Stellenberg and Hoërskool Durbanville have advanced to the final of this year’s Sammy Bloch 25-overs series after midweek wins over Fairmont and Curro Durbanville.
Before they battle for the trophy next Wednesday, though, they’ll face off for northern suburbs’ bragging rights in a 50-over game on Saturday.
Stellenberg earned their place in the Sammy Block championship game after edging out Fairmont by two wickets on Wednesday.
JJ Rothman and Lohann Pretorius helped limit the visitors to 117 runs by taking three wickets apiece.
Kyle Maclean (26) and Razeen Parker (30) made some headway for Fairmont early in their innings but, after Parker was run out and Maclean was caught in front by Kyle van Santen, their batting lineup struggled.
Gerrad Kamalie tied the match up neatly for the home side by taking the final Fairmont wicket in the 24th over of their innings before scoring the winning runs alongside Jan-Jak Alberts.
Van Santen laid the foundation for Stellenberg’s chase, smashing two sixes in his innings of 27 runs.
On Thursday, the Durbies delivered a statement, thumping Curro by an impressive 111 runs, thanks to half-centuries by Jan Kriel and Tobias Roelofse at opposite ends of the order.
Kriel opened with a measured 56 runs off of 42 deliveries before Roelofse raced to an undefeated 54 off 27.
Divan Bosman‘s 38 runs alongside Roelofse helped boost the hosts to 216/6 from their 25 overs.
Roelofse then helped snuff out Curro’s chase, capturing wickets with consecutive deliveries, as Curro was limited to 105 all out.
Xander van Aarde and Hugo Bredell both claimed a pair of wickets, as well, but De Wet Viljoen was the pick of the bowlers for Hoërskool Durbanville, taking 3/20.
Summarised scorecards
Fairmont 117/10 (Razeen Parker 30, Kyle Maclean 26, Extras 21; JJ Rothman 3/12, Lohann Pretorius 3/20); Stellenberg 119/8 (Kyle van Santen 27, Gerrad Kamalie 26*, Extras 24; Joshua Martin 3/21, Byron Garton 2/14, Samuel Hoctor 2/41). Stellenberg won by two wickets.
Hoërskool Durbanville 216/6 (Jan Kriel 56, Tobias Roelofse 54*, Divan Bosman 38*, Pierre du Toit 32; Abner Paul 3/47, Caleb Jonkers 2/26); Curro Durbanville 105/10 (Matthew Scoble 27, Alex van der Westhuizen 22; De Wet Viljoen 3/20, Hugo Bredell 2/13, Tobias Roelofse 2/20, Xander van Aarde 2/27). Hoërskool Durbanville won by 111 runs.
St John’s College has opened its doors to visiting teams from across South Africa and beyond its boundaries for the 19th St John’s Basketball Tournament. Sponsored by Standard Bank, and in partnership with Avis Car Rental, the four-day tournament runs from Thursday, 22 February to Sunday, 25 February, and is the biggest basketball tournament in Southern Africa.
Competition across the three age groups on day one was hard-fought, and the hosts were able to score some fantastic wins.
The u13 and u15 hosts off to a good start
The St John’s u13 team held off Redhill School for a narrow 20-17 victory in their opener. Meanwhile, the u15 team, led by their star player Reza Creamer, was more convincing in their first outing, a 49-27 win over Saheti.
St John’s u19
In the St John’s 1st team’s opening contest of the u19 age group, the home side took full advantage of their home ground, facing nearby Parktown Boys’ High. Smooth passing from St John’s allowed them to dominate the contest, and their ability to turn defence into attack was also to the fore, as they secured a 51-30 win.
In their next outing, however, they were unable to overcome the defending champions, St Charles College, who exhibited great chemistry and a deep understanding of each player’s role on the court in a 50-39 victory.
The Pietermaritzburg school had earlier beaten Pretoria Boys High 33-29 to put themselves on top of Group A after day one.
In a heavyweight clash, St Alban’s College scored an impressive win over Maritzburg College on Thursday.
St Albans and Maritzburg College game brought the heat
Two formidable sides met in their opening games in Group C, with St Alban’s College facing Maritzburg College, the recent winners of the Jenny Orchard Basketball Invitational.
They went toe-to-toe, each showing great strength and physicality, with thrust and counterthrust. However, it was St Alban’s who gained the upper hand, frustrating the KZN side as College saw the game slipping through their fingers.
In the end, St Alban’s ran out comfortable 66-45 winners to sound a warning to their future opposition.
