefty 2-16 loss to Grey.

In the other quarterfinals, Woodridge College showed fight and grit to outplay Glenwood House 5-1 before an Adam Brown-inspired Reddam House Constantia side brushed off Pearson High 7-3.

Those results set the stage for interesting semifinals, with the four qualifiers having stood out as the strongest quartet in the tournament.

Grey High, with their schoolmates in the stands to support them, was confident, and coach Ridge Snelling‘s team delivered another magnificent performance.

They made their intentions clear early on, rocketing into a 6-0 lead after the first chukka. The competition was even in the second quarter, with both Grey and Woodridge netting three times, leaving the home side 8-3 clear at halftime.

The second half, though, was all about Grey, and Dane Paterson was at the forefront of their attack. They outscored Woodridge by a further five goals to two on their way to a 13-5 victory.

St Andrew’s, meanwhile, was made to work harder for their 13-10 win over Reddam House in the second semi.

It was a tussle throughout, and both sides had to be strong defensively early in the game. St Andrew’s held a slender 7-5 lead at the break, but Reddam came out firing in the second half.

They scored five times, and St Andrew’s netted four goals to make it 11-10 to the Makhanda school. It went down to the final chukka where late goals from Murray Copeland and Luke Parker sealed the win for College.

The final day’s action kicks off with a meeting between Stirling and the Grey Invitational team at 07:00.

Day 3 Results 

St Andrew’s 12-1 Pearson High
Grey High 14-2 Stirling High
Glenwood House 9-4 Paarl Boys’ High
Woodridge 11-3 Grey Invitational

Playoffs

St Andrew’s 9-2 Paarl Boys’ High (Quarterfinal 1)
Grey High 16-2 Hudson (Quarterfinal 2)
Woodridge 5-1 Glenwood (Quarterfinal 3)
Reddam House 7-3 Pearson (Quarterfinal 4)
Grey High 13-5 Woodridge (Semifinal 1)
St Andrew’s 13-10 Reddam House (Semifinal 2)

Day 4 Fixtures

07:00 – Grey Invitational vs Stirling High (9th/10th)
08:00 – Hudson Park vs Paarl Boys’ High (7th/8th)
09:00 – Pearson High vs Glenwood House (5th/6th)
10:00 – Woodridge College vs Reddam House (3rd/4th)
11:00 – Grey High vs St Andrew’s (Final)
12:00 – Prize giving

The hosts, Grey High School, and their Eastern Cape rivals, St Andrew’s College, maintained their unbeaten runs on day two of the Grey High School Water Polo Tournament in Gqeberha on Friday.

After an absorbing opening day, both upped the ante, played some smart ‘polo, and pulled clear from the chasing pack.

St Andrew’s had just one fixture on the day against a tough Woodridge College side in which coach Grant Mackenzie‘s boys were pushed to their limits. They responded with a resilient showing to secure a hard-fought 6-4 victory.

Senior players. Tiago Williams, Murray Copeland, Adam Ball, and Liam Nurse all had good run-outs to lead the Makhanda school to another win. Skipper and goalkeeper, Jacques Du Toit, came through in the clutch numerous times, pulling off good saves to keep his side in front.

While Woodridge lost against St Andrew’s, they picked up points later in the day, beating Hudson Park 11-4.

Pearson High was also on the money against Hudson Park, with their victory coming by a 9-4 margin. That left them in second place in their group after Friday’s action, based on goal difference.

While Hudson suffered two defeats, they also bagged their first win at the tournament after edging the Grey Invitational side 12-9.

In Pool B, it’s a battle between Reddam House Constantia and Glenwood House for second place after both went down 8-10 to Grey on day two, which left the home side sitting comfortably atop the pool.

Coach Ridge Snelling‘s troops didn’t have it easy and had to dig deep in both matches, but they came through with the desired wins.

Dane Paterson, who leads the top goal scorer chart with 13 goals, was influential in both outings along with Christian Horne, Caleb Levey, James De Lange, and shot stopper Gavin Peinke.

