{"id":31077,"date":"2023-12-09T21:22:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T19:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=31077"},"modified":"2023-12-09T21:22:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T19:22:41","slug":"big-guns-on-song-nelson-mandela-bay-edge-out-buffalo-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=31077","title":{"rendered":"Big guns on song, Nelson Mandela Bay edge out Buffalo City"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Saturday, 9 December, day one of the\u00a02023 Boys\u2019 u19 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Gqeberha<\/strong>\u00a0was cold and wet, but a number of the favourites heated up the\u00a0Grey High School<\/strong>\u00a0pool with confident showings.<\/p>\n

Catch all the action from the tournament live on\u00a0SuperSport Schools<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(www.supersportschools.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

For the defending champions,\u00a0Gauteng Central A<\/strong>, it was a smooth introduction to the event. They overpowered\u00a0Eastern Gauteng<\/strong> 29-0 in their first outing and then romped to an 18-2 win over the\u00a0Northern Tigers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While they scored 47 times, it was their smothering defence that most caught the eye, and which accounted for numerous turnovers and goal-scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n

KZN A<\/strong>, also, recorded two emphatic victories, downing\u00a0Zimbabwe<\/strong>\u00a020-3 and then handing Eastern Gauteng a 21-1 loss. The second time out, the KZN boys were far more cohesive \u2013 they seemed to barely get out of second gear against Zimbabwe \u2013 and they used their structure well to manipulate regular openings against Easterns.<\/p>\n

Mitchell Slade<\/strong>\u00a0produced a fantastic all-round performance for\u00a0coach Jason Sileno<\/strong>\u2018s outfit, scoring four goals and also pulling off four steals. Like Central Gauteng, their dominance was based upon their smothering man-to-man defence.<\/p>\n

Those two teams were, not unexpectedly, the class of Pool A, while in Pool B\u00a0Western Province A<\/strong>, the tournament favourites, ran out 11-6 winners over\u00a0Western Province B<\/strong>\u00a0in a match that was closer than the score reveals.<\/p>\n

The B team powered out the blocks, quickly snatching a 2-0 lead, but the A team, composed and assured in their ball movement, responded in style to build up a healthy 6-2 advantage. They appeared to be on course for a routine victory, but their B team, familiar with the A side\u2019s players and approach, came roaring back into the contest.<\/p>\n

They pulled to within 7-6 and then won a penalty, which gave them an opportunity to level the scores late in the contest. The penalty attempt was rejected, however, and with that missed chance the momentum swung back in the favour of the A team. They finished strongly, adding another four goals without reply to take an 11-6 win.<\/p>\n

Buffalo City<\/strong>\u00a0won a crucial early contest against\u00a0Central Gauteng B<\/strong>\u00a09-8. \u201cIt was a game that we really wanted to win,\u201d\u00a0coach Khanyisa Mpumlwana<\/strong>\u00a0said. \u201cThere\u2019s only five of us in our pool (there are six in Pool A), so every goal and every point counts right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Mpulwana said getting pressure onto the ball and then trying to get it to the right places helped the team from East London to victory, but he lamented some lack of accuracy when passing, which could have led to a more convincing win.<\/p>\n

Buffalo City had prepared for the tournament by participating in a camp that involved the Central Gauteng A and B teams, as well as the Central Gauteng u16 side, so that familiarity with the opposition was a challenge for both teams, but it also provided useful knowledge.<\/p>\n

It was a big day for Buffalo City as they faced\u00a0Nelson Mandela Bay<\/strong>\u00a0in the final match of the day, under lights, in an Eastern Cape derby.<\/p>\n

In the first chukka, it was Buffalo City that edged ahead by a 4-2 margin, but Nelson Mandela Bay then scored three times before Buffalo City levelled again at 5-5. The home team, with a good number of Grey High boys in their ranks, playing in their home waters, then edged ahead, but time after time the East London outfit pulled one back.<\/p>\n

In the fourth quarter, Nelson Mandela Bay finally managed to open up a gap on Buffalo City. It had less to do with their offence than it had to do with an absolutely outstanding effort by\u00a0goalkeeper Oliver Klatte<\/strong>, who pulled off a series of stunning saves to stymie Buffalo City.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Buffalo City did themselves no favours by conceding five penalties. Nelson Mandela Bay scored four times from them, while not conceding any penalties themselves, and that made a crucial difference in the contest.<\/p>\n

\"\"KwaZulu-Natal B<\/strong>\u00a0launched their challenge in the early evening against Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean side started out strongly and raced into a two-goal lead, but KZN soon found their rhythm and ultimately won comfortably by 21 goals to nine.<\/p>\n

