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It has been just three weeks since Tuks introduced and welcomed Katlego Malebana to their senior women’s team for the remainder of the 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League season.

Then, on Thursday, she won the School Star of the Year Award, presented by GSport4Girls.

It has been a remarkable year for Malebana, who took great pride in leading South Africa to the title at the u15 CAF African Schools Football Tournament in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Following that memorable victory, she told the Mamelodi Sundowns’ media team: “I feel very proud of myself for being able to lead my team to victory in the CAF Championship and for having my first captaincy in the national team, bringing a gold medal and trophy to South Africa. It was a humbling and emotional experience.”

The 15-year-old, who excelled within the Mamelodi Sundowns development programme, scored a crucial penalty after the final against Morocco had finished in a 1-1 draw in regulation time. South Africa went on to win it 5-4 from the spot.

Following the landmark win, she expressed the hope that it would serve as inspiration for others. “This victory shows that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve great things. I hope my success encourages other young girls to pursue their dreams in football,” she said.

Malebana was also a member of the Mamelodi Sundowns team that won the Gauteng Engen Cup, edging out the University of Johannesburg 4-3 in a penalty shootout, following a 0-0 stalemate. She captained both the u15 and u20 Sundowns’ teams and led the u20s to the final of the Pirates Cup earlier this year, where they were defeated by JVW.

The head coach of Tuks, Maude Khumalo was pleased with what she saw from the club’s new player on her debut, which came in a 1-0 victory over Lindelani Ladies, saying that Malebana had displayed good skill.

“The idea is to give her a feeling of what it means to be a part of the team because she is the youngest, and also to look at her understanding of what is happening on the field. I thought if we scored more goals, I wanted to give other players a chance, but I just decided to give her a chance to see if she was going to cope.

“I told her she must be relaxed, she must not panic, and remember the age gap. She is 15 years old…but she has an understanding of the game. It’s more about her understanding the dynamics of the game because she wants to be more settled but the opponents were coming on strong and she came into the game when the tempo was increasing.

“I am happy with her. She has the understanding, the touches, the movement of the ball,” said Khumalo. “I think, going into the next game, she will be more confident than she was today.”

The opening day of the annual u15 Ian Melliar Cup Water Polo Tournament, hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High, produced fireworks. Eight of the 24 teams started brightly by picking up two wins apiece.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools 

The defending champions, Bishops Diocesan College were extended in both of their Group C matches but came out with hard-fought wins, defeating Clifton College 7-4 before sneaking past Reddam House Constantia 5-4.

St Stithians College, who are also in Group C, kept their record clean, too, and in emphatic fashion.

Coach Carl Germishuys’s troops thumped a Cape Town Invitational side 11-2 in their opener and, later in the day, they cruised to a 13-2 victory over Bloemfontein’s Grey College to finish Thursday atop the group.

The hosts, Wynberg Boys’ High, and Kearsney College lead Group B.

After finishing third in last year’s tournament, Wynberg has set its sights on going all the way in 2024 and they kicked off their challenge with two resounding victories. They roared to an 11-2 win over Paarl Boys’ High before making it two out of two with a 7-3 victory against Affies.

Kearsney was pushed hard in their opener, a 4-3 win over Affies, but they blanked another Pretoria side, St Alban’s College, 13-0 in their second outing.

Meanwhile, Group A features Rondebosch Boys’ High and Hilton College at the top of the standings.

‘Bosch, in their first outing, thumped Makhanda’s St Andrew’s College 9-2 before outplaying Pretoria Boys High 11-2.

Hilton, also impressed, beating Glenwood House 10-5 before downing St Andrew’s 9-4.

Group D, which is arguably the group of death, was dominated by South African College High School (SACS) and Grey High School on Friday.

SACS secured an important win over a strong Paul Roos Gimnasium team, edging that contest 6-5, before overrunning Jeppe High School for Boys 9-0. Meanwhile, Grey High handed Jeppe a 6-1 loss and then concluded their day with a 6-3 win over St John’s College.

