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Five-time champions India will commence their 2024 ICC u19 Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign against 2020 winners Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, while hosts South Africa take on the West Indies in the tournament opener on January 19.

A strong batting performance by the Gauteng Lions led by Mia Kruger (44) and Emily Basel (41) helped their side to seal a convincing 170-run victory over South Western Districts on the opening day of the Cricket South Africa’s u19 Girls week in Cape Town.

This good batting performance was also backed up by an equal effort with the ball from Tekologa Motsepe (4/12) and Rialivhuna Khorombi (3/25).

Kruger and Basel steadied the ship after a shaky start. Basel played a composed knock of 41 from 115 balls while Kruger took the attack to the SWD bowlers with a dominant 44 from just 50 deliveries.

Busiswe Mathleng used the platform laid by the pair as she contributed a further 27 runs.

Samatha Swanepoel (24, 42b) and Karabo Meso (24, 48b) each chipped in with valuable contributions leading Gauteng to a mammoth 234/10.

Tabitha la Grange, however, bagged the first five-for of the week as she stood out with impressive figures of 5/41.

Unfortunately, SWD’s batters could not match the antics of the first innings as they struggled to put together any form of partnership.

It was once again La Grange who raised her hand, top-scoring with 14, however, after her departure things went pear-shaped as Motsepe bagged four wickets while Khorombi contributed with three of her own, bundling SWD out for a disappointing 64 runs.

Eastern Province put up an equally dominating display, powering their way to a 130-run victory over the Eastern Storm. Megan Fourie led the way with a wonderful 46 runs coming from 76 deliveries.

Alison Kroon (33, 122b) and Lana von Hagen (23, 32b) also showed some prowess with the bat, while Asanda Mbodla finished off a positive batting display with a well-played unbeaten 21 runs toward the latter stages of the innings, leading her side to a respectable 217/8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Payton Coppin was the standout for the Storm bagging three scalps for only 26 runs. Coppin found support in Leeyandre Bently who walked away with figures of 2/40.

The Eastern Province bowling, however, proved to be too strong as they tore through the Storm batting lineup. Jordan Cole did the bulk of the damage claiming impressive figures of 4/25.

Mbodla set forth an impressive performance as she claimed three wickets for only 12 runs, while Megan Fourie chipped in with figures of 2/16.

Bently was once again in the thick of things, top-scoring with the bat, contributing 18 from 26 balls. Unfortunately, this was not nearly enough as the Storm stumbled to a meagre 87 all out, handing Eastern Province a convincing victory on the first day.

The Titans got off to a convincing start as they demolished Kei in their first outing of the tournament. Batting first, the Pretoria-based side managed to make their way to 151 all out.

Christelle van der Schyff was the mainstay with the willow in hand, contributing a mature 36 from 90 deliveries. Maine Krynie chipped in with a run-a-ball 25. Alongside Krynie, Pura Andreou also came to the party contributing 22 runs of her own.

For Kei it was the impressive Sgempana Elethu who did most of the damage with the ball in hand as she claimed the side’s best figures of the day, bagging three wickets for 38 runs. Nontokoza Mkhiza also did her part in claiming figures of 2/56.

The Titans bowlers, however, pounced early and didn’t look back. Lesedi Madisha was the pick of their attack claiming three wickets for only nine runs. Mienke de Jager (2/7) and Caroline Twala (2/11) also played a pivotal part in the demise of the Kei side, contributing two wickets each, leading to a disappointing end for the Kei side as they could only manage 38 runs before being bundled out.

Deidré van Rensburg’s wonderful 77-run in partnership with Karabo Lemphane’s equally impressive 70 runs led the North-West Dragons to a mammoth 267/9 against Boland. Mia-Lize van der Vyver was the pick of the Boland bowlers, claiming three wickets for 26 runs, while Melanie Flippies contributed with three of her own for 52 runs.

The dominant batting performance laid the platform for the Dragons bowlers to stamp their authority, and so they did.

Lethuri led the way with an amazing spell to finish the game as she claimed 3/4, Lerato Kotokoane also took three wickets, only conceding 18 runs, while Ané Saunderson chipped in with figures of 2/6 as the side from North-West bundled the Bolander’s out for a meagre 58, claiming a massive 209-run victory.

With the first-day jitters out of the way, Day Two promises to be an electric day of women’s cricket as the teams look to either bounce back or continue their dominance after an interesting Day One

Summarised Scorecards:

Gauteng Lions 234/10 (Mia Kruger 44, Emily Basel 41, Busisiwe Mathleng 27, Samantha Swanepoel 24, Karabo Meso 24; Tabitha la Grange 5/41, Marian Breddt 2/37); South Western Districts 64/10 (Tabitha la Grange 14; Tokologa Motsepe 4/12, Rialivhuna Khorombi 3/25). Gauteng Lions won by 170 runs.

