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Roedean School claimed the girls’ title in the 30^th edition of the Saints Invitational Water Polo Tournament after beating Reddam House Bedfordview in the final on Sunday.

Coach Siyabonga Guzana‘s side scored a 9-6 victory in the Saints Olympic Pool to improve on their runner-up finish in 2023.

It was an outstanding tournament for Roedean. They were the only team in the Girls’ section to finish with an unbeaten record after seven games. Meanwhile, the loss in the final was the first that Reddam Bedfordview had suffered in the prestigious event.

Guzana said the Saints Invitational had helped the growth of his team. He explained: “The tournament, for us, was about building a foundation, to see where we lack and where we need to improve. We went into it with the approach of wanting to grow, to see what we could do, and where our strengths and weaknesses are.”

The Parktown school aced the group stage, topping Group A on goal difference over Diocesan School for Girls (DSG)  Makhanda after three wins and a 4-4 draw with the Eastern Cape side.

In the quarterfinals, Roedean dealt with a potential banana skin when they beat St Anne’s 8-4. Then, in the semi-finals, they faced Herschel in a game that brought together last year’s finalists. This time, though, the result went the other way, with Roedean squeezing past the Capetonians by a 4-3 margin.

“Overall, we progressed well. In every game, we were just getting better and better, and within that space, we are very pleased, and happy, with our performance,” Guzana told SuperSport Schools Plus.

The coach admitted that his charges’ results were somewhat unexpected because of the change to a stayers’ team for the Saints Invitational.

“The goal for us was to see where we could play well. We were not focusing much on positioning or saying we would make it to the final, or make it to the semifinal. I was willing to look at our ability, and to see where we rank in the national aspect.”

“Obviously, after losing our matriculants, we wanted to see where we fit and where are we strong and where are we weak but overall, for us, it has been a phenomenal weekend. It has been a phenomenal tournament and we are chuffed about the results.”

Guzana said his side’s success has encouraged them to tackle some forthcoming events with confidence, especially now that they have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Last year’s champions, Herschel finished with the bronze medal after beating the hosts, St Stithians, in the third-place playoff, while Durban Girls’ College (DGC) recorded a comfortable win over DSG Makhanda to place fifth.

Reddam House Constantia, who won the Mackenzie Cup and the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament this term, finished 10th after going down 2-5 to St Dominic’s Catholic Girls’ School in their final outing.

DAY 4| RESULTS

19th/20th: Rand Park 2-14 St Peter’s
17th/18th: Chisipite 4-7 Pearson
15th/16th: Beaulieu 6-7 Crawford Lonehill
13th/14th: Collegiate 6-7 Kingsmead
11th/12th: Kingswood 6-16 Clarendon
9th/10th: St Dominic’s 5-2 Reddam Constantia
7th/8th: St Mary’s Waverley 6-9 St Anne’s
5th/6th: DSG 2-8 DGC
3rd/4th: St Stithians 3-5 Herschel
1st /2^nd: Reddam Bedfordview 6-9 Roedean

In Pietermaritzburg, on Saturday, on the St Charles College Oval, the home side recorded a hard-fought three-wicket win over Hilton College in a match that mostly favoured the bowlers.

Batting first after winning the toss, Hilton made a bright start, with Robert Burman and Ben Hockly putting on 47 for the first wicket in 9.5 overs. Cian Fortmann, then, ended their burgeoning partnership, having Hockly caught by the Hilton opener’s SA u19 Emerging team-mate Rowen Rajah for 27 from 33, with three fours.

Matters went quickly south for Hilton after Hockly’s departure as they slipped to 59/5 after 17.2 overs. Fortmann and Brendon Sunguro did the damage, with Fortmann picking up three sticks and Sunguro a pair.

Fortmann would go on to finish with an outstanding haul of 3/21 from 10 overs, while Sunguro continued his wonderful run of all-round form by picking up 2/36 in 10.

Ethan van Heerden and Jayden Roux halted the Saints’ bowlers for a while, spending 13 overs together while adding 55 runs. Van Heerden then fell victim to St Charles’ captain Marcell Wellmann, who spun a web around Hilton. The left-armer claimed four of the last five wickets to fall – the other was a run out – to finish with a magnificent 4/25 from nine.

Van Heerden, meanwhile, made 19, Hilton’s third-highest individual score. Roux led the way with a patient 39 from 76 balls, with five fours.

After 44.1 overs, the visitors were dismissed for 148.

St Charles lost the dangerous Cian Fortmann three balls into their reply, caught by Hockly off the bowling of Netanzi Denenga for a duck. In response, Connor Riley and Marcell Wellmann dug in. Their run rate was, for a while, less than 10, but they performed a vital job in blunting the attack of Denenga and Ethan van Heerden.

