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“We are just a team that’s hungry for success.” – Those were the words of Bishops‘ captain, James Malan, after he led his side to a second consecutive KES Water Polo Tournament title in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Bishops defeated a strong St David’s Marist Inanda side 12-8 in the title-deciding clash to lay claim to the trophy again.

The boys from Cape Town dominated from the opening day and ended the group stage unbeaten in Pool A. Then, in the quarterfinals, they outplayed Hilton College 9-3 before edging out South African College High School (SACS) 13-11 in the semifinals.

St David’s, meanwhile, stunned Rondebosch Boys’ High 11-5 in the last eight. Next, they sneaked past Kearsney College. Their semi-final clash finished level at 8-8, but the Johannesburg side reached the final after winning the shootout 3-1.

That set up a rematch. St David’s and Bishops had met in a group stage game, with Bishops snatching a narrow 9-8 win.

The performances of the finalists measured up to the stature of the title game, with the spectators packed into the Mark Stevens Aquatic Centre being treated to an exciting show from the first whistle.

In the opening half, there was little to separate the sides. Bishops, though, led 7-5 at halftime, courtesy of goals by Tim Young, Ryan Dales, and Jack Grout, and braces from Harry Ford and Matt Fenn.

St David’s replied through Matthew Peacock, Connor McJannet, David Latilla-Campbell, Cooper Haworth, and Giorgio Ferreira.

In the third chukka, Bishops slightly extended their advantage by scoring three goals to two. Then, in the final quarter, the Capetonians finally put the game to bed.

They sealed the game late on when Harry Ford completed his hat-trick before Danilo Giuricich scored a consolation goal for his St David’s.

“It feels surreal,” Bishops’ captain, James Malan, told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

“We have worked so hard for this moment. We’ve been training since 4 January, and that’s the earliest we’ve ever had pre-season.

“Just to get the result means the world to us. All the matrics, it’s our last one, and we have a goal to win everything this year, and so far, we are on track,” he said after Bishops added the KES title to their SAC Shield and SACS Nite Series victories.

Malan said one of the key ingredients in his team’s run of success is the bonds and relationships that the players share outside of the pool. We have a really good team culture,” he explained.

“We’re just mates with each other. It doesn’t matter if a guy is in grade 10 or 12. Those friendships bind us together in and out of the pool, and I think that’s what makes this team so good.”

Malan also paid tribute to St David’s, who made their bow in the tournament one to remember.

“They are a team that never dies and never gives up, and they really gave us a run for our money in both the final and during the pool stage,” he said.

“You just have to give credit to them. They are a well-coached side. They have special players as well, so it’s always great competition against them.”

Bishops will return to action in the coming week at the Mazinter Cup.

Day 3 Results

Clifton College  (1) 5-5 (2) St Andrew’s College
St John’s College 6-2 Paul Roos Gimnasium
Pretoria Boys High 2-6 Selborne College
KES 4-5 Jeppe
St Stithians College 4-1 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 4-7 Rondebosch Boys’ High
Clifton College 6-3 Paul Roos Gimnasium
St John’s College 4-1 St Andrew’s College

Semi-finals
St David’s Marist Inanda (3) 8-8 (1) Kearsney College
Bishops 13-11 SACS

3rd/4th
SACS (3) 7-7 (2) Kearsney College

Final
Bishops 12-8 St David’s

Final standings
Bishops
St David’s Marist Inanda
SACS
Kearsney College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Hilton College
St Stithians College
Westville Boys’ High
St John’s College
St Andrew’s College
Clifton College
Paul Roos
Jeppe High School for Boys
King Edward VII
Selborne College
Pretoria Boys High

A vital 48-run partnership between Lebo Mokoena and Owen Widdows for the eighth-wicket helped to drag St Charles College to a heart-pounding two-wicket limited-overs victory over Northwood in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.

Chasing 195 for victory, Mokoena, with 36, and Widdows, with 22, delivered for Saints when they were most needed.

Northwood batted first after the toss went against them. After losing Ross McGlashan early, they made good progress, with David de Bruyn and Nic Slater adding a steady 88 runs for the second wicket in 119 balls. Jack Richards parted them when he had Slater caught by Ryan Clarke for 47. Slater had faced 65 balls and hit four fours.

De Bruyn was the third man out for the highest score of the Knights‘ innings, 48 from 72, with seven fours and a six. When he exited, the visitors were on 110/3 after 26 overs.

Thomas Oosthuizen slammed three fours and a six in a 40-ball stay that added 38 runs to the Northwood total before he became one of Jack Richards’ four victims. Richards was also responsible for preventing the visitors from making a late charge. Instead, they fell from 183/6 to 194 all out.

Richards finished with 4/41 from nine overs, while Kaiyuran Naidoo snared 2/41 from 10, and Ryan Clarke claimed 2/42 from 8.5. Jayden Saville applied heavy pressure, returning 1/18 from nine tight overs, three of which were maidens.

