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Bishops will take on South African College High School (SACS), while Kearsney College battles St David’s Marist Inanda in the two semifinals of the KES Water Polo Tournament in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

The four sides booked their respective spots in the last four after picking up some handy results on day two at the KES Aquatic Centre.

After an entertaining opening day, Bishops maintained their unbeaten run and finished the pool stages with a nervy 9-8 win over St David’s. That win meant they would face Hilton College in the last eight.

With a semi-final place on the line, the defending champions were clinical. They suffocated Hilton and outplayed the KwaZulu-Natal outfit in almost every facet of the game.

Matt Fenn was on fire, netting four times, while Noah Viuff contributed a brace. James Malan, Ryan Dales, Tim Young, and Dominic Zulch all chipped in with goals to help their side to a comfortable 9-3 victory.

With the win, Bishops booked a semi-final showdown against their Cape Town rivals, SACS. SACS was made to work hard, but was almost as emphatic in an 8-3 win over St Stithians.

SACS, much like Bishops, enjoyed a superb run during the group stage of competition and topped their pool. With three wins, they earned the maximum of nine points.

In the quarters, they came up against an unpredictable Saints outfit, but they dug deep and secured the victory.

Adam Maggott and Aidan Turrell led the way, and both scored twice, while Nick Wilson, Connor Mortlock, skipper Ben Bigara, and Luca Orgill also got their names on the scoresheet.

The second semifinal between St David’s and Kearsney promises to thrill.

St David’s was outstanding in their quarterfinal clash against Rondebosch and gave the spectators a proper show. They were ruthless in front of goal, rock-solid defensively, and kept some of ‘Bosch‘s dangerous players at bay.

Matthew Peacock led the charge with four goals, while Danilo Giuricich, Luke Laporte, Adam Houghton, Cooper Haworth, and David Latilla-Campbell also added to the score.

Goalkeeper Dyan Wiggill brought the crowd to its feet with an outrageous goal on the buzzer at the end of the second chukka when he spotted the ‘Bosch goalie off his line.

Kearsney College was the last side to book a place in the final four after they beat their neighbours, Westville Boys’ High, 12-8.

Coach Nic Rodda‘s men were pushed hard, but they pulled clear in the second half to take the win. Dru Mills was in a league of his own, netting five times, while Thomas Aylward contributed a brace, and Thomas Francke, Oliver Ludwig, Levi Thom, and Reece York scored, too.

The final day’s action kicks off bright and early with a meeting between Clifton College and St Andrew’s College in the Plate semifinal at 07:00.

The Cup semi-finals will start at 08:00 when Bishops takes on SACS.

Day 2 Fixtures

Saturday, 28 February
Clifton College 10-0 Jeppe High School For Boys
Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 St John’s College
King Edward VII 6-5 Selborne College
St Andrew’s College 2-8 Paul Roos Gimnasium
St David’s Marist Inanda 8-9 Bishops
Pretoria Boys High 5-9 Hilton College
SACS 11-7 Westville Boys’ High
Kearsney College (2) 9-9 (3) St Stithians College

Playoffs
Clifton College 7-3 Pretoria Boys High
St John’s 6-5 Jeppe
St Andrew’s College (3) 4-4 (1) KES
Paul Roos 4-1 Selborne College
KES 7-2 Pretoria Boys High
Jeppe (2) 2-2 (1) Selborne
Hilton 4-3 St Stithians
Rondebosch 12-4 Westville

Quarterfinals
Bishops 9-3 Hilton
St David’s Marist Inanda 11-5 Rondebosch
SACS 8-3 St Stithians
Kearsney College 12-8 Westville Boys’ High 

Day 3 Fixtures

Sunday, 1 March
07:00 – Clifton vs St Andrew’s College
07:30 – St John’s vs Paul Roos
08:00 – Bishops vs SACS
08:30 – St David’s vs Kearsney College
09:40 – Pretoria Boys High vs Selborne
10:10 – KES vs Jeppe
11:40 – St Stithians vs Westville
12:10 – Hilton vs Rondebosch

On Saturday, Kearsney College beat Clifton College by 68 runs in Botha’s Hill. In Balgowan, Michaelhouse won by the same margin against their arch-rivals, Hilton College.

