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Daar is nog drie spanne in die wedloop om vanjaar in die eindstryd van die Finsbury-reeks se A-afdeling te speel.

Volg al die aksie regstreeks op SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

Die verdedigende kampioen, Hoërskool Waterkloof, lê tans bo aan die puntelys. ‘n Sege oor Potchefstroom Volkskool hierdie naweek kan sy posisie aansienlik versterk en basies ‘n plek in die eindstryd bespreek, met nog een week se aksie oor ná Saterdag se wedstryde. Die kragmeting tussen Klofies en Volkies is terloops ‘n herhaling van verlede jaar se eindstryd in dié afdeling.

Waterkloof het verlede naweek besoek afgelê in Bloemfontein, waar hy gemengde welslae behaal het. Die positiewe is egter dat die paaltjiewagter en voorslagkolwer, Rico van der Walt, twee agtereenvolgende honderdtalle opgedis het, teen onderskeidelik St Andrew’s School en Grey Kollege. Die feit dat hy met mening op dreef is maak die Klofies se kolflys uiters gevaarlik.

Volkies se kolwers is self nie te versmaai nie. Die aanvangskolwer en kaptein, Louis van Wyk, het reeds sy kolfvernuf van meet af in 2025 tentoongestel. Die geleentheid om weer op tuisbodem te kolf sal beslis as ekstra motivering dien vir die Volkie-kaptein.

Hoërskool Eldoraigne, huidiglik derde op die puntelys, het die groot honde in die afdeling vanjaar ietwat kom omkrap. Hy kom Saterdag teen Hoërskool Rustenburg op tuisbodem, in Centurion, te staan. Die Rusties dreig om aan die gang te kom, maar het tot dusver nog nie op alle silinders gevuur nie.

Die Eldos se voorste lopievraat, Ruan Steyn, sal graag hierdie slag die honderdtal wat hom die afgelope twee wedstryde ontwyk het wil behaal. Steyn was uitstaande met die wilgerlat in die span van Centurion se sewe-lopie oorwinning oor Potch Volkies verlede naweek. Benewens Steyn, sal die Rusties hard moet werk om ook die res van die tuisspan se kolwers te tem.

Hoërskool Menlopark, wat die Klofies verlede week met  56 lopies gelooi het, reis na die Laeveld om Hoërskool Nelspruit in sy agterplaas te pak. Die Nellies is steeds segeloos in vanjaar se reeks en sal  beslis ‘n kat in die duiwehok wil gooi deur die Parkies die loef af te steek.

Indien hulle hoop om dit te vermag, sal hulle vroeg-vroeg die paaltjie van Menlo se kaptein, Dian van Zyl, moet probeer kry. Van Zyl se selfvertroue behoort hemelhoog wees na sy skitterbeurt van 183 nie uit nie teen die Klofies, op die verdedigende kampioen se tuisveld.

Bepalings:

Week 4:
Potchefstroom Volkskool t. Waterkloof
Eldoraigne t. Hoërskool Rustenburg
Hoërskool Nelspruit t. Menlopark

Kevin Oliver smashed an otherworldly 41 off 11 balls to set Helpmekaar College up for a four-run win over King Edward VII School (KES) in their Johnny Waite Trophy match at KES on Thursday.

The victory ushered Helpmekaar into the semifinals of the T20 competition, where they joined St John’s College and Jeppe High School for Boys. St John’s, the defending champions, were the first side through to the final four, on Tuesday, while Jeppe cruised through early on Thursday afternoon.

Kyle Swanepoel, the Helpmekaar captain, won the toss, elected to bowl first, and Helpies restricted the home side to 153/7 in their 20 overs. In reply, the visitors had reached 152/9 when the lightning alarm went off and the match had to be stopped.

Per the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculator, Helpmekaar should have been on 148/9 after the first delivery of the final over to win. They were four runs ahead of that pace.

Coach Willie van den Berg‘s charges found themselves in that position thanks to Kevin Oliver’s astounding knock. He bludgeoned five sixes and a single four on his way to a mind-boggling 41 off 11 deliveries at an astronomical strike rate of 372.73.

