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The 55th instalment of the Cape Schools Cricket Festival is in full swing after a bit of rain delayed the start for most teams on Saturday.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

Somerset College and Outeniqua were the only teams who played their first fixture on Saturday as the local boys kept building on their pre-season momentum, beating the Kwaggas with seven wickets to spare.

The boys from George opened the batting. Despite Stefan May doing well to protect his wicket and get to 80, Selborne College’s Thando Prusent wreaked havoc among his teammates, taking three wickets for only 23 runs and helping his team keep the visitors to a 173/6 in the reduced 35 overs.

An unbeaten 57 from Nicholas Rieth helped Somerset College to their first victory of the festival.

The boys from Somerset West backed up this performance with another big win on Sunday against Dale College.

Prusent was on fire, scoring 118 before declaring, with his team at a comfortable 283/5.

Callum Hughes scored 53 runs as he and Prusent added 127 since the last wicket fell before they decided to send the Dale boys out to bat.

Exceptional bowling by Thomas Parsons (4/21) and Christopher Varie (3/10) forced the follow on and Dion Claassens (2/4) and Hughes (2/5) tied up the loose ends in Dale College’s second innings to secure a massive victory by 182 runs.

This year’s Cape Schools Festival hosts, Paul Roos Gimnasium, had to slug it out with St Andrews from Bloemfontein to get their campaign started with a victory.

Riley Norton was the top scorer for the home team with 23 runs, but despite only setting up a total of 113, the Paul Roos bowling attack managed to dismiss the visitors for 90, leaving them exactly 23 runs short.

Norton has been the point of difference for his school more than once in the past and is just as influential on the rugby field for the boys in maroon.

He was selected for the SA Schools team this year after his performance for WP at the Craven Week and is in with a shot at also representing SA at the u19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka next year.

It was definitely a day for the bowlers though with St Andrews’ JC Young dismissing five Paul Roos batsmen for only 17 runs and Joshua Zietsman replying for the hosts with four wickets for 28.

Rondebosch Boys’ High are still looking like one of the most complete teams in the country this year.

After Pearson had been building some momentum with their pre-season success, their run came to an end against the Rondebosch boys.

Rondebosch scored 257/8 and despite a five-wicket haul for Pearson’s stalwart Esa Gangat, an unbeaten 50 by Raeeq Daniels and a solid 45 by Jordan Neill helped the hosts to a comfortable total.

Declan Gillespie and Daniels then unleashed on the Pearson batsmen, dismissing five for a combined total of only 28 runs to help seal the victory early, dismissing the visitors for 74 for a 183-run victory.

Wynberg Boys High scraped by against the visiting Grey High from Gqeberha by nine runs in one of the most exciting games of the day.

Benni Hansen raced to 120 before Wynberg declared at 297/7.

Divan Linde also contributed 67 with the bat and the locals looked well set up for a comfortable win.

Grey High got to 107/5 thanks to 50 by Corby van Heerden and  44 by Jean Upman, but it was the 73 off 37 balls by their seventh batsman, Dylan Garrod, that really put the Wynberg boys under pressure.

Garrod smashed five sixes and seven fours to help his team back into the game.

In the end, Wynberg Boys’ High held on for the win thanks to three wickets each by Divan Linde and Naas Beets.

Charles King took 6 wickets for Paarl Gimnasium against Outeniqua on Saturday, before Marinus Daling and Willem Mathee both reached their half-centuries without losing their wickets to secure a big 9-wicket triumph for the Gimmies.

Diocesan College flexed its muscles against a strong Queen’s College to cruise to a 187-run victory.

Adnaan Lagadien got 121 off the bat to help Bishops to a solid 291/5 after which they declared. Tiaan Louw then dismissed five batsmen from Queenstown for only 24 runs.

The only visiting team to record a victory on Sunday was Selborne College who beat Parel Vallei by 105 runs.

Ben van der Merwe, who also captains Selborne’s hockey team, scored 92 and Jacques van der Merwe followed closely with 72.

The action continues on Monday and Tuesday as nine of the top cricketing schools in the Western Cape test themselves against visitors from across the country.

Summarized Scorecards:

Day 2 (Time Cricket)

Rondebosch Boys’ High 257/8 (Raeeq Daniels 50*, Jordan Neill 45; Esa Gangat 5/55, Cayden Wilson 2/54); Pearson 74 (Jordan Collier 22; Declan Gillespie 3/17, Raeeq Daniels 2/11). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 183 runs.

Somerset College first innings 283/5 (declared) (Thando Prusent 118*, Callum Hughes 53*, Extras 42, Rieth 30; Hlumelo Ntlola 2/68); Dale College first innings 77 (Joshua Hall 23; Thomas Parsons 4/21, Christopher Varie 3/10); Dale College second innings 24/5 (Dion Claassens 2/4, Callum Hughes 2/5). Somerset College won by 182 runs.

Graeme College 111 (Rhys Wiblin 40*; Litha Kraai 3/28, Hamish Anderson 2/23, Oliver Whitehead 2/13); SACS 115/3 (Ben Levitt 48, Joshua Wyngaard 27; AJ Jeggels 2/5). SACS won by seven wickets.

Paarl Boys’ High 143 (Gideon du Toit 45, Johan Wege 23; Kazi Shaakir 4/21, Kazi Yaseen 2/15); Union 39 (Josh Basson 7; Aden Batt 4/10, Christiaan Bourbon Lefty 2/2) Paarl Boys’ High win by 104 runs.

