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Almal het al gehoor dat iemand se rekord steeds sedert hy of haar skooljare staan.

Skole se interhuis-rekords bied daarom altyd interessante leesstof. Vanjaar tydens die Hoërskool Ben Viljoen op Groblersdal se kleurebyeenkoms het daar een van die skool se ouer rekords gespat.

Dié rekord van Cornelda Pretorius in die 100m vir meisies o.14 het al sedert 1992 agter haar naam gepryk. Pretorius se rekord is onlangs deur haar dogter, Emma-Lee van der Westhuyzen, geëwenaar.

Pretorius is natuurlik Cornelda se nooiensvan – en Emma-Lee is haar en die voormalige Springbok-losskakel Jaco van der Westhuyzen se dogter. Voorwaar goeie gene van albei kante af.

Jaco is self ‘n oud-leerling van Ben Viljoen. Hy het die Springbokke in 32 toetse verteenwoordig.

Emma-Lee het Mari-Lise Furstenburg (deesdae Coetzer) se rekord in die 200m in die slag laat bly. Furstenburg se rekord staan al die afgelope 44 jaar in die rekordboeke op 26.90 sekondes (1980). Emma-Lee het die rekord met ‘n skitterende 26.50 sekondes in die slag laat bly.

Dit was ook die oudste rekord in Ben Viljoen se interhuis-rekordboek.

Furstenburg was ‘n uitstaande atleet op skool en haar nasionale jeugrekord (o.17) in die 100m (11.54) het vir ‘n ongelooflike 38 jaar gestaan, voordat Viwe Jingqi (Tuks Sportskool, 11.47) dit in 2022 verbeter het. Jingqi het dit weer later in 2022, tydens die Suid-Afrikaanse Sub-Jeug, Jeug- en Junior-kampioenskappe, tot 11.40 sekondes verbeter.

Furstenburg was in standerd ses en sewe (deesdae graad agt en nege) in Ben Viljoen voordat sy haar skoolloopbaan vanaf standerd agt (graad 10) aan Bergsig in Rustenburg voltooi het.

Grey-kollege in Bloemfontein se oudste skolerekord staan agter die naam van H du Plooy vir die 100m vir seuns o.14 wat hy in 1980 in ‘n tyd van 11.05 sekondes afgeblits het. Dié rekord is sederdien in 2005 deur Chejane Mallane geëwenaar. Mallane het later in sy skoolloopbaan ook vir Grey se eerste rugbyspan uitgedraf.

Suid-Afrika se voormalige hekkiesloper, LJ van Zyl, behou steeds twee langhekkie-rekords sedert 2000 (o.15) en 2001 (o.16), terwyl nog ‘n nasionale atleet, Rynhardt Janse van Rensburg, se 800m-rekords vir seuns o.16 (1:58.82) en o.17 (1:56.00) steeds staan.

Indien jou rekord nog staan by jou skool se interhuis deel dit met ons via e-pos na hello@superschoolsnews.co.za. Enige skool se organiseerder wat dalk hul skool se lys van interhuis-rekords of ‘n staaltjie wil deel is ook meer as welkom om kontak te maak.  

After a jaw-dropping water polo season in 2023, the St Stithians College girls’ first team will be aiming to replicate their superb form when they kick off their 2024 campaign this weekend at the Brian Baker Tournament in Makhanda.

Saints won the tournament last year, after edging Durban Girls’ College 8-7 in the final.

The 13^th edition of the prestigious annual event will see 20 girls’ teams from all around the country battling it out for glory.

St Stithians, coached by former SA player, Etienne Le Roux, are the favourites and are keen to live up to that tag with an impressive early season showing.

The girls from Johannesburg have been drawn in one of the tougher groups, Pool D, where they will take on Herschel, St Mary’s Waverley, Collegiate, and East London’s Stirling High School.

It will also be a special weekend for Le Roux, and one to savour, as he begins to look towards a future in the Western Cape with Rondebosch Boys’ High from March.

In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools ahead of the tournament in Makhanda, the 36-year-old said despite his departure he is still fully committed to the team, and he will ensure they challenge for the honours in every competition they contest.

“A new year always brings new challenges, and we feel confident that we can challenge all opposition and be strong competitors in 2024,” he said.

“It will be tough to leave a programme that has taken years to develop and implement. But there are many other factors, both work and personal, which were considered for the decision to leave St Stithians.

“But for now, I’m just excited to see my team playing again, and pushing boundaries at every opportunity.”

Saints were superb in the pool last year, putting together an astonishing 65-game unbeaten run.

After claiming glory in Makhanda early in 2023, the side went on to win the National Aquatics, Reef Cup, St Anne’s National Tournament, and the Roedean Prestige Cup.

It will take some doing to stop Saints’ hunt for more glory, even though the team has lost the bulk of its players from last year’s all-conquering outfit. Le Roux said his side will bank on its mental strength, which has been a key to its past successes.

“I think our biggest attribute last year was our mental strength and never-give-up attitude,” he said.

“For many games, we were down in the beginning but then managed to fight back. We will look to have that same mental grit when we get there this weekend.

“We are well prepared after a good pre-season programme. I think the players are also in a very good space after a wonderful SA Schools Tournament in 2023.”

Before departing Saints, Le Roux will lead the side in four more tournaments – the National Aquatics, Roedean Prestige Cup, Old Petrians and Reef Cup – all of which they won last year.

Asked if he had any message for the school, Le Roux didn’t hesitate: “Saints will always be in my heart.