When Oliver arrived at the crease, Helpmekaar was behind the required run rate, on 66/5 after 9.3 overs. He replaced Zander Neethling, who had held the visitors’ innings together with a crucial 28-ball 30. Neethling’s departure left Helpmekaar needing 88 runs from 69 balls.

Oliver’s 11-ball innings was explosive. He plundered 32 runs off a Matthew Burgess over and then fell to Christian Sabela‘s bowling on the first delivery of the 13th over. That dismissal was too little, too late for KES, however. Oliver had catapulted Helpmekaar from 88/6 to 120/6 in a single over, which drew them closer to victory.

Sabela was the host’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 18 runs in four overs. Steele Grooteman, Connor Kuijers, and Zieg Roos bagged a brace of wickets each, but they all had higher economy rates than Sabela.

Earlier in the day, KES had tallied 153/7. Luke Clark and Tiago Dias shared a 35-run opening stand to get the home side going, which turned out to be their second-highest opening partnership. Eric Southey and Grooteman combined for the highest stand, putting on 42 runs for the eighth wicket, which lifted KES past 150.

Seven of the nine KES batsmen who made it out to the middle reached double figures. However, only four made it beyond 20 runs. Unfortunately, for the home side, none exceeded 30. Of the four that bettered 20, only Clark struck at a rate over 150. The opener slammed 21 off nine balls for a strike rate of 233. KES needed more of that kind of hitting to reach an unassailable total. That was not the case.

Xander Jackson, with two wickets for 30 runs from four overs, was the most successful bowler for Helpmekaar. Hanno Steyn almost matched Jackson, returning 2/31 from four overs.

Scorecard

King Edward VII 153/7 (Troy Gordon 28, Zieg Roos 23, Xander Jackson 2/30, Hanno Steyn 2/31). Helpmekaar Kollege 152/9 (Kevin Olivier 41, Zander Neethling 30, Christian Sabela 2/18, Connor Kuijers 2/25). Helpmekaar won by four runs (DLS).

There was a sense of optimism, excitement, and expectation when Andrew Beynon took over as Grey High School’s Director of Hockey at the beginning of 2024.

He joined the Gqeberha school after a stint at the nearby Collegiate Girls’ High where he was very successful, leading them to some notable victories against some of the country’s best teams.

An Old Grey, he entered the Grey gates again with a solid track record of being able to turn things around, and he hit the ground running, working with a talented group of players.

Under Beynon, Grey asserted themselves as one of the best teams in the country, and they will be one of the sides to watch out for early in the 2025 season.

In 2024, they played a possession-based game and displayed an ability to grind out victories. Their success began with a strong pre-season and, by the time they played their derby matches, they had hit their stride.

Under the leadership of Kian Cambier, they were unbeaten in the Eastern Cape all year long.

Their defeats included a loss to Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) and a loss against Grey College. They, also, finished with the bronze medal at the Hibbert Shield after losing out to SACS in the semifinal.

Meanwhile, they swept their opposition at the Tony Godding Festival and Nomads Festival.

“As a club, I think we performed fairly consistently last year,” coach Beynon told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“When we look back, I am very happy with where the club is and what we collectively achieved.

“We had some competitive matches and so the goal is to always be better and more efficient. We believe in the model we’re building. We will stay humble and continue to work hard.”

While Grey dominated in the province, 2025 will provide the school with an opportunity to again stake their claim to be the country’s best.

They weren’t far off that status in 2024, losing only the three times mentioned earlier.

Beynon insists his players will start with a clean slate ahead of the forthcoming season. “Look, we came close last year, and the boys played some fantastic hockey,” he said. “However, this is a new year, a new group, so they can write their own destiny.

“We are a young side with ability, so let’s put our heads down, stay humble, and see what we can achieve as a group.”

At the end of last season, Grey bade farewell to eight grade 12 learners, including their skipper, Cambier, and other influential players – Xander Elkington, Robbie Stow, Caden Skinnette, Blake Muller, Marco Giaconi, Caleb Humphreys, and Ben Ristow.