Outeniqua 147 (Stefan May 71, Charles King 6/42); Paarl Gimnasium 148/1 (Marinus Daling 52*, Willem Matthee 50*, Jandre Botha 34; Nathan Best 1/27). Paarl Gimnasium won by nine wickets.

Diocesan College 291/5 (Adnaan Lagadien 121, Ollie Chevallier 53, Kashief Joseph 43, Calum Daniels 30*, James Robb-Quinlan 25; Ryan Denston 1/62); Queen’s College 104 (Ryan Denston 51; Tiaan Louw 5/24). Diocesan College won by 187 runs.

Paul Roos Gimnasium 113 (Riley Norton 23; JC Young 5/17); St Andrews (Bloemfontein) 90 (FG Botha 19, Joshua Zietsman 4/28). Paul Roos Gimnasium won by 23 runs.

Wynberg Boys’ High 297/7 decl. (Beni Hansen 120*, Divan Linde 67, Paul James 40, Jordan Nel 28; Michael Molenaar 2/25, Xander Elkington 2/56); Grey High 288 (Dylan Garrod 73, Corby van Heerden 50, Jean Upman 44, Ben Ristow 34, De-Wet Goedhals 29, Extras 23; Divan Linde 3/53, Naas Beets 3/68, Yaseen Moos 2/55). Wynberg Boys’ High won by nine runs.

Selborne College 277/9 (Ben van der Merwe 92, Jacques van der Merwe 72, Waeden Plaatjes 25, Ethan Currin 20*; Joshua Smit 4/43, Christopher Hughes 2/48, Sibulele Makaleni 2/55); Parel Vallei 172 (Extras 39, Joshua Smit 31*, Joshua Pretorius 21, David Botes 20; Ethan Currin 3/40, Jacques van der Merwe 2/8, Ben van der Merwe 2/26, Bungqina Nuku 2/30). Selborne College won by 105 runs.

Day 1 (35 Overs)

Outeniqua 173/6 (Stefan May 80*, Extras 35; Thando Prusent 3/23); Somerset College 175/3 (Nicholas Rieth 57*, Antonio de Souza 43, Chad Ayford 35, Jonno Firth 20*; Christiaan van den Berg 1/23). Somerset College won by seven wickets.

 

Following the SA20 Auction earlier this week, where the 17-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorious was roped in by the Paarl Royals, the exciting youngster was in action for St Stithian’s College on Saturday at UKZN on opening day of the Oppenheimer Michaelhouse Week.

With expectations for the youngster to perform through the roof following the auction, he duly delivered a match-winning 69 against Westville Boys’ High, to show why Royals’ coach Mandla Mashimbyi and the entire Royals franchise had shown faith in his talent.

Thebe Gazide (20 runs) also chipped in for the Joburg-based school as they made light work of a below-par total of 108 by the KZN side.

Much is expected of the Saints’ 1st XI, up against some of KZN’s best over the course of the Michaelmas Week, but they’re far from a one-man outfit and loaded with talent.

Their line-up also includes fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, another Paarl Royals’ selection, and SA u19 batter Richard Seletswane.

Bowling first against Westville, Ethan Jacobs was the pick of the Saint Stithian’s bowlers, returning the outstanding figures of 4/10, while Joshua Meyer followed suit with a telling spell of 2/11, as Saints bundled out Westville Boys High for a mediocre 108.

Aryan Gopalan (49 with the bat and 2/19 with the ball) fought a lone battle for the Griffin, but he was unable to find enough support for Westville to mount a serious challenge to the Johannesburgers.

The emphatic nature of the Saint Stithian’s win laid down a marker which, no doubt, captured the attention of the other teams participating in the Michaelmas Week.

Their next two fixtures include outings against sides that recorded one-sided victories on day one – Hilton College and Glenwood – so it will be interesting to see just how the two KZN schools handle the in-your-face gauntlet thrown down by the classy Saints’ outfit.

Summarised Scorecard:

Westville Boys High School 108/10 (Aryan Gapalan 49, Ethan Jacobs 4/10, Joshua Meyer 2/11); St Stithians College 113/2 (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 69, Thebe Gazide 20, Aryan Gopalan 2/19). St Stithians College won by eight wickets.

 

The first day of the Oppenheimer Michaelmas Cricket Week delivered on its promise of excellent competition, with the Pietermaritzburg pitches offering some assistance for both the bat and the ball.

The hosts, Maritzburg College, kicked off their campaign against a strong Affies side. Playing on Goldstone’s, College’s revered ground, the Pretoria school won the toss and, as expected, decided to bowl first. They were rewarded early on when Xavier de Wet struck with the total on 21.

Liam Armstrong, though, knuckled down and grafted hard for 28 from 66 deliveries. But it was captain Bryn Brokensha and his fellow all-rounder Chad Mason (64 from 108 deliveries) who were the cornerstones of the College innings.

Brokensha began slowly but hit the accelerator towards the end of the College innings, striking some lusty blows in his unbeaten 82 from 91 balls, to guide his side to 228 for 5 from their 50 overs.

Affies made a dream start to their run chase, with the opening pair of Jorich van Schalkwyk (50) and Lukas Janse van Rensburg (47) combining in a wonderful stand of 107 for the first wicket to lay a solid foundation for their side to chase the 229 runs they required for victory.

After the pair’s departure, Ruben Groenewald, with a quickfire 38 from 21 balls, and Janco Purchase, piled on the runs. Purchase reached the crease at an interesting juncture, with the contest evenly poised. But he kept his composure and weighed in with an invaluable and unbeaten 40 from 42 deliveries to see Affies to a three-wicket win in their Michaelmas Week opener.