Eastern Province 217/8 (Megan Fourie 46, Alison Kroon 33, Lana von Hagen 23, Asanda Mbodla 21*; Payton Coppin 3/26, Leeyandre Bently 2/40); Eastern Storm 87/10 (Bently 18; Jordan Cole 4/25, Mbodla 3/12, Fourie 2/16). Eastern Province won by 130 runs.

Titans 151/10 (Christelle van der Schyff 36, Miane Krynie 25, Pura Andreou 22; E Sqempana 3/38, Nontokoza Mkhiza 2/56); Kei 38/10 (Lesedi Madisha 3/9, Minke de Jager 2/7, Caroline Twala 2/11). The Titans won by 113 runs.

Nort-West 267/9 (Deidre van Rensburg 77, Karabo Lemphane 70, Nthabiseng Nini 35; Mia-Lize van der Vyver 3/26, Melanie Flippies 3/52); Boland 58/10 (P Lethuri 3/4, Lerato Kotokoane 3/18, Ane Saunderson 2/6). North-West won by 209 runs.

KwaZulu-Natal 80/10 (Luyanda Nzuza 22; Lunje Adams 3/18, Kamvelihle 2/25); Border 58/10 (Cayleigh Wanckel 12; Sisanda Ngubane 3/12, Seshnie Naidu 3/18). KwaZulu-Natal won by 22 runs.

Northern Cape 103/10 (Mathapelo Ntsayagae 18; Megan Webb 3/24, Jessica Candler 2/7, Sihle Mamba 2/18); KwaZulu-Natal Inland 90/10 (Mbali Mkhize 33, Amy Hughes 24; Lucian Swarts 4/18, Rethabile Motlhanke 2/14). Northern Cape won by 13 runs.

Limpopo 90/10 (Carli Botha 29; Tlaleng Masekula 2/18, Anke Koen 2/23); Free State 92/1 (Georgia Erasmus 62; Shakira Malatji 1/18). Free State won by nine wickets.

Mpumalanga 84/10 (Chris-Mari Bezuidenhout 34; Refiloe Bomvana 4/12, Jemma Botha 2/6, Rifqah Esau 2/20); Western Province 85/2 (Kayla Reneke 41; Snothando Letswele 1/12). Western Province won by eight wickets.

The first day of action at the 2023 CSA u16 Boys Cricket Week in George saw the local boys put up the highest total of the day, while the Central Gauteng Lions and the Titans emerged as early favourites after their victories over the Free State and Eastern Province respectively.

Watch all the CSA Youth Week action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

The Garden Route Badgers’ captain from Outeniqua High, Joof Enslin, opened the proceedings in George with a well-constructed innings of 78 to lead his team to the highest score of the day (205) against Limpopo.

Despite a fine bowling performance by Limpopo’s Njabulo Maseko (Ben Vorster), who snapped up five wickets, the home team was able to score at a steady rate to bypass the 200-run mark.

They backed up their solid batting performance with a good outing the field and some exceptional bowling by Liviwe Bawulie (Thembalethu High School), who captured 4/7. The Bridgton Secondary duo of Keano Coericius and Ducayne Plaatjies also bagged a brace each, to guide the hosts to an emphatic victory.

Affies’ young first-team star, Ruben Groenewald, struck an unbeaten 55 runs as the Titans made quick work of Eastern Province’s challenge.

Groenewald has put together some big innings for the Pretoria school and looks like to be a very exciting young prospect.

The Gauteng Lions blasted through the Free State batting to send them packing for only 68, which provided the Lions with few obstacles as they overhauled the low total with ease. Noordheuwel’s Corné Botha, who trained with the SA u19 team earlier in the year, spearheaded the Lions’ attack by knocking over 3/4.

The KZN Inland team had to rely on their bowlers to protect a low total and they managed, just, to steal a four-run victory from Boland.

They kept the extras to a minimum, while Maritzburg College’s left-arm seamer Sphamandla Dzanibe and Hayden Hewlett from Michaelhouse combined well in the latter stages of the contest to take five wickets for 21 runs between them.

The action continues on Monday with the Titans and KZN Coastal teams set to face one another in an eagerly anticipated clash in George. Meanwhile, the hometown Garden Route Badgers will be eyeing a second successive victory when they tackle Northern Cape in Oudtshoorn.