One loss, though, will not end a team’s title aspirations. College was beaten in the group stage of the Jenny Orchard Invitational and went on to win the title by reversing their loss to Northwood. Likewise, St Charles College suffered a loss to St David’s Marist Inanda in the group stage of the St John’s Basketball Tournament in 2023, and they reversed that result in the final.
u19 Results
Group A
St John’s College 51-30 Parktown Boys’ High
St Charles College 33-29 Pretoria Boys High
Pretoria Boys High 36-22 Parktown Boys’ High
St John’s College 39-50 St Charles College
Group B
Hilton College 27-45 Northwood School
St Stithians College 54-25 St Peter’s College
Group C
Maritzburg College 45-66 St Alban’s College
Jeppe High 25-34 St David’s Marist Inanda
St David’s Marist Inanda 32-50 Maritzburg College
Jeppe High 34-48 St Alban’s College
Group D
Michael Mount 44-54 Michaelhouse
Waterford 31-44 Clifton College
Michaelhouse 45-25 Waterford
Michael Mount 34-26 Clifton College
Group E
Kearsney College 35-39 St Benedict’s College
St George’s College 45-60 Sacred Heart College
Group F
ESCA Wanderers 44-39 Falcon College
St Andrew’s College 35-65 King Edward VII
u15 Results
Group A
Saheti 27-49 St John’s College
Kearsney College 34-12 Clifton College
Group B
St Andrew’s College 51-35 King’s Linbro
Michael Mount 48-47 Maritzburg College
Group C
Pretoria Boys High 49-27 Northwood
St Stithians 56-29 St Peter’s
Group D
Soweto Academy 42-20 Jeppe High
King Edward VII 22-37 Hilton College
Group E
Michaelhouse 49-30 Sacred Heart
St David’s Marist Inanda 24-34 St Alban’s
Group F
St Charles 47-31 Mangaung Knights
Redhill 11-26 St Benedict’s
Over 700 hopeful hoopers converged in Johannesburg to participate in the 19th edition of the St. John’s College Basketball Tournament.
St. John’s welcomed new faces from four provinces namely Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State and KwaZulu Natal for four days of gruelling action, while two neighbouring countries in Eswatini and Zimbabwe sent out two sets of troops to take part in the tournament.
To get proceedings underway, the KZN-based St Charles College u19s hit the ground running on Thursday, moving past the Parktown Boys u19s with a 33-29 scoreline before going on to close off the opening day with a victory over the hosts, St John’s College late in the evening.
With two victories in the bag, St Charles topped their pool heading into day two and put themselves in a good position to progress to the tournament’s knockout stage following the conclusion of the round-robin stage.
The hosts certainly hit the brick wall in their meeting with St Charles. However, they had already recorded points on the table, having beaten Parktown Boys 51-30 earlier in the day to mark a positive start to the competition.
St Stithians College, St Alban’s College, Michaelhouse, Sacred Heart College and King Edward High also topped their groups having earned positive results on Thursday.
St Stithians dominated St. Peters 54-25, Michaelhouse beat Michael Mount 54-44, while Maritzburg and Jeppe High fell short by 45-66 and 25-34 against St Alban’s and St David’s Marist respectively.
St Benedicts got the better of Kearsney College on Day one with a 39-35 victory.
With Day two promising to bring yet another set of entertainment on the courts, we can certainly expect one or two teams to bounce back after being on the receiving end on Day one.
The annual Balling hockey tournament hosted by Voortrekker in Bethlehem will also see an u19 boys section with most of the top hockey teams from the Free State preparing for the 2024 season.
Grey College from Bloemfontein will face Hoërskool Sasolburg in their opening match of the tournament. Their second match will be against the hosts, Voortrekker.
Grey will take on Monument from Krugersdorp and Beaulieu College from Midrand on the second day before concluding their itinerary against Witteberg from Bethlehem.
The hockey spectators of Bethlehem will without a doubt all attend the match between the Trekkers and Witteberg on the opening day of the tournament.
The Fixtures:
MARLÉ CLAASSEN ASTRO | VOORTREKKER
Day 1 | 23 February 2024
17:35 – Beaulieu College vs Hoërskool Sasolburg
Day 2 | 24 February 2024
09:45 – Grey College vs Beaulieu College 17:05 – Beaulieu College vs Witteberg
NEW HORIZON ASTRO
Day 1 | Friday, 23 February 2024
07:00 – Voortrekker vs Witteberg 07:55 – Grey College vs Hoërskool Sasolburg 10:40 – Beaulieu College vs Monument 12:30 – Voortrekker vs Grey College 16:10 – Monument vs Witteberg
Day 2 | Saturday, 24 February 2024
08:50 – Witteberg vs Hoërskool Sasolburg 09:45 – Monument vs Voortrekker 14:20 – Grey College vs Monument 17:05 – Voortrekker vs Hoërskool Sasolburg
Day 3 | Sunday, 25 February 2024
07:00 – Hoërskool Sasolburg vs Monument 07:55 – Witteberg vs Grey College 08:50 – Voortrekker vs Beaulieu College
The big guns were in fine form, sweeping their pools, on day one of the 19th edition of the Old Petrian’s Annual Girls U19 Water Polo Tournament, hosted by St. Peter’s College.
The event got underway on Thursday morning and runs until Sunday afternoon when the creme de la creme will compete for the trophy.
Two venues, St Peter’s Prep Girls and the Wahoo Aquatic Centre, are hosting the big 27-team event.