When Riley fell for 16 from 43 balls, St Charles had crawled their way to 28/2 after 12.4 overs, but his contribution could be measured in more than runs. Wellman followed five runs later for a pedestrian 12 from 41.

Rico Honiball didn’t last long and, when he fell victim to a combination of Jayden Roux and Luke Campbell, Saints appeared to be in serious trouble on 46/4 after 16.5 overs. That, however, brought Brendon Sunguro to the wicket. The Zimbabwean international has enjoyed an outstanding all-round season and he, once again, demonstrated his value to the St Charles side, wresting the initiative away from Hilton.

Taking the attack to the visitors, he hit four fours in a valuable knock of 45 from 35 balls, which turned the tide of the contest. He was finally removed in the 26th over, caught by Roux off Denenga, which left Saints on 93/5, but there was still some work to do.

The home side needed another batsman or two to meet the challenge and Thando Zama was up to the task. He saw a couple of team-mates come and go, including Rowen Rajah for an important 18 runs, but he was there at the end when St Charles passed Hilton’s total. Zama finished unbeaten on 31 from 51 balls with a single.

New ball bowler Netanzi Denenga did a superb job for Hilton, knocking over 2/19 in 10, while Luke Campbell was not as economical, but he was penetrative, capturing 4/51 from his 10. In the end, though, the day belonged to St Charles.

Unfortunately, at Westville Boys’ High, the big showdown between the Griffins and Clifton College was called off due to a wet pitch.

Summarised scorecards

Hilton College 148/10 (Jayden Roux 39, Ben Hockly 27, Marcell Wellmann 4/25, Cian Fortmann 3/21, Brendon Sunguro 2/36); St Charles College 149/7 (Brendon Sunguro 45, Thando Zama 31*, Luke Campbell 4/51, Netanzi Denenga 2/19).

St Charles College won by 3 wickets.

Die Hoërskool Menlopark‘s young 1st XI showed off the school’s cricketing depth in Pretoria on Saturday as they eliminated Hoërskool Pietersburg from the Fain Noordvaal competition after their quarterfinal clash.

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Playing without the services of four Grade 12s, the Parkies won the toss and opted to bat first.

They might have had second thoughts about that decision for a moment or two when the in-form Matt van der Westhuizen was sent back to the pavilion for a duck by the visitor’s best bowler on the day, Celliers van der Merwe, who captured a fine 4/36.

Dian van Zyl, however, steadied the ship with a well-played and mature 49 runs. Owen Louwies also batted nicely for his 25 and, together with Van Zyl, combined for an important partnership of 90 runs.

Morné Koekemoer chipped in with a useful 36, but it was Jan-Willem Pienaar who stole the spotlight. Batting at six, Pienaar cantered along at a brisk pace, hitting seven boundaries, including five fours and two sixes, in a vital contribution of 65 runs, which helped the home side to a respectable total of 242 all out.

Stephan Swanepoel (2/25) and Dian Gouws (2/59) supported Celliers van der Merwe well, with both chipping in with two wickets to go along with the opening bowler’s tally of four. Unfortunately for the side from Polokwane, their reply didn’t go according to plan.

The Menlopark pitch tends to favour spin bowling later in the day, and the Parkies’ tall off-spinner, Murray Hofmeyr, cashed in. In 7.1 overs, he conceded only 16 runs, and that pressure yielded three wickets. Matt van der Westhuizen missed out with the bat, but he made an impact with the ball, snapping up 3/24 in seven overs.

The combination of Hofmeyr and Van der Westhuizen undermined Pietersburg’s run chase, although Hanno van Zyl produced a patient 36 runs from 57 balls in an attempt to get his team back into the game.

Hanru Marais weighed in with 27, but his contribution and that of Van Zyl were the only noteworthy innings for the Polokwane school, who were bowled out for 146 after the first ball of the 35th over.

In Middelburg, Hendré Nel and Gavin Genis put on a show when Hoërskool Middelburg crossed paths with Hoërskool Kempton Park in a quarter-final game played on Friday.

After winning the toss, Middies mustered a disappointing 130 all out, led 23 from Genis, with Warren Pretorius knocking over 3/35 for the visitors.

The hosts would have to produce something special to keep the Kempies’ strong batting lineup from waltzing to a win. They did.

Floors Mynhardt got the visitors off to a rollicking start with a good-looking 38 runs from 36 balls, but Genis and Nel, then, got stuck into the Kempton Park batting. Nel, Middelburg’s opening bowler, heaped pressure on the Kempies’ batsman, capturing an economical 4/17 from 8.5 overs.

Genis, who has been in sensational form, stole the show, however, claiming his second consecutive five-for in the Noordvaal competition at a cost of 48 runs.