Ben Heuer starred for ‘House, with 61, the highest score of the match, and a bowling return of 4/25 from 10 overs, which was bettered only by Liam O’Dwyer‘s superb 4/17 from 10.

Batting after winning the toss, Michaelhouse mustered 194/9 from their 50 overs.

Heuer’s 61 was supplemented by four batsmen making scores in the twenties: Rex Wardlaw (27), Riley Muir (26), Victor North (21), and Graydon Leslie (20).

Muir and North gave the home side a decent start, with a 38-run first-partnership in the first 10 overs. Later, Heuer and Wardlaw added a vital 54 from 90 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

New ball bowler, Sechaba Gude, led the visitors’ attack, knocking over 3/34 in seven overs.

Off-spinner Benoit Rey kept matters tight, claiming 2/31 in 10, while Obakeng Motsepa was a touch on the expensive side, going for 53 runs from his 10 overs, but his two wickets included that of Ben Heuer. Sange Qangule kept ‘House quiet, snapping up 1/9 in five overs.

Hilton’s Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson gave their side a decent enough start, 21 runs inside five overs, before Ben Heuer struck for the first time, having Munawa caught by Jack Campbell for 14. James Peattie didn’t last long, but Wilson and captain Rob Burman then halted Michaelhouse’s charge for 16 overs.

Heuer had taken the first two wickets before Liam O’Dwyer claimed his first when he dismissed Burman for 23, but he needed Heuer’s assistance; he took the catch that got rid of the Hilton skipper.

Burman was out in the 23rd over, which left the visitors on 82/3. By the time they reached 100, they were five down, with O’Dwyer accounting for Ryan Jellis and Cameron Hargroves.

Soon, though, Michaelhouse lost their sixth wicket, with Rex Wardlaw trapping the dangerous Sange Qangule in front for five. From 103/6, Hilton’s challenge faded away. They fell off the required run rate and were eventually dismissed for 126 off the first ball of the 49th over.

Rex Wardlaw backed up the two four-wicket men, Heuer and O’Dwyer, with a useful 2/14 from nine overs, which was the most economical return of the match. Wilson, the seventh man to lose his wicket, was Hilton’s top scorer, making a patient 52 from 109 balls, with a six his only boundary.

Victory was Michaelhouse’s and, perhaps, a stinging reminder to Hilton that they’ll need to be at their best when they travel to Pretoria for the Switch Schools SA20 Final Showdown, where they’ll fly the flag for KwaZulu-Natal.

Summarised scorecard

Michaelhouse 194/10 (Ben Heuer 61, Rex Wardlaw 27, Riley Muir 26, Victor North 21, Graydon Leslie 20; Sechaba Gude 3/34, Benoit Rey 2/31, Obakeng Motsepa 2/53); Hilton College 126/10 (Ben Wilson 52, Robert Burman 23; Liam O’Dwyer 4/17, Ben Heuer 4/25, Rex Wardlaw 2/14). Michaelhouse won by 68 runs.

1st XI

After missing out on the W100 title in 2025, thanks to a special performance from Westville Boys’ High captain, Seth Simpson, Durban High School (DHS) claimed the trophy on Thursday with a nine-wicket win over Clifton College, with 11 balls to spare, in the final at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead.

The Horseflies‘ victory brought to an end Westville’s run of five successive titles.

DHS captain Josh van Biljon opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and his bowlers responded well to the challenge he posed to them. Taine Havermann led the way, capturing 3/14 in 20 balls, while Bonga Maphanga put Clifton under pressure with a rapid spell. Although he went unrewarded, his pace and bounce kept the batting side on the back foot.

Josh Morley, like Taine Havermann, kept the run-scoring rate in check, picking up 1/15 from 20 deliveries.

Clifton posted 110/7, which, unfortunately for them, included the run out of the in-form Muhammed Malek for 18.

The top score went to Hayden Drieselmann, with 30 off 27 balls, which featured three sixes and not one four. Shiraz Perumal chipped in with 20 off 21 deliveries, and Clifton’s total was further boosted by 24 extras.

DHS, in reply, opened with their most experienced batsmen, Ismaeel Omar and Josh van Biljon. They gave School a sound start, putting up 66 for the first wicket before Van Biljon was LBW to George Gooch for 16 from 20.