First out of the blocks was Reddam House Constantia. The former champions played the opening game and got off to an absolute flier with a 12-1 drubbing of Rustenburg. Leading the charge was Hannah Banks.
In 2023, Banks was one of the top scorers at the Inter-Provincial Tournament, where she helped Western Province reach the final. Her outstanding performances at the IPT earned her a maiden call-up to the South Africa Under-18 side. Against Rustenburg, she showed that class with five goals.
Banks repeated the feat, netting another five, when Reddam downed Pretoria Girls 18-0.
Defending champions St. Stithians put out a statement of intent on day one with back-to-back wins over 2022 champions, Crawford College (Lonehill), and Alexander Road.
In their first match, the defending champions eased their way into the tournament with a 13-4 win in which seven players scored goals. Courtney Calenborne and Gina Sguazzin kicked off their campaigns with hat-tricks.
Calenborne made it two hat-tricks in a day when she joined Erin Blackburn (5), Cadha Mosehla (4) and Hannah Lloyd (3) on a scoring spree that saw Saints put 23 goals past Alex Road with no reply. Unlike their showing against Crawford, where they made a few fouls and allowed the opposition opportunities on goal, the defending champs were clinical against Alex Road. They committed only one foul compared to Alex Road’s 10.
Durban Girls’ College came into the tournament feeling optimistic and buoyant following their title-winning campaign at the National Aquatic Festival, hosted by Maris Stella earlier in the month, and did not disappoint. Coach Peter Lavett’s team had no trouble converting those feelings into a match-winning performance.
Kayla Andrews, who had a good u16 campaign at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Tournament, last December, led the KwaZulu-Natal team with eight goals across two matches. She netted six and two against St Peter’s and Rustenburg, respectively.
Herschel shrugged off Rand Park‘s and Hudson Park‘s attempts at competition with emphatic wins. First, they dealt out a 23-0 whipping to Rand Park and then eased past Hudson Park 14-3. The star for Herschel in both matches was Emily van Heerden, who scored a total of seven goals.
Pool A
St. Stithians 13-4 Crawford Hudson Park 4-8 Kingswood Herschel 23-0 Rand Park Crawford 5-12 Kingswood Alex Road 0-23 St Stithians Herschel 14-3 Hudson Park Alex Road 7-6 Rand Park
Pool B
Kingsmead 1-6 St Mary’s Roedean 21-1 Springfield Chisipite 4-6 Stirling DSG 7-0 Springfield Kingsmead 1-8 Roedean DSG 7-4 Stirling
Pool C
Reddam Constantia 12-1 Rustenburg Durban Girls College 13-4 St Peter’s Pretoria Girls 0-18 St Dominic’s St Peter’s 3-8 Collegiate DGC 11-2 Rustenburg St Dominic’s 4-3 Collegiate Pretoria Girls 0-18 Reddam Constantia
07:00 – (25) Alex Road vs Rand Park; 07:35 – (26) Chisipite vs St Mary’s; 08:10 – (27) St Stithians vs Kingswood; 08:45 – (28) Stirling vs Springfield; 09:20 – (29) Crawford vs Herschel; 09:55 – (30) DSG vs Kingsmead; 10:30 – (31) Kingswood vs Alex Road; 11:05 – (32) Chisipite vs Springfield; 11:40 – (33) Rand Park vs Hudson; 12:15 – (34) St Mary’s vs Roedean; 12:50 – (35) Herschel vs St Stithians; 13:25 – (36) – Stirling vs Kingsmead; 14:00 – (37) Hudson vs Alex Road; 14:35 – (38) Roedean vs Chisipite; 15:10 – (39) Kingswood vs Herschel; 15:45 – (40) Kingsmead vs Springfield; 16:20 – (41) Rand Park vs Crawford; 16:55 – (42) St Mary’s vs DSG; 17:30 – (43) Herschel vs Alex Road; 18:05 – (44) Kingsmead vs Chisipite; 18:40 – (45) Hudson vs Crawford; 19:15 – (46) DSG vs Roedean; 19:50 – (47) Rand Park vs St Stithians
@ St Peter’s Girls Prep School
07:00 – (48) St Dominic’s vs Collegiate; 07:35 – (49) St Anne’s vs Wynberg; 08:10 – (50) Durban Girls vs Pretoria Girls; 08:45 – (51) Pearson vs Reddam Bedfordview; 09:20 – (52) Rustenburg vs St Peter’s; 09:55 – (53) Clarendon vs Wynberg; 10:30 – (54) St Dominic’s vs Reddam Constantia; 11:05 – (55) Westerford vs Reddam Helderfontein; 11:40 – (56) Collegiate vs Rustenburg; 12:15 – (57) Clarendon vs St Anne’s; 12:50 – (58) St Peter’s vs Pretoria Girls; 13:25 – (59) Wynberg vs Reddam Bedfordview; 14:00 – (60) Collegiate vs Reddam Constantia; 14:35 – (61) Clarendon vs Reddam Helderfontein; 15:10 – (62) Rustenburg vs Pretoria Girls; 15:45 – (63) Reddam Bedfordview vs St Anne’s; 16:20 – (64) St Dominic’s vs Durban Girls; 16:55 – (65) Pearson vs Westerford; 17:30 – (66) Pretoria Girls vs Collegiate; 18:05 – (67) Clarendon vs Reddam Bedfordview; 18:40 – (68) Reddam Constantia vs Durban Girls; 19:15 – (69) Reddam Helderfontein vs Pearson; 19:50 – (70) St Dominic’s vs St Peter’s
The 2024 hockey season kicks off this weekend in Bethlehem with the Balling-tournament.