Matters looked good for Northwood when St Charles crashed to 12/3 in the sixth over of their reply. Ryan van Zyl led the way for the Knights, removing captain Thando Zama and Keegan Vermaak, while Josh Mills picked up Ryan Clarke’s wicket.

Christiaan Prinsloo and Connor Simpson stopped the slide with a 45-run fourth-wicket partnership, which came at almost a run a ball. Given the desperate situation that Saints found themselves in, it was a brave counterattack, with Simpson striking four fours and making 31 from 37 balls before David de Bruyn caught him off the bowling of Keegan Reeves.

With the home side on 57/4 in the fifteenth over, the advantage still belonged to Northwood. St Charles continued to rebuild effectively, however, through Christiaan Prinsloo and Caleb Sharp. They added another 51 runs before Prinsloo’s 81-ball stay came to an end when Ross McGlashan caught him off Hamza Amla‘s bowling for a patient 38.

Van Zyl struck again soon after to send Jayden Saville on his way. Sharp and Lebo Mokoena dug in, though, and tacked on another 31 runs before Sharp’s resistance ended just shy of a fifty when he was run out by Josh Mills for 46. That brought Mokoena and Widdows together, and they continued to defy Northwood’s bowlers until the final over.

Widdows, in an attempt to scramble a quick single, was run out by David de Bruyn off the first ball of the last over, leaving St Charles on 192/8, still needing three runs to win. They didn’t have to wait long.

Mokoena, who had crossed when Widdows was run out, dispatched the next delivery to the boundary, and the home team had pulled off an outstanding run chase to grab a tense two-wicket win.

Ryan van Zyl did his utmost to stop Saints, capturing 3/33 in eight overs, while Hamza Amla kept the Pietermaritzburg school under pressure, sending down 10 overs and picking up 1/32. Thando Zama and company, though, held their nerve and came away with a memorable victory.

Summarised scorecard

Northwood 194/10 (David de Bruyn 48, Nic Slater 47, Thomas Oosthuizen 38; Jack Richards 4/41, Kaiyuran Naidoo 2/41, Ryan Clarke 2/42); St Charles College 196/8 (Caleb Sharp 46, Christiaan Prinsloo 38, Lebo Mokoena 36*, Connor Simpson 31, Owen Widdows 22; Ryan van Zyl 3/33). St Charles won by two wickets.

Playing in a 65-over, single-innings fixture on Saturday, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) won the toss at home and opted to bat first against Bishops.

Batting at three, Janko Webb, the home side’s talisman, was up to the challenge as usual. He cracked nine fours and four sixes in a 105-ball innings, which brought him 95 runs.

Apart from Webb’s innings, though, it was a tough day for the Paul Roos batsmen, who had few answers for new ball bowler Waco Bassick. In only 10 overs, he captured 7/21 to inflict huge damage on the hosts’ batting effort.

Thaafier Japhta, the only other bowler to bowl the full 10-over quota, chipped in with 2/42 as PRG tallied 162 all out in 40.1 overs.

Japhta then made his way to the crease after the fall of the first wicket in Bishops’ reply. He made an impact, striking two fours and two sixes in an innings of 54 from 66 balls.

Imraan Leith, batting at seven, entertained with three fours in his 29, and the pair added 65 runs for the sixth wicket to lift Bishops from a fragile 38/5 to 103/6.

Morné Pauw was the reason that the visitors were on the back foot. He claimed 5/33, while Dion Slabber picked up 2/60 in 13.4 overs, and Keeno Loggenberg took 2/33 in eight.

Bishops, though, found the man for the moment, with Robbie Vintcent keeping Paul Roos at bay while hitting four fours in a crucial and match-winning 38 not out.

That proved to be just enough as the visitors from Cape Town tallied 163/9 after 42.4 overs to claim victory by a single wicket.

Boland Landbou vs Rondebosch Boys’ High

At their Stiaan van Zyl Oval on Saturday, Boland Landbou chose to field first against Rondebosch Boys’ High in a limited-overs clash.

Their opening pair, Gunther Schmidt and captain Francois Prins, ensured that decision paid off, reducing ‘Bosch to 35/4 in the early going. Schmidt went on to take 3/41 in 9.1 overs, while Prins returned 3/40 from seven overs. Kobus Conradie chipped in with 2/36 from seven overs.

Rondebosch’s number five batsman, Schalk Fourie, hit three fours in his innings of 40 runs, while Timothy Short, batting at seven,  top-scored with 42 off 68 balls, which helped the visitors gradually claw their way back into the game.

After 48.1 overs, they were all out for 211.

Boland Landbou’s reply began superbly, with Kobus Conradie and Johannes Goosen combining for a 98-run first-wicket stand. Conradie contributed 41 off 75 deliveries, punching four deliveries for four, while Goosen was more aggressive, blasting six fours and three sixes in his 67 off 59.