The senior players left behind will be joined by three exciting players from the u16 age group.

“We have three uncapped players joining the squad, which will bring a different energy to the group, which is always exciting,” Beynon enthused.

“The Hockey Club is excited to get going in 2025.”

The season will include an opportunity for the Grey High first team to test its ability beyond South Africa’s borders. They’ll be in action at the Tony Godding Festival in East London in March before embarking on an international tour of The Netherlands and Germany.

The cream of South Africa’s schools’ athletics crop will gather at the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria for the annual Curro Podium Grand Finale this Saturday (8 February 2025).

The title of the best athletics team in South Africa is up for grabs, with the defending champions, Die Hoërskool Menlopark, and Curro Hazeldean the early favourites to secure that accolade. In the previous editions of the event, held in 2023 and 2024, Menlopark claimed the title.

In total, 64 school teams will be vying for the national title.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools via DStv Channel 216 or by live streaming on the app. 

All eyes will be focussed on the sprints. Last year, Bayanda Walaza (Curro Hazeldean) stole the spotlight, capturing the gold medal in the u19 100m in a blistering 10.44 seconds.

He went on to win a silver medal as part of the South African 4x100m team at the Olympic Games in Paris. Later in the year, he sped to two gold medals at the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, winning the 100m in 10.19 and the 200m in 20.52.

Curro Hazeldean speedster Mukona Manavhela will be aiming for a 100m and 200m double in the u17 age group. His best time so far this season in the 100m is a rapid 10.71 seconds. He has also clocked an even more impressive time of 21.36 seconds in the 200m.

Manavhela will expect some friendly competition from his teammate Jehoshaphat Motloung, who will be in action in the 200m and 400m sprints. Motloung is expected to have a ding-dong battle with Helpmekaar‘s Stiaan Myburgh in the one-lap event.

Another Helpies‘ sprinter Leendert Koekemoer (u19) has been in fine form and recently ran the 400m in 45.96 seconds, which was the fastest time in the world by a junior athlete in 2025.

Another mouthwatering showdown to look forward to is that between Taelyn Smith (Menlopark) and Willie van Wyk (Garsfontein) in the u17 high jump for boys.

They both cleared 2.05m in 2024 to set new personal bests, but the bar has already been raised in 2025, pun fully intended. Smith recently cleared 2.11 metres, which is the best performance in the world this year for an u17 athlete. Van Wyk’s best attempt of the year thus far came during his school’s annual Abrie van Staden meeting when he cleared 2.01m.

At last year’s South African Schools Championship, Van Wyk won the bronze medal with a clearance of 1.88m. Smith is the Curro Podium national final’s defending champion in the event after winning it in 2024 with a 2.00m jump.

In the javelin for boys u19, Jan-Hendrik Heymans, of Helpmekaar Kollege, appears set to break the meeting record of 65.08m, set by Johandré Pienaar, of Affies, during the inaugural event back in 2023. Heymans recently launched the javelin 69.53 metres.

Menlopark’s Megan Nieman will be hard to beat in the u17 100m hurdles. She bettered the national age group record in the 90m-hurdles during the SA Junior, Youth and Sub-Youth Championship last year with a time of 12.89 seconds. That record had stood for 21 years.

In the 400m hurdles, she will face stiff opposition from her teammate Liné de Villiers, who was the national u16 300m hurdles champion, winning the event in 42.41 seconds.

The Curro Invitational team, which features top athletes from various Curro schools, has a number of athletes to watch out for. They include Michane Jordaan (Girls’ u17, 100m and 200m), Matimba Baloyi (Boys’ u15, 300m hurdles and 400m), Michaela Spocter (Girls’ u17, high jump), Lethabo Maloma (Boys’ u19, 100m and 200m) and Keriana Govender (Girls’ u15, 90m hurdles and 300m hurdles).

The South African u17 National Team, known as “Amajimbos“, will participate in the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) u17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

They’ve joined the 2024 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) finalist Zambia and Angola as the representatives of the region.