That brought Suliman Jadwat to the wicket, and he and Omar saw DHS to victory, with an unbroken stand of 46 from 38 balls.

Omar, the Man of the Match, finished unbeaten on 51 from 49 balls, with eight fours, while Jadwat was 16 not out from 20.

George Gooch starred for Clifton, with 1/9 from 10 deliveries. Clifton, though, was let down by giving up 29 extras, which helped DHS to ease to victory.

After winning the Clifton T20 title in 2024 and 2025, the Horseflies were dethroned by Hoërskool Waterkloof earlier this month. DHS ensured, though, that their trophy case has some current silverware after a comfortable victory.

While Clifton College will be disappointed with the outcome of the final, they enjoyed a good run to the title game, with their results including wins over DHS and Westville Boys’ High.

u15A

Westville Boys’ High has been, by far, the most dominant u15A team in KwaZulu-Natal in 2026, and they proved their superiority in the final of the W100 competition with a comfortable nine-wicket win over Kearsney College with 15 balls to spare.

The toss went Kearsney’s way, and they opted to bat first. Opener Connor Rowley did a good job, striking five fours and a six in a 43-ball stay, which brought him the innings’ top score of 42.

Luke Crandon weighed in with 20 not out from 21 balls, while Ryan Staats smashed a six, but was otherwise kept relatively quiet in his 16 off 24 deliveries.

Boosted by 21 extras, Kearsney finished their 100 balls on 102/5.

Cam Rudolph was Westville’s best bowler, returning an economical 1/13 from 20 balls.

Matt Shea and Yusuf Osman then made 29 off 25 balls for Westville’s first wicket before Osman was caught by Sebastian Sansbury off Ryan Staats for 10.

Shea and Cam Rudolph then combined for an unbroken 77 off 61 balls to carry Westville to a comfortable victory. Shea ended on 35 not out from 42 deliveries, while Rudolph hit a six and four fours in his unbeaten 40 off 34.

Staats, the lone wicket-taker, claimed 1/28 from 20 deliveries.

u14A

For the first time in five years, Westville didn’t win the 1st XI title, but they won the u14 and u15 competitions.

In the u14A match, DHS mustered 101/4, with their top five all reaching double figures, but none of them made it to 20; both openers, Danyaal Khan and Yahya Balim, were out for 19.

Dane Sweet was the pick of the Westville bowlers, capturing 2/11 from 20 balls.

It took Westville only 77 balls to overhaul the DHS total, and they won by seven wickets after reaching 104/7.

Dylan Kidgell, batting at three, led the run chase, smashing seven fours in his unbeaten 42 from 35 deliveries, while Blake Shaw weighed in with 25 off 21. Together, they added 39 for the second wicket in 37 balls.

Rafael Naidoo was the best of the DHS attack, nabbing 2/18 from 17 deliveries.

Summarised scorecards

Clifton College 1st XI 110/7 (Hayden Drieselmann 30, Shiraz Perumal 20; Taine Havermann 3/14, Josh Morley 1/15); Durban High School 1st XI 112/1 after 89 balls (Ismaeel Omar 51*; George Gooch 1/9). DHS won by nine wickets with 11 balls to spare.

Kearsney College u15A 102/5 (Connor Rowley 42, Luke Crandon 20*; Taine Lawson 1/12, Cam Rudolph 1/13); Westville Boys’ High u15A 106/1 (Cam Rudolph 40*, Matt Shea 35*; Ryan Staats 1/28). Westville won by nine wickets.

DHS u14A 101/4 (Danyaal Khan 19, Yahya Balim 19; Dane Sweet 2/11); Westville u14A 104/3 after 77 balls (Dylan Kidgell 42*, Blake Shaw 25; Rafael Naidoo 2/18). Westville Boys’ High u14A won by seven wickets.

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Top 10 Basketball Competition, being contested this weekend across various age groups, has courts in the province buzzing.

The u19 tournament is being hosted at Maritzburg College, while the u16 tournament takes place at Kearsney College, the u15 games are at Hilton College, and Westville Boys’ High is home to the u14 event.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

u19 Competition

Action was hot on the opening day of the u19 competition, being played in the Alan Paton Hall (APH).