Together, the duo combined to snag nine wickets in just less than 19 overs. That took the wind out of the Kempton Park sails, sending the visitors tumbling out of the competition after they tallied only 101 all out.

Summarised scorecards

Menlopark 242/10 (Jan-Willem Pienaar 65, Dian van Zyl 49, Morné Koekemoer 36, Owen Louwies 25; Celliers van der Merwe 4/36, Stephan Swanepoel 3/25, Dian Gouws 2/59); Hoërskool Pieterburg 146/10 (Hanno van Zyl 36, Hanru Marais 27; Murray Hofmeyer 3/16, Matt van der Westhuizen 3/24). Menlopark won by 96 runs.

Hoërskool Middelburg 130/10 (Gavin Genis 23, Hendré Nel 20; Warren Pretorius 3/35, Wian Pieters 2/13, Keaden Posthumis 2/27); Hoërskool Kempton Park 101/10 (Floors Mynhardt 38; Gavin Genis 5/48, Hendré Nel 4/17). Hoërskool Middelburg won by 29 runs.

Hoërskool Hans Moore delivered a knockout blow to Marais Viljoen to book a place in next week’s semi-finals of the Fain Noordvaal competition.

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The Moorie bowlers, playing at home, took no prisoners as they made light work of a powerful Marais Viljoen batting line-up.

Opening bowler, Ettiene Smith, was the spearhead of Benoni school’s attack. He threw three quick punches and claimed the scalps of Marais Viljoen’s top three batsmen within the first six overs of the game, going on to finish with a decisive return of 3/17 from six overs.

Kenan Shaw and Kyle Wratten continued Smith’s good work, claiming two wickets cheaply each. Wratten returned 2/6, including the wicket of Marais Viljoen’s captain, Aldré Huyzers. Shaw sent down 14 dot balls in his three overs, which he completed for a miserly 2/4.

Tiaan Kühn resisted while under severe pressure at the crease in an effort to give Marais Viljoen’s bowlers something to bowl at and mustered 22 runs. Unfortunately for the Alberton school, Kühn’s was the only score in double figures as they slumped to a disappointing 59 all out.

Hans Moore captain Warren Minnaar, then, kept his composure as his side made heavy work of chasing down a low total. They lost four wickets, but Minnaar exhibited his class and maturity by contributing an unbeaten 23 runs at a run-a-ball to see his side home by six wickets in the 13th over.

Divan Behrens and Hoërskool Waterkloof gave the visiting Merensky Landbou Akademie a cricket lesson. Behrens produced a man-of-the-match performance and one of his best outings with the bat as he led the Klofies to a mammoth total of 384/7 from their 50 overs.

Facing 154 balls, he smashed 20 fours and two sixes in a classy and very entertaining 173*, which set the André van der Walt Oval alight. Nearly all the Klofies’ batsmen chipped in with valuable contributions.

Rico van der Walt (47) and Marcus Bakker (46) fell just short of half-centuries, while captain, Beukes van den Berg, looked good in making 32 on his return from injury.

The Plasies’ opening bowler, Luka Heinlein put in a massive ten-over shift. Although he was a touch expensive, his three wickets, including that of the dangerous Wian Ruthven, were the highlight of the visitors’ day. Xander Schoeman lent some support, picking up two wickets from his nine overs.

Waterkloof’s spin-twins, Wian Ruthven and Marcus Bakker, were, however, just too good for the side from Tzaneen. Varying their pace well and bowling tight lines, the pair bagged three wickets each to rip the heart from the Merensky batting lineup.

Johan Feuth, also bowling some spin, ended the visitor’s dismal batting performance quickly, snapping up two wickets in five balls without conceding a run, as Waterkloof cruised to a mammoth 320-run victory.

Summarised scorecards

Marais Viljoen 59/10 (Tiaan Kühn 22; Ettiene Smith 3/17, Kenan Shaw 2/4, Kyle Wratten 2/6); Hans Moore 62/4 (Warren Minnaar 23*; Abdullah Tadwala 1/8). Hans Moore won by six wickets.

Waterkloof 384/7 (Divan Behrens 173*, Rico van der Walt 47, Marcus Bakker 46, Beukens van den Berg 32, Ruan Ferreira 26, Riley Muller 21; Luka Heinlein 3/74, Xander Schoeman 2/74); Merensky 64/10 (Timothy Baker 17; Wian Ruthven 3/14, Marcus Bakker 3/18, Johan Feuth 2/5). Waterkloof won by 320 runs.

Kearsney College‘s consistency and batting depth were on display on Saturday as they romped to a 127-run win over Glenwood on the AH Smith Oval in Botha’s Hill.