“The families, players, parents, and staff, I have worked with over the years are all truly amazing.

“I hope for nothing but success for them after I have gone,” he concluded.

St Stithians College fixtures at the Brian Baker tournament:

Thursday, 25 January @ Kingswood College:

15:00- St Stithians College vs St Mary’s Waverley

Friday, 26 January @ Kingswood College

11:00- St Stithians College vs Herschel
15:00- St Stithians College vs Collegiate
18:00- St Stithians College vs Stirling High School

St John’s College hosted Helpmekaar Kollege on Mitchell Field in the Johnny Waite competition on Tuesday. On the weekend, the teams had tied in a 50-over match, so the T20 showdown was, in a way, a tiebreaker.

It had taken a brave performance by St John’s to pull off the tie, with four players missing from their line-up. On Tuesday, they were still short of two of their regular bowlers. This time, though, it was a sub-standard batting performance which saw their unbeaten run of 14 matches brought to an end.

The home side won the toss and elected to send Helpmekaar out to bat first. Anrich Liebenberg immediately took the fight to the St John’s bowlers, cracking a six and a four in an eight-ball stay, which produced 13 runs, but he was bowled by Alec Loveland off the second last ball of the second over.

Kyle Swanepoel then played an anchor innings and Hannu Marais was the aggressor as Helpmekaar enjoyed a 54-run partnership for the second wicket, before Marais was sent packing in the tenth over by Cole Francis, having scored 33 from 24 balls, with three fours and a six.

Nine runs later, Swanepoel, who made 87 in Saturday’s tie, was out for 18.

Captain Henricus Meyer and Juan Minnaar then added 57 before the skipper was caught behind off the last ball of the innings by his counterpart, Joe MacRobert, off the bowling of Francis for 41. His runs had come off of 37 deliveries and included two fours and a six. Minnaar finished unbeaten on 19 from 21.

Francis led the St John’s attack with a return of 2/22 from his four overs, while Loveland claimed 2/25.

The hosts need to bat at 6.9 runs per over to win, but they made a poor start, with Nkosana Sibiya out in the first over.

Macrobert, batting at three, smashed three fours, before he fell for 17 from 10 balls, and one run later, with the total on 21, opening batsman James Yuill was also out.

Darshik Lutchman didn’t add to the total, either, as St John’s stumbled to 21/4, with Juan Minnaar ripping the heart out of their top order by capturing all four wickets. He went on to finish with a match-winning return of 4/10 from his four overs.

Alec Loveland was the next to depart, also on 21, but this time it was Dihan Janse van Rensburg who claimed the wicket.

Jacob Smith, a man for a crisis, stopped the procession of arrivals and departures, but he was out before 50 had been brought up, having contributed 21 from 20, with three fours and one maximum.

Thomas Ievers and Malan du Plessis, who was run out without scoring, followed as St John’s slipped from 44/5 to 46/8.

Cole Francis decided attack was the best form of defence and struck some lusty blows. At the other end, Oliver Tait hung around for a while, but he was the ninth man out with the total on 67.

Good striking by Francis boosted St John’s to 94, but he was then the last wicket to fall, out for 39 from 25 deliveries, after sending three balls over the boundary and three deliveries to the boundary.

Minnaar’s excellence was backed up by Anrich Liebenberg’s 2/27 from four, and a wicket each for Henno Steyn, Dihan Janse van Rensburg and Henricus Meyer as Helpmekaar scored a decisive win by 43 runs.

Their next Johnny Waite outing will be against Parktown Boys’ High on 31 January, while St John’s will face St Stithians.

Summarised scores

Helpmekaar Kollege 137/4 (Henricus Meyer 41, Hannu Marais 33, Cole Francis 2/22, Alec Loveland 2/25); St John’s College 94/10 (Cole Francis 39, Jacob Smith 21, Juan Minnaar 4/10, Dihan Janse van Rensburg 2/27) Helpmekaar won by 43 runs.

A hattrick of goals by Ross Stewart and a brace from Tim Young steered Bishops Diocesan College to an emphatic 11-5 victory over SACS in round one of the 2024 SACS Night Series in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The annual series, which is played over six rounds, culminating in the final late next month, began in a most unforeseen manner in front of a lively crowd, buzzing with enthusiasm.

Heading into the match, Bishops had, in recent times, fallen short against SACS on numerous occasions, including in the pre-season matches the two had contested.

It appeared to be a case of déjà vu for Jabulani Sibiya’s side as they went behind early in the encounter and trailed 1-4 at the halfway mark, with SACS scoring their goals through Zack Cicero, Connor Melling-Williams, and a brace from Nicholas Fall.

The visitors were, however, kept in the game by the superb efforts of their shot-stopper, Jordan De Sousa.

With his charges trailing at the break, Sibiya’s team talk must’ve been one for the books as his side came out looking like a totally different unit.

The visitors first clawed their way back to make it 4-4, courtesy of goals by James Malan, Matt Fenn, and the skipper Stewart.

From there, there was no stopping them as they turned attack into the best form of defence and countered on every opportunity that arose.

Bryn Parry, Cameron Moon, Tim Young, Milo Letschert, and Owen Cross all got in on the goalscoring action in the third and fourth chukkas.

During that time, Bishops netted 10 times and conceded only once, powering their way to an emphatic victory, which sent shockwaves across the Western Province school scene and beyond.

“We’re so excited to start on a high for the season. What we saw on the scoreboard was backed by preparation,” Bishops’ head coach Jabulani Sibiya told SuperSport Schools after the match.