In Pool A, St Charles College, who put together a strong run at the St John’s College Basketball Tournament, where they fell in the quarterfinals against the eventual champions, Michael Mount Waldorf School, kicked off their challenge with a 62-55 victory over Hilton College.

Later in the day, they improved their record to two from two with a 43-31 defeat of Clifton College.

In the match of the day, Westville Boys’ High got the better of Northwood, the runner-up at St John’s, sneaking a 56-55 win over the Knights.

The Griffins, the defending champions, reached the semi-finals of the Jenny Orchard Invitational Basketball Tournament last weekend before their title defence ended with a loss to ESCA. Westville went on to win bronze after a tight 71-68 win over Kearsney College.

Maritzburg College headed into the tournament brimming with confidence after winning the Jenny Orchard Invitational, while their second side won the u19 B Category at the St John’s Basketball Tournament.

On Friday, though, College had to claw their way to victory, winning by only three against Michaelhouse, 44-41, in their Pool B opener. As if that wasn’t enough of a wake-up call, Kearsney College later handed College their first loss of 2026, with the Botha’s Hill boys winning 60-56.

Durban High School (DHS), a dark horse title threat, dumped their fellow Durbanites, Glenwood, cruising to a 73-32 victory.

u16 Competition

On-court matters were intense in the u16 competition.

While their 1st team went down to Westville, Northwood’s u16 side got one over the ‘Ville, scoring a hard-fought 32-28 victory. They doubled up their win total, edging out St Charles 25-24 in their second outing, to shoot to the top of the Pool A standings.

Clifton College’s u16s gave a good account of themselves against Hilton College, but the Midlands school pulled off a 34-26 win.

In Pool B, Kearsney College won their opening match, scoring a 38-26 victory over Glenwood. They followed up with a 29-23 defeat of DHS.

Maritzburg College also made a winning start, bagging a 37-33 victory over Michaelhouse.

u14 Competition

In the u14 competition, Northwood ended the opening day with two wins, but by only three points in total.

They squeaked past Westville 25-24 before edging out Clifton College 31-29. In another Pool A clash, Hilton College rolled to a 34-12 win over St Charles College.

In Pool B, DHS recorded a 26-14 win against Glenwood, and Maritzburg College beat Michaelhouse 24-16. DHS then returned to the court to score a second victory, convincingly defeating Kearsney 37-18.

RESULTS 

u19

Pool A
St Charles College 62-55 Hilton College
Westville Boys’ High 56-55 Northwood
St Charles College 43-31 Clifton College

Pool B
Maritzburg College 44-41 Michaelhouse
DHS 73-32 Glenwood
Kearsney College 60-56 Maritzburg College

u16 

Pool A
Northwood 32-28 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 34-16 Clifton College
Northwood 25-24 St Charles College

Pool B
Kearsney College 38-26 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 37-33 Michaelhouse
Kearsney College 29-23 DHS

u14

Pool A
Northwood 25-24 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 34-12 St Charles College
Northwood 31-29 Clifton College

Pool B
DHS 26-14 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 24-16 Michaelhouse
DHS 37-18 Kearsney College

Entertaining water polo, resulting in bucket loads of goals, and a handful of surprise results were on the menu on Friday, the opening day of the KES Water Polo Tournament in Johannesburg.

The prestigious tournament runs until Sunday, and all the action is LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

Ahead of the event, there was a lot of talk about title contenders, favourites, and underdogs. St David’s Marist Inanda, the back-to-back Vides’ champions, fitted the contenders’ category, and they kicked off proceedings with a Pool A clash against Jeppe High School for Boys.

It was far from a walk in the park for coach Dean Whyte’s boys, and they were made to work hard for their 9-5 win.

Cooper Haworth netted a hat-trick for St David’s before David Latilla-Campbell chipped in with a brace. Dylan Gander was also on the scoresheet alongside Danilo Giuricich, Connor McJannet, and Matthew Peacock.

Aiden Khoury was a shining light for Jeppe, with his hat-trick helping the Kensington side cut the deficit.

In their second matches of the day, St David’s beat Clifton College 9-5, while Jeppe suffered a 4-15 loss to Bishops.