At Richmond, Clifton College delivered an emphatic statement, comprehensively defeating Saint David’s Marist Inanda by 8 wickets.

After the Durban school won the toss, like Affies, they opted to bowl first. That proved to be a good call as Huzaifah Badat (3/31) and Mitchell Tillard (2/29) struck and quickly had the visitors from the north on the back foot.

Gomolemo Phiri offered stern resistance, falling just three runs shy of what would have been a well-deserved half-century, as he top-scored for Saint David’s in a 73-ball stay out in the middle. He was well supported by Morteza Manack, who contributed 36 from 53 balls as the Gauteng side mustered 138 all out.

Clifton, though, never looked like losing as they began confidently in pursuit of 139 runs for victory.

Shahzaad Perumal anchored the Clifton innings with a masterclass in stroke-making, weighing in with 69 not out from 83 deliveries. He was well supported by Jayden Roux, who also looked comfortable in his innings of 42 from 71 balls. Together, they saw Clifton to a convincing win.

Waterkloof opened their account with a solid victory over Durban High School.

Playing at Lynwood, Klofies followed the trend of choosing to field first after they had won the toss. It proved to be a fruitful decision. With most of their batsmen back in the hut, DHS found themselves in deep trouble on 87 for 7 as Marcus Bakker spearheaded the Waterkloof attack with a return of 3/38.

The Horseflies, though, managed to stretch their innings, thanks to a much-needed 53 not out from 48 deliveries, scored by Sfundo Mthembu, which helped DHS to a respectable 157 all out.

It wasn’t enough, however, as Marcus Bakker demonstrated his batting prowess, giving Waterkloof a fine start to their run chase, with an impressive 59 from 69 balls. Beukes van den Berg also got in on the act, with 39 runs from 42 balls.

Riley Miller then announced his presence with a rapid and unbeaten 34 from 18 balls to see the Klofies over the line with six wickets to spare.

At Eston, Michaelhouse continued their good run of early season form against Jeppe, romping to a 90-run victory.

The Johannesburg school won the toss and put Michaelhouse in to bat. At first, it appeared to be a good decision, but Murray Baker had other ideas. He showed his class, frequently putting the sweep to good use, to put the Gauteng boys under pressure. Together, he and Nathan Hoatson dialled up the pressure with the bat.

Baker eventually fell agonisingly close to a century, bowled for 97 from 107 balls, while Hoatson continued on to contribute 41 as Michaelhouse tallied a convincing 268 for 9.

Jeppe’s reply began fantastically. Openers Kai van Aardt, with 37 from 43 balls, and Kyle Jackson, with 29 from 34 deliveries, provided their side with a strong 72-run partnership for the first wicket.

It was a solid platform and captain Jaydon Brooker looked to build upon it. He got himself in, but was dismissed for 28 from 42 deliveries. After his departure, matters went pear-shaped for Jeppe, who lost wickets at regular intervals.

Nathan Hoatson, after his batting heroics, delivered with the ball, too. He picked up 4 for 37 as his side captured a comfortable victory.

Hilton College, playing on their Hart-Davis Oval, won handsomely against Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) after posting a mammoth 315/9 in their 50 overs. Captain Ross Boast led from the front, with a wonderful display of power hitting towards the end of the Hilton innings. He finished just two runs shy of triple figures after being caught off of the last ball of the innings.

Callum Croome did the damage with the ball for PBHS, claiming the first five-for of the week as he walked away with a return of 5/50.

Pretoria Boys fought valiantly in their reply, but they came up well short, bowled out for 244. Marc van der Merwe led their response with a well-played 48, while Croome shone again, contributing 38 with the bat.

Brett Cutting’s spin undermined the PBHS response, however, as he bagged a superb 4/27 in his 10 overs. He was well supported by Matthew Stewart, who claimed three scalps for 28 runs to help Hilton to a convincing victory in their first of four outings.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Maritzburg College 228/5 (Bryn Brokensha 82*, Chad Mason 64, Liam Amstrong 28; Petrus Rautenbach 1/35); Affies 232/7 (Jorich van Schalkwyk 50, Lukas Janse van Rensburg 47, Janco Purchase 40*, Ruben Groenewald 38; Michael Gibson 2/16, James Wiggil 2/35). Affies won by three wickets.

St. David’s Marist 138/10 (Gomolemo Phiri 47, Morteza Manack 36, Armaan Manack 23; Huzaifah Badat 3/31, Shiraz Perumal 3/26, Mitchell Tillard 2/29); Clifton 141/2 (Shazaad Perumal 69*, Jayden Roux 42*; Boago Gaoraelwe 1/34). Clifton won by eight wickets.

Durban High School 157/10 (Sfundo Mtembu 53*, Semal Pillay 29, Ethan Cooper 24; Marcus Bakker 3/38, Khumo Thloaela 2/8, Jaydon Blom 2/12); Waterkloof 163/4 (Marcus Bakker 59, Beukes van den Berg 39, Riley Miller 34*; Sfundo Mtembu 1/4). Waterkloof won by six wickets.

Michaelhouse 268/9 (Murray Baker 97, Nathan Hoatson 41, Hayden Hewlett 29; Tinotenda Mutekwa 4/38, Jayden Brooker 2/50); Jeppe 178/10 (Kai van Aardt 37, Kyle Jackson 29, Jaydon Brooker 28, Ryan Harcourt-Baldwin 23; Nathan Hoatson 4/37, Thomas Mitchell 2/17). Michaelhouse won by 90 runs.