The Green Machine possesses a decent bowling attack, but Kearsney, batting first after being sent in, handled the challenge the visitors posed well.

Then, as has happened numerous times throughout the season, Ross Coetzee, who was recently named the captain of the Dolphins’ u18 team for the Khaya Majola Week, played a key innings and shared in a telling partnership to tilt the match his side’s way.

Up front, Jonty Wiggett and Jason De Gryse posted 26 for the first wicket before Ntando Soni caught De Gryse off the bowling of Bandile Mbatha for 10.

Keegan de Jager was kept quiet by the Glenwood bowlers, but his departure brought captain Coetzee out into the middle and he and Jonty Wiggett advanced the total to 71 before Wiggett exited after a solid 36 from 47 deliveries, which included four fours and a six.

Next, Aaron Blackburn and Coetzee joined forces and partnered for 105 runs for the fourth wicket before Coetzee fell victim to a run out. He made 77 from 71 balls, striking 10 fours and a six in another telling innings.

Blackburn was part of another significant partnership, putting on 53 for the sixth wicket with Sandiswa Yeni before being caught by Sibonelo Phewa off Ntando Soni for 59 from 99 balls.

With two overs remaining, Kearsney was on 228/6. They added a further 15 runs for the loss of the wickets of Yeni and Nic Comrie, with Dolphins’ paceman Yeni delivering a useful 33 from 34, with four fours and a six, to finish on 243/8.

Glenwood’s opening pair, Bandile Mbatha and Ntando Soni, picked up two wickets each in their 10 overs, with Mbatha going for 48 runs and Soni for 40. Although he didn’t pick up a wicket, Daniel Gunawardena did a solid job, sending down four overs while surrendering only 10 runs.

The challenge that faced Glenwood, who needed to bat at 4.88 runs per over to win, was that their bowling has been more consistent than their batting this season, and their run chase started in the worst way possible, with Litha Gonya bowling Karabo Ntsieng with the first ball of the innings.

Krian Jugoo followed for 10, with the total on 13, caught by Coetzee off Yeni, and opener Rehman Jugbathur became a second victim of Gonya, with Coetzee again bagging the catch, which left Glenwood in trouble in 23/3.

Kearsney skipper Coetzee continued to be at the centre of the action. Taking the ball, he removed Kreesan Pillai for nine before the visitors had reached fifty.

Ntando Soni stood firm, showing off his all-round skills, but Bonga Maphanga got through Kyle Bryan‘s defences, sending him packing for three. Three runs later, Glenwood was on life support, reduced to 60/6 after Aaron Blackburn caught Bandile Mbatha for a single off the bowling of Coetzee.

At last, when Sibonelo Phewa got to the crease, Glenwood’s innings stabilised. He’s been a strong performer lower down the order for the Durban school throughout the season and one wonders whether or not a promotion up the order is on the cards. He and Ntando Soni advanced the total to 99 before Soni’s resistance was brought to an end. He had made 32 from 51 balls, with four fours.

Phewa stayed around until the total reached 115, when he became the eighth wicket to fall. He was Glenwood’s top-scorer, tallying 37 from 57 balls, with five fours.

One run later, Glenwood’s innings was over, all out for 116 after 34.1 overs.

Keegan de Jager, who brought about Phewa’s downfall, finished with 2/2 in 1.1 overs, while Ross Coetzee, who has bowled less in 2024 than last year while taking his batting to a higher level, showed he’s still got it with the ball, snaring a miserly 2/9 in eight.

The opening pair of Litha Gonya and Sandiswa Yeni did their bit, with Gonya capturing 2/20 in five, while Yeni picked up 2/21 in nine.

Summarised scorecards

Kearsney College 243/8 (Ross Coetzee 77, Aaron Blackburn 59, Jonty Wiggett 36, Ntando Soni 2/40, Bandile Mbatha 2/48); Glenwood High School 116/10 (Sibonelo Phewa 37, Ntando Soni 32, Keegan de Jager 2/2, Ross Coetzee 2/9, Litha Gonya 2/20, Sandiswa Yeni 2/21).

Kearsney College won by 127 runs.

A new champion will be crowned at the St David’s Marist Inanda Hoops Classic Challenge on Sunday after the defending champion, St Benedict’s College, was eliminated from title contention on Saturday in Johannesburg.

Bennies fought tenaciously to retain the title and they put together a good run.

On Saturday, they faced a tricky quarterfinal clash with Pretoria Boys High and came away with a 55-47 win. That put them into the semifinals against St John’s College and that was where, unfortunately for St Benedict’s, their ride came to an end.

St John’s had booked their place in the final four with a tough 60-51 win over Jeppe, but it was even tighter in their showdown with Bennies. It was neck-and-neck all the way, but St John’s prevailed by two points, snatching a 50-48 victory.