Unfortunately for the Farmers, after that outstanding start, their reply fell apart.

From there, only the skipper, Francois Prins, made it to 20, with the rest of the home side’s batsmen perishing cheaply as Boland Landbou was dismissed for 176 after 41.3 overs, resulting in a 35-run win for Rondebosch.

Arin Spiller led the ‘Bosch bowling attack, snapping up 4/35 in 9.3 overs, while Eli Aufrichtig snatched 2/9 in five overs and Timothy Short captured 2/25 in 10.

Worcester Gimnasium batted first after winning the toss in their 50-over fixture at Hoërskool Strand.

Noah Goliath, at four, and Alijandrew Heneke, at six, got the runs flowing for the visitors, advancing the total by 70 runs in their fifth-wicket partnership. Goliath struck four fours and a maximum in his 31 off 58, while Heneke clobbered eight fours in his 53 off 66.

Strand‘s Cloete de Jager and Keaton Gertze also formed an impressive duo. De Jager sent five batsmen packing for only 14 runs from five overs, while Gertze collected 3/30 from 9.3 overs as the visitors totalled 158 all out after 34.3 overs.

When Strand replied, only Caden Jenkins, with 1/21, and Tayne Smith, with 1/23, were able to remove batsmen. That’s because the De Jager and Gertze double-act was again at play.

They directed Strand to victory with an unbroken 105-run fourth-wicket stand. De Jager finished with 50 not out, and Gertze was 52 not out, when a seven-wicket win was achieved in the 41st over.

Summarised Scorecards:

Paul Roos Gimnasium 162/10 (Janko Webb 95; Waco Bassick 7/21, Thaafier Japhta 2/42); Diocesan College 163/9 (Thaafier Japhta 54, Robbie Vincent 38*, Imraan Leith 29; Morné Pauw 5/33, Keeno Loggenberg 2/33, Dion Slabber 2/60). Diocesan College won by one wicket.

Rondebosch Boys’ High 211/10 (Timothy Short 42, Schalk Fourie 40, Matthew Brooks 39, Ethan De Heer Kloots 21; Francois Prins 3/40, Gunther Schmidt 3/41, Kobus Conradie 2/36); Boland Landbou 176/10 (Johannes Goosen 67, Kobus Conradie 41, Extras 22, Francois Prins 20; Arin Spiller 4/35, Eli Aufrichtig 2/9, Timothy Short 2/25). Rondebosch Boys’ High won by 35 runs.

Worcester Gimnasium 158/10 (Alijandrew Heneke 53, Noah Goliath 31, Extras 30; Cloete de Jager 4/28, Keaton Gertze 3/30); Hoërskool Strand 161/3 (Keaton Gertze 52*, Cloete de Jager 50*, Zylin Rule 28). Strand won by seven wickets.

Hoërskool Middelburg will contest the B Section of the Finsbury League in 2027.

Summarised scorecard

Hoërskool Middelburg 145/10 (Nijan Swart 52, Eduan Strydom 27, Extras 23; Hendré Cilliers 3/20, Ziam Hashim 3/44, Daymian Coetzee 2/15); Marais Viljoen 121/10 (Trent Shrives 42, Jared Maritz 29; Herman Potgieter 3/25, Hendré Nel 2/29, Eduan Strydom 2/36). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 24 runs. 

The competition intensified on the second day of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Top 10 Basketball Competition, with the hosts, Maritzburg College, their Pietermaritzburg neighbours, St Charles College, and Westville Boys’ High, stealing the spotlight in the u19 competition.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools 

u19 Competition

St Charles secured a showdown with Kearsney College in Sunday’s semi-finals in the Alan Paton Hall (APH). They concluded their group matches with a perfect win record after beating Westville 52-42.

Saints also handed Northwood, who went down to Westville on day one, a second loss, winning a tight contest 72-68.

The Griffins finished second in Pool A. They preceded their loss to St Charles with a 64-53 win over Hilton College. Later, though, they hit their stride against Clifton College, running away to an 81-30 victory.

Northwood also beat Clifton, winning 66-26, and they beat Hilton College 52-35.

From Pool B, Maritzburg College and Kearsney College advanced to the semi-finals.

On Saturday, College came roaring back after beating Michaelhouse by only three in their opener on Friday before losing to Kearsney by four. The Red, Black, and White had a point to prove after suffering their first loss of 2026, and they made their point.

College powered through Glenwood 91-28 in their first outing, which was outstanding, but they truly caught the eye in their second match, romping to a 74-32 victory over Durban High School (DHS).

Kearsney appeared unstoppable after their win over College, but they, too, tasted defeat, going down by a single point to DHS, 63-64. They bounced back, though, with successive wins over Glenwood (58-27) and Michaelhouse (54-43).

‘House bagged a convincing 79-38 victory over Glenwood, but DHS had their number, winning a hard-fought contest 45-39.

u16 Competition

Saturday’s results in the u16 competition, being contested at the Swekyiya SportZone at Kearsney College, led to a semi-final clash between Hilton and Michaelhouse, while the other semi-final will feature Maritzburg College against Northwood.