Results | Day 1

Group A

Rondebosch Boys High 9-2 St Andrew’s College
Rondebosch Boys High 11-2 Pretoria Boys High
Hilton College 10-5 Glenwood House
Hilton College 9-4 St Andrew’s College
St David’s Marist Inanda 5-3 Pretoria Boys High
St David’s Marist Inanda 5-5 Glenwood House

Group B

Kearsney College 4-3 Affies
Kearsney College 13-0 St Alban’s College
Wynberg Boys’ High 11-2 Paarl Boys High
Wynberg Boys’ High 7-3 Affies
Paarl Boys’ High 10-0 Wynberg u15 squad
St Alban’s College 10-0 Wynberg u15 squad

Group C

St Stithians College 11-2 CT Invitational
St Stithians College 13-2 Grey College
Bishops 7-4 Clifton College
Bishops 5-4 Reddam House
Reddam House  16-2 Grey College
Clifton College 12-4 CT Invitational

Group D

SACS 6-5 Paul Roos
SACS 9-0 Jeppe
Grey High 6-1 Jeppe
Grey High 6-3 St John’s College
St John’s College 13-3 Maritzburg College
Paul Roos 10-3 Maritzburg College

The Noordvaal Sevens kicks off on Friday, 13 September, with Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom hosting the u17 competition and Potchefstroom Gimnasium home to the u15 event.

A high-quality field from five regions – the Blue Bulls, Limpopo Blue Bulls, Leopards, Lions, and the Valke – will be in action.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The u17 challengers are going to have their work cut out for them if they’re to beat two schools that recently won big tournaments: Menlopark lifted the Montana Sevens title last weekend, while Monument was crowned the champions of the Monument Sevens a week ago.

Menlopark pulled off a big victory by handling Affies 28-5 in the final in Pretoria, while Monnas brushed aside all challengers, with a Noordheuwel Invitation side giving them their closest game, which was still a comfortable 28-10 win. They crushed Dinamika 43-5 in the final.

Still, teams like the aforementioned Noordheuwel and Dinamika should not be overlooked, while Garsfontein and Zwartkop, who are in the same pool, could be in the mix.

In the u15 competition, Monument and Noordheuwel, who met in the Monument final, which Monnas edged 12-7, are sure to be contenders.

They’ll be challenged by Menlopark, who finished as the runners-up to Affies at the Montana Sevens, while Garsfontein, who bowed out in the Cup semi-finals, after a narrow 21-26 loss to Menlo, will also fancy their chances. Zwartkop, who fell to Affies in the Cup semis, will be another team to keep an eye on.

GROUPS

u17

Group A: Menlopark (A1), Die Wilgers (A2), Ellisras (A3), Klerksdorp (A4)
Group B: Monument (B1), HTS Tom Naudé (B2), Zayo Academy (B3), Wesvalia (B4)
Group C: Die Anker (C1), Garsfontein (C2), Noordheuwel (C3), Bergsig Akademie (C4)
Group D: Potchefstroom Volkskool (D1), Zwartkop (D2), Dinamika (D3), Pietersburg (D4)

u15

Group A: Menlopark (A1), Centurion (A2), Pietersburg (A3), Potch Volkskool (A4)
Group B: Monument (B1), Ellisras (B2), Eldoraigne (B3), Wesvalia (B4)
Group C: Die Anker (C1), Garsfontein (C2), Dinamika (C3)
Group D: Klerksdorp (D1), Noordheuwel (D2), Zwartkop (D3), Kempton Park (D4)

U17 FIXTURES – VOLKSKOOL

Field A

12:00 – Menlopark vs Die Wilgers
12:20 – Ellisras vs Klerksdorp
12:40 – Monument vs HTS Tom Naudé
13:00 – Zayo Academy vs Wesvalia
13:20 – Die Anker vs Garsfontein
13:40 – Potch Volkskool vs Zwartkop
14:00 – Die Wilgers vs Klerksdorp
14:20 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Wesvalia
14:40 – Garsfontein vs Bergsig Akademie
15:00 – Die Anker vs Noordheuwel
15:20 – Zwartkop vs Pietersburg
15:40 – Potch Volkskool vs Dinamika
16:00 – Menlopark vs Klerksdorp
16:20 – Die Wilgers vs Ellisras
16:40 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Zayo Academy
17:00 – Garsfontein vs Noordheuwel
17:20 – Zwartkop vs Dinamika
17:40 – Potch Volkskool vs Pietersburg

Field B

13:20 – Noordheuwel vs Bergsig Akademie
13:40 – Dinamika vs Pietersburg
14:00 – Menlopark vs Ellisras
14:20 – Monument vs Zayo Academy