Bishops, one of the favourites, was impressive. They trounced Clifton, the only team to beat them thus far in 2026, rolling to a 10-4 victory.

Matt Fenn netted four times in that clash, while Tim Young struck twice. Harry Ford, Jack Grout, Christo le Roux, and James Malan netted, too.

Rondebosch Boys’ High dominated Pool B, claiming two big wins. Coach Jared Wingate-Pearse‘s boys started their campaign by thumping Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) 17-1 before outplaying Hilton College 11-6 later in the day.

Against Hilton, playing on his birthday, Noah Reiback bagged his umpteenth hat-trick for the ‘Bosch first team, while his counterparts, Nathan Corlett and Kieran Bennewith, chipped in with two goals each.

St John’s College ended the opening day with a win and a loss. They went down 5-6 to Hilton College in their opener, but ran out 10-6 winners over Pretoria Boys High in their second outing.

Chris Chapman and Muhammad Bodiat fired in three goals each in the St John’s win, while Oliver Oberholzer stood out for PBHS.

There were some interesting results in Pool C. Based on day one’s results, it appears the group is going to be more tightly contested than many predicted.SACS was stretched and had to dig deep, but they won both of their games, scraping past Selborne 9-8 before beating KES 11-8.

Ben Bigara was in top form against KES, scoring a whopping five goals, while Finn Lecuona netted twice.

Benjamin Vine and Christopher Davidson led the KES challenge, but their efforts weren’t enough to topple SACS.

Selborne ended the day in second place after beating Westville Boys’ High in a penalty shootout.

The game ended tied at 4-4, but the boys from East London took the win 3-1 from five metres out. Earlier in the day, Westville held on for a 6-5 win over KES.

Kearsney, St Stithians College and Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) lead Pool D after bagging crucial wins.

Saints won against St Andrew’s College, 7-6, in their opener before they were beaten by PRG 3-2 on penalties after the match ended tied at 5-5.

Kearsney was far from their best, but they did enough to stay unbeaten, defeating PRG 10-9 and St Andrew’s 11-5 to go top of the standings.

Thomas Aylward was on fire against St Andrew’s, scoring four goals. He was joined on the scoresheet by Thomas Francke, James Whatmore, Oliver Ludwig, Max Mills, Cristiano Sandri, and Dru Mills, who netted a brace.

Day two’s action kicks off bright and early with a Pool A meeting between Clifton and Jeppe at 07:00.

Day 1 Results

Pool A

St David’s Marist Inanda 9-5 Jeppe High School for Boys
Bishops 10-4 Clifton College
Jeppe High School for Boys 4-15 Bishops
St David’s Marist Inanda 9-5 Clifton College

Pool B

Rondebosch 17-1 Pretoria Boys High School
St John’s College 5-6 Hilton College
St John’s College 10-6 Pretoria Boys High School
Rondebosch 11-6 Hilton

Pool C

King Edward VII School 5-6 Westville Boys’ High
SACS 9-8 Selborne College
SACS 11-8 KES
Westville Boys’ High (1) 4-4 (3) Selborne College

Pool D

St Stithians College 7-6 St Andrew’s College
Kearsney College 10-9 Paul Roos Gimnasium
Kearsney College 11-5 St Andrew’s College
St Stithians College (2) 5-5 (3) Paul Roos Gimnasium

Day 2 Fixtures

Saturday, 28 February

07:00 – Clifton College vs Jeppe High School For Boys
07:50 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St John’s College
08:40 – King Edward VII vs Selborne College
09:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
10:20 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Bishops
11:10 – Pretoria Boys High  vs Hilton College
12:00 – SACS vs Westville Boys’ High
12:50 – Kearsney College vs St Stithians College

Playoffs

13:40 – Pool 1 Third vs Pool 2 Fourth
14:10 – Pool 2 Third vs Pool 1 Fourth
14:40 – Pool 3 Third vs Pool 4 Fourth
15:10 – Pool 4 Third vs Pool 3 Fourth
15:40 – Pool 1 First vs Pool 2 Second
16:30 – Pool 2 First vs Pool 1 Second
17:20 – Pool 3 First vs Pool 4 Second
18:10 – Pool 4 First vs Pool 3 Second
19:00 – Loser 25 vs Loser 27
19:30 – Loser 26 vs Loser 28
20:00 – Loser 29 vs Loser 31
20:30 – Loser 30 vs Loser 32

