{"id":61618,"date":"2024-12-10T22:03:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T20:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=61618"},"modified":"2024-12-10T22:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T20:03:33","slug":"western-province-and-gauteng-ready-for-showdown-in-boys-u16s-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=61618","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s a Western Province vs Central Gauteng showdown in boys&#8217; u16 final"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_61619\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61619\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-61619\" src=\"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-12-09-at-21.26.48-b-400x266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61619\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/teamphotosa.co.za\"><strong>TeamPhotoSA<\/strong><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Western Province A<\/strong> and <strong>Central Gauteng A<\/strong> will face off in what promises to be a humdinger of a final of the boys&#8217; u16 section of the 2024 <strong>Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament <\/strong>in East London.<\/p>\n<p>The sides will lock horns in the <strong>Joan Harrison East Pool <\/strong>at 12:05 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Western Province was the first side to book their place in the final with a tense come-from-behind 8\u20137 victory over <strong>KwaZulu Natal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ross van Schoor&#8217;<\/strong>s side looked dead in the water when they trailed 2-5 at halftime.\u00a0&#8220;Our boys showed a lot of tenacity, grit, and determination to come back from that position,&#8221; Van Schoor said proudly after the contest.<\/p>\n<p>Western Province headed into the tournament seeking redemption after they finished as the runner-up o KZN last year in Gqeberha. They were determined to improve on that result. Well led by <strong>James Malan<\/strong>, Province didn&#8217;t panic when they fell behind. They heeded Van Schoor&#8217;s reminders to focus on the process.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are not focusing on the results. When you focus on the scoreboard, you run the risk of making bad decisions while trying to chase the score,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;However, if you focus on the process and keep doing the right things, the results will take care of themselves.&#8221; the coach had said the day before the tournament started.<\/p>\n<p>By focussing on the process, the Western Province side was able to turn the momentum and shift the pressure from themselves onto KZN. Deep into the final chukka, they edged into a slim one-goal lead, through <strong>Timothy Young<\/strong>, and they desperately held on to it until the end to keep their record clean.<\/p>\n<p>Young, <strong>Benjamin Bigara<\/strong>, and<strong> Matthew Fenn <\/strong>scored a brace each, while <strong>James Pinnock<\/strong> and Malan contributed a goal each.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Levi Thom<\/strong> was outstanding for KZN, notching a hat-trick, while <strong>Thomas Aylward<\/strong> recorded a double, and <strong>Oliver Ludwig<\/strong> and <strong>Thomas Francke<\/strong> scored a goal each. <strong>Jason Sileno&#8217;<\/strong>s side will take on <strong>Northerns A <\/strong>for third place on Wednesday. When they met earlier in the tournament, KZN triumphed 13-8.<\/p>\n<p>Central Gauteng A punched their ticket to the final in style. <strong>Siya Guzana&#8217;<\/strong>s side romped to a 13-2 victory over Northerns A to keep their unbeaten record intact.<\/p>\n<p>It was a second win for Central Gauteng over their neighbours. In their first meeting, they scored an 8-2 victory. There was no complacency in their ranks for their semifinal clash, though, and Guzana&#8217;s side scored a more comfortable win the second time around.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A lot of work has gone into building this team. We haven\u2019t been simply looking at ability, but also character,\u201d Guzana had shared before the showpiece kicked off.<\/p>\n<p>He and the Gauteng coaching staff focused on creating a team with a positive and vibrant culture. They were fortunate that the same players who did well at the <strong>Currie Cup <\/strong>earlier in the year fitted the mold.\u00a0&#8220;We have a team of players who go into the pool to play for each other,&#8221; Guzana said.