On Saturday, in Pool A, St Charles College kicked off the day’s action with a 36-29 victory over Clifton College. Hilton, meanwhile, scored a 44-27 win over Westville Boys’ High.

Clifton remained competitive, but suffered a second defeat against Northwood, losing 26-37.

Westville Boys’ High bounced back from their loss to Hilton with an impressive 46-26 victory over St Charles, while Hilton College added a win over Northwood, triumphing 26-21.

In the evening, Westville Boys’ High held off Clifton, winning 38-33, while Hilton College concluded their day with another win, this time by 17 points over St Charles College, 40-23.

In Pool B, Durban High School claimed a 36-28 victory over Glenwood. That was followed by a 31-23 win for Michaelhouse over Kearsney College, and Maritzburg College handed Glenwood a 55-25 defeat.

In a closely contested game, Michaelhouse edged out Durban High School 30-29, while Maritzburg College defeated Kearsney College, 35-27.

Later in the evening, Michaelhouse won against Glenwood, 47-31, and Maritzburg College finished the day with a 44-39 victory over Durban High School.

u15 Competition

In the u15 competition, Hilton College and Westville Boys’ High engaged in a closely contested match, which ended in a slim two-point win for Hilton by a 35-33 margin.

There was joy for Clifton College, who handed Northwood a 48-39 loss, while St Charles College slipped by Westville, winning 30-29.

Hilton College secured a 49-31 win over Northwood, and Westville found their form against Clifton, claiming a 55-32 victory.

St Charles College handed Northwood a third loss, winning 61-44, while Hilton College claimed a 44-31 win over Clifton.

In Pool B, Glenwood came close to pulling off an upset of Michaelhouse, only to fall a point short, losing 23-24. They found Kearsney a tougher nut to crack, with the Botha’s Hill boys cruising to a 44-20 victory. Kearsney beat DHS, too, winning 45-29.

Maritzburg College saw off Glenwood 66-42, while Michaelhouse downed DHS 42-25.

In the last matches of the day, Maritzburg College overpowered DHS 50-15, while Michaelhouse found the winning formula to beat Kearsney College 35-30.

u14 Competition

At Westville Boys’ High, Clifton College shook up St Charles on Saturday, with the Durban boys scoring a convincing 32-21 victory.

Hilton beat Westville 34-20, while Northwood ran out 37-24 winners over St Charles, and Hilton had their way with Clifton in a 40-17 win.

Westville went down by three points to St Charles, 24-27, but returned to winning ways with a narrow 24-20 over Clifton. Hilton concluded Saturday’s Pool A action with an emphatic 44-24 victory over Northwood.

In Pool B, Kearsney College secured a 39-23 victory over Glenwood, while Michaelhouse held on for a tight 27-24 defeat of DHS.

Maritzburg College overpowered Glenwood 49-14, but Kearsney was made to sweat for a 30-28 win over Michaelhouse.

Returning to the court, College beat DHS 40-33, Michaelhouse won 34-24 against Glenwood, and Maritzburg added a third clear-cut victory, outplaying Kearsney 49-25.

RESULTS

u19 

Pool A
Westville Boys’ High 64-53 Hilton College
Northwood 66-26 Clifton College
St Charles College 52-42 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood 52-35 Hilton College
Westville Boys’ High 81-30 Clifton College
St Charles College 72-68 Northwood
Hilton College 54-33 Clifton College

Pool B
Michaelhouse 79-38 Glenwood
Durban High School 64-63 Kearsney College
Maritzburg College 91-28 Glenwood
Durban High School 45-39 Michaelhouse
Kearsney College 58-27 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 74-32 Durban High School
Kearsney College 54-43 Michaelhouse

u16 

Pool A
St Charles College 36-29 Clifton College
Hilton College 44-27 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood 37-26 Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High 46-26 St Charles College
Hilton College 26-21 Northwood
Westville Boys’ High 38-33 Clifton College
Hilton College 40-23 St Charles College

Pool B
Durban High School 36-28 Glenwood
Michaelhouse 31-23 Kearsney College
Maritzburg College 55-25 Glenwood
Michaelhouse 30-29 Durban High School
Maritzburg College 35-27 Kearsney College
Michaelhouse 47-31 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 44-39 Durban High School

u15 

Pool A
Hilton College 35-33 Westville Boys’ High
Clifton College 48-39 Northwood
St Charles College 30-29 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 49-31 Northwood
Westville Boys’ High 55-32 Clifton College
St Charles College 61-34 Northwood
Hilton College 44-31 Clifton College