Summarised scorecards, Day 1

Free State 68 (Lebohang Mohloni 17; Corné Botha 3/4, Samrat Basu 2/11, Tahseen Hanslo 2/11); Central Gauteng Lions 70/1 (Armaan Manack 30*, Rushil Bhulla 25*; Otto Krause 1/15). Central Gauteng Lions won by nine wickets.

Eastern Province 96 (Samuel Sheckter 31*; Tiaan Serfontein 3/20, Xander Venter 3/29); Titans  100/4 (Ruben Groenewald 55*; Logan Fleetwood 3/26). The Titans won by six wickets.

KZN Coastal 136/7 (Ismaeel Omar 65; Hlumelo Mgweba 2/8, Noah Heath 2/12); Western Province 98 (Daniel Cooke 22; Roxton Payne 3/10, Akhil Maharaj 2/13). KZN Coastal won by 38 runs.

KZN Inland 100 (Extras 22, Ben Hockley 21; Neil Barnard 3/22, Aden Batt 2/9, Ghrislan Louw 2/19); Boland 96 (Marco Cato 29; Sphamandla Dzanibe 3/14, Hayden Hewlett 2/7, Nicholas Baker 2/19, Luke Campbell 2/33). KZN Inland won by four runs.

North West 189/9 (Issa Bulbila 54, Eduard Dreyer 53, Extras 32; Vaughn van Zyl 3/34); Mpumalanga 131 (Vaughn van Zyl 33, Pieter Viljoen 23, WJ Enslin 22; Themba Sontjane 3/19, Ompile Rangwaga 2/13, Eduard Dreyer 2/21, Olebogeng Sebakwane 2/24). North West won by 58 runs.

Kei 93 (Extras 29, Sinakekele Sele 25; Lihlume Nchunkana 4/8, Reece Wait 2/29); Border 95/2 (Owam Malika 29, Reece Wait 27, Extras 21; Indiphile Jezile 1/19). Border won by eight wickets.

Garden Route Badgers 205 (Joof Enslin 78, Extras 38, Keano Coericius 23, Hlumelo Hlangani 22; Njabulo Maseko 5/20, Ntsuxeko Sebata 2/34); Limpopo 67/9 (Muaz Muhammed 21; Liviwe Bawulie 4/7, Keano Coericius 2/12, Ducayne Plaatjies 2/26). Garden Route Badgers won by 138 runs.

Easterns 164 (Clayton Horlick 56, Extras 29; Tebogo Mgobo 3/19, Arno Mostert 2/23, Ikanyeng Motlhoko 2/24); Northern Cape 107 (Arno Mostert 31, Hanru Rademeyer 29, Extras 21; Cruz Pillay 5/11, Abdullah Tadwalla 5/20). Easterns won by 57 runs.

FIXTURES

Day Two – 11 December 2023
Western Province vs Eastern Province (Recreation Ground – Oudtshoorn)
KZN Inland vs Free State (Outeniqua HS A – George)
Gauteng vs Boland (NMU – George)
Titans vs KZN Coastal (Glenwood House – George)
Garden Route Badgers vs Northern Cape (Langenhoven Gimnasium – Oudtshoorn)
Border vs Mpumulanga (Outeniqua B – George)
Easterns vs Limpopo (Oudtshoorn HS – Oudtshoorn)
North West vs Kei (Bridgton A – Oudtshoorn)

Day Three – 12 December 2023
Gauteng vs KZN Inland (Recreation Ground – Oudtshoorn)
Titans vs Western Province (Outeniqua HS A – George)
KZN Coastal vs Eastern Province (Recreation Ground – Oudtshoorn)
Free State vs Boland (Bridgton A – Oudtshoorn)
North West vs Border (NMU – George)
Easterns vs Garden Route Badgers (Glenwood House – George)
Mpumalanga vs Kei (Outeniqua HS B – George)
Limpopo vs Northern Cape (Langenhoven Gimnasium – Oudtshoorn)

 

Lhuan-dre Pretorius, the South African u19 opening batsman from St Stithians, steered his side to a comfortable victory over Zimbabwe on Saturday in preparation for the 2024 ICC u19 Cricket World Cup.

Pretorius’ unbeaten 85 enabled SA to reach the winning total within 22 overs, with nine wickets to spare.

The squad is in Durban where they will play another warmup match against Zimbabwe u19 on Monday before travelling to Pietermaritzburg to face the KZN u19 team on 13 December, ahead of the latter’s Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week campaign.