Luca Di Vincenzo<\/strong>\u00a0topped the goal-scoring charts in the contest, finding the back of the net on four occasions, while\u00a0Ethan Lyne<\/strong>\u00a0scored twice and was responsible for a couple of steals.<\/p>\n

A big 12-game programme on day two includes Western Province A against Nelson Mandela Bay, and based on the opening day\u2019s action second place in the pool could be between the home team and Western Province B, providing there is no shocking upset of the Western Province A side.<\/p>\n

Western Province B vs Buffalo City likely favours the Western Cape line-up, but it is far from a foregone conclusion. KZN A take on KZN B, and matches between familiar opponents are often tricky encounters, but the A team should take the points from that clash.<\/p>\n

Results<\/strong><\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A 29-0 Eastern Gauteng<\/strong><\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Caleb van Loggerenberg (4), Nicholas Pearce (4), Samuel Lister (4), Trista Grimett (4), Marc Smith (3), Greg Pryce (2), Leonardo Perreira (2), Tanner Kleynhans (2), Ross Rovelli (2), Connor Flinn (1), Taeg Mosehla (1)<\/p>\n

Central Gauteng B 8-9 Buffalo City<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buffalo City<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Daniel Breetzke (2), Charles Caswell (2), Reece Miles (2), Philip Wagner (1), Matt Johnson (1), Sean Audie (1)
\nCentral Gauteng B<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Mark Hudson (2), Brogan McEwan (2), Jack Wilkins (2), Alessio Cimato (1) \u2013 (Only seven goals accounted for on the scoresheet)<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal A 20-3 Zimbabwe<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal A<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Mitchell Slade (3), Oliver Ditz (3), Matthew Hayes (3), Warwick Field (3), Jed Poovan (2), Max Scully (2), Rhys Hall (2), Jamie Spence (1) , Meyer Malherbe (1)
\nZimbabwe<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Sonny Brebner (1), Joshua Covill (1), Codie Selman (1)<\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A 18-2 Northern Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Connor Flinn (4), Tristan Grimett (3), Marc Smith (2), Caleb van Loggerenberg (2), Nicholas Pearce (2), Karabo Mamaregane (1), Greg Pryce (1), Leonardo Perreira (1), Anton Arwidi (1), Samuel Lister (1)<\/p>\n

Northern Tigers<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Benjamin Melville (1), Petrus van\u00a0der\u00a0Merwe\u00a0(1)<\/p>\n

Western Province A 11-6 Western Province B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Western Province A<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Nicholas Fall (2), Ben Reibeck (2), Richard Skeeles (2), Conor Melling-Williams (1), Zack Cicero (1) Johannes Reyneke (1), Noah Bigara (1), Thomas Wiltshire (1)<\/p>\n

Western Province B<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Cosmo Enthoven (2), Paul Enthoven (1) Sebastiaan White (1), Salahuddin Khan (1),\u00a0Mac\u00a0Lecuona\u00a0(1)<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal A 21-1 Eastern Gauteng<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal A<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Mitchell Slade (4), Warwick Field (4), Meyer Malherbe (2), Stef Swart (2), Rhys Hall (2), Jamie Spence (2), Max Scully (1), Oliver Ditz (1), Matthew Hayes (1), Jedd Poovan (1), Jonathan Bregman-Frangos (1)<\/p>\n

Easterns<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Robert\u00a0Carr\u00a0(1)<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal B 21-9 Zimbabwe<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal B<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Luca Di Vincenzo (4), Blake Kruger (3), Marnu Koekemoer (2), Josh Lortan (2), Ethan Lyne (2), Tallin Laas (1), Jared Byleveld (1), Troy Rees-Jones (1), Mitchell Wilson (1), Jack Slater (1)<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Samuel Edwards (3), Garrick Duff (3), Codie Selman (2), Joshua Covill (1), Michael\u00a0Chaniwa\u00a0(1)<\/p>\n

Buffalo City 8-11 Nelson Mandela Bay<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nelson Mandela Bay<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Samuel Marston (4), Nicholas Franklin (3), Jon Hobson (2), Tawfiq Akomolafe (2)<\/p>\n

Buffalo City<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Charles Caswell (3), Reece Miles (3), Matt\u00a0Johnson\u00a0(2)<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday, 9 December, day one of the\u00a02023 Boys\u2019 u19 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament\u00a0in\u00a0Gqeberha\u00a0was cold and wet, but a number of the favourites heated up the\u00a0Grey High School\u00a0pool with confident showings. Catch all the action from the tournament live on\u00a0SuperSport Schools\u00a0(www.supersportschools.com). For the defending champions,\u00a0Gauteng Central A, it was a smooth introduction to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":31083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}