Pool B
Michaelhouse 24-23 Glenwood
Kearsney College 45-29 Durban High School
Maritzburg College 66-42 Glenwood
Michaelhouse 40-25 Durban High School
Kearsney College 45-20 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 50-15 Durban High School
Michaelhouse 35-30 Kearsney College

u14

Pool A
Clifton College 32-21 St Charles College
Hilton College 34-20 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood 37-24 St Charles College
Hilton College 40-17 Clifton College
St Charles College 27-24 Westville Boys’ High
Hilton College 44-24 Northwood
Westville Boys’ High 24-20 Clifton College

Pool B
Kearsney College 39-23 Glenwood
Michaelhouse 27-24 Durban High School
Maritzburg College 49-14 Glenwood
Kearsney College 30-24 Michaelhouse
Maritzburg College 40-33 Durban High School
Michaelhouse 34-24 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 49-25 Kearsney College

u19 FIXTURES

Sunday, 1 March

Position 5-8, 09:00
Game 21 – A3 vs B4, Court 1
Game 22 – B3 vs A4, Court 2

Semifinals, 10:15
Game 23 – A1 vs B2, Court 1
Game 24 – B1 vs A2, Court 2

Position 7-8, 11:30
Game 26 – L21 vs L22, Court 2

Position 9-10, 11:30
Game 25 – A5 vs B5, Court 1

Position 3-4/Bronze Playoff, 12:45
Game 27 – L23 vs L24, Court 1

Position 5-6, 12:45
Game 28 – W21 vs W22, Court 2

Final, 14:00
Game 29 – W23 vs W24, Court 1

It is difficult to steal the show if your teammate and fellow hurdler sets a new South African u18 record, but that is what Jannelle Kirkpatrick (Hoërskool Menlopark) did on Saturday during the annual Wildeklawer Pretoria A Bond-meeting in the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.

Kirkpatrick received the award for the Senior Victrix Lodorum for achieving a maximum of 2 000 APE (Athletic Performance Evaluation) points during her two main events.

She broke the record in both the 100m  and 400m hurdles in 13.26 and 58.30 seconds, respectively. Both performances were worth 1 000 points.

The records for both events had been held by her teammate and current African girls’ u18 100m hurdles record holder (13.02), Megan Nieman. The previous record for the short hurdles had stood at 13.40 seconds, while the one-lap hurdles record was previously 58.64 seconds.

Kirkpatrick also secured gold in the 400m sprint in a time of 55.76 seconds. She also holds the 100m hurdles meeting records in the u14 (12.89), u15 (12.35), and u16 age groups (13.26).

Nieman was also on fire during the meeting. She won the girls’ u17 100m hurdles in a new meeting record of 13.11 seconds, smashing the previous mark, which had stood since 2015 behind the name of former SA Senior record holder Taylon Bieldt (Montana) at 13.58 seconds.

Nieman’s best performance came in the 400m hurdles, in which she set a South African u18 record of 56.57 seconds. The old mark was set in Pietermaritzburg in 2024, when Tumi Ramokgopa (Prestige College) stopped the clock at 57.04.

Nieman’s South African record destroyed the previous meeting record, 59.30 seconds, which had been held by Prestige College’s Gontse Morake since 2018. The Menlo Park star added another win when she sprinted to the 100m title in 11.67 seconds.

Another Kirkpatrick, Janelle’s younger sister, Lin-mari, also set a new meeting record in the 300m hurdles of 43.12 seconds.

In the 100m sprints, Camara Bintou, of Curro Hazeldean, was the fastest of all the girls, even though she competed in the girls’ u14 race. Her winning time of 11.66 seconds set a new meeting record and also bettered the unofficial South African u15 record of 11.74, which was set by Nicola de Bruyn (Eldoraigne) in 2014.

De Bruyn remains the meeting’s record-holder in the girls’ u15 and u16 100m, with both sitting at 11.79 seconds.

In the 200m, Lin-mari Kirkpatrick pipped by a hundredth of a second to win the 200 metres in 24.54 seconds. Bintou’s time of 24.55 was also quicker than the previous meeting record held by Nosipho Malinga (Prestige College, 24.91).

Bintou added another meeting record to her list of achievements when she won the 400m in a blistering 56.83 seconds.

In the middle distances, no one performed better than Leandri Pretorius of Waterkloof. She set three meeting records in the 800m (2:12.58), 1500m (4:21.98), and 3 000m (9:48.60). The first two records were achieved in the u16 age group and the latter in the u17 age group.

Kearsney College hosted Clifton College on the AH Smith Oval in blistering heat on Saturday, and they soon found themselves feeling the heat when the visitors snatched three wickets in the first nine overs to leave Kearsney sweating on 22/3.

Left-arm spinner Blake Johnson locked down the Kearsney top order. He bowled opener Gary Verbaan for five and recorded the exceptionally economical figures of 1/16 from his 10 overs.

Daniel Rea, meanwhile, was responsible for removing the number two and three batsmen, Rivaan Moodley and Aaron Blackburn, for six and two, respectively.

Clifton had their tails up, but it would be a long time before they again tasted bowling success: 33.1 overs, to be precise.