16:40 – Monument vs Wesvalia
17:00 – Die Anker vs Bergsig Akademie

Saturday, 14 September

09:00 – Bowl QF – A3 vs B4 (1)
09:20 – Bowl QF – B3 vs A4 (2)
09:40 – Bowl QF – C3 vs D4 (3)
10:00 – Bowl QF – D3 vs C4 (4)
10:20 – Cup QF – A1 vs B2 (5)
10:40 – Cup QF – B1 vs A2 (6)
11:00 – Cup QF – C1 vs D2 (7)
11:20 – Cup QF – D1 vs C2 (8)
11:40 – Shield SF – Loser 1 vs Loser 3 (9)
12:00 – Shield SF – Loser 2 vs Loser 4 (10)
12:20 – Bowl SF – Winner 1 vs Winner 3 (11)
12:40 – Bowl SF – Winner 2 vs Winner 4 (12)
13:00 – Plate SF – Loser 5 vs Loser 7 (13)
13:20 – Plate SF – Loser 6 vs Loser 8 (14)
13:40 – Cup SF – Winner 5 vs Winner 7 (15)
14:00 – Cup SF – Winner 6 vs Winner 8 (16)
14:20 – Shield Final – Winner 9 vs Winner 10 (17)
14:40 – Bowl Final – Winner 11 vs Winner 12 (18)
15:00 – Plate Final – Winner 13 vs Winner 14 (19)
15:20 – 3rd/4th Playoff – Loser 15 vs Loser 16 (20)
16:00 – Cup Final – Winner 15 vs Winner 16 (21)

U15 FIXTURES – GIMNASIUM

A Field

12:00 – Menlopark vs Centurion
12:20 – Pietersburg vs Potch Volkskool
12:40 – Monument vs Ellisras
13:00 – Eldoraigne vs Wesvalia
13:20 – Die Anker vs Garsfontein
13:40 – Klerksdorp vs Noordheuwel
14:00 – Centurion vs Potch Volkskool
14:20 – Ellisras vs Wesvalia
14:40 – Garsfontein vs C4
15:00 – Die Anker vs Dinamika
15:20 – Noordheuwel vs Kempton Park
15:40 – Klerksdorp vs Zwartkop
16:00 – Menlopark vs Potch Volkskool
16:20 – Centurion vs Pietersburg
16:40 – Ellisras vs Eldoraigne
17:00 – Die Anker vs Garsfontein
17:20 – Noordheuwel vs Zwartkop
17:40 – Klerksdorp vs Kempton Park

B Field

13:20 – Dinamika vs C4
13:40 – Zwartkop vs Kempton Park
14:00 – Menlopark vs Pietersburg
14:20 – Monument vs Eldoraiggne

16:40 – Monument vs Wesvalia
17:00 – Die Anker vs C4

Saturday, 14 September

09:00 – Bowl QF – A3 vs B4 (1)
09:20 – Bowl QF – B3 vs A4 (2)
09:40 – Bowl QF – C3 vs D4 (3)
10:00 – Bowl QF – D3 vs C4 (4)
10:20 – Cup QF – A1 vs B2 (5)
10:40 – Cup QF – B1 vs A2 (6)
11:00 – Cup QF – C1 vs D2 (7)
11:20 – Cup QF – D1 vs C2 (8)
11:40 – Shield SF – Loser 1 vs Loser 3 (9)
12:00 – Shield SF – Loser 2 vs Loser 4 (10)
12:20 – Bowl SF – Winner 1 vs Winner 3 (11)
12:40 – Bowl SF – Winner 2 vs Winner 4 (12)
13:00 – Plate SF – Loser 5 vs Loser 7 (13)
13:20 – Plate SF – Loser 6 vs Loser 8 (14)
13:40 – Cup SF – Winner 5 vs Winner 7 (15)
14:00 – Cup SF – Winner 6 vs Winner 8 (16)
14:20 – Shield Final – Winner 9 vs Winner 10 (17)
14:40 – Bowl Final – Winner 11 vs Winner 12 (18)
15:00 – Plate Final – Winner 13 vs Winner 14 (19)
15:20 – 3rd/4th Playoff – Loser 15 vs Loser 16 (20)
16:00 – Cup Final – Winner 15 vs Winner 16 (21)

Die Hoërskool Kempton Park se Cassidy Bosman het haar seisoen met ‘n goeie vertoning in die 3 000m vir meisies o.17 tydens die jaarlikse Bestmed Egoli-byeenkoms in die UJ-stadion in Johannesburg afgeskop.

Bosman het die wedloop in tien minute en 10.56 sekondes voltooi. Dit het aan haar ‘n stewige 916 punte op die puntestelsel verdien. Bosman het ook in die 1 500m koning gekraai toe sy in vier minute en 42.22 sekondes oor die wenstreep is.

Haar tyd in die korter nommer sou aan haar verlede jaar ‘n goue medalje tydens die SA Junior- en Jeug-kampioenskappe verower het.