Reddam picked up two wins over Stirling High and Paarl Boys’ High, while Glenwood House held off Stirling 8-6.

Their talisman, Luca Whitehead, was on the scoresheet. He’s a key driver in his side’s quest for glory.

Day three’s action kicks off with a Pool A clash between Pearson High and St Andrew’s.

After the completion of the group stage matches, the competition heads into the quarterfinals. The day concludes with the two semifinals.

Day 2 Results

Pool A

Woodridge College 11-4 Hudson Park
Hudson Park 5-9 Pearson High
St Andrew’s College 6-4 Woodridge College
Hudson Park 12-9 Grey Invitational

Pool B

Stirling High 0-11 Reddam Constantia
Grey High 10-8 Glenwood House
Paarl Boys’ High 5-10 Reddam Constantia
Glenwood House 8-6 Stirling High
Reddam House 8-10 Grey High

Day 3 Fixtures

08:00 – Pearson High vs St Andrew’s
09:00 – Grey High vs Stirling High
10:00 – Glenwood House vs Paarl Boys’ High
11:00 – Woodridge vs Grey Invitational
14:00 – QF 1
15:00 – QF 2
16:00 – QF 3
17:00 – QF 4
18:00 – Semifinal 1
19:00 – Semifinal 2

Grey High School and their rivals from Makhanda, St Andrew’s College, made their presence felt on the opening day of the inaugural Grey High School Water Polo Tournament in Gqeberha on Thursday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

The two sides entered the tournament as the favourites, and they showed why by dominating the field, showcasing great skill in the pool while scoring bucketloads of goals.

They both finished the opening day of the event, which runs through to Sunday, with maximum points.

St Andrew’s, seeded in Pool A, recorded two convincing victories, beating Hudson Park High 7-0, before crushing a Grey Invitational side 12-0, later in the day.

Coach Grant Mackenzie‘s boys continued to play with the momentum and cohesion they had built up in their home pool at the SAC Shield in Makhanda last weekend. They moved the ball around with precision, and their captain, Jacques Du Toit, never looked bothered in the cage.

While the hosts made light work of their opponents, Pearson High School and Woodridge College also started their respective campaigns brightly.

Pearson, under the tutelage of new head coach Stan Gospodinov, who joined the school from Grey College, scored seven times on their way to a 7-2 win against the Grey Invitational team. They were defeated in their second match of the day, though, going down 3-8 to Woodridge.

Pool B had only three matches on the opening day, but they were all blockbusters.

Grey powered their way to an emphatic 16-3 win over Paarl Boys’ High in their opener, sending out a strong message to the other contenders that they intend to be in the running to become the tournament’s inaugural winners.

Reddam House Constantia, who have provided outstanding entertainment in the early rounds of the SACS Nite Series, also registered a win, outscoring Glenwood House 10-5.

Coach Ross van Schoor’s Boishaai team recovered from their early loss and thumped Stirling High, from East London, 11-2 to end the day on a high note.

Day two will kick off with a Pool B clash between Stirling and Reddam House at 09:00 before Hudson takes on Woodridge an hour later.

Day 1 Results

Pool A

Pearson High 7-2 Grey Invitational
St Andrew’s College 7-0 Hudson Park
Woodridge College 8-3 Pearson High
Grey Invitational 0-12 St Andrew’s College

Pool B

Grey High 16-3 Paarl Boys’ High
Paarl Boys’ High 11-2 Stirling High
Reddam House 10-5 Glenwood House

Day 2 Fixtures

09:00 – Stirling High vs Reddam House
10:00 – Hudson Park vs Woodridge College
11:00 – Glenwood House vs Grey High
12:00 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Reddam House
13:00 – Hudson Park vs Pearson High
14:00 – Stirling High vs Glenwood House
15:00 – Grey Invitational vs Hudson Park
16:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Woodridge College
17:00 – Reddam House vs Grey High

Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) will be gunning for a successful title defence when the annual Grey College Water Polo Tournament commences in Bloemfontein this weekend.

The event, which has become a mainstay on the schools’ water polo calendar, runs from Thursday, 29 January, and ends with the final on Saturday at 17:30.