Hilton College 315/9 (Ross Boast 99, Ben Hockly 43, Charl Swart 42, Ivan Lockem 35; Callum Croome 5/50); Pretoria Boys High 244/10 (Marc van der Merwe 48, Callum Croome 38; Brett Cuttin 4/27, Matthew Stewart 3/28). Hilton College won by 72 runs.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The results from around South Africa will be updated here as we receive the results from the various schools and clubs.

If your school’s match is not listed below or you would like to send in your team’s results – please contact us via e-mail at football@superschoolsnews.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.

All the Results: 

GAUTENG DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE 

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GREY COLLEGE’S NEDBANK TOURNAMENT

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Some of South Africa’s top schoolboy cricketing talent will be in action from Saturday during the annual Oppenheimer Michaelmas Week in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

The teams:

Maritzburg College: Liam Armstrong, Bryn Brokensha, Oliver da Costa, Sphamandla Dzanibe, Cameron Ferraz, Michael Gibson, Asanda Khumalo, Chad Mason, Llewylyn Sutherland, Ryan McKean, Caleb Thomas, Matthew Thomas, Tian van Niekerk, James Wiggil.

Clifton: Camdeon Riley, Ben McElligot, Mitchell Tillard, Jayden Roux, Huzaifah Badat, Tim Saulez, Preston Govender, Zach Williams, Thomas Ehrich, Shahzaad Perumal, Cohen Naidoo, Byron Ward, Shiraz Perumal.

Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool: Jorich van Schalkwyk, Lukas van Rensburg, Divan de Villiers, Ruben Groenewald, Janco Purchase, Vihan Pretorius, Matthew Seymore, Heinrich Muller, Xavier de Wet, Andru van Zyl, Petrus Rautenbach, Nicolai Bester.

Cornwall Hill College: Ryan Herselman, Evan Nixon, Gerhard Lock, Lethabo Phahlamohlaka, Amogelang Tsoagong, Mohammed Rasool, Richard Williams, Jason Jansen, Tshepo Molete, Araz Hussain, Jon Martin de Jesus, Yuveerin Govender.

Durban High School: Semal Pillay, Joshua van Biljion, Sfundo Mthembu, Lazlo Jooste, Ethan Cooper, Ismael Omar, Mihir Bahari, Nkulenkani Mseleku, Nkuleko Masondo, Bayanda Majola, Jared Havermann, Krian Jugoo.

Glenwood: Nathan Moodley, Sibenelo Phewa, Slade Lock, James Bosch-Oosthuizen, Ciaran Roundtree, Cameron Laing, Bandile Mbatha, Ntando Soni, Kyle Bryan, Abdullah Bayat, Xavier Snyman, Jandre Fourie.

Grey College: Hayden Tolmay, Adam Nieuwoudt, Samkelo Lephoto, Dale Williams, Ruben Maree, Ricu van den Berg, Zack Hattingh, Kamo Mokoena, Juan Viljoen, Casper Troskie, Darion Rabie, Johnathan Muller, Sicelo Matayi.

Hilton College: Ross Boast, Ivan Lockem, Matthew Stewart, Matipa Denega, Nicholas Chantler, Murray Loughnor-Clarke, Charles Swart, Kyle Christie, Brett Cutting, Ethan van Heerden, Luke Watt, Ivan Jjuuko, Ben Hockly.

Jeppe High School for Boys: Jaydon Brooker, Tshepo Stafa, Muneeb Ayob, Kai van Aardt, Kyle Jackson, Garreth Pahl, Ryan Young, Ryan Harcourt-Baldwin, Keegan Caixeiro, Jeremaih Marshall, Sipho Potsane, Tinotenda Mutekwa.

Kearsney College: Hayden Bishop, Michael de Beer, Adam Zeiler, Ross Coetzee, Cameron Veenstra, Dylan Wiggett, Jack O’Donovan, Matthew Mendes de Oliveira, Murray Weyer, Sandiswa Yeni, Ryan Browning, Dominic Hislop.

King Edward School: Michael Holmes, Callum Richie, David Teeger, Jordan Smith, Kian Hilton, Tiaan Goosen, Declan Ritchie, Feyaaz Vawda, Rowan Kourie, Keabetswe Seome, Christian Sabela, Cameron Smith.

Michaelhouse: Murray Baker, West Mitchell-Innes, Hayden Hewlett, Dylan Hewlett, Michael Thornton, Sebastian Hofmeyr, Ethan Muir, Cameron Strudwick, Thomas Mitchell, Luke Jankowitz, Ross Moller, Luke Payne, Nathan Hoatson.

Northwood: Mfanafithi Shange, Mo Karodia, James Nielsen, Evan Fouche, Thayin Kuppan, Harlee Jagga, Kyle White, Isaac Phiri, Nqobani Mokoena, Mason Storm, Andrew Deeb, Liam Peverett, Rourke Gessner, Andre Strydom.

Pretoria Boys High: Kegan Thiele, Jenson Breetzke, Adam Cannata, Johan Coetzer, Callum Croome, Tim Gordon, Luke Marshall, Patrick Mouton, Tim Paulus, Nicholas Rossouw, Aleks Sik, Tim Tattersall, Marc van der Merwe.

St Charles College: Samuel Brown, Timothy Schoeman, Nathan Beaumont, Jehan Adonis, Ntandoyenkosi Zuma, Cian Fortmann, Matthew Urquhart, Thabiso Ndlela, Marcell Wellmann, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendon Sunguro, Daknesh Rajah, Connor Riley.