They’ll face their old rivals, St Stithians College, in the championship match. Saints secured their spot in the title decider in convincing style, cruising to a 57-37 win over King Edward VII (KES) in their final-four matchup. They controlled the contest throughout to confidently advance.

Those results have left St Benedict’s and KES to duel for the bronze medal, while the hosts, St David’s Marist Inanda, will also have a shot at glory when their u15 side goes up against St Alban’s College in the final of that age group.

St David’s had too much firepower for St Stithians in the semifinals, rolling to a 54-34 win, while St Alban’s slid past St Benedict’s, snatching a one-point victory by a 44-43 margin.

U18 RESULTS

Quarterfinals 

St Benedict’s College 55-47 Pretoria Boys High
St John’s College 60-51 Jeppe
St Stithians College 39-21 St David’s
KES 49-41 Michael Mount

Quarterfinals Losers

Pretoria Boys High 49-48 Jeppe
Michael Mount 41-36 St David’s

Semi-finals 

St Stithians College 57-37 KES
St John’s College 50-48 St Benedict’s College

Classification games: Quarterfinals 

Grey High 55-43 St Andrew’s College
Hilton 43-39 King’s Linbro
Parktown 34-24 Sacred Heart
St Peter’s 39-30 Redhill

Fixtures: Sunday

Final Placing Games 9-16

Position 9 and 10: Grey High vs Hilton College
Position 11 and 12: St Andrew’s vs KES
Position 13 and 14: Parktown vs St Peter’s College
Position 15 and 16: Redhill vs Sacred Heart

Final Placing Games 5-8  

Position 5 and 6: Pretoria Boys High vs Michael Mount
Position 7 and 8: Jeppe Boys vs St David’s

Bronze

St Benedict’s vs KES

Final 

St John’s College vs St Stithians College

U15 RESULTS

Quarterfinals 

St David’s 36-32 KES
St Albans 46-37 St Andrew’s
St Benedict’s 43-31 Sacred Heart
St Stithians 54-51 St John’s College

Semi-finals

St David’s 54-34 St Stithians College
St Albans 44-43 St Benedict’s

Classification Games

Jeppe Boys 44-32 St Peter’s College
King’s Linbro 55-08 Redhill
Hilton College 38-34 Parktown
Pretoria Boys 29-26 Michael Mount

Classification Quarterfinal Losers

KES 49-47 St John’s College
Sacred Heart 31-29 St Andrew’s College

Final Placing Games 9-16

Position 9 and 10: Hilton College vs Pretoria Boys
Position 11 and 12: Parktown vs Michael Mount
Position 13 and 14: King’s Linbro vs Jeppe Boys
Position 15 and 16: Redhill vs St Peter’s College

Final Placing Games 5-8

Position 5 and 6: KES vs Sacred Heart
Position 7 and 8: St John’s College vs St Andrew’s College

Bronze

St Stithians vs St Benedict’s

Final 

St David’s vs St Albans College

Reddam House Bedfordview upset St Stithians Girls College in the semifinals to secure their place against Roedean School in Sunday’s final of the Saints Invitational Water Polo Tournament.

In a very tight contest, the Reddam girls snatched a 6-5 win over the home team.

Before that loss, St Stithians was on a roll and unbeaten in the tournament. That defeat, though, has left them in the bronze medal match against last year’s champion, Herschel Girls School.

Reddam’s record wasn’t quite perfect in the group stage, but they were undefeated.

They had to settle for a 7-7 draw against Clarendon High School for Girls on Friday, but they comfortably won their other games, beating St Anne’s Diocesan College 8-5, Pearson High 4-0, and Beaulieu College 14-5. Then, in the quarterfinals, they handed Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) Makhanda a 4-1 defeat.

Roedean’s record remained clean but imperfect, too. On Saturday, they scored an 8-4 win over St Anne’s in the quarter-finals and a narrow 4-3 victory over Herschel in the semi-finals.

Roedean, from Parktown, started the tournament like a house on fire, charging to a 10-1 win over Kingsmead College on Thursday before dealing St Mary’s Waverley a 10-4 loss. On Friday, they thrashed the struggling Rand Park 22-0, only to be held to a 4-4 draw by DSG Makhanda.

Sunday’s final will be played in the Saints Olympic pool at 11:30.

In other games, DSG Makhanda faces Durban Girls’ College (DGC) in the fifth-place playoff following a hard-fought 8-6 victory over St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls. DGC, unbeaten after the opening two days, fell in the quarterfinals, going down 8-10 to Herschel.