The annual tournament is hosted by Voortrekker of Bethlehem with matches also being played on the astros of New Horizon College and Hoërskool Witteberg.
Teams will still be looking to find their feet and combinations but spectators could expect the two top girls’ hockey schools of South Africa, Oranje Meisieskool and Eunice, both from Bloemfontein to already produce some exciting plays as well as hit their straps early on.
Eunice was crowned the champion of the annual Fairtree Top 12 tournament last year. The team from Bloemfontein defeated Paarl Gimnasium by 3-1 in a penalty shootout in the final after the scores were locked at 1-all after full-time.
Eunice will face St Stithians College from Johannesburg and Wykeham Collegiate from Pietermaritzburg in their two first matches in Bethlehem. On the second day, they will meet St John’s Diocesan School for Girls from Pietermaritzburg as well as St Anne’s Diocesan College from Hilton.
In their final match, they will play the hosts, Voortrekker. The Trekkers will also face Oranje during the second day of the tournament which gives them the ideal preparation for the season ahead.
Oranje takes on St John’s DSG and St Stithians College during the opening day. Besides the Trekkers, they also will face Noordheuwel from Krugersdorp on Saturday.
Oranje will conclude their tournament against Beaulieu College from Midrand.
The Fixtures
MARLÉ CLAASSEN ASTRO | VOORTREKKER
Day 1 | Friday, 23 February 2024
07:30 – St Anne’s vs Voortrekker 08:25 – Hoërskool Sasolburg vs Union HS 09:20 – St John’s DSG vs Oranje 10:15 – Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Oranje II 11:10 – Eunice vs St Stithians College 12:05 – Beaulieu vs Wykeham 13:00 – Voortrekker vs St John’s DSG 14:50 – St Anne’s vs Beaulieu 15:45 – St Stithians College vs Oranje 16:40 – Eunice vs Wykeham
Day 2 | Saturday, 24 February 2024
07:00 – Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Union HS 07:55 – Epworth vs St Dominic’s College 08:50 – Voortrekker vs Oranje 10:40 – St Anne’s vs Noordheuwel 11:35 – Monument vs Witteberg 12:30 – St John’s DSG vs Eunice 13:25 – Oranje vs Noordheuwel 14:20 – Voortrekker vs St Stithians College 15:15 – Eunice vs St Anne’s 16:10 – Beaulieu vs St John’s DSG
Day 3 | Sunday, 25 February 2024
07:00 – Union HS vs Monument 07:55 – Oranje vs Beaulieu 08:50 – Eunice vs Voortrekker 09:45 – St Anne’s vs St Stithians College 10:40 – Noordheuwel vs St John’s DSG 11:35 – Witteberg vs Potchefstroom Volkskool 12:30 – Hoërskool Sasolburg vs Epworth
NEW HORIZON ASTRO
Day 1 | Friday, 23 February 2024
08:50 – Noordheuwel vs Epworth 09:45 – St Dominic’s College vs Witteberg 11:35 – Noordheuwel vs Oranje II 13:25 – Witteberg vs Hoërskool Sasolburg 14:20 – Our Lady Fatima vs Monument 15:15 – St Dominic’s College vs Potchefstroom Volkskool
Day 2 | 24 February 2024
07:00 – Oranje II vs Wykeham 07:55 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Hoërskool Sasolburg 10:40 – Beaulieu vs St Stithians College 11:35 – Union HS vs Oranje II 12:30 – Potchefstroom Volkskool vs Epworth 13:25 – Hoërskool Sasolburg vs Wykeham 15:15 – Witteberg vs Our Lady of Fatima 16:10 – Monument vs St Dominic’s College
Day 3 | Sunday, 25 February 2024
09:45 – Our Lady of Fatima vs Wykeham 10:40 – St Dominic’s College vs Oranje II
Hilton College’s Simon Steyn appeals in their match against St Andrew’s College on the opening day of the 2024 Independent Schools Cricket Festival. Photo: Justin Waldman Sports Photography.
The bowlers made a massive statement by delivering stellar performances on Thursday, the first day of the Independent Schools Cricket Festival.
Bishops‘ opening bowler Waco Bassick tore through the Michaelhouse top order to claim a five-for. His magical opening spell sent five Michaelhouse batsmen back to the pavilion while yielding only 15 runs from his six overs.
His excellent bowling performance backed up his mature knock of 48 runs from 57 balls at a critical time in Bishops’ innings.