St David’s Marist: Jordan Abraham, Samrat Basu, Dylan Hau, Kabir Bhattacharjee, Joshua Evans, Boago Gaoraelwe, Gomolemo Phiri, Jason Rowles, Armaan Manack, Morteza Manack, Matthew West, Kamoglo Phiri, Reece Reddy, Avela Sibisi, Sam Wearne.

St John’s College: Nkosana Sibiya, Thomas Levers, Joe McRobert, Luke Francis, Kago Masote, Jacob Smith, Cole Francis, Christopher Ford, Thomas Archer, Alec Loveland, Malan du Plessis, Oliver Tait, Mihir Nayee.

St Stithians College: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Thebe Gazide, Pranav Raichetti, Emile Odendaal, Richard Seletswane, Aidan van der Westhuizen, Tahseen Hanslo, Kwena Maphaka, Chris Anderson, Caydun Sunker, Liam Mudenda, Ethan Jacobs, Joshua Meyer.

Waterkloof: Wian Ruthven, Marcus Bakker, Divan Behrens, Beukes van den Berg, Alexander Volschenk, Tristan Luus, Riley Miller, Franco Cronje, GK de Swardt, Jacques van Niekerk, Ruan van der Vyver, Jaydon Blom.

Westville Boys High: Aryan Gopalan, Blake Simpson, Romashan Pillay, Max Robertson, Kaeden McAllister, Nicandro Kitsna, Connor Jenkins, James Kruger, Hamza Mahomed, James Dent, Sean McGough, Roxton Payne, Dayalan Boyce.

The annual inter-provincial sevens tournament kicks off next week on Monday in Bloemfontein where 16 provincial teams gather at Grey College to determine which region will wear the sevens crown in 2023.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

The Eastern Province will be looking to defend their title from last year.

The EP boys knocked out the reigning champs from KZN, the Sharks, in the quarter-finals last year in an epic 21-19 sevens showcase before running 17 unanswered points past the SWD team to book a spot in the final where they saw away with the hot stepping Boland team by 25-14 to claim the trophy.

Judging by the performances of the schools in the various sevens tournaments leading up to this event, we are set for some amazing sevens action this weekend again.

The Western Province boys will not be participating at this year’s event, which removes one of the definite favourites early on, seeing as Paul Roos has won two major tournaments, namely the NWU Prestige Schools Sevens tournament in Potchefstroom and the Marius Schoeman tournament in Paarl already this season.

They beat Grey College in the finals on both occasions and would have been bolstered by the addition of players from Boland Landbou, Paarl Gimnasium and Paarl Boys’ High, who have also been performing well.

The teams from the Noordvaal will count themselves among the top contenders for the title next week.

Noordheuwel gave the Noordvaal Sevens trophy a new home last weekend at the tournament at Monument and many of those boys will be in action again this weekend for the Lions.

The Free State teams, with their major share of Grey College players who will be playing on their home field, are also in with a good chance.

The Grey College sevens team have been unstoppable this year, with the two losses in the finals being their only defeats thus far, a record no other team at the large tournaments has been able to replicate, not even the champions.

A full list of the players selected to represent the provinces will be released shortly.

The playoffs will commence on Tuesday and the game to determine this year’s champion will kick off at 14:30.

The Groups

Pool A: Eastern Province, Leopards, Golden Lions, Namibia.

Pool B: Boland, Sharks, Griffons Invitational, Limpopo.

Pool C: SWD, Falcons, Griffons, Free State Invitational.

Pool D: Blue Bulls, Free State, Pumas, Griquas.

The fixtures

Monday: 08:00 – Eastern Province vs Leopards; 08:20 – Golden Lions vs Namibia; 08:40 – Boland vs Sharks; 09:00 – Griffons Invitational vs Limpopo; 09:20 – SWD vs Falcons; 09:40 – Griffons vs Limpopo; 10:00 – Blue Bulls vs Free State; 10:20 – Pumas vs Griquas; 10:40 – Eastern Province vs Golden Lions; 11:00 – Leopards vs Namibia; 11:20 – Boland vs Griffons Invitational; 11:40 – Sharks vs Limpopo; 12:00 – SWD vs Griffons; 12:20 – Falcons vs Free State Invitational; 12:40 – Blue Bulls vs Pumas; 13:00 – Free State vs Griquas; 13:20 – Eastern Province vs Namibia; 13:40 – Leopards vs Golden Lions; 14:00 – Boland vs Limpopo; 14:20 – Sharks vs Griffons Invitational; 14:40 – SWD vs Free State Invitational; 15:00 – Falcons vs Griffons; 15:20 – Blue Bulls vs Griquas; 15:40 – Free State vs Pumas.

 

CAPE TOWN.– Being clinical, dominant, and using the home ground advantage will be the order of the weekend for the South African Schools side, famously known as SACS, when they host the Hussar Grill Water Polo Tournament in Cape Town this coming weekend.  

The home side, come into the tournament with their tales up having recently claimed the Clifton Water Polo Tournament in Durban last weekend.  

However, SACS would’ve quickly forgotten about their triumph in the Zulu land and turned their attention to their inaugural tournament set to host 19 prestigious schools from Saturday 30 September to Monday, October 2nd. 

The schools in action come from across the country and include the likes of Grey College, Jeppe Boys High from Gauteng, Parktown Boys High, and Pretoria Boys.  

The Kwa-Zulu Natal province will also be widely represented in the Cape, with Hilton, Northwood, Kearsney College, and Clifton flying down to the Mother City. 

From the Eastern Cape, Grey High from Gqeberha will also be in action while Selborne College from East London will also make the long trip down to face the best schools in the pool. 