Martin Khumalo, who was instrumental for the Northern Champions in January when they won the CSA Cubs Week, captured five wickets on Saturday to help restrict Zimbabwe to a modest 140.

Kwena Maphaka, another exciting talent from St Stithians, made a decisive contribution, knocking over three wickets for only 21 runs. He brought the innings to a close by palming a catch off his own delivery in the 35th over.

The visitors struggled to build any momentum in the face of the relentless onslaught by Khumalo and Maphaka. Their captain, Ryan Kamwemba from Prince Edward School in Harare, played well to get to 45 before he was caught behind by Pretorius.

South Africa responded well, with Steve Stolk and Pretorius putting on 66 before Mashford Shungu claimed Zim’s solitary wicket. With Pretorius batting at a rate of more than a run per ball, and his captain, David Teeger, playing an anchor role at the other end, the home team sped to the victory target in less than half of the allotted overs.

Pretorius drove them over the line in style with a well-played boundary, giving South Africa u19 a positive start to their build-up, and some momentum to carry forward into their remaining warm-up matches and the World Cup, which starts on 13 January.

Summarised scorecard

Zimbabwe u19 140 (Ryan Kamwemba 42, Connor Lovatt 27, Extras 22; Martin Khumalo 5/51, Kwena Maphaka 3/21); South Africa u19 143/1 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 85*, Extras 25; Mashford Shungu 1/27). South Africa u19 won by nine wickets.

Talented all-rounder Alexander Volschenk has been appointed the captain of Namibia‘s u19 cricket team for the 2024 ICC u19 Cricket World Cup. The event, which is being hosted by South Africa, begins on 13 January and runs until 4 February.

Volschenk has developed his game while attending Pretoria’s Hoërskool Waterkloof, one of the leading cricket-playing schools in South Africa. His appointment as the captain of Namibia is a testament to his cricketing skills and prowess.

Volschenk’s cricket journey has been marked by impressive performances, with one standout moment being a classy century he scored at the Fasken Time Cricket Festival in September 2023.

In that match, the all-rounder tallied a brilliant 112 against a strong St Stithians College side, which featured three of the recently announced South Africa u19 squad. His innings not only showcased his ability to play shots but also his ability to perform under pressure against quality opposition.

Recently, Waterkloof won the Fain Noordvaal final against Marais Viljoen, in which Volschenk scored a valuable 31 towards the end of his team’s innings to put them into a commanding position. That match was played at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, which has been earmarked as one of the potential Cricket World Cup host venues.

Namibia finds itself in Group C for the forthcoming tournament, facing Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa’s northern neighbours, Zimbabwe. It’s a challenging draw against formidable opponents, but Namibia will be intent on causing an upset or two on the global stage.

Sri Lanka was originally handed the hosting rights to the tournament, but they were stripped of those rights by the ICC in late November because of government interference in the sport. The event was subsequently moved to South Africa. The change of venue adds an extra layer of complexity to the event and has resulted in some teams adjusting the make-up of their squads as they adapt their preparations for the South African pitches.

Volschenk, who attended St Paul’s College in Namibia before making the move to Waterkloof, will be familiar with South African conditions. The Nambians’ understanding of the tracks, the weather, and other local factors, could prove to be a valuable advantage.

Namibia, as a cricketing nation, has made big strides in recent times. The senior national side recently qualified for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup tournament, which was a significant achievement that reflected favourably on cricket in the country.

With the focus now shifting to the u19 team, there is a sense of anticipation and excitement surrounding the emergence of the next generation of Namibian cricketers.

Alex Volschenk and Namibia will be placed in the spotlight as they measure their young talent against the best from around the world. The tournament offers an early glimpse at the top players and the potential stars of the not-too-distant future.

When the fixture list for the 2023 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament was released, the match of the pool stages was clear. It would be the defending champions, Central Gauteng A vs KwaZulu-Natal A, and on Monday the two teams delivered on the promise of a thrilling contest.

Around the packed pool at Grey High, the electricity in the air was tangible. This was clearly a step up from anything that had taken place in the tournament thus far.

Central Gauteng A had achieved slightly larger margins of victory than KZN A throughout the pool stages but expecting them to win based on that statistic was not a safe bet.

From the start, there was little in it and the first chukka went back and forth, with the teams ending it level. Then, in the second chukka, Central Gauteng edged 5-3 ahead before a last-second goal pulled the boys from KZN to within one of their rivals at the break.

During half-time, Gauteng coach Jon-Marc De Carvalho stressed to his charges the importance of winning the third chukka. They duly went out and turned his words into action. “We really controlled it and stopped them from scoring. We scored one or two, and we gave ourselves a buffer, which was great,” he said.