South Africa’s inclusion was confirmed after CAF increased the number of participating nations in the continental showpiece from an initial 12 to 16 countries.

They had narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 15^th edition of the Afcon after falling short to Zambia in the 2024 Cosafa u17 Championships semifinals, in December 2024. However, the new format opened the door for South Africa, who got the nod for the continental tournament as the third-best team at the Cosafa tournament.

The 2025 CAF u17 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from 30 March to 19 April. There is plenty at stake, with teams vying for one of 10 places for African nations at the 2025 Fifa u17 World Cup, which takes place in November, in Qatar.

While they’re in the Africa Cup of Nations, Amajimbos don’t yet know who they will face in Morocco. The draw is still to take place.

Shresth Kumar was named the Player of the Match in Jeppe High School for Boys’ 10-wicket demolition of Parktown Boys’ High School in a Johnny Waite Trophy match on Thursday afternoon in Parktown.

The emphatic victory secured a semifinal spot for the visitors.

Coach Casey Arnold‘s charges became the second team to reach the final four of the T20 competition after the defending champions, St John’s College, who punched their ticket on Tuesday,

The toss went Parktown’s way, but not much else did. They opted to bat first, but Jeppe’s bowling attack laid waste to the home side’s batting. In only 10.1 overs, the visitors ran through Parktown’s line-up, bundling them out for a paltry 30 runs.

Then, Jeppe took only 3.4 overs to race to 32 without loss and a one-sided victory.

Reza Ayob delivered the first over for Jeppe, conceded one run, and picked up the first wicket. Franco Nortjie, who shared the new ball with Ayob, struggled with his line in his first over and conceded three wides. However, he made up for that with two wickets in the same over, as Jeppe reduced Parktown to 5/3.

The slide didn’t stop there. Parktown limped through the powerplay and was on a sorry 10/4 after the first six overs.

In the eighth over, the Player of the Match, Shresth Kumar was introduced into the attack and he made an immediate impact. He trapped Siyabonga Dube LBW to claim his first wicket. Dube’s six runs, unfortunately for the hosts, were the closest any of their batsmen came to double figures. Only extras matched his batting output. Abhay Patel, with an unbeaten five off of three balls, was next best.

Kumar, who sent down two overs and snared three wickets from 11 runs, removed his other two victims in the penultimate over of Parktown’s innings, while Ayob and Nortjie claimed two cheap wickets each.

Parktown’s innings lasted only 39 minutes, and Jeppe’s run chase, which took 13 minutes, was only a minute longer than the time it took to change innings.

Tiago Almeida, with nine, and Ethan Elliot, with 22, made light work of the small victory target.

Scorecards

Parktown Boys’ High 30/10 (Siyabonga Dube 6, Abhay Patel 5*, Shresth Kumar 3/11, Reza Ayob 2/7) Jeppe High School for Boys 32/0 (Ethan Smith 22*, Tiago Almeida 9*). Jeppe won by 10 wickets.

St Anne’s Diocesan College is focussed on continuous improvement in the 2025 hockey season. They have been following that path since 2022, when Morne Odendaal took over as the head coach of the Hilton school.

“St Anne’s hockey has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two years,” Odendaal told SuperSport Schools Plus.

“We were not one of the top teams at the close of 2022. However, since then our journey has been one of profound cultural change, shifting from mere participation to the relentless pursuit of excellence through hard work and grit.”

That was the mentality they carried into the 2024 edition of the Fairtree Super 12 tournament, which brings together the top 12 teams in South Africa.

St Anne’s, then captained by Lucy Porril, gave the other participants a good run for their money and they concluded the tournament with a 2-1 win over Menlopark. A couple of weeks after that victory, Odendaal and his side were using that victory as a springboard for their 2025 season.

Their appearance at the 2024 Super 12 also reflected the progress that St Anne’s has made on the hockey field. It was the first time they had qualified for the elite tournament in five years.

Since taking charge of hockey at St Anne’s, Odendaal has established a year-round hockey programme. He explained that a structured approach fosters individual confidence and is crucial in building trust among teammates.