You might be interested: SACS get one past Paul Roos to claim Clifton Water Polo tournament. 

SACS double “could” be on the cards: 

The objective for the hosts is pretty simple this weekend, and that’s to win two titles in a space of one week. 

After impressively claiming the Clifton Water Polo tournament last week by beating Cape rivals, Paul Roos (6-5), the home side will get into the groove knowing they have what it takes. 

Their first match on the opening day will be against St Alban’s before playing in a Southern-suburb derby against Wynberg Boys High in their second clash of day one. 

They will then face a motivated Kearsney side before taking St Stithians in their final match at 17:30. 

Day two is where things will get really interesting for the hosts. They will face Clifton, who will feel undone after missing out on a final in their home tournament last weekend. Their final three fixtures of the day will also be highly contested, as Jeppe Boys High, Grey College and Grey High School will be looking to upset the favourites. 

On Sunday, the home side will play against Bishops at 09:30, and by then would know if they’ve made It through to the quarterfinals.  

What’s clear though is that SACS, judging from their performance last weekend, could be well on song to winning two trophies in a space of seven days.  

Durban sides come to the party: 

Since 1984, Durban schools have only won the tournament 12 times, dating back to 1985 when Durban High School shared the title with Rondebosch Boys High. 

Since then, Westville, Northwood, Kearsney, Maritzburg College and Clifton have gone on to their hands on the prestigious title. 

However, from the four schools representing the province this year, only Clifton has managed to win the title in the past five years, taking it in 2021 just after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The side (Clifton College) will come into the tournament high in spirts after an impressive showing in their home tournament last weekend where they finished in third spot beating Hilton College (9-5) in the third/fourth play-off. 

Hilton, on the other side are back in the mix after a few years of absence.  

Northwood and Kearsney College will enter the competition as underdogs. However, teams will be weary of Kearsney, who reached the quarterfinal in Clifton last weekend, only to lose out (10-9) against Paul Roos. 

With the tournament wide open, this year, could pose an opportunity for the Durbanites to come to the party. 

Embracing the underdogs term: 

There are several teams not spoken about a lot going into this tournament, some are even from the Western Cape. 

Bishops, Wynberg, Rondebosch Boys, and Paul Roos are serious contenders, despite all the talk around SACS. 

Paul Roos particularly will be the team to beat in Pool B.  

The boys from Paarl play a smart style of waterpolo, mixed with great effort from their defence and accuracy in front of goal. 

These attributes saw them sail through the group stages at the Clifton tournament last weekend, to reach the final, and miss out on winning the whole thing by just one goal against SACS.  

If there’s any team, you wouldn’t want to meet in a knock-out match, it’s definitely them. 

Other teams lying down on the radar, are the two schools from the Eastern Cape, Selborne College, and Grey High School. 

The two teams are coming in fresh, having not taken part in any festival over the past weeks. They will also look to bring a threat and ask some questions in their respective groups. 

What is certain is that this tournament will be wide open, and the team that gets off to best start on day one could pose a threat throughout the weekend.   

The groups are: 

Pool A: Bishops, Clifton, Grey College, Grey High School, Jeppe Boys High, Kearsney College, SACS, St Alban’s, St Stithians, Wynberg Boys High.  

Pool B: Hilton, Northwood, Parktown Boys High, Paul Roos, Pretoria Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Selborne College, St Benedicts, St Davids, St Johns.  

Fixtures: 

Day 1: 

07:10- St Stithians vs Grey College; 07:30- Bishops vs Grey High; 07:50- Rondebosch vs Pretoria Boys High; 08:10- Hilton vs St David’s; 08:30- Kearsney vs Jeppe; 08:50- Clifton vs Wynberg 09:10- Paul Roos vs Northwood; 09:30- St Johns vs St Benedicts; 09:50- SACS vs St Alban’s; 10:10- Grey High vs Grey College; 10:30- Selborne vs Parktown Boys; 10:50- St Johns vs Pretoria Boys High; 11:10- Bishops vs Jeppe; 11:30- SACS vs Wynberg; 11:50- St Johns vs Pretoria Boys; 12:10- Paul Roos vs St Benedicts; 12:30- Clifton vs St Alban’s; 12:50- Kearsney vs St Stithians; 13:10- Northwood vs Parktown; 13:30- Hilton vs Selborne; 13:50- Grey High vs Jeppe; 14:10- Clifton vs Bishops; 14:30- Pretoria Boys vs St Benedicts; 14:50- Rondebosch vs Parktown; 15:10- St Stithians vs St Alban’s; 15:30- Kearsney vs SACS; 15:50- Paul Roos vs Selborne; 16:10- St Johns vs Hilton; 16:30- Grey College vs Wynberg; 16:50- Clifton vs Grey High; 17:10- St Davids vs Northwood; 17:30- St Stithians vs SACS; 17:50- Hilton vs Parktown; 18:10- Kearsney vs Grey College; 18:30-Paul Roos vs Pretoria Boys; 18:50- St Johns vs St Davids; 19:10- St Benedicts vs Northwood; 19:30- Wynberg vs Jeppe; 19:50- Bishops vs St Alban’s; 20:10- Rondebosch vs Selborne. 