Sunday, 1 March

07:00 – Winner Plate QF 1 vs Winner Plate QF 3
07:30 – Winner Plate QF 2 vs Winner Plate QF 4
08:00 – Cup QF 1 winner – Cup QF 3 winner
08:50 – Cup QF 2 winner – Cup QF 4 winner
09:40 – Loser 33 vs Loser 34
10:10 – Winner 33 vs Winner 34
10:40 – Loser Plate Semi 1 – Loser Plate Semi 2
11:10 – Winner Plate Semi 1 – Winner Plate Semi 2
11:40 – Loser 35 vs Loser 36
12:10 – Winner 35 vs Winner 36
12:40 – Loser Cup Semi 1 vs Loser Cup Semi 2
13:30 – Final

The Junior Springboks concluded their short tour of Georgia with a 35-5 victory over their hosts on a cold and wet Friday afternoon in Tbilisi, with SA u20 head coach Kevin Foote praising the players’ resilience in the tough conditions.

The SA u20s, who won the first game 35-0 on Sunday, led 21-0 at the break and scored five tries to one by the Georgian u20s.

The tough conditions made handling very difficult, while the South Africans were also guilty of conceding too many penalties, with two players spending time in the sin-bin.

Yaqeen Ahmed contributed 15 points from a try and five conversions, which means that the Junior Bok flyhalf succeeded with all 10 of his conversions over the two matches.

Reflecting on the performance, Foote said the players showed a lot of character: “The conditions were tough with all the rain. Playing in Georgia is always difficult for different reasons, but I thought the guys showed a lot of maturity today.”

The Junior Boks were forced to be patient, as Georgia’s physical pack made possession difficult to come by. However, the South Africans were clinical when given the opportunity.

“We didn’t get a lot of possession, but when we did, we made use of it, especially in the first half,” Foote said.

Lindsey Jansen opened the scoring for the SA u20s after strong runs by the midfield pair of Ethan Adams and Markus Muller had set up play nicely for the speedster to finish.

He was followed over the whitewash by scrumhalf Hendré Schoeman before Zekhethelo Siyaya, who was impressive in the number 15 jersey on attack, scored their third converted try to give the Junior Boks a 21-0 lead at the break.

Georgia started the second half more determined, and the slippery conditions meant a lot of stop-start play as the players struggled with their handling.

The second half proved more abrasive and disjointed, which tested the team’s discipline and defensive resolve. Despite the pressure, the Junior Boks’ defence remained strong as they conceded only one try, which was the lone five-pointer scored by Georgia in the two matches.

Wing, Nika Khalvashi, crossed for the hosts’ only try shortly after the break, from a great cross-kick, but Ahmed and Risima Khosa added two more tries as the South Africans eased into a well-deserved away win.

“The second half was very stop-start, so there were some great lessons for us here in Georgia, as we’ll be playing here again during the Junior World Championship, which they will host,” Foote said.

“It was a good effort from us to concede one try, which is important and shows our character, but we still have a long way to go as we head towards the u20 Rugby Championship,” he concluded.

The squad will return to South Africa over the weekend and will have a break before assembling again next month at their training base in Stellenbosch.

Scorers

Junior Springboks 35 (21) – Tries: Lindsey Jansen, Hendré Schoeman, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Yaqeen Ahmed, Risima Khosa. Conversions: Ahmed (5).

Georgia u20 5 (0) – Try: Nika Khalvashi.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications.

Last year, Bishops won all three phases of the Switch Schools SA20 competition, thus becoming the first winners of the prestigious national event.

After a successful showing in Phase One of the second edition of the competition, the southern suburbs outfit appeared primed to win Phase Two and, with that, cement a place at The Final Showdown, where they could defend the national title.

Their title defence came up short, however, when Paarl Boys’ High comfortably beat Bishops by five wickets in the semi-finals of the Western Cape’s regional final.

Bishops were the Western Province winners, while Boishaai won the Boland title. When they met, though, the Bolanders came through with the win.