Kempies se Carla Muller (o.14) het ook in die 90m-hekkies gewys dat sy nog in die toekoms haar stem dik kan maak. Sy het dié nommer in 13.57 sekondes gewen.

Dominique Nel (Helpmekaar) is ook ‘n atleet om in die toekoms dop te hou. Sy het die gewigstoot vir meisies o.14 met ‘n poging van 13.11 meter gewen. Dit het aan haar 902 punte besorg.

Noordheuwel se Charné Fourie was ‘n lid van die Bestmed Uitnodigingspan en het soos gewoonlik vir heelwat opwinding in die 200m vir meisies o.14 gesorg. Fourie was in 2023 die SA Skole-kampioen in dié nommer.

Sy het tydens die Egoli byeenkoms dié nommer in 24.98 sekondes afgeblits om goud te verower.

Nog ‘n naelloper van die Bestmed Uitnodiging-span Oluchi Ndubueze (Northcliff) het die 200m vir meisies o.15 in 24.89 sekondes afgeblits.

In die o.16-afdeling het Marais Viljoen se Luanne du Plooy (24.94) hakskene vir haar teenstanders gewys, terwyl die Hoërskool Klerskdorp se Jenna van Dyk in die o.17-afdeling in ‘n tyd van 24.81 sekondes koning gekraai het.

Nog ‘n atleet van die uitnodigingspan Matsidiso Makgato (Secunda) het vir ‘n blink vertoning in die verspring vir meisies o.17 gesorg toe sy op 6.06 meter in die sandput geland het. Dit het aan haar 943 punte besorg.

Marais Viljoen se verspringer Janine Berry (o.15) het goud in haar ouderdomsgroep met ‘n sprong van 5.66m verdien.

Hoërskool Kanonkop hosts the High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, as part of its Heritage Sports Festival, which runs from 10-14 September in Middelburg.

The event, which takes place on Saturday, will also be graced by the SA Academy Sevens team, who will be in action against a club team, the SA All Stars and the Pumas.

Adding some sparkle to the occasion, South Africa’s Olympic bronze medal-winning Sevens team has been in town since Monday and has been interacting with the local community. The Sevens stars participated in a Padel evening on Wednesday, a golf day on Thursday, and they will be involved in a parade in the town on Friday, which will include a signing session.

In the schools’ competitions for u17 and u15 teams, the names of Helpmekaar, HTS Middelburg, and Hoërskool Middelburg leap to the fore as potential winners, but there are no givens in sport, and Sevens is a particularly unpredictable game.

U17 POOLS AND FIXTURES

Pool A: Barberton, Eastdene Combined, Bergvlam, Helpmekaar
Pool B: HTS Middelburg, Ben Viljoen, Steelcrest, Patriot
Pool C: Edu College, Kempton Park, Kanonkop, Meridian Karino
Pool D: HS Middelburg, HTS Witbank, Rob Ferreira, HS Generaal Hertzog

Pitch One

08:30 – Barberton vs Eastdene Combined
08:50 – Bergvlam vs Helpmekaar
09:10 – Edu College vs Kempton Park
09:30 – Kanonkop vs Meridian Karino
09:50 – HTS Middelburg vs Patriot
10:10 – Steelcrest vs Ben Viljoen
10:30 – HT Middelburg vs HS Generaal Hertzog
10:50 – Rob Ferreira vs HTS Witbank
11:10 – Barberton vs Bergvlam
11:30 – Kempton Park vs Meridian Karino
11:50 – Eastdene Combined vs Helpmekaar
12:10 – Edu College vs Bergvlam

13:30 – Shield semi-final – A4 vs B4
13:50 – Bowl semi-final – A3 vs B3
14:10 – Plate semi-final – A2 vs B2
14:30 – Cup semi-final – A1 vs D1

Pitch Two

08:30 – HTS Middelburg vs Ben Viljoen
08:50 – Steelcrest vs Patriot
09:10 – HS Middelburg vs HTS Witbank
09:30 – Rob Ferreira vs HS Generaal Herzog
10:00 – Barberton vs Helpmekaar
10:20 – Bergvlam vs Eastdene Combined
10:40 – Edu College vs Meridian Karino
11:00 – Kanonkop vs Kempton Park
11:30 – Ben Viljoen vs Patriot
11:50 – HTS Witbank vs HS Generaal Hertzog
12:10 – HTS Middelburg vs Steelcrest
12:30 – HS Middelburg vs Rob Ferreira