Day 2: 

07:10- St Benedicts vs Parktown Boys; 07:30- Paul Roos vs St Davids; 07:50- St Johns vs Selborne; 08:10- Kearsney vs Grey High; 08:30- St Stithians vs Bishops; 08:50- Wynberg vs St Alban’s; 09:10- Clifton vs SACS; 09:30- Pretoria Boys vs Northwood; 09:50- Grey College vs Jeppe Boys; 10:10- Kearsney vs Bishops; 10:30- Rondebosch vs Hilton; 10:50- St David’s vs St Benedicts; 11:10- Clifton vs St Stithians; 11:30- Grey College vs St Alban’s; 11:50- Pretoria Boys vs Parktown; 12:10- Paul Roos vs Hilton; 12:30- Grey High vs Wynberg; 12:50- SACS vs Jeppe; 13:10- St John’s vs Rondebosch; 13:50- Kearsney vs Clifton; 14:10- Grey High vs St Alban’s; 14:30- St Davids vs Parktown Boys;14:50- Bishops vs Wynberg; 15:10- SACS vs Grey College; 15:30- Paul Roos vs St John’s; 15:50- Hilton vs St Benedicts; 16:10- Selborne vs Pretoria Boys;  16:30- Clifton vs Jeppe;  16:50- Kearsney vs St Albans; 17:10- Rondebosch vs Northwood; 17:30- St Stithians vs Wynberg; 17:50- Paul Roos vs Parktown; 18:10- Bishops vs Grey College; 18:30- Hilton vs Pretoria Boys; 18:50- Selborne vs St Davids; 19:10- Rondebosch vs St Benedicts; 19:30- SACS vs Grey High; 19:50- St Stithians vs Jeppe; 20:10- St Johns vs Northwood. 

Day 3: 

06:50- Kearsney vs Wynberg; 07:10- Jeppe vs St Alban’s; 07:30- St Davids vs Pretoria Boys; 07:50- Selborne vs St Benedicts; 08:10- Clifton vs Grey College; 08:30- St Stithians vs Grey High; 08:50- St Johns vs Parktown; 09:10- Hilton vs Northwood; 09:30- Bishops vs SACS; 09:50- Paul Roos vs Rondebosch; 10:40- Quarterfinal 1; 11:00- Quarterfinal 2; 11:20- Quarterfinal 3; 11:40- Quarterfinal 4; 12:30- Semi-final 1; 13:00- Semi-final 2; 14:00- Third/fourth play-off; 14:30- Final. 

 

Four games left to the campaign of the 2023 GDL season and the title chase gets more intense as it draws closer to the end.

The log leaders, Highlands Park FC, have enjoyed a great deal of advantage at the top for a long time during this season. Highlands Park’s dominance is a clear reflection of their results, hence they are the current league leaders.

Nine points between them and Kaizer Chiefs FC, the Highlands Park FC know exactly how crucial the last games are to their title chase.

Highlands Park will be on the road this week, to face Panorama in Roodepoort meanwhile Kaizer Chiefs to take on Joburg City at Alexandra Stadium.

Joburg City have been the struggling side this side this season failing to capitalize their opportunities and are sitting on the last position of the log table. Playing at home, Joburg City should expect a tough encounter as they play against Kaizer Chiefs who are on the verge of catching up with the log leaders, Highlands Park FC should they drop points in the remaining fixtures.

Fixtures | 30 September 2023

Kaizer Chiefs vs Joburg City
Highlands Park vs Panorama FC
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Kagiso Porto Academy
Prestige Football Development Academy vs Wits Junior
Randburg AFC vs Tuks
Remember Elite Sports Academy vs TS Galaxy
Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports Schools vs SuperSport United FC
School of Excellence vs Siluma 7

Some of the premier Western Cape cricketing schools will be testing their mettle against visitors from across the country this weekend at the annual Cape Schools Cricket Festival hosted by Paul Roos Gimnasium.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now 

18 schools will be competing at this year’s event.

The hosts, Paul Roos, will be representing the Western Cape along with Diocesan College, Parel Vallei, Paarl Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium, Rondebosch Boys’ High, SACS, Somerset College and Wynberg Boys’ High.

They will be facing Graeme College, Grey High, St Andrews, Pearson, Union High, Selborne College, Queen’s College, Outeniqua and Dale College over four days of non-stop cricket action.

On Saturday and Sunday, teams will be squaring off in declaration matches, on Monday, they will play 50 over games and on Tuesday there will be a mixture of 50 over and T20 games.

With some of the top cricketing schools in attendance, there are sure to be some scintillating matchups over the course of the festival.

Paul Roos takes on Graeme College on the first day to kick things off, before facing St Andrews from Bloemfontein on Sunday.

The team from Stellenbosch played against Affies last weekend and showed no signs of rust as they cruised to a victory by 62 runs thanks to a solid innings of 62 for Luca Platter as well as Callum Appolis and Cormey van der Watt taking three wickets each to help dismiss the Pretoria boys with six of the 50 overs left to spare.

St Andrews performed well at the Diamantveld Cricket Festival in Kimberley last weekend.

Deputy head boy and stalwart Connor Nel continues to impress for the Saints boys and Schalk Liebenberg took five wickets for only seven runs in their match against Kalahari which they won by 105 runs last weekend.

Somerset College has also been busy during the pre-season and looks well-oiled and ready for this weekend.

They were in action against local rivals, Fairmont High, last weekend where they dominated, winning by 102 runs.

Thando Prusent and Chad Ayford were on form with the bat in hand and Callum Hughes and Christopher Varie were their best bowlers with three wickets each.

Hughes conceded only 10 runs for his haul and Varie picked off the tailenders with a hattrick seal the victory.

The weekend before that, Ayford and Jonno Firth each scored 59 runs in a T20 against DF Malan, helping Somerset College to another big victory by 115 runs.

For many of the other participating teams, this festival will be the first real opportunity to see the boys in action before the 23/24 season fully gets underway.