This season, Boys’ High hit their straps in the T20 format, crushing their local rival, Paarl Gimnasium, by 10 wickets in the Boland final, in which AB Jacobs smashed 89 runs off 41 balls.

In the Western Cape final, they faced Paarl Gim again. With a place at The Final Showdown on the line, Boys’ High posted a healthy 170/8 and then hit Gimmies hard with an inspired fielding performance. It brought them an eye-opening five run outs, and Paarl Gim was skittled for only 43, leaving Boishaai with a handsome 127-run victory.

In recent seasons, Paarl Boys’ High has been a fruitful supplier of provincial cricketers to Boland sides. At the Khaya Majola Week in December, they had four representatives in the 16-player squad, which was more than any other school in the region.

Captain Aden Batt and wicket-keeping all-rounder AB Jacobs, who were members of that squad, are still in the Boys’ High 1st XI.  Their passion and performances have rubbed off on their peers, with Boishaai playing their best cricket in the first and second phases of the Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two.

In the Final Showdown at the University of Pretoria, which starts on Wednesday, 4 March, the intense and cohesive Paarl Boys’ High unit will be a difficult side to overcome.

They will enjoy the first use of the Tuks Oval on Wednesday morning, when they take on the KZN champs, Hilton College. In the afternoon, they face the CSA Hub XI.

Then, on Thursday, they complete their group games against St Andrew’s School, who will be contesting the national final for a second successive year.

The playoffs take place on Friday, with the final being played on Saturday, 7 March, on the Tuks Oval, where the Paarl Boys’ High 1st XI begins its challenge. They would be thrilled to earn a return to the same ground.

FIXTURES

Wednesday, 4 March
Paarl Boys’ High vs Hilton College, Tuks Oval, 09:30
Paarl Boys’ High vs CSA Hub XI, Tuks B, 14:00

Thursday, 5 March
Paarl Boys’ High vs St Andrew’s School, Tuks B, 09:30

Paarl Boys’ High squad: Abriam “AB” Jacobs, Neil Louw, Roan Heyns, Daniel Francke, Aden Batt, Charl du Toit, Ra-eez Isaacs, JP Immelman, Tom Krige, Ra’ed Fredericks, Ed-Lee Koopman, Ullrich Drotschie, Reese Petersen.

Abriam, or “AB” Jacobs, as he is known, was the top scorer in the final of the Western Cape’s second volume of the Switch Schools SA20, helping to power Paarl Boys’ High to the regional title.

He struck six boundaries, five of them sixes, in an exciting 46 runs off 36 balls against Boishaai‘s arch-rivals, Paarl Gimnasium.

Jacobs was even more impressive in the semi-final, where Boys’ High vanquished the 2025 national winners, Bishops. In that match, he delivered a match-winning knock, hammering eight sixes and four fours in a brilliant 79 runs off only 29 deliveries.

Like many of the star athletes profiled by SuperSport Schools Plus, Jacobs credited an older sibling with his introduction to the game: “I first remember playing with my brother in the backyard. I was trying to bat better than him, and if I got out, I started crying because I wanted to bat the whole time, just to show him that I was better than him.”

Boishaai Head Coach Johann Louw said Jacobs is now playing the role of an older brother to his peers: “He is a fun-loving guy, and adds a bit of humour to any situation. Shy at first, but when comfortable, he can certainly lighten up the mood. He is developing into a solid young man who is not shy to share and add value to the younger players.”

Those backyard sessions provided the hard-hitting AJ Jacobs with an advantage during his primary school and early high school days. Louw recalled: “I first saw AB play at u14 level, and it was a remarkable performance. Wynberg was on 90/1, and AB was given the ball and ended up taking 7/15 to dismiss Wynberg for 115.

He then opened the batting, and the first three balls of the innings went for six. He got 50-odd, and they [Paarl Boys’ High] won the game in 14 overs. That was the start of knowing his antics.

“As a junior, he also scored a couple of double hundreds, and he boasts a top-score of 356 not out in an u13 50-over game; a feat which seemed like a fluke at the time.”

Louw then cast his educated eye to AB  Jacobs’ current game: “AB is a very natural player, being able to bat, bowl and wicket-keep,” he said. “He’s arguably the best u19 ‘keeper in the country, who also can bowl seam at 120km per hour, and on top of all that, the ability to bat at tempos seldom matched by the opposition.