Before he joined St Anne’s, Odendaal was widely recognised as being the driving force behind C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje‘s ascent to being the number one hockey-playing school in South Africa.

Another important area of focus at St Anne’s is identifying young talent and equipping those players to compete for the senior team. Last year, the school regularly fielded among the youngest sides at tournaments.

“Our first team boasts an impressive roster, collectively amassing over 750 caps. It’s a group seasoned with experience and fuelled by a collective desire to redefine their narrative,” Odendaal said.

The side also has a sprinkling of young players. This helps in maintaining continuity from one cohort to the next.

The 2025 team will be captained by Jasmin Kelly. The industrious centre-back will have her first outing as skipper at the Balling Hockey Festival in Bethlehem at the end of February. Then, St Anne’s will head off to East London in mid-March for the Greg Beling Hockey Festival.

Jasmin and her sister, Jade, are one of three pairs of siblings in the St Anne’s side. They also have Nikki and Emma Thomas, and Holly and Belle Hofmeyr.

They may be heading to pre-season events, but St Anne’s will be intent on delivering excellent hockey. There won’t be any half-measures. Odendaal’s charges will have their sights set on achieving a higher level of performance than they produced in their previous outings at both festivals.

“Our team ethos centers on mindfulness and living in the present moment, steering clear of autopilot, and focussing on the joy of competition. Embracing a value-driven approach, we uphold integrity, discipline, and teamwork, ensuring each game is marked by high-pressure tactics and a fast-paced style – all delivered with smiles and a unified team spirit,” said Odendaal.

“St Anne’s offers not just an education but an unparalleled opportunity for passionate hockey players to realise their full potential,” he added.

Kearsney College hosted their neighbours, Westville Boys’ High, on the AH Smith Oval on Wednesday for a W100 clash. They’re fierce rivals, but the match concluded with an outstanding display of sportsmanship.

Kearsney batted first and tallied 106/9 from their 100 balls. Westville, in reply, was on 105/1 after 53 balls when the lightning alarm sounded.

They needed only a run to tie and two to win, with 47 balls in hand. The umpires, though, correctly refused to allow another ball to be bowled.

That’s how the match ended, but Kearsney conceded the game, which gave Westville a nine-wicket win and the points for their victory. That was a classy move.

Westville captain Seth Simpson won the coin flip and chose to field first. His bowlers backed up that decision well, preventing any of Kearsney’s top four batsmen from reaching double figures. After 42 balls, they were on 41/4.

Cole Young, who played a decisive innings in Kearsney’s big win over Northwood on the weekend, played a quite extraordinary knock to give the home side some momentum. It brought him 30 runs from 20 deliveries, but the extraordinary part of it was the fact that 24 of those runs came from only four balls, each of which was dispatched for six.

Nic Comrie, with 17, and Daniel Miskey, with 12, offered a little something, too, but Westville, spearheaded by Sean McGough, would have been more than satisfied with their fielding effort, which limited Kearsney to just over a run a ball.

McGough claimed 3/9 in 15 balls, while Tristan Delvin, with 2/21 in 20, and Dayalan Boyce, with 2/18 in 15, also enjoyed success. Heath Stott and Ewan du Toit, too, were also economical and picked up a wicket each.

Sean McGough, the star of the show with the ball, didn’t make a big impact with the bat. Opening the innings, he fell LBW to Michael Groom for six, but Kyle McGough and Seth Simpson, then, dominated the Kearsney attack.

Kyle McGough, especially, batted superbly. He lashed three sixes and seven fours in just 29 balls and raced to 63 not out. At the other end, Seth Simpson didn’t hang around either. His contribution was a hasty unbeaten 27 from 18 deliveries, with two fours and two sixes.

In just 44 balls, the pair added 92 runs. It wasn’t quite enough to take them past Kearsney. However, the host’s magnanimous gesture, gifted Westville the victory that would have been theirs before the lightning alarm stopped their run pursuit on the brink of victory.