Participating teams:

Western Cape: Paul Roos Gimnasium, Diocesan College, Parel Vallei, Paarl Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium, Rondebosch Boys’ High, SACS, Somerset College, Wynberg Boys’ High.

Visitors: Graeme College (Grahamstown), Grey High (Gqeberha), St Andrews (Bloemfontein), Pearson (Gqeberha), Union (Graaff-Reinet), Selborne College (East London), Queen’s College (Queenstown), Outeniqua (George), Dale College (King William’s Town).

The fixtures:

Saturday (Declaration):

09:30 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Graeme College (Paul Roos Gimnasium); Diocesan College vs Grey High (Diocesan College); Parel Vallei vs St Andrews (Parel Vallei); Paarl Boys’ High vs Pearson (Paarl Boys’ High); Paarl Gimnasium vs Union High (Paarl Gimnasium); Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Selborne College (Rondebosch Boys’ High); SACS vs Queen’s College (SACS); Somerset College vs Outeniqua (Somerset College); Wynberg Boys’ High vs Dale College (Wynberg Boys’ High).

Sunday (Declaration):

09:30 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs St Andrews (Paul Roos Gimnasium); Diocesan College vs Queen’s College (Diocesan College); Parel Vallei vs Selborne College (Parel Vallei); Paarl Boys’ High vs Union High (Paarl Boys’ High); Paarl Gimnasium vs Outeniqua (Paarl Gimnasium); Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Pearson (Rondebosch Boys’ High); SACS vs Graeme College (SACS); Somerset College vs Dale College (Somerset College); Wynberg vs Grey High (Wynberg Boys’ High).

Monday (50 Over):

09:30 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Pearson (Paul Roos Gimnasium); Diocesan College vs Selborne College (Diocesan College); Parel Vallei vs Union High (Parel Vallei); Paarl Boys’ High vs St Andrews (Paarl Boys’ High); Paarl Gimnasium vs Grey High (Paarl Gimnasium); Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Graeme College (Rondebosch Boys’ High); SACS vs Dale College (SACS); Somerset College vs Queen’s College (Somerset College); Wynberg Boys’ High vs Outeniqua (Wynberg Boys’ High).

Tuesday (50 Over/T20):

09:30 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Selborne College (Paul Roos Gimnasium); Diocesan College vs Union High (Diocesan College); Parel Vallei vs Dale College (Parel Vallei); Paarl Boys’ High vs Grey High (Paarl Boys’ High); Paarl Gimnasium vs Queen’s College (Paarl Gimnasium); Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St Andrews (Rondebosch Boys’ High); SACS vs Outeniqua (SACS); Somerset College vs Graeme College (Somerset College); Wynberg Boys’ High vs Pearson (Wynberg Boys’ High).

 

The 64th annual Michaelmas week will once again be one of the main features in Pietermaritzburg this year. The week will take place from Saturday, 30 September until Monday, 3 October in the Midlands.

The prestigious cricket week welcomes some of South Africa’s top cricketing schools in the Inlands of KwaZulu-Natal, for a four-day battle between the North and the South of South Africa.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The hosts, Maritzburg College, will be looking to stamp their authority in home conditions, especially after coming off a win against a strong Northwood side from Durban over the past weekend.

St Stithians College will be one of the big names from the North making their way down to Pietermaritzburg.

Saints haven’t seen much action thus far in the young season but will look to get their campaign off to a flyer when they face some tough opposition in Westville Boys’ High, Hilton College, Glenwood and finally St Charles College.

St Charles College will be watched closely. The team from Pietermaritzburg was crowned best of the best in the shortest format among the KZN Inland schools not that long ago.

They will be looking to continue their rich vain of form heading into arguably the biggest cricket week in South Africa and competing in the longer formats of the game.

Waterkloof has also been on top of their game, suffering only one defeat in their last five outings. However, it will be interesting to see how the batters adapt from quick bouncy tracks in the highveld to the slower turning wickets in the valley of the Inlands.

The Fixtures:

Fixtures | Day 1

Maritzburg College vs Affies
Durban High School vs Waterkloof
Michaelhouse vs Jeppe High School for Boys’
Clifton vs St David’s Marist
Hilton College vs Pretoria Boys High
St Charles College vs Grey College
Glenwood vs Hudson Park
Westville Boys’ High vs St Stithians College
Kearsney College vs King Edward VII
Northwood vs St. John’s College

Fixtures | Day 2

Grey College vs Maritzburg College
St. Davids vs Durban High School
St. Stithians vs Hilton College
St. Johns vs Glenwood;
King Edward VII vs Westville
Pretoria Boys’ High vs Clifton
Waterkloof vs Kearsney College
Affies vs Northwood
Hudson Park vs Michaelhouse
Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Charles College

Fixtures | Day 3

Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys’ High
Durban High School vs Hudson Park
Michaelhouse vs Affies
Clifton vs Grey College
Hilton College vs King Edward VII
St Charles College vs St David’s Marist
Glenwood vs St Stithians College
Westville Boys’ High vs Jeppe High School for Boys
Kearsney College vs St John’s College
Northwood vs Waterkloof

Fixtures | Day 4

Grey College vs Northwood
St David’s Marist vs Hilton College
St Stithians College vs St Charles College
St John’s College vs Durban High School
King Edward VII vs Clifton
Pretoria Boys’ High vs Michaelhouse
Waterkloof vs Westville Boys’ High
Affies vs Kearsney College
Hudson Park vs Maritzburg College
Jeppe High School for Boys vs Glenwood