Affies lifted the title in 2025, when they beat Jeppe High School for Boys 14-11 in the final.

That title-winning success had been some time in the making and arrived after Affies had finished as the runner-up to Selborne College in the previous two years.

Others from the Gauteng region, who will be joining them at the tournament, include their second-string side, Jeppe, Pretoria Boys High, and debutants, King Edward VII (KES).

Jeppe and KES will fancy their chances of clinching the title. They have started the season well in the KES Thursday Night League.

There will also be a three-strong KwaZulu-Natal contingent battling it out in the Pool.

Northwood, who defeated Reddam House Constantia on the final day last year to finish third, will be back, along with Maritzburg College, while Durban High School (DHS) debuts.

The KZN trio will also be chasing top spot, and they’ll be match-ready after playing in the opening two rounds of the Kearsney Night Series and some traditional local derbies.

For the first time since the tournament’s inception, there will be no teams from the Eastern Cape or Western Cape.

The action kicks off with a rivalry clash between  Affies and Pretoria Boys High at 14:00.

FIXTURES

Thursday, 29 January

14:00 – Affies 1st vs Pretoria Boys High; 14:30 – Grey College 2nds vs DHS; 15:00 – Jeppe vs Maritzburg College; 15:30 – Grey College vs Northwood; 16:00 – Affies 2nds vs KES; 16:30 – Affies vs DHS; 17:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Maritzburg College; 17:30 – Grey College 2nds vs Northwood; 18:00 – Jeppe vs KES; 18:30 – Grey College vs Affies 2nds.

Friday, 30 January

08:00 – Affies vs Maritzburg College; 08:30 – DHS vs Northwood; 09:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs KES; 09:30 – Grey College 2nds vs Affies 2nds; 10:00 – Jeppe vs Grey College; 10:30 – Affies vs Northwood; 11:00 – Maritzburg College vs KES; 11:30 – DHS vs Affies 2nds; 12:00 – Grey College vs Pretoria Boys High; 12:30 – Jeppe vs Grey College 2nds; 13:00 – Affies vs KES; 13:30 – Northwood vs Affies 2nds; 14:00 – Grey College vs Maritzburg College; 14:30 – DHS vs Jeppe; 15:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Grey College 2nds; 15:30 – Affies 1st vs Affies 2nds; 16:00 – Grey College vs KES; 16:30 – Jeppe vs Northwood; 17:00 – Maritzburg College vs Grey College 2nds; 17:30 – DHS vs Pretoria Boys High; 18:00 – Affies vs Grey College; 18:30 – Jeppe vs Affies 2nds; 19:00 – Grey College 2nds vs KES; 19:30 – Northwood vs Pretoria Boys High; 20:00 – Maritzburg vs DHS.

Saturday, 31 January

08:00 – Affies vs Jeppe; 08:30 – Grey College 1st vs Grey College 2nds; 09:00 – Affies 2nds vs Pretoria Boys High; 09:30 – KES vs DHS; 10:00 – Northwood vs Maritzburg College; 10:30 – Affies vs Grey College 2nds; 11:00 – Jeppe vs Pretoria Boys High; 11:30 – Grey College vs DHS; 12:00 – Maritzburg College vs Affies 2nds; 12:30 – KES vs Northwood.

Playoffs to follow on Saturday afternoon.

The St Stithians College first team water polo side isn’t loaded with big names or so-called “star players”, and that’s no secret. But it’s a group of talented players who are always willing to work hard, follow instructions, and put their bodies on the line for each other and the school badge.

This was evident over the past weekend when Saints participated in the annual St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield in Makhanda.

The side, guided by coaches Michael Stewart and Jason Sileno, wasn’t mentioned among the pre-tournament favourites. They were quick to silence their critics, however, and played some entertaining water polo in the group stage of the competition, winning four of their five matches in a tough and competitive Pool B.

Those results set them up for a quarterfinal clash against Clifton College, which they won 9-7, to progress to the last four. Making it to the semifinals was an achievement in itself for Saints, considering that they finished eighth in 2025.