Scores

Kearsney College 106/9 (Cole Young 30, Sean McGough 3/9, Dayalan Boyce 2/18, Tristan Delvin 2/20); Westville Boys’ High 105/1 (Kyle McGough 63*, Seth Simpson 27*, Michael Groom 1/17). Kearsney conceded the game. Westville was awarded a nine-wicket win and the points for victory.

Bishops Diocesan College star, Matt Fenn, netted five times to inspire his team to a nerve-wracking 9-8 victory over South African College High School (SACS) in round three of the SACS Nite Series in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated derby kicked off a thrilling round that produced 49 goals across three matches at the SACS Aquatics Centre.

Both southern suburbs giants entered the clash with a point to prove, while also intending to keep the log leaders, Rondebosch Boys’ High, in sight.

Last time out, in round two, SACS defeated Wynberg Boys’ High 5-4, while Bishops went down 5-7 to ‘Bosch.

As expected, the match got off to a fiery start as both sides battled to assert early dominance.

The first half belonged to Bishops, however. They scored five times and restricted SACS to three goals, in reply.

Matt Fenn was at the centre of it all. He converted three opportunities within the first two chukkas before Rondebosch’s unsung heroes, Noah Edmunds and Harry Ford, netted to make it five.

SACS, after taking an early lead through an Aidan Turrell strike, added further goals from their skipper, Matt Forbes, and their talisman, Jandro Rojo-Roos.

In the third chukka, the hosts came to life and played, arguably, their best water polo so far of the Nite Series. They controlled matters masterfully, were creative in attack, solid in defence, and played some brave water polo.

Their efforts were duly rewarded when they found the back of the net three times through Rojo-Roos, Turrell, and Harry Oldham. SACS also managed to keep Bishops scoreless in the third chukka and marched into the final quarter with a narrow 6-5 advantage.

The final six minutes of the contest epitomised why water polo is such a massive school sport in the Western Cape. It had everything: individual brilliance, late goals, and massive passion from the schoolboys cheering alongside the pool.

Just as they had done in the previous chukka, SACS started well, and Ben Bigara extended their lead to two goals early on.

That goal, however, sparked a response from Bishops. Timothy Young came to the party, scoring two goals before Fenn netted again to put the visitors 8-7 ahead.

With only 25 seconds left, SACS needed a miracle. Up stepped Turrell, scoring with a scorcher to complete his hat-trick. That strike tied the scores and set up a tense final 10 seconds.

It seemed the match was destined to finish with the teams all square, but six seconds was all Fenn needed to fire in a thunderbolt to clinch victory for his side just before the final buzzer.

That late dramatic goal was a big boost for coach Jabulani Sibiya‘s troops, who will tackle Reddam House Constantia in round four.

While Bishops got back to winning ways, Rondebosch continued their fine form and brushed aside Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) 13-7.

Bosch started slowly, but they soon hit their stride, and Noah Reiback was the man at the centre of the action. The grade 10 pupil scored a cracking seven goals and was joined on the score sheet by Kieran Bennewith (2), Luke Burger (2), James Pinnock, and the dangerous Jack Robinson.

James Swart was the standout player for PRG, netting four times, while Migael Terblanche chipped in with a brace.

In the final match of the day, Wynberg Boys’ High defeated Reddam House 8-4.

Riley Clarke was at the goalscoring helm for Wynberg, bagging five goals. They’ll face a stern challenge from PRG in the next round of the Nite Series.

Scorers

Bishops Diocesan College 9: Matt Fenn (5), Timothy Young (2), Noah Edmunds, Harry Ford. SACS 8: Aidan Turrell (3), Jandro Rojo-Roos (2), Matt Forbes, Harry Oldham, Ben Bigara.

Rondebosch Boys’ High 13: Noah Reiback (7), Kieran Bennewith (2), Luke Burger (2), James Pinnock, Jack Robinson. Paul Roos 7: James Swart (4), Migael Terblanche, Andrew Reynolds.

Wynberg Boys’ High 8: Riley Clarke (5), Samuel Mocke (2), Sebastian Kastern. Reddam House Constantia 4: Jethro Montagu-Fryer (3), Blake Brown.