St Mary’s takes on St Anne’s for seventh, while Reddam House Constantia, beaten by DGC on the opening day, went down 6-8 to St Mary’s Waverley, and will play St Dominic’s for ninth place. 

There was some joy for Rand Park High, meanwhile, as they netted their first goals of the tournament in a 3-12 loss to Zimbabwe’s Chisipite Senior School.

RESULTS

Playoffs

DSG 8-6 St Dominic’s
Reddam Constantia 6-8 St Mary’s Waverley
St Anne’s 14-6 Kingswood
Herschel 7-2 Clarendon
Rand Park 0-15 Collegiate
Kingsmead 4-3 St Peter’s
Beaulieu College 9-4 Chisipite
Pearson 4-6 Crawford Lonehill
Rand Park 3-12 Chisipite
St Peter’s 4-5 Pearson
Kingswood 5-7 St Dominic’s
Clarendon 5-6 Reddam Constantia
Beaulieu 3-7 Collegiate
Kingsmead 6-3 Crawford Lonehill
Herschel 3-4 Roedean
DGC 11-7 St Anne’s.

Quarterfinals

Roedean 8-4 St Anne’s
Herschel 10-8 DGC
DSG 1-4 Reddam Bedfordview
St Stithians 8-3 St Mary’s Waverley

Semifinals

Herschel 3-4 Roedean
St Stithians 5-6 Reddam Bedfordview

Durban High School (DHS) saw a very impressive 10-match winning streak halted on Thursday by Clifton College. Two days later, back on Theobald Oval, Maritzburg College felt the backlash as DHS crushed them by nine wickets in a limited-overs match.

College won the toss and chose to bat first. That decision backfired immediately.

Before two overs had been bowled, the Red, Black, and White were two wickets down, including, disastrously, Llewellyn Sutherland run out for a duck. His opening partner, Daniel Nadasan fell to fast bowler Bayanda Majola, caught by Josh van Biljon, also for a duck.

Losing their openers so quickly was bad, but it became a whole lot worse for College before they had reached double figures. Majola added two more wickets, removing  Sphamandla Dzanibe for two and Michael Gibson for four. Before the completion of the fifth over, College’s innings was in tatters on 7/4.

At last, though, captain Chad Mason and Karl Dedekind halted the carnage, keeping DHS at bay for almost 14 overs while adding 43 runs.

Taine Havemann, then, got in on the wicket-taking, trapping Dedekind in front for a stubborn 14 from 37 deliveries, which included two fours. That was the highest number of boundaries achieved by any College batsman, and it was matched by the next man in, Ryan McKean, who finished as the second highest scorer, with an unbeaten 18 from 40 balls.

Chad Mason, as has been the case so often throughout the season, was College’s highest scorer, making 22 before he, like Dedekind, was LBW to Havemann.

No other batsmen reached double figures as DHS raced through the visitors’ batting. After 32 overs. Maritzburg College was all out for only 77.

The College batting scores made for miserable reading, but the bowling figures were, for DHS, conversely, handsome. Majola led the way, capturing 4/17 in eight overs, while DHS captain Semal Pillay did a superb job, too, knocking over 3/12 in six. Taine Havemann weighed in with 2/15 in six.

School started slowly in their reply and they lost an early wicket when Ismaeel Omar was run out for a single in the fourth over.

College, though, had very few runs to protect and any partnership of consequence would end their chances of a shock victory. Unfortunately for the visitors, Jared Havemann and Semal Pillay delivered an unbroken partnership, which steered DHS to a handsome win.

After 16.3 overs, they reached 79/1, with Havemann unbeaten on 29 from 53 balls, with one four and two sixes, while Pillay struck three fours in his 28 not out off 42 deliveries. They had put on 76 runs in 85 balls.

While DHS won by a large margin of wickets, Michaelhouse trounced Northwood by 143 runs after the Knights experienced a horrible collapse while chasing 191 for victory at home.

The toss went Northwood’s way, and they opted to field first. They enjoyed early success, running out the dangerous Seb Hofmeyr for three. But Michaelhouse steadied their innings, led by opener Graydon Leslie playing a part in some useful partnerships.

The biggest of those was 56 runs for the fourth wicket between Leslie and Ethan Muir, who made 21. Leslie and Hayden Hewlett also added 40 for the third wicket, with Hewlett contributing 23.

Michaelhouse’s batting effort revolved around Leslie’s innings, however, and he worked his way to 88 before being run out, with that method of dismissal proving to be a bit of a theme on Saturday in KZN. His was the eighth wicket to fall, with the ‘House total on 177. They went on to total 190/9 from their 50 overs.

Credit to Northwood, they staged a fight-back to prevent Michaelhouse from going big. The Balgowan boys were on 140/3 after 41 overs. While they added another 50 runs in the nine remaining overs, they also lost six wickets.