Captain Keegan de Jager and Asher Hollister settled in and played composed innings to put their team in the ascendancy. Clifton captain Shiraz Perumal kept them quiet, but didn’t pick up a wicket, finishing with a tidy 0/29 from his 10 overs. Eventually, though, it was the left-arm seamer, George Gooch, who broke the fourth-wicket partnership.

It lasted 199 balls, which brought Kearsney 131 runs, and ended with the total on 153 when Hollister holed out to Perumal for the innings’ highest score of 72 from 101 balls, with three fours and two sixes.

De Jager’s resistance ended 10 runs later for 60, when he was caught by Keegan Watson off Muhammed Malek. He had faced 109 balls and hit six fours. When he departed, Kearsney had 6.2 overs remaining, so they hit out, attempting to lift the run rate.

Daniel Rea was helped by Kearsney’s looser approach, with Luke Grobbelaar and Michael Groom both being caught by Hayden Drieselmann at long-off. But Daniel Miskey got going, striking four fours in an undefeated 32 from 25 balls, which helped to carry Kearsney College to 211/7 from their 50 overs.

Rea came in for some stick, but he also enjoyed success, finishing with 4/58 from nine overs.

Clifton made a measured start to their reply, with Daniyaal Klinck and Yusuf Ahmed sharing a first-wicket partnership of 21 before Litha Gonya clipped the stumps with a peach of a delivery to dismiss Ahmed for six.

Muhammed Malek, the scorer of back-to-back centuries at the Independent Schools Cricket Festival, looked reasonably comfortable at the crease, but, in a pivotal moment, he attempted a quick single and was run out by a direct hit from James Bishop for only one. That early in Clifton’s innings, it was an unnecessary risk.

Klinck and Hayden Drieselmann repaired the visitors’ response, though, advancing the total by 76 runs before their third-wicket partnership was halted when Klinck was caught by Aaron Blackburn off Bishop for 48. His 82-ball knock had included seven fours.

Drieselmann followed, the fourth man to lose his wicket, for 43. His innings included five fours and a six from 59 balls. When he exited, Clifton was on 116/4 in the 29th over.

Unfortunately for the visitors, his departure marked the starting point of a slow collapse that lasted just over 11 overs and included seven wickets falling for only 27 runs.

After 39.4 overs, Clifton was bowled out for 143, leaving Kearsney with a convincing 68-run win.

Three Kearsney bowlers bagged a brace each: Gonya returned 2/29 from eight overs, Rivaan Moodley took 2/25 from eight, and Matthew Gorrie grabbed 2/22 from 7.4.

Only Shiraz Perumal, with 11, and Veer Ramouthar, with 10, joined Klinck and Drieselmann in double figures.

Summarised scorecard

Kearsney College 211/7 (Asher Hollister 72, Keegan de Jager 60, Daniel Miskey 32*; Daniel Rea 4/58); Clifton College 143/10 (Daniyaal Klinck 48, Hayden Drieselmann 43; Matthew Gorrie 2/22, Rivaan Moodley 2/25, Litha Gonya 2/29). Kearsney College won by 68 runs.

Paarl Boys’ High vs Paarl Gimnasium

On Saturday, it was tough going for batsmen in the 50-over contest between Paarl Boys’ High and Paarl Gimnasium.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first at home, Boishaai made a slow start to their innings. Ruan Heyns, who arrived after the fall of the first wicket, top-scored with a cautious 36 runs off 92 balls.

Reese Petersen, batting at five, was the next best contributor to the host’s tally, adding a patient 25 off 62 as Boys’ High’s innings lasted 40.3 overs and finished with the home side all out for 113.

Jean le Roux was the primary reason for Boishaai’s struggles. He kept them on the hop, capturing 4/27 in 10 overs, while Wian Munnik snapped up 2/4 and Derrick Groenewald collected 2/20.

Defending a low total, the hosts’ new ball pair of Ra-eez Isaacs and Ed-Lee Koopman forced Gim onto the back foot and had the visitors in trouble on 28/4.

Isaacs went on to claim 2/23 in six overs, while Koopman also bagged 2/23 in two more overs.

Chasing a modest score, Paarl Gim needed one of their batsmen to stand up and take charge. Number five batsman, Matt Dippenaar, answered the call. He held down his end, facing 103 deliveries while scoring an unbeaten 55 to see the visitors across the line.

Waldus de Jager was with Dippenaar at the end, with the pair partnering for an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 51 to see Gimmies to a three-wicket win after 38 overs, when they reached 117/7. It was a welcome redemption for Gim, who had suffered a couple of big Switch Schools SA20 losses to Boys’ High earlier in the season.

Stellenberg High vs Hoërskool Durbanville

In a Bellville derby on Saturday, Stellenberg High won the toss and decided to bat first in their limited-overs clash with Hoërskool Durbanville.