“We started very early in the pre-season, and we’ve been working really hard. We had a couple of practice games, where we’ve lost against them, so I think we did extremely well to come out and start the season on a high.

“SACS is a very competitive side, one of the top sides in the country, after last year’s rankings, so we really are excited to start the season by beating them convincingly.”

Other matches

In another first round encounter, Rondebosch Boys’ High also made a winning start, downing a motivated Reddam House Constantia side 14-6.

The Rondebosch boys did it in style, with Luke Burger, and Noah Reiback scoring hat-tricks.

Meanwhile, Paul Roos were dominant in their clash against Wynberg in the final match of the day.

Arkin Marais, Milan van der Westhuizen, Thomas Cruickshank, Adam October, and Nicolaas van der Westhuizen were all on the scoresheet as their team recorded an 11-6 win to get their campaign up and running.

Scorers from SACS vs Bishops

SACS (5):  Zack Cicero, Connor-Melling Williams (x2), Nicholas Fall (x2). Bishops (11): Ross Stewart (x3), James Malan, Matt Fenn, Bryn Parry, Cameron Moon, Tim Young (x2), Milo Letschert, Owen Cross.

Round 2 fixtures

31 January:

17:00- Reddam House vs Wynberg
18:00- SACS vs Rondebosch Boys High
19:00- Paul Roos vs Bishops

On Tuesday, in Potchefstroom, rain and the threat of lightning brought a premature end to the ICC u19 Cricket World Cup clash between South Africa and England, with England in charge on 137/2, chasing 231 for victory.

A confident partnership of 92 between English captain Ben McKinney and Noah Thain, who was unbeaten on 63, had the English, pursuing the host’s 230 all out, in the driver’s seat when the contest was called off.

South Africa’s woes started early on after England elected to field first and unleashed their deep spin attack against the local batsmen.

The home team started positively, however, with Steve Stolk (64) and Lhuan-dré Pretorius (25) scoring at exactly a run a ball to take South Africa to 60 without loss after the first 10 overs.

Stolk was in fine form, smashing the initial English attack for 64 runs from 55 deliveries before a brilliant piece of fielding by the England ‘keeper, Jack Carney, sent the dangerman back to the sheds.

Showing great awareness and quick reactions, Carney flicked off a glove while chasing the ball and turned quickly to fire it in and catch Stolk short of the crease with a direct hit on the wickets.

Tazeem Chaudry Ali, who missed out on England’s opener against Scotland, made his debut against the South Africans, and it took him only two overs to make his mark. He first trapped Oliver Whitehead in front without scoring and he then bowled Romashan Pillay with the very next ball.

Dewan Marais injected some direction into the South African batting effort, smashing 42 from 39 deliveries, which included five fours and a six, while Richard Seletswane lent him good support, selecting his shots well in a 53-ball stay that brought him 33 runs.

Together, they added 55 for the sixth wicket before Eddie Jack bowled Seletswane to reinvigorate the English attack.

Nqobani Mokoena, who replaced Riley Norton in the South African squad, played well alongside Kwena Maphaka to see South Africa into the 50th over. They added a much needed 19 runs, which pushed the home side’s total to 230 before the innings was brought to a stop four balls before its scheduled end by Jaydn Denly.

Tristan Luus, who had been brought into the SA squad as a late replacement for Esosa Aihevba, struck early to send Denly packing, but McKinney and Thain then built a solid partnership to frustrate the hosts for the opening 20 overs.

McKinney had scored 88 runs in England’s previous game to see his side to victory over Scotland.

Pillay, who was visibly disappointed after losing his wicket to the first delivery he faced, made up for that with his bowling and provided the breakthrough for South Africa.

A brilliant leg-cutter sent the English captain’s wickets flying, leaving him two runs short of another half-century.

Thain, however, remained unrelenting for the visitors, with his unbeaten 63 from 82 balls, which included eight fours, shrinking the gap to the South African total.

After the poor weather forced the players from the field, the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method was employed to determine that England had won by 36 runs. Eddie Jack was selected as the man of the match for his return of 3/28 from 10 overs. South Africa, though, will feel aggrieved that they weren’t afforded a complete chance to defend their score.

If England wins their next match against the West Indies on 26 January, they will finish top of Group B ahead of the Super Six stage of the competition.

South Africa face Scotland on 27 January in their final group match, where they will hope to return to winning ways.

Earlier in the week, Zacheo van Vuuren followed in his father’s footsteps by beginning his World Cup campaign on the same ground in Kimberley where his dad, Rudie van Vuuren, made his debut for Namibia against Pakistan at the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.

That same year, Rudie van Vuuren became the first person to represent Namibia at a World Cup in both rugby and cricket, and he remains the only person in history to achieve the feat of playing in those two World Cups in the same year. Van Vuuren also became the first Namibian to claim a five-for at the World Cup, which he achieved against England at St George’s Park.

Zacheo led the charge for the Namibian u19s against Australia, alongside his captain, Waterkloof’s Alexander Bursing-Volschenk.

Defending a modest total, South Africa’s western neighbours did well to make heavy inroads into the Australian batting lineup, but a solid contribution from the Aussie captain, Hugh Weibgen (39), took the team from Down Under to victory.

The two South Africans in the Ireland u19 team were at the forefront of their batting effort against Bangladesh.

Rondebosch Boys’ High’s Jordan Neill opened and laid a solid foundation with 31 runs, then King Edward VII’s Kian Hilton stormed to 90 runs from 113 balls, striking 11 fours and a six.