They took on eventual winners, Bishops, in the semis and showed grit, character, and fight, falling way behind in the early going, but fighting on before eventually losing 5-12 to an on-fire side. There was still plenty to play for on the final day, and St Stithians took on South African College High School (SACS) for the bronze medal.

SACS was one of the tournament favourites. They were the only team to go through the group stage unbeaten, but their winning streak ended in the semi-finals against Rondebosch Boys’ High.

They were favoured to clinch the bronze medal, but Saints had other ideas. The boys from Johannesburg produced one of their best performances at the tournament, outplaying SACS 11-4 to secure third place.

“I’m immensely proud of medalling at SAC Shield,” head coach Michael Stewart told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“This is the first time we have medalled since we first came to the tournament in 2021. Saints’ teams of old had a ‘fourth-place curse’ – we would make semi-finals but often ended up being the lone team in the top four not to walk away with something to show for our efforts.

“This team wasn’t our most talented age group when they arrived in Grade 8. However, what they lacked in talent they made up for in hard work.

“They also have grit; they’re as hard as nails. They listen; they rarely make selfish and ego-driven decisions. I call these ‘TikTok highlights’ decisions, and we try to avoid those as much as possible.”

Before heading to Makhanda, Saints opened their season with back-to-back victories in the KES Thursday Night League.

They defeated KES 9-6 before claiming the big scalp of St David’s Marist Inanda 5-3. That imbued them with confidence, ahead of the SAC Shield.

Coach Stewart revealed the approach that he and coach Sileno took to get the best out of the side: “We really emphasised a simple game plan – get the basics right,” he said. “We also backed every player in the team.

“Jason Sileno and I don’t feel nervous putting any of my players into the pool. We back them and let them work their magic, play their role, and celebrate them when they execute the game plan.

“This doesn’t have to be scoring or making a ”TikTok Highlights reel’ – it’s listening, correct body position, getting into the right space, and making the extra pass. The last thing was to focus on accuracy rather than hype. Getting hyped for eight games in a row is exhausting; it often drains the boys by the fourth match.

“In rugby season, when you only have one match per weekend to play, hype is okay; it brings intensity. However, at long, highly competitive tournaments like the SAC Shield, we need the boys to be accurate, precise, and calculated.

“It’s a think-don’t-feel, read-don’t-respond game plan,” he explained.

Saints, as mentioned above, is also contesting the KES Night League, which takes place every Thursday.

It’s an initiative which pits some of Johannesburg’s best water polo-playing schools against each other, and coach Stewart has gladly welcomed it.

“When the league resumed post-Covid 19 (in 2021), the coaches and managers of Johannesburg schools decided that we would try to play as much ‘polo as possible.

“Water-based athletes benefit from maximum exposure to high-pressure situations, especially seeing as water is not where humans move naturally. This has been our policy as a collective since then, and I think it is one of the big reasons that Central Gauteng has won SA Schools three out of five times post-Covid, and has been in the final every year since 2021.

“This goes for both our girls’ and boys’ programmes. Water polo, unlike rugby, is also a sport which can be played without a high risk of injury. Therefore, the league gives our players maximum exposure. We also don’t have the same number of athletes playing the sport as the Western Cape and KZN schools.

“Saints Boys College has only 60 polo players in the whole school. We have some diamonds from the beginning but, because of the lack of depth, we also need to turn coal into diamonds regularly.

“The best way to do this is play, play, play – expose, expose, and expose.”

St Stithians returns to action on Thursday in the KES League when they take on St Benedict’s College. A win in that clash would see them sitting comfortably atop the standings. The match starts at 18:00.

Bishops Diocesan College attacked clinically, were rock-solid at the back, and produced a top performance with the title on the line to score an emphatic 11-6 win over Rondebosch Boys’ High in the final of the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield in Makhanda on Sunday.

The finalists both lost just once each on their way to the title decider and produced some impressively dominant water polo throughout their group stage assignments and in the playoffs.