Kashief Joseph, the impressive Bishops’ opening batsman, notched up his first half-century of the festival, top scoring with 59 runs from 93 deliveries.
Meanwhile, Michaelhouse’s young left-arm off-spin bowler, Jean-Luc Rey, also delivered a stellar performance. He pulled it back nicely in the middle overs, snaring the first five-for of the festival, 5/43. He was supported well by Ross Moller, who claimed two Bishops’ scalps for 35 runs.
St Andrew’s College star, William Beamish, led the side from Grahamstown to a hard-fought three-wicket victory over a young Hilton College side. He struck a mature 44 runs from 95 balls before showing impressive sportsmanship by walking before being given out, caught off the bowling of Simon Steyn.
Beamish also impressed with the ball, claiming 2/24. However, Roman van Zyl did the bulk of the damage, bagging four wickets for 32 runs.
Natenzi Denenga led the way for Hilton. Coming back from an injury, which kept him sidelined for most of 2024, the bowling all-rounder top scored with 37 runs and claimed two wickets for 24 runs.
Liam Basch (4/22) and Christiaan Visage (4/28) directed the hosts, St Alban’s, to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over St George’s College of Harare. The pair combined for eight wickets, which led to the visitors struggling to only 119 all out.
An unbeaten 65 from Zack Richardson and 41 not out from Patrick Weir then steered the home team to victory in the 20th over.
Lhuan-dré Pretorius lived up to his vaunted reputation by seeing Cornwall Hill College to a commanding eight-wicket victory over Clifton College.
He struck an impressive and unbeaten 85, in a more subdued manner than usual, taking 120 deliveries for his runs. Lethabo Phahlamohlaka supported him well, with an undefeated 34 runs coming from his bat.
Their good batting performance was backed up by some good bowling from Mohale Pitso, who claimed three wickets for 33 runs. Pretorius, meanwhile, showed off his all-round ability by picking up 2/17 from 10 overs.
Helpmekaar Kollege clawed their way to a narrow three-wicket victory over St John’s College (Harare). Anrich Liebenberg (3/24) and Henricus Meyer (2/34) limited the visitors from Zimbabwe to only 112 all out.
Tyde Stirrup‘s 30 runs, supported by Kian Blignaut‘s 20 runs, were the Rams’ top scores. Blignaut carried over his confident batting performance into his bowling, leading the touring side’s fightback with an impressive spell of 2/25.
Kyle Swanepoel, however, kept his composure, matching Cornwall Hill’s Pretorius by also starting and ending his team’s batting effort. His unbeaten 76 runs from 124 deliveries was the decisive innings that the Johannesburg school needed to get over the line.
Summarised scorecards
Bishops Diocesan College 212/10 (Kashief Joseph 59, Waco Bassick 48, Calum Daniels 29, Peyton Leigh 24, Alex Vintcent 22; Jean-Luc Rey 5/43, Ross Moller 2/35); Michaelhouse 81/10 (Cameron Strudwick 20; Waco Bassick 5/15, Michael Kotze 3/10). Bishops Diocesan College won by 131 runs.
Hilton College 121/10 (Natenzi Denenga 37, Ben Hockly 26; Roman van Zyl 4/32, Joe Wostenholm 2/12, William Beamish 2/24); St Andrew’s College 122/7 (William Beamish 44, Alex Price 20; Luke Campbell 2/15, Natenzi Denega 2/42). St Andrew’s College won by three wickets.
St George’s College 119/10 (Jayden Peterson 30, Munotida Ndorah 21; Liam Basch 4/22, Christiaan Visage 4/28, Boago Motlhabedi 2/15); St Alban’s College 123/1 (Zack Richardson 65*, Patrick Weir 41*; Munotida Ndorah 1/47). St Alban’s won by nine wickets.
Clifton College 151/10 (Shahzaad Perumal 29, Cohen Naidoo 24; Mohale Pitso 3/33, Obakeng Mokanyane 2/11, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/17); Cornwall Hill College 152/2 (Lhuan-dré Pretorius 85*, Lethabo Phahlamohhlaka 34*; Zach Williamson 1/13). Cornwall Hill College won by eight wickets.
St John’s College (Harare) 112/10 (Tyde Stirrup 30, Kian Blignaut 20; Anrich Liebenberg 3/23, Henricus Meyer 2/34); Helpmekaar Kollege 114/7 (Kyle Swanepoel 76*; Kian Blignaut 2/25). Helpmekaar Kollege won by three wickets.
Tumelo Mahan of Pretoria Boys High School. Photo Supplied
Tumelo Mahan, a matric learner at Pretoria Boys High School, will represent South Africa at the 13th edition of the African Games, to be held in Ghana.
Making this accomplishment extra special is the fact that Mahan and his brother, Owethu (19), who matriculated in 2022, will be wearing the green and gold together in Ghana.
The Games are scheduled to be held from 2 to 23 March.
The brothers were informed of their inclusion in the team only last week.
Tumelo attended the Junior World Championships, in Israel, in September last year, as well as the Junior African Championships, where the 19-year-old qualified for the European Championships.