In the Central Gauteng goal, Ben Scher delivered a lights-out performance, twice saving KZN penalties at crucial times in the match, which could have swung the momentum in captain Stef Swart and company’s favour. Instead, those huge stops served to buoy the Central Gauteng spirits.

“He was on fire,” De Carvalho said. “He’s been putting in the extra graft. When a ‘keeper wants to do swims with the guys, putting in extra time, sitting in goals and asking guys to stay late after practice, [it shows his total commitment]. Doing all that extra work has made him, if not the best [goalkeeper], one of the best in this tournament.”

After watching his players rise to the occasion and deliver an excellent performance in a charged atmosphere, which brought them a 9-6 win, De Carvalho said: “They were really up for it, and I am really proud of them. It was a tough challenge. I have to give credit to KZN, they really came out hard, and I was super proud of how the boys held up. They were brilliant.”

Central Gauteng A, before the KZN A clash, had been scoring left, right and centre, overwhelming teams with their energetic, smothering defence and swift counterattacks, so it was a credit to Jason Sileno‘s boys that no Central Gauteng player managed more than two goals. Seven players made it onto the scoresheet, however. And that’s what won it for the defending champions: a complete team performance from a very fit and focused squad.

They were beaten, but KZN A will move on confident that it is a result that they could turn around if given another shot at Central Gauteng A in the playoffs; there is not much between the sides.

There was another game that caught the imagination on Monday, and it was the meeting of Nelson Mandela Bay and Western Province B.

Sunday had been a miserable day for the hosts, who lost twice, getting crushed by Western Province A and then going down to Central Gauteng B in a disappointing outing.

On Monday, though, they were up for their head-to-head with Western Province B, who entered the match as the favourites. Nelson Mandela Bay, though, had their heads in the game and their intensity was far superior to Sunday’s offering.

Neither team was able to manufacture a decisive scoring burst, which left everything to play for in the fourth chukka. As time ran down, Nelson Mandela Bay thought they had scored a winner when they edged 10-9 in front, but Province B came firing back with a quick response.

Then, with only 14 seconds left on the clock, the home team drew a loud roar out of the crowd by striking again. This time, there was no coming back for Western Province B, and Nelson Mandela Bay snatched a morale-boosting 11-10 victory.

Their scoring was spread among eight players, with Luke Mallett and Tawfiq Akomolafe both netting twice. Province B had only four scorers, with Sebastiaan White and Cosmo Enthoven beating the home team’s fine goalkeeper, Oliver Klatte, three times each.

KwaZulu-Natal B played two of the five games on the day’s schedule and bolstered their record with a 13-9 win over the Northern Tigers and a 17-3 victory against Eastern Gauteng.

Clifton College’s 2024 Head Boy, Ethan Lyne, had himself a game in the defeat of the Northern Tigers, making a real nuisance of himself in front of the net and scoring four times to go along with a steal. Alexander Kelbrick continued his strong scoring streak for the Tigers, adding another three to his impressive tally. Blake Kruger, meanwhile, scored three for KZN B in both of their victories.

In the only other match on day three, Central Gauteng B gave a good account of themselves against Pool B front-runners, Western Province, but the loaded team from the Cape came through to win 14-5, with Noah Bigara and Arkin Marais both netting thrice.

Results

KZN B 13-9 Northern Tigers

KZN B – Ethan Lyne (4), Blake Kruger (3), Jared Byleveld (2), Kyron de Kock (2), Luca di Vinceno (2)
Northern Tigers – Alexander Kelbrick (3), Stephen Adams (2), Benjamin Melville (2), Julian Olivier (1), Gerrit Wessels (1)

Nelson Mandela Bay 11-10 Western Province B

Nelson Mandela Bay – Luke Mallett (2), Tawfiq Akomolafe (2), Salmaan Abrahams (1), Zack Willimott (1), Drew Stockill (1), Nicholas Franklin (1), Daniel de Lange (1), Jono Mackenzie (1)
Western Province B – Sebastiaan White (3), Cosmo Enthoven (3), Thomas Truter (2), Mac Lecuona (2)

KwaZulu-Natal A 6-9 Central Gauteng A

KwaZulu-Natal A – Oliver Ditz (2), Warwick Field (2), Meyer Malherbe (1), Mitchell Slade (1)
Central Gauteng A – Samuel Lister (2), Connor Flinn (2), Tristan Grimett (1), Marc Smith (1), Caleb van Loggerenberg (1), Nicholas Pearce (1), Anton Arwidi (1)