‘Bosch was the defending champion after beating St John’s College in the final in 2025, while Bishops was hunting the prestigious silverware after falling narrowly short on two previous occasions.

In the semifinals, Bishops hit their straps, brushing aside St Stithians College 12-5, while Rondebosch came from behind to beat their Cape Town rivals, South African College High School (SACS), 8-5.

The stage was set for an enthralling title contest. It was a replay of a Pool A match, played on the opening day, which Bishops won 10-8.

‘Bosch, though, came firing out of the blocks and struck twice in the opening two minutes through Blake Galpin and Ben Gray.

After that slow start, Bishops responded strongly. Jack Grout pulled one back after some smart play before strikes by Matt Fenn, Noah Viuff, and Dominic Zulch made it 4-2.

The second chukka was all about Bishops. Coach Jabulani Sibiya‘s men controlled the tempo of the game, moved the ball around brilliantly, and punished ‘Bosch for some lacklustre defence.

Fenn was almost unstoppable, and he scored four more goals before skipper James Malan made it nine. They also kept Rondebosch scoreless and went into halftime with a healthy 9-2 lead.

The third quarter, the “moving chukka”, finally brought some joy for ‘Bosch.

Coach Jared-Wingate Pearse had delivered a strong message to his players at halftime, and they responded to it by outscoring Bishops 3-1 in the chukka, with goals from Dante Moore, Zack Labuschagne, and Noah Reiback, to make it 10-5 with a quarter to play.

Dante Moore netted a fifth goal for Rondebosch, but Tim Young soon restored Bishops’ five-goal lead when he replied.

After the Bishops’ blitz in the second quarter, Rondebosch simply couldn’t claw their way back in the game. The Bisch/Bosch derby belonged to Bishops, and thanks to their splendid performance, they lifted the SAC Shield.

On Wednesday, the teams will square off for a third time in quick succession in round two of the SACS Nite Series.

St Stithians College ended their campaign with a resounding 11-4 win over SACS to clinch the bronze medal, while Clifton College defeated Hilton College by a single goal in a KZN derby to place fifth. Paul Roos Gimnasium picked up their first win of the tournament against Westville Boys’ High.

Day 4 Results 

Westville 8-9 Paul Roos (11th/12th)
St Andrew’s College 6-7 Grey High (9th/10th)
Selborne 2-10 St John’s (7th/8th)
Clifton 8-7 Hilton (5th/6th)
St Stithians 11-4 SACS (3rd/4th)
Bishops 11-6 Rondebosch (Final)

CLICK HERE for Day 1 results
CLICK HERE for Day 2 results
CLICK HERE for Day 3 results

Rondebosch Boys’ High and Bishops Diocesan College will go hammer and tongs at it for top honours at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield in Makhanda on Sunday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

The Cape Town sides booked their places in the title-deciding match after producing stellar performances on day three at the SAC Aquatic Centre.

They both impressed throughout the pool stages, suffering just one defeat each. ‘Bosch lost 8-10 to Bishops on the opening day, while their rivals were stunned by Clifton College, going down 7-11 on Friday.

Nevertheless, with four wins from five matches each, the duo comfortably qualified for the quarterfinals. In the last eight, Bishops beat Selborne College 9-4, while Rondebosch won 10-7 against Hilton College to progress.

Meanwhile, St Stithians College and South African College High School (SACS), the lone unbeaten side, locked in their semifinal spots after convincing triumphs over Clifton and St John’s College, respectively.

Bishops took on Saints in the first semi, and coach Jabulani Sibiya’s charges quickly rushed into a 4-1 lead after the first chukka, courtesy of a Harry Ford brace and further strikes from Jack Grout and Matt Fenn. Troy Pasqualle replied for Saints.

Bishops upped the ante in the second half, playing enterprising water polo and were well rewarded. Ford completed his hat-trick before Dominic Zulch and Noah Viuff joined the scoring action.

Saints showed some fight, though, and Dean Ehret, alongside Nathan Mansfield, led the comeback.