The Irish were, however, let down by their bowlers and Mohammad Shihab James and Ahrar Amin, with an unbroken stand of 111, were able to drive Bangladesh over the line for a statement victory.

Ewald Schreuder claimed two wickets for New Zealand to help slow a thrilling run chase by Nepal in their first outing.

Schreuder also attended Waterkloof, along with the Namibian captain Bursing-Volschenk and South Africa’s Tristan Luus.

Hamilton Boys’ High’s Snehith Reddy scored a massive 146 not out, which proved decisive as the young Black Caps opened their campaign with a win against the team from the Himalayas.

Reddy and his family moved from Vijayawada, in India, to New Zealand in 2007. At Hamilton, he built a solid reputation after earning a place in the prestigious school’s first team from a young age. He is a player to watch at this year’s tournament.

Schreuder picked up two more wickets in the Kiwis’ second game against Afghanistan on Tuesday, but the star of the show was the seamer Matt Rowe, who snapped up 5/21. Rowe’s cousin, Hannah Rowe, plays for the New Zealand Women’s team.

With Reddy not in their squad for their second match, the New Zealand batting line-up crumbled.

At 82/8, it was left to Rowe and Schreuder to take charge. Schreuder showed his intent by opening his account with a boundary. He got his side to within a single run of the Afghan total before he went out to a Mankad.

Rowe finally scored the winning runs, but he would not have expected that to be necessary after his excellent bowling performance.

In the end, there was only a single wicket in it as New Zealand recorded their second win on the trot.

The Kiwis’ best performance in the u19 World Cup thus far was in the inaugural tournament, in 1988, when they lost to the Aussies in the final.

Summarised scorecards

23 January

South Africa u19 230/10 (Steve Stolk 64, Dewan Marais 42, Richard Seletswane 33, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 25; Tazeem Chaudry Ali 3/26, Eddie Jack 3/28, Jaydn Denly 3/37); England u19 137/2 (Noah Thain 63*, Ben McKinney 48; Romashan Pillay 1/19, Tristan Luus 1/19) England won by 36 runs (DLS Method).

Afghanistan u19 91 (Extras 25, Jamshid Zadran 22; Matt Rowe 5/21, Ewald Schreuder 2/15, Ryan Tsourgas 2/33); New Zealand u19 92/9 (Oscar Jackson 26, Extras 24; Allah Mohammed Ghanzanfar 3/29, Arab Gul 2/12, Khalil Ahmed 2/16). New Zealand u19 won by one wicket.

22 January

Namibia u19 91 (Zacheo van Vuuren 29, Alexander Bursing-Volschenk 21; Callum Vidler 4/17, Tom Straker 3/16, Mahli Beardman 2/15); Australia u19 95/6 (Hugh Weibgen 39; Jack Brassel 3/28, Hanro Badenhorst 2/29). Australia won by four wickets.

Ireland u19 235/8 (Kian Hilton 90, Jordan Neill 31, Extras 29, Scott MacBeth 27, John McNally 23; Maruf Mridha 2/45, Sheikh Paevez Jibon 2/54); Bangladesh u19 239/4 (Mohammad Shihab James 55*, Ahrar Amin 45*, Ashiqur Rahman Shibli 44, Adil Bin Siddik 36, Extras 25, Chowdhur Md Rizwan 21; Scott MacBeth 2/41). Bangladesh u19 won by six wickets.

21 January

New Zealand u19 302/8 (Snehith Reddy 146*, Oscar Jackson 75, Tom Jones 33; Subash Bhandari 3/60, Gulsan Jha 2/61); Nepal u19 238/9 (Arjun Kumal 90, Dev Khanal 36, Subash Bhandari 33*, Extras 29; Mason Clarke 3/25, Oscar Jackson 2/25, Ewald Schreuder 2/54). New Zealand u19 won by 64 runs.

Sri Lanka u19 204 (Dinura Kalupahana 60, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 41, Rusanda Gamage 31, Ravishan de Silva 31; Kohl Eksteen 3/40, Matthew Schonken 2/36, Newman Nyamhuri 2/50); Zimbabwe u19 89 (Matthew Schonken 27; Malsha Tharupathi 4/17, Ruvishan Perera 2/2, Vishwa Lahiru 2/12). Sri Lanka u19 won by 39 runs (DLS Method).

20 January

India u19 251/7 (Adarsh Singh 76, Uday Saharan 64, Sachin Dhas 26*, Aravelly Avanish 23, Priyanshu Moliya 23, Extras 23; Maruf Mridha 5/43); Bangladesh u19 167 (Mohammad Shihab James 54, Ariful Islam 41; Saumy Pandey 4/24, Musheer Khan 2/35). India u19 won by 84 runs.

Scotland u19 174 (Owen Gould 48, Jamie Dunk 40, Extras 26; Farhan Ahmed 3/22, Luc Benkenstein 3/41); England u19 178/3 (Ben McKinney 88, Jaydn Denly 40, Noah Thain 22; Ibrahim Faisal 2/30). England u19 won by seven wickets.

Pakistan u19 284/9 (Shahzaib Khan 106, Saad Baig 55, Riaz Ullah 46, Ubaid Shah 22; Khalil Ahmed 4/51, Bashir Ahmad 2/52); Afghanistan u19 103 (Numan Shah 26, Sohail Khan Zurmati 20, Rahimullah Zurmati 20; Ubaid Shah 4/26, Mohammad Zeeshan 3/17). Pakistan u19 won by 181 runs.