Opener Roux Wasserman performed his job well, hitting a four and three sixes in his side’s top score of 41 from 53 deliveries. His teammates, though, had a difficult time at the crease, labouring their way to 123 all out from 45 overs.

Their difficulties stemmed from Jan-Oscar van Tonder, who knocked over 4/22 in 10 overs, while Antoine Smit played his part by snapping up 3/22.

Defending only an adequate total, Stellenberg went about their task with intensity. Captain JJ Rothman led the way, wreaking havoc on the Durbies‘ reply by capturing 4/27 from 10 overs. Jan-Jak Alberts, much like Antoine Smit did for Durbanville, performed well in the middle overs to nab 3/26.

Durbanville’s innings spluttered along until Jeandré Janse van Rensburg and Farrel-Leigh Dido, batting at eight and nine, brought some excitement to the run chase. Janse van Rensburg hit two fours and a six in his 18 off 18 balls, while Dido weighed in with an unbeaten 19 off 25, which included three fours.

In the end, though, Durbanville came up only three runs short of the Stellenberg total, bowled out for 120 after 39.5 overs.

Summarised Scorecard

Paarl Boys’ High 113/10 (Ruan Heyns 36, Reese Petersen 25; Jean le Roux 4/28, Wian Munnik 2/4, Derrick Groenewald 2/20); Paarl Gimnasium 117/7 (Matt Dippenaar 55*, Extras 20; Neil Louw 2/15, Ed-Lee Koopman 2/23, Ra-eez Isaacs 2/23). Paarl Gimnasium won by three wickets.

Stellenberg High 123/10 (Roux Wasserman 41; Jan-Oscar van Tonder 4/22, Antoine Smit 3/22); Hoërskool Durbanville 120/3 (JJ Rothman 4/27, Jan-Jak Alberts 3/26). Stellenberg won by three runs.

St John’s College claimed a two-wicket win over Jeppe when the Johannesburg rivals crossed swords on the AH Childe Oval at Jeppe on Saturday.

The victory capped off a successful 50-over campaign in the 2025-26 season for The Blues.

“It was a great team effort,” Bongani Ntini, the St John’s first team coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus. “[What a ] Wonderful way for the boys to close the season!”

The victory over Jeppe was St John’s 11th in 16 50-over contests. They lost the other five to finish the season with a healthy 70 percent win ratio.

The toss went Jeppe’s way, and the hosts chose to bat first, accumulating 209 all from 47.2 overs. St John’s then chased down the victory target of 210 runs in 47.1 overs at the cost of eight wickets.

Nkosana Sibiya, the St John’s captain, led the charge in the run chase with 47 from 49 balls. He shared a wonderful 85-run third-wicket partnership with Darshik Lutchman (36) that gave the Blues a sturdy platform from which to navigate their chase.

Bryn Gilmour also made it into the thirties, weighing in with an unbeaten 35 from 55 balls to steer the visitors over the line. The Grade 10 learner’s innings came at a crucial time for the visitors, holding their reply together after the departures of Joshua Hall (27), Herman Basson (18), and Connor van der Walt (11).

Shreshth Kumar was the pick of the Jeppe bowlers, snaring 3/54 in 10 overs. Goolam Ahmed, Lincoln Casais, and Reza Ayob chipped in with a wicket each.

Earlier in the day, Tapiwa Chikwava captured 3/42 in 9.2 overs as St John’s bowled out Jeppe in less than their full quota of 50 overs. Sibiya put his all-round skills on display with a valuable 2/32 in 10 overs, while Juan de Villiers, Ethan Robinson, and Gilmour got rid of one batsman each.

Their efforts ensured that Ryan Young‘s well-made half-century, a fluent 58 off 57 balls, didn’t propel the Black Caps to an unassailable total.

Ethan van Dyk (39) and Vegas Scott (33) gave the hosts a steady start with a tidy first-wicket stand of 72, while Aiden Reyneke (26) and Lincoln Casais (13) also made it to double-digit scores.

Summarised Scorecard

Jeppe High School for Boys 209/10 (Ryan Young 58, Ethan van Dyk 39; Tapiwa Chikwava 3/42, Nkosana Sibiya 2/32). St John’s College 210/8 (Nkosana Sibiya 47, Darshik Lutchman 36; Shreshth Kumar 3/54, Reza Ayob 1/32). St John’s won by two wickets.

Wynberg Boys’ High vs SACS

In a 50-over battle between southern suburbs rivals on Saturday, SACS won the toss and decided to bat first against Wynberg Boys’ High.

Opening batsman Aqeel Waggie settled in for a prolonged stay, striking four fours in his 55 off 132 balls on the Jacques Kallis Oval.

Abhay Kalan scored a laboured 20 off 61, batting at four, while Max Fourie, who arrived after the fall of the sixth wicket, was the only other visiting batsman to exit the teens, and he just made it, smashing two fours and a six in his 20 off 22 as SACS posted 147 all out in 48.1 overs.