Western Province A 14-5 Central Gauteng B

Western Province A – Noah Bigara (3), Arkin Marais (3), Nicholas Fall (2), Ben Reiback (2), Zack Cicero (1), Maximilian Mossop (1), Johannes Reyneke (1), Conor Melling-Williams
Central Gauteng B – Mark Hudson (1), Brogan McEwan (1), Zico Williams (1), Jack Wilkins (1), David Johnson (1)

KwaZulu-Natal B 17-3 Eastern Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal B – Blake Kruger (3), Luca di Vincenzo (3), Mitchell Wilson (3), Marnu Koekemoer (2), Kyron de Kock (1), Jared Byleveld (1), Jack Slater (1), Josh Lortan (1), Blake Davidson (1), Ethan Lyne (1)
Eastern Gauteng – Robert Carr (1), Gabriel Cazzavillan (1), Cole Taylor (1)

Apart from the major festivals that take part every weekend around South Africa, are the exhibition matches, formally known as Derby matches between rival schools in the respective provinces on weekends.

This past weekend was no different when Water Polo is concerned, as schools in the Eastern Cape faced each other before concluding their respective seasons.

Collegiate, Pearson High School, and Woodridge, all from Gqeberha welcomed The Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) to town this weekend for u15 and first-team fixtures.

While in East London, Clarendon Girls hosted a second consecutive Water Polo tournament. This time around, however, it was for the second teams, an opportunity for the girls to stake their claims for the first team side ahead of next year.

Six schools partook in the tournament, with the DSG u16 team having a taste of what it felt like facing older, and tougher opposition.

Gqeberha derby:

The derby matches played in Gqeberha were hosted at Collegiate Girls High School.

The u15 section saw the hosts dominate proceedings, thumping Pearson (11-1) before edging out Woodridge (5-2), and then ended their campaign on a low when they lost to DSG (5-2) in their final match of the day.

The senior section was hard-fought, and Pearson High would’ve left happy after managing to hold the hosts to a four-all draw in the opening match.

Collegiate however managed to bounce back and got their first victory against Woodridge. Just like their u15 side, they also ended the day on a terrible note, losing to the same DSG (6-1).

 

Harrison 2^nds Water Polo Festival:

The tournament, which featured only second teams from the respective schools went on for only one day.

The schools in attendance were Stirling High School, Hudson Park, Kingswood, DSG (u16), Clarendon, and Pearson High School.

In some of the exciting matches on display, Hudson Park opened proceedings with a resounding (8-0) win against Stirling High School.

The DSG u16 side also showed some powerhouse thumping the same Stirling (8-0), before wins for Kingswood against Pearson and a (10-0) drubbing from the hosts against the u16 side completed the day’s proceedings.

The results:

Gqeberha Derby:

u15 A

Collegiate 11, Pearson 1; Collegiate 5, Woodridge 2; DSG 5, Collegiate 2.

1^st XV

Collegiate 4, Pearson 4; Collegiate 8, Woodridge 3; DSG 6, Collegiate 1.

Harrison Water Polo Festival:

Hudson 8, Stirling 0; Hudson 5, DSG (u16) 3; Pearson 5, Stirling 1; Hudson 6, Kingswood 1; Clarendon 12, Pearson 0; DSG (u16) 5, Kingswood 4; Hudson 8, Pearson 4; Clarendon 10, Kingswood 0; DSG (u16) 8, Stirling 1; Kingswood 6, Pearson 5; Clarendon 10, DSG 0.

Day 3 of the u15’s showcased several matches with remarkable score lines, capturing the essence of fierce competition and outstanding performances.

One standout moment was in the match between Northern Tigers B and Western Province, where Benjamin Bigara delivered an exceptional double hat-trick, scoring six goals.

His outstanding contribution, alongside performances from Matthew Fenn and Alex Barret, powered Western Province to a dominating 21-0 victory.

In another high-scoring encounter, Kwa-Zulu Natal asserted their dominance with a commanding 24-3 victory over Eastern Gauteng. Levi Thom and Thomas Francke led the charge with five goals each, showcasing their offensive firepower. The comprehensive win highlighted Kwa-Zulu Natal’s depth and skill in front of the goal, setting the stage for their strong presence in the tournament.

The day featured other notable matches, including Central Gauteng A’s 13-0 triumph over Northern Tigers A and Western Province A’s 14-6 victory against Buffalo City.

RESULTS DAY 3

Central Gauteng B 19 – Goals: Luke Shipway (5), Bryden Macfie (5), Daniel Pronk (3), Peter Zigiriadis (2), Ethan Kempen , Matthew Peacock, Adam Stoutjesdyk, Mazimus Choriotopoulos. Northern Tigers B 1 – Goals: Jordan Davids.