“It makes it hard to decide when and where to use him.

“What I have seen developing the most is his ability to identify game-changing moments, and then to win those moments more often than not,” Louw revealed.

Jacobs admitted that he sometimes tries to play too aggressively at the start of his innings: “I want to improve my patience when entering the crease. I need to remember to play the ball on the ground until I’m settled in. Only then can I play my big shots.”

The wicket-keeping all-rounder also expressed his desire to play cricket full-time: “I want to achieve the highest possible level in the sport: to play professional cricket.

“I want to start playing among senior pros who already know what the game’s like at that level, so I can learn from their experience to fast-track my learning in the period between ending school and playing professionally.”

Given his exploits in the Western Cape regional final, Paarl Boys’ High heads to the Switch Schools SA20 Final Showdown with a not-so-secret weapon in their ranks. Boishaai’s opposition knows AB Jacobs. The question, though, is, can they stop him?

Despite being the younger brother of Proteas’ star Lhuan‑dré Pretorius, Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool‘s tremendously talented captain, Vihan Pretorius, has built his own brand in his cricketing journey over the last four years.

Follow all the Switch Schools SA20 action live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com) or Channel 216. 

There was no doubting the class of the field during the Switch Schools SA 20 Volume Two girls’ competition in KwaZulu-Natal. That title belonged, emphatically, to the Chatsworth Hub.

They were undisputedly the province’s best team. No side came close to challenging them.

Their results included an astonishing win over Umlazi Comtech High. The Hub side smashed 282/2 in their 20 overs, which featured a remarkable opening stand of 156 off only 8.3 overs between the captain, Shreeya Subbiah, and Thando Matamela. Then, Chatsworth skittled Umlazi Comtech for only 18, with eight players dismissed for ducks.

That wasn’t a one-off kind of performance, though. After last year’s KZN champion, Dr John L Dube, batted well to post 94/4 from their 20 overs, Chatsworth Hub barely blinked. In only 13.5 overs, Subbiah and Matamela steered their team to a 10-wicket victory.

Unfortunately, for the Chatsworth Hub, Matamela is out of The Final Showdown with a collar bone injury. That is a big loss. However, the Chatsworth squad includes 13 players with provincial colours, led by their SA u19 star, Shreeya Subbiah.

They will be tested more in Pretoria than they have been in KZN, but coach Keshin Moodley is confident his girls are ready to handle that extra pressure.

He’s been compiling the side over the past four or five years, working with some of the players from as young as the age of nine. They’re still a young side, with their youngest players aged only 14, but they’re experienced as a unit.

“For them to get this far, it shows that they have been playing very good cricket within the region,” Moodley said. “We don’t take anything lightly. All we are going to do is keep our game simple, do what we love, and play good cricket. On the day, we’ll make it happen.”

The coach identified bowling out the opposition and closing out games quickly as one of the team’s primary strengths. Chatsworth’s attack will be led by Alex Pickvance, Sihana Naidu, Aadya Mohun, and Shreeya Subbiah.

Their depth runs deep. “We have a very well-balanced team,” Moodley said.

The Chatsworth Hub’s final preparation camp takes place on Friday. “We’re looking forward to having a good session with the girls. We’ve brought in some extra coaching support to inspire and motivate them. We want them to be at ease, at peace, not thinking too much about the game. It’s our first time going to a national tournament.

“All we want to do is play good cricket. We’re trying not to think about who’s the best in Pretoria. We want to take it one game at a time,” Moodley said.

“My team has the potential to go far. But, you know the saying, ‘cricket is a funny game’. Anything can happen.”

The Chatsworth Hub faces another provincial-laden team, the Nkowankowa Hub, in their opening match in the afternoon on Wednesday, 4 March. On Thursday, 5 March, they have a morning game against Queens High, followed by an afternoon assignment against Nomandi.

The playoffs happen from Friday, 6 March.

FIXTURES

Wednesday, 4 March
Chatsworth Hub vs Nkowankowa Hub, Tuks C, 14:00

Thursday, 5 March
Chatsworth Hub vs Queens High, Tuks E, 09:30
Chatsworth Hub vs Nomandi, Tuks C, 14:00