The humble yet highly talented swimmer is a sprinter who participates in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle and butterfly events.
“I realised that I have a talent in both these items, and I truly wanted to grow,” Mahan says.
His best time in the 100 m freestyle is 51.54, while his personal best in the 200m is 01:54.41.
Born and bred in Pretoria, and captain of his school’s swimming team, Mahan attended Lynnwood Ridge Primary School and always wanted to attend PBHS afterwards.
“I’ve been swimming since I was eight years old. My parents originally introduced me to swimming purely because of water safety, but I soon discovered that I had a talent for it.,” he said.
Mahan has been training extremely hard ever since and his swimming started to really pick up when he joined the University of Pretoria club under the watchful eye of Tuks’ head coach, Rocco Meiring, in 2016.
Meiring was recently named the winner of the Swammy Award for African Coach of the Year – for the sixth year in a row.
Tumelo Mahan at the starting blocks. Photo: Supplied
Before joining Tuks, Mahan was coached by Linda de Jager, who has since retired.
His swimming journey started with pool “floaties” in a small, backyard pool. Genuinely humble beginnings.
Mahan reckons that he is probably his toughest critic. “It might sound like a cliché,” he says. “However, I am constantly trying to be better than what I was yesterday.”
Although swimming is his great passion, he realises that academics also has an important role to play in his life.
His father is originally from America but has resided in South Africa since the age of 21.
Tumelo plans to study either BCom Financial Sciences or Marketing Management at Tuks.
“I don’t only want to be known as a swimmer, but for other achievements as well. I do swim to have fun, but at the end of the day, it remains a competition.”
His greatest dream is to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics to be held in Los Angeles, USA.
“I haven’t counted my medals, but I do keep each of them,” he chuckles.
“Having them displayed in my room, shows me the work that I’ve put in thus far.”
He doesn’t necessarily look up to swimmers only, but there is one athlete, the multi-talented American swimmer, Caeleb Dressel, that he enjoys watching.
Tumelo Mahan and Teacher-in-charge of swimming at Pretoria Boys High School, Alexandra-Bolduc.
Teacher-in-charge of swimming at PBHS, Alexandra Bolduc, believes that the Mahan’s family values set him apart from other athletes.
“His mother and father never miss a practice or a gala – whether it’s just a school gala or serious stuff, they are always there to support their son.
“Watching the brothers become the swimmers they have become, but, mostly, the gentlemen they’ve become, is such a joy.
“I remember my first encounter with Owethu. It was during an A-League Inter-high Gala. There was a thunderstorm and we decided to arm wrestle, and I came off second best,” Bolduc laughs.
“Tumelo arrived two years later with such spirit and leading the pack. The little ones, the ‘fantastic four’, look up to Tumelo as an amazing role model – not just as a swimmer but as a man.
“Watching them just blows my mind.”
Bolduc added that she wants front-row tickets for LA.
“It has been a blessing and an honour to watch them and witness who they have become. It is going to be an adventure to watch them on the way forward.
“They must fly.”
On Friday, PBHS will host their annual Inter-House Gala.
St John’s College 1st XI captain Joe Macrobert during his unbeaten 79 against Woodridge College.
St John’s College cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Woodridge College on day one of the 2024 Independent Schools Cricket Festival (ISCF), being hosted by St Alban’s College, as their captain Joe MacRobert continued his torrid run-scoring form.
Before he did his damage, however, Woodridge posted 150 all out after choosing to bat. They lost an early wicket, but looked to be on course for a good score when Jaydon Damons and Ethan Moothoo took the score to 47.
Malan du Plessis then had Damons caught by Nkosana Sibiya after a very patient 14 from 64 balls. It was his next ball, however, that had a huge impact on the game. Du Plessis had Woodridge captain Randy Syce caught by his counterpart, Joe MacRobert, without scoring.
An accomplished batsman, Syce represented Eastern Province Schools and the Eastern Warriors at the Cubs Week. His dismissal was a big blow to the Eastern Cape side’s batting effort.
Du Plessis added a third wicket when he also accounted for Moothoo, who top scored for Woodridge, spending 111 balls out in the middle for his 50.
Lukhanyo Ndulama helped boost the run rate, hitting four fours in his knock of 41 from 56 deliveries, as he and Moothoo added 75 for the fourth wicket. However, when the pair fell within three runs of one another, the innings lost momentum and wickets fell regularly.
From 122/3, Woodridge crumbled to 150 all out.
David Ireland, who has made impressive progress this season, captured 2/14 from 8.5 overs, while Alec Loveland picked up 2/18 from nine. Two run outs also accelerated Woodridge’s demise.
Then, with MacRobert to the fore, St John’s powered their way to victory in just 18.3 overs. He punished the Woodridge bowlers, smashing an unbeaten 79 from only 50 balls, 12 of which he dispatched for four.
MacRobert and Thomas Ievers, who ended on 52 not out from 48 deliveries, put on an unbroken 127 for the second wicket in only 15 overs to blast St John’s across the line.