The 2024 water polo season raises the stakes during the second week of the school year with one of its premier events, the SAC Shield, getting underway on Thursday at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda.

The tournament kicks off with a north vs south clash between St Stithians College and Bishops Diocesan College, while the hosts are set to take on St John’s College in the third match of the day.

Out of the 13 schools in attendance, last year’s winners, Paul Roos Gymnasium are among the favourites and will be eager to go back-to-back, and in the process launch a season that holds great promise for the Stellenbosch side.

They’re drawn in Pool B, where they will take on Westville, Michaelhouse, Rondebosch, St John’s College, and the hosts.

Speaking exclusively to SuperSport Schools ahead of the tournament, head coach Vaughn Marlow said he was pleased with his side’s preparation and the team is eager to get the ball rolling.

“The squad has worked hard in the build-up to the start of the season,” he said.

“We are fortunate in that a good core of last year’s team is returning this year, so we are feeling good and prepared for the season to come.

“From a coaching perspective, I’m very happy with the pre-season. We had a good training camp before school and have been able to play a lot of preparation games. The goal is consistent improvement and that is what we will aim to do.”

Last year, the Western Cape side enjoyed a very good year, even though they lost in two finals against SACS at the Clifton and SACS Water Polo tournaments later in the season.

They did, however, get one over their provincial rivals earlier in the year when they claimed the silverware in the Western Province League.

PRG are aiming to improve their performances in high-pressure moments, and Marlow’s side will also want to stop playing second fiddle to SACS. However, the coach feels that competition will be tighter this season.

“Nothing motivates good teams like losing. I think SACS and PRG had good sides last year,” he said.

“We beat them in the final of the Western Province league to end the first term and then they got the better of us in the second half of the year. I think this year we should be fairly evenly matched again, along with Rondebosch, Bishops, St John’s, St Stithians, Hilton, Clifton, and others.

“I think against those top eight to 10 schools it could go either way, so motivation is high, and the boys are determined.”

That determination will be tested in Makhanda where the team will aim to emulate the 2023 outfit by putting together a successful defence of the title that they won by beating Rondebosch Boys’ High in the final a year ago.

Paul Roos plays five matches over the first two days of the tournament, so squad depth, stamina, and their resilience will be tested.

“The format around SAC Shield is unforgiving,” Marlow said.

“Long games, long course polo, and arguably the strongest line-up of any tournament in the country, means that, generally speaking, the better team wins on the day.

“There is no substitute for conditioning and hard work at this tournament, and without that, it’s very difficult to succeed.”

PRG’s goal for the season is to “play to their potential and work hard”. The SAC Shield presents them with an ideal opportunity to implement that goal.

Paul Roos Pool B fixtures at the SAC Shield 2024

Day 1, Thursday, 25 January @ St Andrew’s College

07:45 – (2) Paul Roos vs Westville
11:30 – (7) Paul Roos vs St Andrew’s College
15:15 – (12) Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse

Day 2, Friday, 26 January @ St Andrew’s College

07:00 – (19) Paul Roos vs St John’s College
13:00 – (27) Paul Roos vs Rondebosch Boys’ High

 

The 13^th edition of the annual Brian Baker tournament takes place this weekend in Makhanda where 20 of the country’s best girls’ water polo teams will battle for early season supremacy.

The tournament, hosted by Kingswood College, commences on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Sunday at 12:00.

The early season showdown offers an opportunity for some schools to improve on their performances from last year’s tournament, while the established top teams will be aiming to assert their dominance for yet another year.

The hosts, Kingswood College, finished in fourth place last year after reaching the semi-finals, where they were fell 2-6 to Durban Girls College. They were subsequently beaten by Herschel in the third and fourth place play-off.

The defending champions are the Gauteng powerhouse, St Stithians College, who are coming off a spectacular season in which they went unbeaten and won 65 games. Saints are in group D alongside Herschel, St Mary’s Waverley, Collegiate, and East London dark horses, Stirling High School.

The 2024 campaign will also be a last hurrah for Saints’ coach, Etienne Le Roux, who departs Johannesburg for the Western Cape in March. He’ll be taking up a post at Rondebosch Boys’ High.

Stellenbosch’s Rhenish High School will face Roedean, Diocesan Schools for Girls (DSG), Pearson High and Hudson Park.

All eyes will be on pool B, where the home side will be in action. They’ll open their challenge against another Eastern Cape side, Woodridge College, before testing themselves against Reddam House Constantia, St Anne’s Diocesan School, and Crawford College (Lonehill).

Former South African player, Hannah Muller’s Clarendon Girls feature in Pool C in Makhanda. They enjoyed a good season in 2023, which included a win in their Stayers tournament.

Muller will also aim to make use of her experience coaching Buffalo City at last year’s Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament, where she would have gained insight into many of the players who will be playing in Makhanda.

Clarendon’s expectations will be high as they go up against tough opposition from St Dominic’s, Durban Girls College, Reddam House Bedfordview, and Alexander Road High School.

With such a high-quality field, there are sure to be plenty of tightly contested clashes to thrill the spectators throughout the weekend.

The clash between St Stithians College and St Mary’s Waverley, which happens on the opening day, certainly promises a stirring showdown.

On day two, an Eastern Cape derby between Hudson Park and Pearson High School will get the ball rolling ahead of the playoffs, which begin on Saturday.