Northern Tigers A 6 – Goals: Ettiene Van Der Merwe (2), Imraan Hussein De Gama, Siwoo Lee, Joshua Vincent Bergh, Caleb Bowden. Eden Districts 3 – Goals: Luca Whitehead (2), Jacob Hersh.

Kwa-Zulu Natal 24 – Goals: Levi Thom (5), Thomas Francke (5), Thomas Aylward, Oliver Guy (2), Oliver Ludwig (2), Jamie Nicolau (2), Sebastian Laudenberg, Connor Donaldson, Andrew Schnell. Eastern Gauteng 3 – Goals: Luke Laporte (2), Matthew Craukamp.

Zimbabwe 0. Central Gauteng A 9 – Goals: Craig Toet (2), Cooper Haworth (2), David Latilla-Campbell (2), Connor Mc Jannet, Dylan Gander, Troy Pasqualle.

Northern Tigers B 0. Western Province 21 – Goals: Benjamin Bigara (6), Matthew Fenn (5), Alex Barret (3), Tim Young (2), Daniel Fisher (2), Joshua Ripsold, James Malan, Andrew Reynolds.

Nelson Mandela Bay 13 – Goals: Dane Paterson (5,  Stefan Polderman (2), Blake Parker (2), Jed Paterson, Ben Atikinson, Christian Chandler, Player 12. Eden Districts 5 – Goals: Luca Whitehead (2), Ian Vermaark, Jacob Hersch.

Central Gauteng B 9 – Goals: Luke Shipway (2), Matthew Peacock (2), Maximus Choriatopoulos (2), Dylan Kempen, Adam Stoutjesdyk, Gui-Nam Chen. Eastern Gauteng 1 – Goals: Travis Kempen.

Zimbabwe 7 – Goals: Donovan Bodington (2), Blaise Scheepers (2), Liam Chicksen, Bongani Dube, Daniel Oxden-Willow. Northern Tigers A 8 – Goals: Ardan Robertson (3), James King, Ben Swarts, Siwoo Lee, Ettiene Van Der Merwe, Oliver Oberholzer.

Western Province A 14 – Goals: Alex Barret (3), Benjami Bigara (3), Matthew Fenn (3), James Malan (2), Caleb Harely, James Pinnock, . Buffalo City 6 – Goals: Micahel Russel (2), Tiago Williams, Cullen Mortlock, Daniel Van Biljoen.

Nelson Mandela Bay 6 – Goals: Christian Chandler (2), Stefan Polderman, Dane Paterson, Player 12, Adam Ball. Western Province B 5 – Goals: Thomas Cruickshank (2), Ross Prinsloo, Daniel Fryer, Anthony Lampe.

Kwa-Zulu Natal 13 – Goals: Thomas Francke (4), Thomas Aylward (3), Levi Thom (2), Oliver Guy (2), Jamie Niclou. Central Gauteng B 4 – Goals: Luke Shipway, Ethan Kempen, Maximus Choriatopoulos, Adam Stoutjesdyk.

Northern Tigers A 0. Central Gauteng A 13 – Goals: Danilo Giuricich (3), Matthew Cross (3), David Latilla-Campbell (2), Aiden Khoury (2), Craig Toet (2), Ryan Morely.

Captain fantastic Luke Webber put his hand up for a man-of-the-match performance scoring an incredible hattrick for St Alban’s College, leading from the front and making sure his team won a close encounter 21-15.

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

A slow start to the fixture saw the match starting off like a bit of a Sunday afternoon drive with not all that much happening. It was only near the end of the first half that the sides ramped up a gear to change the momentum of play.

St Alban’s were the first to score after securing a lineout through a penalty kick, The Hoops seized the opportunity to drive a strong maul scoring in the lefthand corner allowing Luke Webber to gather the ball and score.

On the stroke of the final whistle for the first half, St Albans scored a second try for the match, this time through a tap-and-go penalty which saw captain Luke Webber again burst through the defence of Northcliff to add an additional five points to the score.

Going into the break the scoreline read 14-0 with Northcliff pressing hard into the St Albans half. A few handling errors led to a number of knock-ons in strong positions which resulted in handing back possession to the home team.

The visitors came out all guns blazing, with nothing to lose where a team effort saw the boys from Johannesburg setting up their first try of the game within minutes of the second getting underway. Against the run of play, the team strung together a strong offensive play which was ignited by Zenovian Johnson.