13:30 – Shield semi-final – C4 vs D4
13:50 – Bowl semi-final – C3 vs D3
14:10 – Plate semi-final – C2 vs D2
14:30 – Cup semi-final – C1 vs D1

15:30 – Bowl final – Winner A3 vs B3 vs Winner C3 vs D3
15:50 – Plate final – Winner A2 vs B2 vs Winner C2 vs D2
16:10 – u15 Cup final – Winner A1 vs B1 vs Winner C1 vs D1
16:30 – Cup final – Winner A1 vs B1 vs Winner C1 vs D1

U15 POOLS AND FIXTURES

Pool A: HTS Middelburg, Edu College, Kanonkop
Pool B: HS Middelburg, Ben Viljoen, Bergvlam
Pool C: HS Middelburg 2, Steelcrest, Barberton
Pool D: Helpmekaar, Eastdene Combined, Rob Ferreira

Pitch Three

08:30 – Eastdene Combined (D2) vs Rob Ferreira (D3)
08:50 – Steelcrest (C2) vs Barberton (C3)
09:10 – Ben Viljoen (B2) vs Bergvlam (B3)
09:30 – Edu College (A2) vs Kanonkop (A3)
09:50 – HS Middelburg 2 (C1) vs Barberton (C3)
10:10 – Helpmekaar (D1) vs Rob Ferreira (D3)
10:30 – HTS Middelburg (A1) vs Kanonkop (A3)
10:50 – HS Middelburg (B1) vs Bergvlam (B3)
11:10 – Helpmekaar (D1) vs Eastdene Combined (D2)
11:30 – HS Middelburg 2 (C1) vs Steelcrest (C2)
11:50 – HS Middelburg (B1) vs Ben Viljoen (B2)
12:10 – HTS Middelburg (A1) vs Edu College (A2)

Cup quarterfinals

13:10 – 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B
13:30 – 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A
13:50 – 1st Pool C vs 2nd Pool D
14:10 – 1st Pool D vs 2nd Pool C

Bowl semi-finals

14:30 – 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B
14:50 – 3rd Pool C vs 3rd Pool D

Plate semi-finals

15:10 – Loser Cup quarter 1 vs Loser Cup quarter 2
15:30 – Loser Cup quarter 3 vs Loser Cup quarter 4

Pitch Two

Cup semi-finals

15:10 – Winner Cup quarter 1 vs Winner Cup quarter 2
15:30 – Winner Cup quarter 3 vs Winner Cup quarter 4

Bowl final

15:50 – Winner Bowl semi 1 vs Winner Bowl semi 2

Plate final

16:10 – Winner Plate semi 1 vs Winner Plate semi 2

Pitch One

Cup final

16:10 – Winner Cup semi 1 vs Winner Cup semi 2

One of South Africa’s premier girls’ water polo tournaments, the Mackenzie Cup, will see 16 top teams battle it out for supremacy and bragging rights in Cape Town from Friday.

The annual tournament, hosted by Reddam House Constantia, features u19 matches taking place at the school’s Indoor Aquatic Centre, while the action in the u13 section of the tournament goes down in the outdoor pool.

The event kicks off on Friday morning and concludes with the final on Sunday, 15 September, at 14:30.

Catch it LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

This year’s tournament promises to captivate water polo enthusiasts in and around the Mother City, and a new format will add extra spice to the mix.

With another two teams on board, instead of the traditional two pools of seven teams each, the organisers, led by Nick Tinkler, have changed things around, creating four groups of four teams, with a round-robin stage, quarterfinals, and the finale.

The three-day event will pit some of the best water polo-playing schools in the country against each other.

The hosts, Reddam, are in Group A and will face Gqeberha’s Pearson High School, Rhenish Girls’ High, and Somerset College, who, along with Group C’s Fish Hoek, are the new additions to the tournament.

Reddam will be hoping to emulate the form that took them to a third-place finish at the Old Petrian’s Water Polo Tournament in Johannesburg earlier this year.

They will, however, have to do it without three influential, outstanding players, Hannah Banks, Emma Catto, and Roxanne Uys, who are all on national duty at the World Championships in China.

Group B is an exciting one and will feature three Cape sides – Wynberg Girls’ High, Springfield Convent School, and a Herschel Invitation team – in action. They’ll be up against the only school from KwaZulu-Natal, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), who are also the defending champions.

DGC, after winning the title in 2023, will, undoubtedly, be among the favorites to win the event. Earlier this year, they claimed gold at the National Aquatics Festival in Durban and they’re a dangerous outfit when firing on all cylinders.