Blake Morton also scored two cracking goals in the fourth quarter; however, it mattered little as Bishops closed off the game with strikes by Fenn, Tim Young, and Ryan Dales to seal a convincing 12-5 win.

The second semifinal was an All-Cape affair between Rondebosch and SACS, and it delivered fireworks.

SACS got off to a blazing start, scoring early through Harry Oldham and Matthew Robinson. Their opponents responded through Rupert Robinson, and the score read 2-1 after the first chukka.

Coach Devon Card‘s SACS scored two more goals in the second chukka before ‘Bosch clawed their way back into the game, thanks to a Noah Reiback brace and a goal from Ben Gray.

The tide of the match turned in the third chukka. Bosch was aggressive, attacked with purpose, and restricted the SACS attack. They netted four more times – through Nathan Corlett, Kieran Bennewith, Gray, and Reiback – to seal an 8-5 win, which kept their hopes of defending the title alive.

In other matches, St Andrew’s College defeated Paul Roos in the Plate semifinal, while Grey High edged out Westville Boys’ High.

St John’s fell to Hilton College, and Selborne suffered a loss at the hands of Clifton.

The final day kicks off with a meeting between Westville and Paul Roos at 07:30. The final will commence at 11:40.

Day 3 Results

Pool A

Westville 9-7 Clifton
Rondebosch 11-10 St John’s

Pool B

St Stithians 11-8 Hilton College

Quarterfinals

Bishops 9-4 Selborne College
Rondebosch 10-7 Hilton College
Clifton College 7-9 St Stithians College
St John’s 5-6 SACS

Plate playoffs:

St Andrew’s College 8-4 Paul Roos
Westville 4-6 Grey High

Positions 5 to 8:

Selborne College 5-11 Clifton
Hilton 9-5 St John’s

Semifinals:

Bishops 12-5 St Stithians
Rondebosch 8-5 SACS

Day 4 Fixtures

07:30 – Westville vs Paul Roos (11th/12th)
08:20 – St Andrew’s vs Grey (9th/10th)
09:10 – Selborne vs St John’s (7th/8th)
10:00 – Clifton vs Hilton (5th/6th)
10:50 – St Stithians vs SACS (3rd/4th)
11:40 – Bishops vs Rondebosch (Final)

Only one team, South African College High School (SACS), owned a perfect record after two days of action at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield Water Polo Tournament in Makhanda.

After a captivating opening day on Thursday, the teams returned to action on Friday, seeking momentum and rhythm with the playoffs looming.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Pool A, the group of death, delivered some interesting results, while Pool B remained tightly contested, with almost nothing to separate the sides.

Bishops Diocesan College entered the day unbeaten, but that record was tarnished early when they went down 7-11 to Clifton College. It was an outstanding performance by the KwaZulu-Natal side as they suffocated Bishops and restricted their go-to players.

At the other end of the pool, they were clinical. They took their opportunities brilliantly, with Kyle Human, Taylor Seiler, Nathan Burger, Nabil Bejia, and Daniel Northard getting on the scoresheet.

The usual suspects, Matt Fenn and Timothy Young, along with the youngster, Noah Viuff, tried to get Bishops back into the game, but their efforts were in vain.

Later in the day, Bishops held on for an 8-7 win over St John’s College in a thriller, while Clifton brushed past St Andrew’s College 11-5.

Rondebosch Boys’ High impressed. After losing in the Bisch/Bosch derby on day one, they came out firing on Friday, beating the hosts 10-7 before dominating Westville Boys’ High on their way to a commanding 13-5 win.

In Pool B, SACS and St Stithians College picked up handy wins, and they look set to finish in first and second place in the group, respectively.

Saints beat a struggling Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) side 13-5 and backed up that performance with a hard-fought 9-3 victory over Grey High School.

SACS, meanwhile, needed a penalty shootout to snatch a win against Hilton College. They took it 3-2 from the spot after their match had ended tied at 10-10. They added further victories over Selborne College and Grey High to end their pool stage campaign without a loss.

Coach Storm Siebert’s Selborne side strengthened their chances of progressing to the last eight by Grey in an Eastern Cape derby. They followed that up with a win over PRG.