Groups

Pool A: Roedean, Diocesan School for Girls, Pearson High School, Rhenish, Hudson Park.
Pool B: Reddam House Constantia, Kingswood College, St Anne’s, Crawford, Woodridge College.
Pool C: Clarendon School for Girls, St Dominic’s, Durban Girls’ College, Reddam House Bedfordview, Alex Road.
Pool D: Herschel, St Stithians College, St Mary’s Waverley, Collegiate, Stirling High School.

Fixtures

Thursday, 25 January

Pool 1

13:00 – Kingswood College vs Woodridge; 14:00 – Clarendon vs Alex Road; 15:00 – St Dominic’s vs Durban Girls’ College; 16:00 – Reddam House Constantia vs Crawford; 17:00 – Kingswood College vs St Anne’s; 18:00 – Reddam House Bedfordview vs Clarendon.

Pool 2

13:00 – Diocesan School for Girls vs Hudson Park; 14:00 – Collegiate vs Stirling High School; 15:00 – St Stithians College vs St Mary’s Waverley; 16:00 – Pearson High School vs Rhenish; 17:00 – Diocesan School for Girls vs Roedean School; 18:00 – Herschel vs Collegiate.

Friday 26 January

Pool 1

07:00 – Stirling High School vs St Mary’s Waverley; 08:00 – Roedean School vs Rhenish;  09:00 – Hudson Park vs Pearson High School; 10:00 – Collegiate vs St Mary’s Waverley;  11:00 – Herschel vs St Stithians College; 12:00 – Kingswood College vs Crawford; 13:00 – Roedean School vs Hudson Park; 14:00 –Stirling High School vs Herschel; 15:00 – St Stithians vs Collegiate; 16:00 – Hudson Park vs Rhenish; 17:00 – Kingswood College vs Reddam House Constantia;  18:00 – St Stithians College vs Stirling High School; 19:00 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Herschel; 20:00 – Pearson High School vs Roedean School.

Pool 2

07:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Alex Road; 08:00 – Reddam House Constantia vs Woodridge College; 09:00 – St Anne’s vs Crawford; 10:00 – Clarendon vs St Dominic’s  11:00 – Reddam House Bedfordview vs Alex Road; 12:00 – Rhenish vs Diocesan School for Girls; 13:00 – Reddam House Constantia vs St Anne’s; 14:00 – Durban Girls’ College vs Reddam House Bedfordview; 15:00 – St Dominic’s vs Alex Road; 16:00 – St Anne’s vs Woodridge; 17:00 – Diocesan School for Girls vs Pearson High School; 18:00 – Clarendon vs Durban Girls’ College; 19:00 – St Dominic’s vs Reddam House Bedfordview; 20:00 – Crawford vs Woodridge.

Saturday 27 January

Pool 1

07:00 – Pool A 2^nd vs Pool B 3^rd; 08:00 – Pool B 2^nd vs Pool A 3^rd ;09:00 – Pool C 3^rd vs Pool D 2^nd ; 10:00 – Pool D 3^rd vs Pool C 2^nd; 11:30 – Loser 41 vs Loser 43; 12:30 – Loser 42 vs Loser 44; 14:00 – Pool A 1^st vs Winner 44; 15:00 – Pool B 1^st vs Winer 43; 16:00 – Pool C 1^st vs Winner 42; 17:00 – Pool D 1^st vs Winner 41; 18:30 – Loser 47 vs Loser 49; 19:30 –Loser 48 vs Loser 50.

Pool 2

07:00 – Pool A 4^th vs Pool B 5^th; 08:00 – Pool B 4^th vs Pool A 5^th; 09:00 – Pool C 4^th vs Pool D 5^th; 10:00 – Pool D 4^th vs Pool C 5^th; 11:30 –Loser 53 vs Loser 56; 12:30 – Loser 54 vs Loser 55; 14:00 –Winner 53 vs Winner 56; 15:00 – Winner 54 vs Winner 55; 17:00 – Loser 57 vs Loser 58; 18:00 – Winner 57 vs Winner 58.

Sunday 28 January

Pool 1

07:00 – Winner 47 vs Winner 50; 08:00 – Winner 48 vs Winner 49; 09:00 – Loser 51 vs Loser 52; 10:00 – Winner 51 vs Winner 52; 11:00 – Loser 63 vs Loser 64; 12:00 – Winner 63 vs Winner 64. 

13:00 – Prize Giving

Pool 2

07:00- Loser 59 vs Loser 60; 08:00 – Winner 59 vs Winner 60; 09:00 –Loser 45 vs Loser 46; 10:00 – Winner 45 vs Winner 46.

The 2024 summer sports season is about to shift into top gear with two prestigious water polo tournaments taking place in Makhanda this coming weekend.

On the boys’ side of things, the action will come thick and fast on SuperSport Schools from the annual SAC Shield, hosted by St Andrew’s College. Nearby, Kingswood College hosts top girls’ teams from across the country in the Brian Baker Tournament.

The SAC Shield will see 13 of the best assemble in the small Eastern Cape town, with the first drop of the ball happening bright and early at 07:00 on Thursday. The final, to be played at 12:20 on Sunday, will bring the event to a close.

The four-day festival will present teams with an opportunity to sharpen their skills in double-quick time ahead of a busy schedule over the next two months. Chemistry, cohesion and squad depth will all be to the fore.

Last year’s winners, Paul Roos Gymnasium are drawn in Pool B, and will face St Andrew’s College, St John’s College, Westville Boys’ High, Michaelhouse, and their provincial neighbours, Rondebosch Boys’ High.

Coach Vaughn Marlow’s team already has a number of games under its belt after hosting a pre-season festival this past weekend.