St Benedict’s College vs Kearsney College
On a day that was unkind to the KZN teams – they won only one of four games – it was the most consistent side in the province in 2024, Kearsney College, who claimed that win.
Facing St Benedict’s College at Tuks, they sent the Bedfordview boys in, to bat. That was a good decision by Kearsney captain Ross Coetzee as Ryan Browning had two batsmen caught behind by wicketkeeper Matthew De Oliveira with only five runs on the board.
Bennies slumped to 36/4 before Clayton Horlick and Carl Goosen combined for 37 runs to lift the total to 73, which is when Goosen was sent packing for 22 after Jack O’Donovan pouched a catch off Asavela Khambule.
Horlick resolutely kept the Kearsney attack at bay, but he eventually became another victim of Khambule, the eighth man to fall, with the total on 126, for 37 from 88 balls.
The next two wickets followed quickly, and St Benedict’s were dismissed for 127. It was testament to Kearsney’s tight bowling that it took Bennies 45.5 overs to score their runs.
Khambule, who has been in magnificent form, picked up 3/11 with his leg spin, from 7.5 overs, while Browning, with his steep bounce, took 3/16 in eight. His opening partner, Sandiswa Yeni, knocked over 2/30 in 10, and Michael Groom, with 1/8 in seven, kept St Benedict’s on the defensive.
In turn, Bennies battled determinedly to keep Kearsney’s talented batting lineup at bay. They succeeded in keeping the run rate under control – with SA Schools’ spinner Parth Patel returning 1/26 from 10 – but they also they needed wickets and were stymied by Kearsney’s leading run scorers this season, Cameron Veenstra and Ross Coetzee.
Jason de Gryse and Matthew Lamplough gave Kearsney a good start, with an opening stand of 39, but they fell within one run of one another, with De Gryse making 21.
That brought Veenstra and Coetzee together. St Benedict’s did a really good job of keeping them in check – not many have managed that this season – but the pair adapted their games well to the requirements of the contest as they compiled an unbroken stand of 82 to see their side to victory.
Veenstra finished with 50 not out from 82 balls, with one four and one six, while Coetzee, usually a powerful striker of the ball, didn’t reach the boundary once, but his patient 38 from 93 balls demonstrated maturity and a keen understanding of what was needed.
St Stithians College vs Titans XI
Chris Anderson struck the first century of the ISCF, and it was desperately needed by St Stithians College, who totalled only 207 all out against the Titans XI, despite Anderson’s 100 not out, which came at close to a run a ball and included eight fours and two sixes.
If it wasn’t for Anderson’s fine innings, and 30 from opener, Pranav Raichetti, the Saints’ innings wouldn’t have looked very good.
Mohammed Barabat, with an impressive 2/29 from 10 overs, and Ditebogo Chauke, with 2/31 from eight, led the Titans XI’s bowling, while two run outs ended any resistance the Saints’ lower order may have offered.
In reply, Tshepang Laka produced a solid knock at the top of the Titans XI’s batting order, making 28, but he fought a lone fight as the highest score of any of the next six batsmen was only four.
Eventually, Neylo Sanna stopped the rot, making 21 from 28. But when he was the ninth man out, only one run was added, and it was all over as the Titans XI folded for 78.
The Saints’ bowlers spread the wickets around, with Cayden Sunker snaring 3/14 in six, Tahseen Hanslo taking 3/22 in 10, and Ethan Jacobs claiming 2/19 in six.
They didn’t find it easy when batting, but Saints, ultimately, romped to victory by 129 runs.
St Andrew’s School vs Uplands College
Playing on the beautifully named Land’s End at Cornwall Hill College, St Andrew’s School made short work of Uplands College with their 50-overs-a-side match lasting only 44.5 overs in total.
Sent in, to bat, Uplands mustered only 84 all out, thanks to Benji Loon, who played an outstanding innings, making 47 from 76 balls, which included four fours and two sixes, while the rest of the batsmen managed only one four between them.
Off-spinner Dakalo Leketa was the destroyer-in-chief for the Bloemfontein boys, sending down nine overs and returning figures of 5/17.
Opening bowler JC Young did a good job up front, removing both openers, as he picked up 2/12 from six overs.
St Andrew’s then needed only 14.5 overs to overhaul the Uplands’ total as Naudé Botha led the charge with an unbeaten 53 from 54 balls, with eight fours and a six.
St David’s Marist Inanda vs Kingswood College
St David’s Marist Inanda have put up some huge scores since the start of the 2023/24 season, but they didn’t need to do that against Kingswood College, thanks to a strong outing in the field.
They followed through on their decision to put Kingswood in to bat by dismissing the boys from Makhanda for only 90, with the St David’s fielders doing a fine job by effecting two run outs, including number four batsman Josh Loon and Kingswood’s top scorer, Daniel Jakins, who made 23.
Jason Rowles hurt Kingswood with an outstanding return of 4/13 from 10 overs, six of which were maidens, while opening bowler Oliver Botha struck early to claim 2/10 from five.