Pride Buthelezi was the standout for Northwood, snapping up 3/22 in 10 tight overs. Jordan Matthews was tidy, too, conceding only 25 runs from his 10 overs, but he went wicketless. Ben Erasmus did a good job, claiming 1/31 in 10.

The Knights’ reply started slowly but steadily. They negotiated the first six overs without incident, but Ross Moller then struck to start a landslide that picked up pace, with wickets tumbling quickly. From 12 without loss, Northwood slipped to 20/5, with Thandanani Zuma doing the damage.

The Michaelhouse paceman enjoyed a spectacular day, capturing 4/12 in eight overs. Nqobani Mokoena and Kyle White held up Michaelhouse for a brief spell of just over four overs, but when Mokoena was run out that led to a further avalanche of wickets, and that stopped only when the home side was all out.

Northwood lost three wickets in the thirties, which left them on a miserable 39/8. Eight runs later, they were all for 47 after 29 overs.

Zuma was very well supported by Radhesh Jhilmeet, who returned splendid figures of 3/4 from five overs. Harry Vickery picked up 1/8, and the always tidy Ross Moller bagged 1/10 in six.

Kyle White finished on 19 not out from 56 balls. He was the only batsman to make it into double figures. Astonishingly, the Northwood innings contained not one boundary.

Summarised Scorecards

Michaelhouse 190/9 (Graydon Leslie 88, Hayden Hewlett 23, Ethan Muir 21, Pride Buthelezi 3/22); Northwood 47/10 (Kyle White 19*, Thandanani Zuma 4/12, Radhesh Jhilmeet 3/4). Michaelhouse won by 143 runs.

Maritzburg College 77/10 (Chad Mason 22, Ryan McKean 18*, Bayanda Majola 4/17, Semal Pillay 3/12, Taine Havemann 2/15); Durban High School 79/1 (Jared Havemann 29*, Semal Pillay 28*). Durban High School won by 9 wickets.

New champions will be crowned at the St Stithians College Invitational Water Polo Tournament after Bishops Diocesan College and Kearsney College booked their spots in the final of the prestigious tournament on Saturday.

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Bishops came into the event looking to make history, having never won the tournament before. Meanwhile, Kearsney College was brimming with confidence after recently claiming top honours at the KZN Top 10 Water Polo Tournament.

Both teams were dominant leading up to the play-offs. Bishops were drawn in Group B and breezed past their opponents on the opening two days. During the group stages, coach Jabulani Sibiya‘s team scored a mammoth 57 goals in four matches and conceded only 18.

In the quarterfinal, they eliminated last year’s champions, SACS, beating coach Devon Card‘s side 14-10 to progress to a semifinal showdown with Hilton College.

It was filled with drama. After a slow start, the fixture came to life in the second half. Bishops led 3-1 at the halfway mark, but coach Jason Sileno‘s message at the break must’ve inspired his Hilton team.

The KwaZulu-Natal boys staged a strong comeback after conceding goals to Timothy Young, Luke Cartwright, and James Malan. They refused to let Bishops get away and, despite Harry Ford‘s brace, Hilton kept clawing their way back into the contest.

They levelled at 6-6 with time winding down and a penalty shootout beckoning. Bishops, however, avoided the shootout, scoring with only seconds left through Cartwright to snatch a hard-fought win.

In the second semifinal, Kearsney College tackled St John’s College. Kearsney, like Bishops, had won all four of their group stage matches in a very tough pool, which included Hilton and SACS, while St John’s finished second in group B.

Coach Nick Rodda‘s side, on their way to the last four, beat SACS 10-8, their provincial rivals, Hilton College, 7-5, and Jeppe High School for Boys 11-8. In the quarterfinals, they scored an 11-9 win over St Andrew’s College.

They were pushed hard by St John’s in their semifinal but showed off their mettle to again emerge the victors after a tremendous tussle, this time by an 8-7 margin.

Thomas Francke led the charge for Kearsney early in the first chukka when he scored two goals for his team. In the second chukka, James Pohl added another for the Botha’s Hill boys, but they found themselves 3-4 down at the break.

The KwaZulu-Natal outfit came out firing in the second half, scoring three times through Luca Sandri, Levi Thom, and Pohl, who bagged a brace.

Despite being pushed to their limits by a resilient St John’s outfit, Kearsney clinched the win in the final chukka, with Francke notching a hattrick before Robert Smith scored in the dying seconds to win it.

Kearsney will face Bishops in the final at 12:40, while St John’s and Hilton will play in the bronze medal match at 09:20.