The Stellenbosch side will be take that pre-season experience into the event, where they’ll be seeking to overturn their misfortune of losing to SACS in the final of two big tournaments late last year.

Pool A includes St Stithians College and Selborne College, who will use the congested tournament format to help fast-track their preparations for the Vides tournament, which takes place in East London next month.

Grey High is in the mix, too, along with the Cape powers, SACS and Bishops. Under the guidance of coach Devon Card, SACS were, undoubtedly, South Africa’s best last year.

Jabulani Sibiya’s Bishops team has previously enjoyed success in the SAC Shield, lifting the title in 2020 and 2022. They’re first into the water on Thursday against St Stithians. Then, at 13:00, they’re set for a southern suburbs’ showdown against SACS.

In Pool A, KwaZulu-Natal is represented by Clifton College, and Hilton College.

Clifton, Hilton, and Westville will feel they underperformed in last year’s SAC Shield, and their better results later in the year certainly suggest that was the case. They’ll be out to improve on their fourth, fifth, and seventh places from 2023.

Day one also includes an interesting clash between Clifton and Hilton, who were ranked one and two in KZN last year. Clifton produced five KZN u19A players and Hilton had four.

The hosts, St Andrew’s face a tough opener on Thursday at 09:15 when they go up against St John’s College. The boys from Houghton had three South African Schools players in their ranks in 2023.

On Thursday only, three games, which take place in the evening, will be played at DSG.

Early season optimism will abound as the teams in the 12-strong field set out to make a statement about their place in the pecking order of South African schoolboys’ water polo in 2024.

The hosts, St Andrew’s, would dearly love to repeat their win of 2021, while SACS, after their dominant 2023, which didn’t include a SAC Shield title, will be keen to add that one to their list of achievements.

Previous winners

2023 – Paul Roos
2022 – Bishops
2021 – St Andrew’s College
2020 – Bishops
2019 – SACS

Groups

Pool A: Clifton College, SACS, Grey High, Bishops Diocesan College, Selborne College, St Stithians College, Hilton College
Pool B: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Westville Boys’ High, Michaelhouse, Rondebosch Boys’ High, St John’s College, St Andrew’s College

Day 1, Thursday, 25 January, @ St Andrew’s College

07:00 – (1) St Stithians vs Bishops; 07:45 – (2) Paul Roos vs Westville; 08:30 – (3) Michaelhouse vs Rondebosch; 09:15 – (4) St John’s vs St Andrew’s; 10:00 – (5) SACS vs Selborne; 10:45 – (6) St Stithians vs Grey High; 11:30 – (7) St Andrew’s vs Paul Roos; 12:15 – (8) Rondebosch vs St John’s; (9) 13:00 – Bishops vs SACS; 13:45 – (10) Grey High vs Selborne; 14:30 – (11) Hilton vs Clifton; 15:15 – (12) Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse; 16:00 – (13) St John’s vs Westville; 16:45 – (14) SACS vs Hilton; 17:30 – (15) Clifton vs Grey High.

Day 1, Thursday, 25 January, @ DSG

19:00 – (16) St Andrew’s vs Michaelhouse; 19:45 – (17) Rondebosch vs Westville; 20:30 – (18) Hilton vs Grey High

Day 2, Friday, 26 January, @ St Andrew’s College

07:00 – (19) St John’s vs Paul Roos; 07:45 – (20) Hilton vs St Stithians; 08:30 – (21) Selborne vs Clifton; 09:15 – (22) St Andrew’s vs Rondebosch; 10:00 – (23) Grey High vs SACS; 10:45 – (24) Bishops vs Selborne; 11:30; (25) St Stithians vs Clifton; 12:15 – (26) Westville vs Michaelhouse; 13:00 – (27) Rondebosch vs Paul Roos; 13:45 – (28) Selborne vs Hilton; 14:30 – (29) Clifton vs Bishops; 15:15 – (30) SACS vs St Stithians; 16:00 – (31) Westville vs St Andrew’s; 16:45 – (32) Michaelhouse vs St John’s; 17:30 – (33) Bishops vs Hilton

Day 3, Saturday, 27 January, @ St Andrew’s College

07:00 – (34) Clifton vs SACS; 07:45 – (35) Grey High vs Bishops; 08:30 – (36) Selborne vs St Stithians; 09:15 – (37) 7th Pool A vs 6th Pool B (qualifier); 10:00 – (38) 1st Pool A vs 4th Pool B (quarterfinal 1); 10:50 – (39) 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B (2nd quarterfinal); 11:40 – (40) 3rd Pool A vs 2nd Pool B (3rd quarterfinal); 12:30 – (41) 4th Pool A vs 1st Pool B (quarterfinal 4); 13:20 – (42) 5th Pool A vs Winner 37 (Plate semi-final); 14:10 – (43) 6th Pool A vs 5th Pool B (Plate semi-final); 15:00 – (44) Loser 38 vs Loser 40 (5th-8th); 15:50 – (45) Loser 30 vs Loser 41 (5th-8th); 16:40 – (46) Winner 38 vs Winner 40 (Semi-final 1); 17:30 – (47) Winner 39 vs Winner 41 (Semi-final 2)

Day 4, Sunday, 28 January, @ St Andrew’s College

08:00 – (48) Loser 42 vs Loser 43 (11th/12th); 08:50 – (49) Winner 42 vs Winner 43 (9th/10th); 09:40 – (50) Loser 44 vs Loser 45 (7th/8th); 10:30 – (51) Winner 44 vs Winner 45 (5th/6th); 11:20 – (52) Loser 46 vs Loser 47 (3rd/4th); 12:10 – Finalists line up; 12:20 – (53) Winner 46 vs Winner 47 (1st/2nd)

The 2024 basketball season fired into action on the weekend with Maritzburg College welcoming Westville Boys’ High to the Alan Paton Memorial Hall and Multi-Purpose Centre for a showdown between two talented teams in a traditional season-opener.