Northcliff’s Jordan Swanepoel scored the try and showed some good skill throughout the match, manoeuvring and dummying exceptionally well.

A third try from St Alban’s cemented their win, giving the team a much-needed victory after what has been a tough season thus far. Flyhalf Druan Visagie kicked very well as he converted his third kick of the match.

St Alban’s will be happy with the result and will aim to build on this as they look ahead towards their last few games of the season.

Although the first XV result did not go in the way of the visiting team, looking at the rest of the results in the other age groups, Northcliff can be proud of the number of matches won. It gives the first XV coach Tinus Diedricks much to look forward to in the future as he looks to build sides which can compete with the bigger schools.

Scorers:

St Alban’s College 21 (14) – Tries: Luke Webber (3).

Conversions: Druan Visagie (3).

Northcliff High School 15 (0) – Tries: Jordan Swanepoel, Tyler Goosen.

Conversion: Dylan Venter Penalty: Dylan Venter

Teams:

St Alban’s College: 15 John-Joshua Steenkamp, 14 Michael Rider, 13 Tumelo Mohale, 12 Luke Sass, 11 Nkosi Malaza, 10 Druan Visage, 9 Joshua Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Matthew Price, 6 Patrick Weir, 5 Llyod Schneberger, 4 William Von Broembsen, 3 Craig Milne, 2 Luke Webber, 1 Cody Petersen.

Northcliff High School: 15 Dylan Fourie, 14 Ziyaad Bhyat, 13 Jordan Swanepoel, 12 Luke Roos, 11 Gerrit Muller, 10 Dylan Venter, 9 Zenovian Johnson, 8 Jaden Baillie, 7 Chad Matthews, 6 Ethan Hayes, 5 Peter Diesel, 4 Liam Alderson, 3 Mpummolelo Bhehbe, 2 Tshiamo Makobo, 1 Blake Neale.

Results:

u19A: St Alban’s College 21, Northcliff 15

u16A: St Alban’s College 15, Northcliff 26

u15A: St Alban’s College 3, Northcliff 20

u14A: St Alban’s College 0, Northcliff 22

King Edward VII showed once again that they are a team with serious drive and are putting in some big performances beating St John’s College 31-6 on Burger Field.

Outside center Timi Oluwe found the scoreline on two separate occasions during the course of the game. 

St John’s College only managed to score two penalties from fullback Bryson Walker. The home team found it difficult to break through the KES defenses to score any sort of points which would bring them back into contention. 

Flanker James Kobrowisky carried over his good form from last weekend and showed his grit by scoring again this weekend.

There were some big hits from KES hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele who was strong in defence.

The Red Army go into next weekend’s match full of confidence and will be looking to make it a third win in a row.

Other Matches

Parktown Boys’ High School took honours in the other match in Johannesburg, beating St David’s Marist 14-0 at home.  

Sibusiso Stefaans scored two tries which were converted easily by flyhalf Sebastian Sekoto. 

Scorers:

St John’s College 6 (3) – Tries:

Conversions: Penalties:  

King Edward VII  31 (7) – Tries: Mbuso Methula, Timi Oluwole (2), Kebotile Maake, James Kobrowisky.

Conversions: Tristan Maugeri (3).

Parktown Boys’ High School 14 (7) – Tries: Sibusiso Stefaans (2).

Conversions: Sebastian Sekoto (2).

St David’s Marist 0(0)

Teams:

St John’s College:

15 Bryson Walker, 14 Bradley Chabalala, 13 Tino Munyurwa, 12 Nkosi Sibanda, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 Oliver Tait, 9 Thomas Kruger, 8 Thomas Archer, 7 Grant Barnes, 6 Matt Macmaster (Captain), 5 Liam Brodie, 4 Dominic Kamangu, 3 Vincent Miles 2 Kyle Watson, 1 Finlay Holden.

King Edward VII: 

15 Mbuso Methula, 14 Haniel Monkoti, 13 Timi Oluwole, 12 Bryce Benett, 11 Jack Bruwer, 10 Tristan Maugeri, 9 Ruan Van Rensburg, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Thandolwethu Biyela (Captain), 6 James Kobrowisky, 5 Tyron Smith, 4 Thomas Beling, 3 Joshua Aube, 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 1 Lesedi Moloi. 

Results:

u19A: King Edward VII 31 St John’s College 6

u19B: King Edward VII 43 St John’s College 3

u16A: King Edward VII 54 St John’s College 10

u15A: King Edward VII 78 St John’s College 7

u14A: King Edward VII 29 St John’s College 5