Group C will be contested by Herschel, Clarendon High School for Girls, Rustenburg Girls’ High, and Fish Hoek.

Herschel won the Old Petrian’s Water Polo Tournament earlier this year and they will be brimming with confidence, although, like Reddam, they will also be without three star players who are in the SA u18 team – Amy van Breda, Alexa de Villiers, and Emily van Heerden. Herschel won the tournament back in 2022, and they’ll be keen to get their hands on the trophy once again.

Group D, meanwhile, features a couple of challengers from the Eastern Cape in Collegiate Girls’ High, and DSG Makhanda.

They’ll face a Reddam House Invitational side and St Cyprian’s, who are not to be underestimated.

The group’s action gets underway with an Eastern Cape derby when DSG takes on Collegiate at 09:00.

FIXTURES

Friday, 13 September 

Group A

07:00 – Pearson High vs Rhenish; 09:40 – Somerset College vs Reddam House; 12:20 – Pearson High vs Reddam House; 15:00 – Somerset College vs Rhenish; 17:40 – Pearson vs Somerset College; 19: 40 – Reddam House vs Rhenish.

Group B 

07:40 – Durban Girls College vs Herschel Invitational; 10:20- Wynberg Girls’ vs Springfield Convent School; 13:00 –Springfield Convent School vs Durban Girls School; 15:40 – Herschel Invitational vs Wynberg Girls’; 18:20 – Durban Girls College vs Wynberg Girls.

Group C

08:20 – Fish Hoek vs Clarendon; 11:00 – Herschel vs Rustenburg Girls; 13:40 – Fish Hoek vs Rustenburg Girls; 16:20 – Hershel vs Clarendon; 19:00 – Herschel vs Fish Hoek.

Group D

09:00 – DSG Makhanda vs Collegiate; 11:40 – Reddam Invitational vs St Cyprians; 14:20 – DSG Makhanda vs St Cyprians; 17:00 – Reddam Invitational vs Collegiate.

Saturday, 14 September 

Group B

07:40 – Springfield Convent vs Herschel Invitational.

Group C

08:20 – Rustenburg vs Clarendon.

Group D

07:00 – DSG Makhanda vs Reddam House Invitational; 09:00- Collegiate vs. St Cyprians.

Click HERE for the round-robin stages.

Not only was Tiaan Hall a threat with the bat, but he also contributed with the ball as Hoërskool Marais Viljoen claimed an important away victory over Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in the Easterns leg of the Schools SA20 competition.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

Opening the batting, he combined wonderfully with his opening partner, Jaden Govender, as the pair got the visitors off to a flying start by putting on an 87-run partnership for the first wicket.

Hall, who contributed 45 from 36 deliveries, was the aggressor, smashing seven fours and one six. Govender, on the other hand, went about his business in a more restrained manner, playing some exquisite shots for his contribution of 38.

With the foundation firmly laid, Abdulla Thadwala had the opportunity to score freely. He raced to his side’s second-best score of 41, and it took him only 21 deliveries to do so. Rieshaeel Hashim provided good support, making 31, to help the visitors from Alberton to a healthy total of 177/4 from their 20 overs.

The Jansies struggled to take wickets, but Egan Pretorius found a way. Although expensive, he made two much-needed breakthroughs towards the end to finish his two-over spell with a return of 2/25.

The Marais Viljoen visiting bowling attack then kept EG Jansen in check, starting with the very first ball, which brought Hall his first wicket. He finished with a tidy return of 2/9 from three overs. Riyaan Marques, with 2/7 in two, and Raynie Kruger, with 2/12, ensured Jansies wouldn’t get close to the visitor’s total.

Egan Pretorius, again, shone for the hosts, cracking 39 runs from only 31 deliveries, while Andre Pretorius played nicely for his 34. They were, however, the only two to make it past 20 and EG Jansen came up 45 runs short, kept to 132/7 from their 20 overs.

Scores 

Marais Viljoen 177/4 (Tiaan Hall 45, Abdulla Thadwala 41*, Jaden Govender 38, Riesheel Hashim 31; Egan Pretorius 2/25); EG Jansen 132/7 (Egan Pretorius 39, Andre Pretorius 34; Riyaan Marques 2/7, Tiaan Hall 2/9, Raynie Kruger 2/12).

Marais Viljoen won by 45 runs.

Helpmekaar Kollege se spiesgooier Jan-Hendrik Heymans het vir die hoogtepunt van die jaarlikse Bestmed Egoli-byeenkoms in die UJ-stadion in Johannesburg gesorg.