Josh Nicholson was in good form with the ball, capturing 3/13 from 6.1 overs, while Niyaaz Allie contributed a valuable 2/9 in a three-over spell.

In 10 overs each, Fawaaz Hendricks and Nicholas Stafford made inroads into the SACS middle order, recording 2/27 and 2/28 respectively.

Matthew Saunders fronted the Wynberg reply and contributed 30 off 51 deliveries at the top of the order, stroking four fours and adding a six.

Captain Michail Tarentaal, batting at four, and Niyaaz Allie, the number five batsman, later accumulated an unbroken 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Tarentaal was aggressive and took it to the SACS bowlers, bashing seven fours and three sixes in his 60 off only 51 balls, while Allie sent five deliveries to the boundary in his 25 not out off 34 as the pair guided Wynberg to a six-wicket victory after 32.5 overs.

Benjamin Blackburn was outstanding for SACS, knocking over 3/16 in 10 overs, but he needed more support from his fellow bowlers.

Hoërskool Parel Vallei vs Somerset College

First Innings

In a Somerset West derby, played on Friday and Saturday, Somerset College visited Parel Vallei High for The Ashes. When the toss favoured the visitors, they chose to field first in the two-day, two-innings fixture.

Both sides struggled at the crease on the opening day. Parel Vallei barely made it to triple figures, with Paul Kruger‘s stubborn 26 runs off 75 balls and 21 off 42 from Ruben du Plessis helping them to a slow 103 all out after 46.1 overs.

Somerset College opening bowlers, Mila Silamsi and Johann Rauch, claimed 2/17 and 2/14, respectively. They found good support from Daniel Kaplan, who picked up 2/18 in five overs, which included a couple of maidens, and Troy Varie wrapped up the innings with a miserly 2/10 from 6.1 overs.

Somerset College’s reply came up well short of three figures. Only Owethu Moyi, with 34 off 47, which featured four fours, made more than 15 as the visitors hobbled their way to 74 all out in 29 overs.

Dirk van Zyl bowled more than half of Parel Vallei’s overs. Operating unchanged, he was on fire, capturing a brilliant 7/24. Imtiaz Oliver supported him well, snapping up 3/17 in nine overs.

Second Innings

The hosts delivered a much-improved second innings’ effort, led by opener Sean Grant, who hit seven fours in a 121-ball stay that brought him the match’s top score of 70.

Number three batsman, Daniel Adonis, contributed 39 runs as he and Grant added 81 runs for the second wicket.

Lower down the order, Divan Stander and Benjamin Traut shared a seventh-wicket stand of 71 runs, with Stander scoring 40 and Traut 30. After 94.4 overs, Parel Vallei declared on 292/9.

Owethu Moyi was the most successful of the Somerset College bowlers, keeping PV quiet with 25.4 overs and a return of 3/65. Daniel Kaplan played second fiddle to Moyi, securing 2/45 in 11 overs.

Moyi then returned to the crease to again top score for his team. He hit four fours and two sixes in his 58 from 121 balls. Unfortunately, for Moyi, support from his fellow batsmen was in short supply, with no one else making it to 15 as Somerset College was bowled out for 118.

Christopher Hughes hurt Somerset College with 4/23 in 18.1 overs, while Imtiaz Oliver bagged three wickets for the second time in the contest, picking up 3/46 in 18 overs. Dirk van Zyl, PV’s first-innings’ star, chipped in with 2/37 from 19 as Parel Vallei claimed The Ashes with a handsome 203-run margin.

Summarised Scorecards

SACS 147/10 (Aqeel Waggie 55, Extras 22, Max Fourie 20, Abhay Kalan 20; Josh Nicholson 3/13, Niyaaz Allie 2/9, Fawaaz Hendricks 2/27, Nicholas Stafford 2/28); Wynberg Boys’ High 151/4 (Michail Tarentaal 60*, Matthew Saunders 30, Niyaaz Allie 25; Benjamin Blackburn 3/16). Wynberg Boys’ High won by six wickets.

First Innings

Hoërskool Parel Vallei 103/10 (Paul Kruger 26, Ruben du Plessis 21; Troy Varie 2/10, Johann Rauch 2/14, Mila Silamsi 2/17, Daniel Kaplan 2/18); Somerset College 74/10 (Owethu Moyi 34; Dirk van Zyl 7/24, Imtiaz Oliver 3/17).

Second Innings

Hoërskool Parel Vallei 292/9 dec. (Sean Grant 70, Paul Kruger 44, Divan Stander 40, Daniel Adonis 39, Benjamin Traut 30, Ruben du Plessis 24*; Owethu Moyi 3/64, Daniel Kaplan 2/45, Troy Varie 2/61); Somerset College 118/10 (Owethu Moyi 58; Christopher Hughes 4/23, Imitiaz Oliver 3/46, Dirk van Zyl 2/37). Parel Vallei won by 203 runs.