<\/p>\n<p>They had each other&#8217;s back in the semifinals. <strong>Matthew Cross<\/strong> led the scoring with four goals, while <strong>Connor McJannet<\/strong> and <strong>Ryan Morley<\/strong> registered a brace each, with <strong>Danillo Guiricich, Dylan Gander<\/strong>, <strong>Cooper Haworth<\/strong>, and <strong>David Latilla-Campbell<\/strong> adding one each.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCORES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Buffalo City 7: Daniel Woodin (5), Reid deConing (1), Michael Russell (1). <strong>Eden Districts 5<\/strong>: Rorke Bubanj (2), Connor Keys (1), Jacob Hersch (1), Luca Whitehead (1).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Western Province A 12<\/strong>: Benjamin Bigara (3), Matthew Fenn (2), Alex Barrett (2), Harry Oldham (2), Connor Mortlock (1), Aiden Turrell (1), James Malan (1). <strong>Western Province B 3<\/strong>: Noah Coleman (3).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nelson Mandela Bay 4<\/strong>: Carter Rosser (2), Dane Paterson (1), Stefan Polderman (1). <strong>Northerns A 7<\/strong>: Ettiene van der Merwe (4), Ruan Engelbrecht (3).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nCentral Gauteng B 4<\/strong>: Ethan Kemp (2), Tegan Fisher (1), Gui-Nam Chen (1). <strong>KwaZulu Natal 9<\/strong>: Thomas Francke (2), Levi Thom (2), Thomas Aylward (2), Oliver Guy (1), Musawenkosi Mponda (1), Oliver Ludwig (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nZimbabwe 2<\/strong>: Tapfuma Taundi (1), Blaise Scheepers (1). <strong>Central Gauteng A 11<\/strong>: David Campbell (2), Matthew Cross (2), Aiden Khoury (2), Luke Shipway (1), Roan Wessels (1), Danillo Guiricich (1), Connor McJannet, Ryan Morley (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nBuffalo City 12<\/strong>: Joshua Lentz (3), Michael Russell (2), Daniel van Biljon (2), Rael Govind, Daniel Woodin (1), Reid deConing (1), Jadan Grobler (1), Nicholas du Toit (1). <strong>Eastern Gauteng 5<\/strong>: Connor Cockcroft (2), Luke Laporte (1), Daelan Brijmohun (1), Matthew Craukamp (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nEden Districts 18<\/strong>: Jake Wood (5), Luca Whitehead (4), Rorke Babanj (3), Connor Keys (2), Matthew Tindall (1), Adrian Geldenhuys (1), Jacob Hersch (1), Matthew Eickhaus (1). <strong>Northerns B 1<\/strong>: Hawk Lamont (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nWestern Province B 8<\/strong>: Ross Prinsloo (3), Rupert Robinson (2), Umr Firfirey (1), Noah Coleman (1), Noah Viuff (1). <strong>Central Gauteng B 9<\/strong>: Matthew Peacock (2), Tegan Fisher (1), Ethan Kempen (1), Morgan Thomson (1), Adam Stoutjesdyk (1), Brayden Macfie (1), Daniel Pronk (1), Travis Kempen (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nNelson Mandela Bay 11<\/strong>: Adam Ball (4), Dane Paterson (2), Stefan Polderman (1), Samuel Barnes (1), Carter Rosser (1), Taye Colesky (1), Christian Chandler (1). <strong>Zimbabwe 7<\/strong>: Patrick Duff (3), Blaise Scheepers (2), Tapfuma Taundi (1), Bongani Dube (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nWestern Province A 8<\/strong>: Matthew Fenn (2), Benjamin Bigara (2), Timothy Young (2), James Pinnock (1), James Malan (1). <strong>KZN 7<\/strong>: Levi Thom (3), Thomas Aylward (2), Oliver Ludwig (1), Thomas Francke (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nNortherns A 3<\/strong>: Ettiene van der Merwe (2), Ruan Engelbrecht (1). <strong>Central Gauteng A 12<\/strong>: Matthew Cross (4), Connor McJannet (2), Ryan Morley (2), Danillo Guiricich (1), Dylan Gander (1), Cooper Haworth (1), David Latilla-Campbell (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nBuffalo City 14<\/strong>: Michael Russell (5), Campbell Dickinson (3), Daniel Woodin (2), Abakhe Ngamlana (1), Daniel van Biljon (1), Ried deConing (1), Joshua Lentz (1). <strong>Northerns B 3<\/strong>: Hawk Lamont (1), Raghard Bosman (1), Liam Russell (1).<br \/>\n<strong><br \/>\nEastern Gauteng 3<\/strong>: Connor Cockcroft (1), Campbell Hustler (1), Daniel Rheeder (1). <strong>Eden Districts 5<\/strong>: Rorke Bubanj (2), Joshua Arbuzova (1), Matthew Eickhaus (1), Jacob Hersch (1).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Western Province A and Central Gauteng A will face off in what promises to be a humdinger of a final of the boys&#8217; u16 section of the 2024 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in East London. The sides will lock horns in the Joan Harrison East Pool at 12:05 on Wednesday. Western Province [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":61619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61618","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\/61618","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\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61618\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}