Dit is wel vroeg in die seisoen, maar Heymans (o.17) het die blikassegaai ‘n allemintige 73.12 meter gegooi. Dit is ook natuurlik die redelik nuwe byeenkoms se rekord vir dié nommer. Dié byeenkoms is verlede jaar vir die eerste keer aangebied.

Heymans het verlede jaar die o.16-rekord met ‘n gooi van 60.63m opgestel. Sy poging op vanjaar se byeenkoms was die enigste vertoning wat ‘n volle 1 000 punte verdien het.

Helpies se Hanro van den Berg (o.16) het ook ‘n skitterende vertoning in dié nommer gelewer. Hy het die spiesgooi vir seuns o.16 met ‘n poging van 60.19m gewen.

Darius Botha van Dr. Malan het die seisoen ook op ‘n hoë noot begin. Hy het in die gewigstoot asook diksus vir seuns o.14 koning gekraai. Botha het die gewigstoot met ‘n poging van 17.90m gewen, terwyl hy die diskus 53.79m ver gegooi het.

King Edward VII se Chinedu Amadi was in ‘n hewige tweestryd in die gewigstoot vir seuns o.17 met die Hoërskool Klerksdorp se Hanro Nel gewikkel. Amadi het goud met ‘n poging van 17.45m verower, terwyl Nel (17.33m) met silwer tevrede moes wees.

Amadi het ook in die diskus met ‘n poging van 45.79m gewen.

Die beste vertoning op die baan is deur Jeppe se Kgoputso Manaleng (o.15) in die 100-hekkies opgedis. Hy het die nommer in ‘n nuwe rekordtyd van 12.54 sekondes gewen.

Jeppe se naelloper Mukona Manavhela het ook ‘n goeie dag op die baan beleef. Hy het die 200m vir seuns o.16 in net 21.35 sekondes voltooi. Die 100m het hy in 10.51 sekondes afgeblits vir nog ‘n goue medalje.

King Edward VII se verspringer Joshua Wilkinson spog nou met die enigste verspring-rekord van dié byeenkoms. Hy het die nommer vir seuns o.16 met ‘n sprong van 7.07m gewen.

Wilkinson het verlede jaar ook in die o.15-afdeling met ‘n sprong van 6.87m gewen.

St Charles College successfully defended their Eston One Insurance T20 Night League title on Wednesday evening, powering their way to a comfortable 32-run victory over Maritzburg College.

There was none of the drama that accompanied their four-run victory over Hilton College in the 2023 final, nor their spectacular run chase to beat Westville Boys’ High in the last over of the semi-finals. This was a solid and comprehensive victory.

Saints‘ skipper Marcell Wellman elected to bat first after winning the toss and that proved to be a good call, with the captain doing his bit to make it so.

The openers, Cian Fortmann and Rico Honiball, got St Charles off to a strong start, partnering for 62 runs in 7.5 overs before Fortmann was caught by College captain Chad Mason off the bowling of Julian Konigkramer for 21 from 24 deliveries, with three fours.

His dismissal brought another left-hander to the wicket, Wellmann, and he proceeded to take the game to the College bowlers. He and Honiball shared a stand of 53 runs before Mason had the opener caught by Brendon Senzere for a well-played 38. Honiball’s innings included four fours and lasted 43 balls.

There was no respite for College as Brendon Sunguro joined Wellmann out in the middle. They spent only two overs together but added 23 runs before the captain departed for a decisive 56 from only 36 balls, which included six fours and two sixes. He’s been in superb form this season, leading from the front, and Wednesday’s crucial innings was the latest of many examples of his all-round excellence.

The Zimbabwean international, Sunguro, went on to blast an unbeaten 30 from only 15 balls, sending two of them over the boundary and cracking another two into it, as Saints totalled a healthy 170 for 3 from their 20 overs.

Mason did a solid job with the ball for the Red, Black, and White, picking up 1/23 in his four overs, while Julian Konigkramer removed two batsmen at a cost of 35 runs.

The College run chase began with a hiccup as the in-form Llewellyn Sutherland fell to Saints’ paceman Rowen Rajah, caught by Connor Riley, for a single. Daniel Nadasan and Chad Mason did a fine job, however, of getting their team back into the contest.

In just over 10 overs, they added 82 runs before Mason was run out by Covhan Baaitjies in a costly blow to Maritzburg College’s chances. He’d made a telling contribution, nonetheless, of 50 from 37 deliveries, hitting seven fours and a six.

Just four runs later, Nadasan fell, bowled by Kaiyuran Naidoo for 31 from 32. His dismissal left College on 93/3 after 12.3 overs.