Boys | Day 3 Results

St Andrew’s College 8-5 King Edward VII
St John’s College 10-7 Durban High School
Hilton College 12-11 Reddam House Constantia
SACS 5-4 St Stithians College
Michaelhouse 9-4 Affies
Grey High School 9-4 Pearson High School
Pretoria Boys High 10-9 Grey College
Jeppe High School for Boys  12-2 St Alban’s College
Affies 13-3 Grey College
Pearson High School 4-3 St Alban’s College
King Edward VII 12-6 Reddam House Constantia
St Stithians College 4-3 Durban High School
SACS 6-3 Rondebosch Boys’ High
St Andrew’s College 6-9 St David’s Marist Inanda

Quarterfinals

Hilton College 10-7 Rondebosch Boy’s High
Bishops 14-10 SACS
Kearsney College 11-9 St Andrew’s College
St John’s College 6-2 St David’s Marist Inanda

Semifinals

Bishops 7-6 Hilton College
Kearsney College 8-7 St John’s College

Day 4 | Fixtures

Saints Olympic North 

06:00 – Grey College vs St Alban’s College
07:40- Reddam House Constantia vs Durban High School
09:20- SACS vs St David’s Marist Inanda

Saints Olympic South 

06:00- Affies vs Pearson High
07:40- Michaelhouse vs Jeppe High School for Boys
09:20- Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St Andrew’s College

Saints Pool

06:00- Pretoria Boys High vs Grey High School
07:40-King Edward VII vs St Stithians College
09:20- St John’s College vs Hilton College – 3rd/4th
12:40 Bishops Diocesan vs Kearsney College – Final

Zieg Roos put on a brilliant all-round show to lead King Edward VII School (KES) to a 30-run win over Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in a 50-over match played at KES on Saturday.

The KES captain made the right call at the toss and decided that his side was going to bat first. Roos then backed up his decision with a brilliant half-century to help lift his side to 188 from their 50 overs.

However, he was not done yet. When Affies came in to bat, Roos bagged a three-wicket haul as KES bowled out the visitors for 158 in 45.2 overs.

Saturday’s match marked the second meeting of the sides this year. The last time they crossed swords was in February, and Affies romped to a seven-wicket victory, chasing down the 144 they needed to win in only 23.5 overs. Vincent Jordaan’s charges headed into the tie intent on preventing Affies from completing a double, and they succeeded.

KES started steadily rather than spectacularly, accumulating 39 runs in their first eight overs. Then, they suffered a mini-collapse, losing three wickets for 10 runs between the ninth and 12th overs.

The loss of those three wickets brought Roos to the crease. The KES captain was watchful and faced 11 deliveries before he struck a scoring shot. Roos held down his end, batting through 37.1 overs and five partnerships, as his partners came and went. Despite a slow start to his innings, the all-rounder sped up and faced 87 balls before reaching his fifty. He went on to score 65 from 106 deliveries.

Besides Roos, Tiago Dias (27), Luke Clark (25), Christian Sabela (24), and Eric Southey (13) were the other batsmen to reach double figures.

SF Vermeulen was the pick of the Affies’ bowlers, picking up four wickets for 38 runs from 10 overs. That haul raised his tally of wickets from his last nine innings to 15. Ruben Groenewald claimed 2/37, while Xavier de Wet, Zian Labuschagne, and Armin Snyman took a wicket each.

Affies made a poor start to their run chase. They lost their first wicket in the fifth over and were three wickets down by the close of the 11th over. The Pretoria side needed someone to put in the kind of innings that Roos had delivered for the hosts. Daniel Murray stepped up to the plate.

The number seven batsman breathed new life into the Affies’ innings with a strong rear-guard effort. He farmed the strike for 29.1 overs, batting beautifully for a fluent 60 off 70 deliveries. As long as Murray was at the crease, the visitors maintained a hope of victory. That hope stayed alive until the 46th over, but Murray then fell to Wade McQuinn’s bowling.

Christian Linde (22) was the only other Affies’ batsman to breach the 20-run mark. JP Botha (17), Zian Labuschagne (13), and SF Vermeulen (14) made starts but failed to press on.

A big reason for the stop-start nature of the Affies’ innings was Roos. He knocked over 3/33 in nine overs. However, that was not the end of it for the KES captain. He also pouched a catch and was part of a run-out. He was central to KES’s success.

Wade McQuinn, Eric Southey, Abdullah Mohammed, Christian Sabela, and Matthew Burgess played their part by taking a wicket each.

Summarised Scorecards

KES 188/10 (Zieg Roos 65, Tiago Dias 27; SF Vermeulen 4/38, Ruben Groenewald 2/37); Affies 158/10 (Daniel Murray 60, Christian Linde 22; Zieg Roos 3/33, Matthew Burgess 1/14).

KES won by 30 runs.