St David’s lost their bowling hero Jason Rowles in the first over of their reply, but they didn’t blink and went hard after the modest total.
It took them just 17 overs to pass it as an unbeaten 39 from Matthew West, 24 not out from Morteza Manack, and 25 from Armaan Manack, saw them to a comfortable eight-wicket victory.
Summarised scores
Woodridge College150/10 (Ethan Moothoo 50, Lukhanyo Nudlama 41; Malan du Plessis 3/38, David Ireland 2/14, Alec Loveland 2/18); St John’s College 151/1 (Joe MacRobert 79*, Thomas Ievers 52*) St John’s College won by 9 wickets.
St Benedict’s College 127/10 (Clayton Horlick 37, Carl Goosen 22; Asavela Khambule 3/11, Ryan Browning 3/16, Sandiswa Yeni 2/30); Kearsney College 132/2 (Cameron Veenstra 50*, Ross Coetzee 36*, Jason De Gryse 21) Kearsney College won by 8 wickets.
St Stithians College 207/10 (Chris Anderson 100*, Pranav Raichetti 30; Mohammed Barabat 2/29, Ditebogo Chauke 2/31); Titans XI 78/10 (Tshepang Laka 28, Neylo Sanna 21; Cayde Sunker 3/14, Tahseen Hanslo 3/22, Ethan Jacobs 2/19) St Stithians College won by 129 runs.
Uplands College 84/10 (Benji Loon 47; Dakalo Leketa 5/17, JC Young 2/12); St Andrew’s School 87/1 (Naudé Botha 53*) St Andrew’s School won by 9 wickets.
Kingswood College 90/10 (Daniel Jakins 23; Jason Rowles 4/13, Oliver Botha 2/10); St David’s Marist Inanda 91/2 (Matthew West 39*, Armaan Manack 25, Morteza Manack 24*) St David’s Marist Inanda won by 8 wickets.
The atmosphere during the E-Bond Inter-High Athletics Meeting, which took place at the Pilditch Stadium on Monday, 19 February, was electric with the raw energy of anticipation and excitement. And when it was all over, the adrenaline was still pumping as just 93.5 points separated first and second places.
Victory went to HeronBridge College (HBC), whose boys finished first and their girls second, which secured the school from Fourways the top honours with a combined score of 2 236.5.
Woodhill College (Pretoria) pushed them all the way but had to settle for second place with 2 143.
Middle distance coach of HBC, Billy Beyneveldt, said the school was incredibly proud of all its track and field athletes, who were led from the front by the captains, Kaylin Stratton and Tiso Bhebhe.
“HeronBridge broke many of the existing records and we brought home a total of 126 medals,” he said.
Chanelle Theron. Photo: Supplied
Luke Zissimides of the winning school (u15) was awarded the Junior Field Victor Ludorum and Daniella Driessel (u17), also of HBC, was crowned the Senior Field Victrix Ludorum.
Lolwethu Makasi (u17) bagged the most points on the Athletics South Africa (ASA) table for senior girls with golds and new records in the 100m, 200m, and long jump.
Her record of 25.42 seconds in the 200m was worth a very healthy 859 points.
Caleb Webb was also a three-time winner, taking victories in the 200m, 400m and long jump.
Jennifer Watson (u17) matched that with three golds, too, for her efforts in the 800m, 1 500m and 3 000m.
“Thank you to HTS Tuine who hosted a most successful day,” said athletics organiser of Hebron, Gayle Williams.
Results
Girls
HebronBridge College – 1 149
Woodhill College – 1 147
Hoërskool Langenhoven – 975.5
Hoërskool CR Swart – 938.5
The Glen High School – 900
Curro Roodeplaat – 823
Hoërskool Silverton – 784.5
Hoër Tegniese Skool Pretoria-Tuine – 687.5.
Boys
Hoërskool Langenhoven – 1 137
Hebron Bridge College – 1 087.5
Hoërskool CR Swart – 1 012
Woodhill College – 996
Hoërskool Silverton – 992
Curro Roodeplaat – 860
The Glen High School – 818
Hoër Tegniese Skool Pretoria-Tuine – 723.5.
Combined
Heronbridge College – 2 236.5
Woodhill College – 2 143
Hoërskool Langenhoven – 2 112.5
Hoërskool CR Swart – 1 950.5
Hoërskool Silverton – 1 776.5
The Glen High School – 1 718
Curro Roodeplaat – 1 683
Hoër Tegniese Skool Pretoria-Tuine – 1 441.
Captains Tiso Bhebhe and Kaylin Statton. Photo: Supplied
St John’s College has opened its doors to visiting teams from across South Africa and beyond its boundaries for the 19th St John’s Basketball Tournament. Sponsored by Standard Bank, and in partnership with Avis Car Rental, the four-day tournament runs from Thursday, 22 February to Sunday, 25 February, and is the biggest basketball tournament in Southern Africa.
The big guns were in fine form, sweeping their pools, on day one of the 19th edition of the 