The loss of two set batsmen in quick succession proved to be a hammer blow to their chances. From there, their innings crumbled, with six more wickets going down for the addition of only 32 runs. Brendon Sunguro and Cian Fortmann ripped it apart. Sunguro was especially devastating, snaring 4/16 in his four overs, while Fortmann supported him superbly, claiming 2/28 in four.

A solid start had College in the hunt, but their challenge tailed off and they finished well short, restricted to 138/9 in their 20 overs, as only one other batsman made it into double figures.

Kaiyuran Naidoo snapped up 1/17 in three and Rowen Rajah finished with 1/23 in three as Saints retained the title with an assured and dominant performance.

Scores

St Charles College 170/3 (Marcell Wellmann 56, Rico Honiball 38, Brendon Sunguro 30*, Cian Fortmann 21, Julian Konigkramer 2/35); Maritzburg College 138/9 (Chad Mason 50, Daniel Nadasan 31, Brendon Sunguro 4/16, Cian Fortmann 2/28)

St Charles won by 32 runs

The annual u15 Ian Melliar Cup Water Polo Tournament, hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High, charges into action on Thursday, with 24 teams from around the country battling it out for top honours in the Mother City.

The highly anticipated tournament, which is entering its 17th year, commences on Thursday afternoon and finishes with the final at 12:20 on Sunday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

In last year’s event, Bishops Diocesan College took home the trophy after defeating their arch-rivals South African College High School (SACS) 6-5 in a heated final.

The defending champions have been drawn in Pool C where they will face KwaZulu-Natal’s Clifton College, Grey College, St Stithians, Reddam House Constantia, and an Invitational side.

Bishops, coached by Sam Hansen and Tom Liefeldt, will be wary of the threats posed by an unpredictable group of opponents, which includes a number of sides from established water polo powerhouses, with Clifton and St Stithians appearing to be their most likely challengers.

As for SACS, they are in group D, arguably one of the toughest groups in the tournament. They’ll be up against St John’s College, their Western Cape rivals, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), Maritzburg College, Jeppe High School for Boys, and Grey High.

Paul Roos will present a stiff challenge. They’re coached by Cameron Laurenson, and the experienced Vaughn Marlow, who is also the head coach of the PRG first team.

Grey High heads into the tournament in high spirits after recording a couple of emphatic wins over the past weekend. They thumped Pearson High 13-0 and Woodridge College 11-3 to set themselves up nicely for a crack at the prestigious title.

In Group A, there’s no outright favorite. But that’s not to say that quality is lacking. There’s plenty of it. Rondebosch Boys’ High represents the local interest, while Hilton College will likely be among the contenders. St David’s Marist Inanda and Makhanda’s St Andrew’s College present potential potholes for ‘Bosch and Hilton, while Pretoria Boys High and Glenwood House appear to have outside shots at winning the group.

Group B is tough. It boasts a strong line-up of teams and predicting a winner is well nigh impossible.

Wynberg, who finished third last year, after beating Paul Roos 8-5 in the bronze medal match will be aiming for an even higher finish, but they’re going to have their hands full as they set out to qualify for the right to play for the title. It won’t be an easy ride for coach Kwakhona Ngwanya and his Wynberg boys, but, with the backing of the home crowd, they’ll surely be in the mix at the business end of matters. 

Kearsney College could go all the way. Earlier this year, their u15 side won the Indigo Cup, facing the top teams in the country, including Bishops, SACS, and Paul Roos. It is worth noting, too, that the top four in that tournament featured two other KZN sides, both of whom will be in action in Cape Town, Hilton College, who placed second, and Clifton College, who finished fourth. Kearsney also had Thomas Aylward and Thomas Francke named in the SA u16 water polo side in April.

Affies could upset the apple cart, along with Paarl Boys’ High, St Alban’s College, and Selborne College, who claimed the cup just two years ago in 2022. 

The first match of the tournament sees Clifton College taking on Bishops Diocesan College at 13:00 on Thursday.

Click HERE for all the fixtures.

GROUPS

Group A: Glenwood House, Hilton College, Pretoria Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys High, St David’s Marist Inanda, St Andrew’s College.
Group B: Affies, Kearsney, Paarl Boys High, Selborne College, St Alban’s College, Wynberg Boys High.
Group C: Bishops Diocesan College, Clifton College, Grey College, St Stithians College, CT Invitational, Reddam Constantia.
Group D: St John’s College, SACS, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Maritzburg College, Jeppe Boys High, Grey High.