The 31^st annual Saints Squash Festival, hosted by St Andrew’s School, in Bloemfontein, takes place from 7-9 February, and features 20 of South Africa’s top squash-playing schools, with 24 teams in action.

The event is a festival and, thus, a winner is not declared. However, last year, Hoërskool Zwartkop, led by SA Schools Closed champion Luhann Groenewald won all five of their ties, with Selborne College, a well-established power, providing them with their stiffest test, which Zwarries passed by winning 4-2.

Later in the year, Hoërskool Zwartkop won the Top Schools Squash Tournament, which brings together the top teams from South Africa’s provinces, for a second year in succession.

Zwarries will be one of the top guns again, while Selborne College, fourth at the 2024 Top Schools tournament, boasts strong depth and will, as usual, be one of the top teams.

Paarl Gimnasium appears at the Saints Squash Festival for the first time and they’re a team that could make some noise. Westville Boys’ High has staked an early claim to be KZN’s best, beating Glenwood 6-0, Michaelhouse 10-2, and Kearsney 9-1.

However, the field is as open as it has ever been.

Some of the leading u19 and u16 players in the country will be in action, including a number who featured in 2024’s SA Schools rankings. They include Benji Newman (Grey High), Dean Katzin (St Andrew’s School), Thero Motshubi (St John’s College), Juan Corné Brand (Zwartkop), Logan Kidson (Zwartkop), and Milan Raffa (Pretoria Boys High).

Others to keep an eye out for include Josh Smit and Ruan Wessels, from Paarl Gim, Daniel Deutschmann, of King Edward VII (KES), and Ronav Pillay, Westville Boys’ High’s number-one player.

Daniel Deutschmann is the nephew of St Andrew’s School’s long-time coach Calvin Deutschmann, who has also coached a number of national junior teams. He’s a national u19 and SA Schools selector.

The Deutschmann name is inextricably linked with squash at St Andrew’s. Another Deutschmann, Bryce, will represent the St Andrew’s A side. He’s the son of Michael Deutschmann, Calvin’s younger brother. Daniel Deutschmann is the son of Calvin’s older brother, Garrick, who was better known for his tennis exploits while at St Andrew’s.

Michael and Calvin Deutschmann are involved in the organisation of the tournament and the management of teams. “Once again, it’s a full-on family affair,” commented Margo Morgan, the organiser of the tournament and St Andrew’s School’s head of squash.

Highly respected in South African schools’ squash circles, Margo Morgan is the Chairperson of SA Schools Squash and is an SA Schools’ selector. Together with Calvin Deutschmann, she has been a driving force behind St Andrew’s squash for the past three decades, helping Saints become one of the powerhouses of the game in South Africa.

Dean Katzin is the number one player for the St Andrew’s 1st squash team. He was an SA Schools ranked player in the u16 age group last year, and he remains u16 this year. He’ll have his work cut out for him when taking on top u19 players, including Juan Corné Brand, Benji Newman, Jodie Emslie (Selborne College), Josh Smit (Paarl Gim), Daniel Deutschmann (King Edward VII), and Ronav Pillay (Westville Boys’ High).

Saints placed third at the 2024 Top Schools Tournament, but their squash team has undergone big changes after bidding farewell to four matric boys at the end of last year.

Participating Teams

Glenwood High School (Durban), Graeme College (Makhanda), Grey College (Bloemfontein), Grey High School (Gqeberha), Kearsney College (Botha’s Hill), King Edward VII School (Johannesburg), Kingswood College (Makhanda), Maritzburg College (Pietermaritzburg), Michaelhouse A (Balgowan), Michaelhouse B (Balgowan), Parktown Boys’ High (Johannesburg), Paarl Gimnasium (Paarl), Paul Roos Gimnasium (Stellenbosch), Pretoria Boys High (Pretoria), Queen’s College (Komani), Selborne College (East London), St Andrew’s School A (Bloemfontein), St Andrew’s School B (Bloemfontein), St John’s College A (Johannesburg), St John’s College B (Johannesburg), St Stithians College (Johannesburg), Westville Boys’ High (Westville), Hoërskool Zwartkop (Centurion).