College played host to a massive 20 games as the rivals battled for bragging rights.

The home team had ended 2023 in fine form, and they were keen to extend their impressive run against a nuggetty Westville line-up.

Westville, though, had other ideas and hit the ground running, taking the game to the home side. After the first quarter, they had opened up a narrow 14-11 advantage.

The Griffin played efficient ball and showed excellent touch around the rim. College, though, were heating up and their athleticism, speed and superb ball skills were soon on show.

College playmaker Masinga then took control of the contest, which led to the red, black and white surging ahead of the visitors.

With the crowd fully behind them, College fed off the energy of the vocal support. A couple of slam dunks and a last-second basket took the Pietermaritzburg side to a 75-56 win and laid down a solid marker for the season.

The first team win was one of 16 for College. Westville mustered only four victories, but their u16 team, which was the class of KZN in 2023, continued their winning ways, outplaying College 48-26.

Meanwhile, Northwood School showed off their offensive capabilities in reaching triple figures as they swamped Hilton College 102-63. The Knights captured the Kearsney Invitational Basketball Tournament title in 2023 and they’re a well-coached outfit with some standout players, which will make them a tough out this year.

Speaking of Kearsney College, they recorded a 50-33 win over Glenwood at the SportZone on Saturday. The visitors from the south of Durban came out of the blocks fast and set Kearsney on their heels, but the Botha’s Hill boys slowly began to turn the screws and by half-time they were one point in front.

In the second half, they opened the taps and ran away to a convincing 17-point win.

At the Riverside Sports Club, Clifton College and Michaelhouse went toe-to-toe, with Clifton starting off strongly, but Michaelhouse fighting back to level matters at 16-16 at the break.

A scoring spurt took ‘House eight points clear at 30-22 in the third quarter, but Clifton, with some good defence, created a number of simple scoring opportunities and worked their way back to 31-31.

The team were all square at 33-33 when Michaelhouse went on a 9-0 run to give themselves some breathing room. Clifton, though, roared right back at them and pulled to within five points, but that was as close as they got, with Michaelhouse earning a battling 45-40 victory.

St Charles College, renowned for their basketball prowess, made a winning start to their season, holding off a robust challenge from Durban High School to win 62-52.

Scores

Maritzburg College 75-56 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 63-102 Northwood School
Kearsney College 50-33 Glenwood
Clifton College 40-45 Michaelhouse
St Charles College 62-52 Durban High School

The annual SACS Night Series makes its return this week when six of the best water polo-playing schools in the Cape lock horns at the SACS main pool on Wednesday night.

The series, featuring the hosts, Paul Roos Gymnasium, Wynberg Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Reddam House Constantia, and Bishops Diocesan College will be played over six rounds.

The group stages stretch to 23 February, with the semi-finals and finals following four days later on 27 February.

Wednesday’s evening’s action begins with the hosts taking on Bishops at 17:00, before Rondebosch Boys’ High tackles Reddam. Wynberg close off day one’s proceedings against a dangerous Paul Roos side.

The matches will also help SACS, Bishops, Rondebosch and Paul Roos prepare for the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield, which gets underway in Makhanda on Thursday.

Last year’s night series was all about the home side as they bossed proceedings and recorded a 100 percent win rate in the group stages.

Coach Devon Card‘s team then breezed past Bishops, defeating them 14-6 in the semi-finals, before scrapping their way to an impressive 10-6 win against their old foes, Paul Roos, in the final.

SACS will be aiming to continue in the same vein as last year’s team, which was ranked number one in South Africa. But the competition in the Cape, as always, will be stiff.

Reddam House Constantia will be hurting after finishing last in 2023, while Wynberg, Rondebosch, and Bishops will be keen to take a step forward and challenge SACS and Paul Roos for top honours.

With Reddam keen to make a splash, their first-round match against ‘Bosch will be one to watch as the Constantia school aims to upset the apple cart.

Bishops will also be aiming to rattle the status quo when they tackle Paul Roos in round two. There’ll be an eagerly awaited showdown in round three, when SACS battle Paul Roos, while Bishops and Wynberg will go head-to-head in a southern suburbs’ clash in the last round before the playoffs.

All the action will be live on SuperSport Schools.

Fixtures

23 January

17:00- SACS vs Bishops
18:00- Rondebosch Boys vs Reddam House
19:00- Paul Roos vs Wynberg

31 January

17:00- Reddam House vs Wynberg
18:00- SACS vs Rondebosch Boys High
19:00- Paul Roos vs Bishops

7 February

17:00- Rondebosch Boys vs Wynberg
18:00- Bishops vs Reddam House
19:00- Paul Roos vs SACS

14 February

17:00- SACS vs Wynberg
18:00- Rondebosch vs Bishops
19:00- Reddam House vs Paul Roos

21 February

17:00- Bishops vs Wynberg
18:00- SACS vs Reddam House
19:00- Rondebosch vs Paul Roos

27 February

17:00- SF 1
18:00- SF 2
19:00- 5th/6th playoff
20:00- Final