SACS will finish atop Pool B, but there’s one remaining match in the group, between St Stithians and Hilton, which will impact the positions behind them.

Pool A is also undecided, with Rondebosch and St John’s vying for second spot. A win for Clifton over their KwaZulu-Natal rivals, Westville in Saturday’s first game, at 06:30, would cement Clifton’s place in the playoffs.

RESULTS

Pool A

St John’s 10-4 Westville
St Andrew’s 7-10 Rondebosch
Clifton 11-7 Bishops
Rondebosch 13-5 Westville
St John’s 7-8 Bishops
St Andrew’s 5-11 Clifton

Pool B

St Stithians 13-6 Paul Roos
Hilton (2) 10-10 (3) SACS
Grey High 4-7 Selborne
Hilton 8-5 Paul Roos
Grey 3-9 St Stithians
Selborne 5-8 SACS
Paul Roos 6-9 Selborne
SACS 10-8 Grey High

FIXTURES

Day 3 – Saturday, 24 January

Pool A

06:30 – Westville vs Clifton; 07:20 – Rondebosch vs St John’s.

Pool B

08:10 – St Stithians vs Hilton College.

Playoff fixtures will be confirmed after the pool matches. 

Outrageous goals, shock results, and top-quality water polo highlighted the start of the annual St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield Water Polo Tournament, which got off to a gripping start in Makhanda on Thursday.

The prestigious event pits some of the country’s best water polo-playing schools – from the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal – against each other. It runs through until Sunday.

Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

In the past two years, the opening days of the tournament delivered bucketloads of goals and one-sided matches, but that wasn’t the case this time around. The matches were physical and competitive, and some of the big guns were given a taste of their own medicine.

The story of the day was undeniably the upset caused by St Andrew’s when they defeated last year’s runner-up, St John’s College, in Pool A.

The hosts had made a shaky start to their campaign, going down 1-0 to Westville Boys’ High on penalties following a 7-7 draw early on Thursday morning.

They were the underdogs against St John’s, who had impressed with a 9-5 win over Clifton College in their first match.

St Andrew’s College, however, put that loss behind them and demonstrated hunger and spirit. They were also boosted by the vociferous support of their home crowd.

Captain Jacques Du Toit led from the front, pulling off numerous saves in goal to keep St John’s at bay.

Experienced campaigners, including Tiago Williams and vice-captains Murray Copeland and Adam Ball, were impressive. The home side led for most of the match, but St John’s levelled matters at 6-6 through Luke Shipway with only a minute remaining.

For a second time on the day, St Andrew’s College headed to a penalty shootout to decide the winner of their game. The hosts converted twice and St John’s only once, giving St Andrew’s a morale-boosting victory.

Another defining result in Pool A was Bishops Diocesan College‘s 10-8 win over Rondebosch Boys’ High in a Bish/Bosch derby.

The Jabulani Sibiya-coached outfit went on to beat Westville 10-6 in their second outing before ending the day with a dominant 20-7 win against the hosts.

‘Bosch picked up a win in their second match, pipping Clifton 12-10. They’ll next face St Andrew’s College at 09:50 on Friday morning.

While Pool A delivered upsets, it was business as usual for South African College High School (SACS) in Pool B.

Coach Devon Card‘s side was pushed to its limits, but they emerged with two wins, outlasting St Stithians College 7-6 before beating their Western Cape rivals Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) 10-7.

St Stithians ended the day on a positive note with a one-goal win over Selborne. Their next task will be a meeting with Paul Roos early on Friday. Hilton, meanwhile, was stunned by Grey High in their final match of the day, sending the KZN boys back to the drawing board.

For Grey High, last in 2025, it was an encouraging opening day – two wins from two matches.

Friday’s matches will start earlier than previously scheduled because of a two-hour delay on Thursday, which was caused by late finishes and penalty shootouts.

Day 1 Results

Pool A

Westville (1) 7-7 (0) St Andrew’s
St John’s College 9-5 Clifton College
Bishops 10-8 Rondebosch
Bishops 10-6 Westville
Rondebosch 12-10 Clifton
St Andrew’s (2) 6-6 (1) St John’s College
Bishops 20-7 St Andrew’s

Pool B 

Paul Roos 7-8 Grey High
Selborne 8-10 Hilton College
SACS 7-6 St Stithians
SACS 10-7 Paul Roos
St Stithians 7-6 Selborne
Hilton 7-10 Grey High

FIXTURES

Day 2 – Friday, 23 January

Pool A

09:00 – St John’s vs Westville; 09:50 – St Andrew’s vs Rondebosch; 10:40 – Clifton vs Bishops; 14:00 – Rondebosch vs Westville; 14:50 – St John’s vs Bishops; 15:40 – St Andrew’s vs Clifton.

Pool B

06:30 – St Stithians vs Paul Roos; 07:20 – Hilton vs SACS; 08:10 – Grey High vs Selborne; 11:30 – Hilton vs Paul Roos; 12:20 – Grey vs St Stithians; 13:10 – Selborne vs SACS; 16:30 – Paul Roos vs Selborne; 17:20 – SACS vs Grey High.

Day 3 – Saturday, 24 January

Pool A

07:00 – Westville vs Clifton; 07:50 – Rondebosch vs St John’s.

Pool B

08:40 – St Stithians vs Hilton College.

The schools’ hockey season officially gets underway in late February, but some of the country’s top players have already laced up and are back on the artificial turf.

The pre-season is in full swing in the Western Cape, with the annual Prestige Champions Cup set to take place this weekend.

The independent tournament, in its second edition, was carefully designed to offer players in the Boland region, its surrounding areas, and from further afield high-quality pre-season game time.

The event has a franchise-style feel, and players will ply their respective trades for either the Dolphins, Dragons, Macaws, or Otters.

“With it being the second tournament on the back of a successful 2025 event, there was no doubt in my mind that it had to continue,” tournament director Scott Hendricks told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“The idea came about when I saw there was a gap in nearly all the schools’ calendars nationwide. It’s the first time players will get to play matches because pre-season at their schools only starts in March.”

The tournament has u14, u16, and u19 age groups. Matches will be played at Rhenish Girls’ High, HMS Bloemhof, and Hoërskool Stellenbosch.

The event also attracts some of the best players and coaches in the school game, including the trio of Paarl Gimnasium coaches, Danelle van Zyl, Jacques Grobler, and Ian Naude.

Chris Gerber, who led Rhenish Girls’ High to a superb season in 2025, will be in the mix alongside coach Marc Landman, from Paarl Girls’ High, and Reddam House Constantia‘s Chris Hibbert.

It’s fair to say that there’s an A-list of players involved.

Alanda Rademeyer, who caused havoc while inspiring Paarl Gim to victory at the Super 12 last year, needs no introduction, and she’ll run out for the defending champions, the Macaws.

Chelsey Woolf and Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, from Rhenish, will represent the Otters, while their school teammate, Pippa Viljoen, will feature for the Dragons.

Other big names involved include Anya Swanepoel and Karli van Deventer (Paarl Gim), Chelsey McGregor (St Cyprian’s), Zani Boezaart, Emeri Botes (HMS Bloemhof), and Emma Hibbert (Reddam).

There’s some Northern Gauteng and Eastern Cape flavour added to the tournament with Lenique Vogel, from Hoërskool Waterkloof, also part of the action.

The skillful Kerrin Gillies, from Collegiate Girls’ High, the explosive Lucy Holderness, from DSG Makhanda, and Pearson High‘s Lisa de Villiers will also make their way to the Cape for the event.

“I am very happy with the quality,” Hendricks said.

“It has become an important event for coaches and players, as they see it as a huge opportunity to get ahead of the curve.”

When asked what spectators can expect, he said: “Electric, fast-paced, and tactical chess-match-styled games that require players to think and push themselves to be better all round. We are looking forward to what promises to be a powerhouse of a tournament.”

For more information and fixtures, click HERE.