6 May 2023
Westville Boys’ High will try to dethrone two-time defending champions, Paul Roos, in the final of the Spar Kearsney Tennis Festival on Sunday at Kearsney College.
Both schools came through their groups unscathed, with the Griffin, after wins over Pretoria Boys’ High and Grey College, sweeping aside Saint David’s Marist Inanda 24-0 in their final Group Federer tie on Saturday morning.
Grey College took second place in the group after downing Pretoria Boy’s High 24-1. The final points’ difference between the Bloemfontein boys and Westville was, ultimately, the Griffin’s margin of victory when the two schools met on Friday, with Westville recording a 14-12 win.
Pretoria Boys’ High took third place in the group, with Saint David’s in fourth.
Runaway leaders
Paul Roos, meanwhile, romped to a 24-2 victory over Kearsney to finish as the runaway leaders in Group Nadal. In their other ties, they trounced Rondebosch Boys’ High 24-0 and Affies 22-3.
Affies, who had eked out a 13-12 win over Kearsney on the opening day, ran out 24-2 winners over Rondebosch to secure the runner-up spot in the pool, with seven more points than the hosts. Rondebosch took fourth.
With a place in the final up for grabs, Saturday afternoon’s playoffs featured a big showdown between Paul Roos and Grey College, and it was the Stellenbosch boys who came through with flying colours, handing the Free Staters a 15-7 loss.
Westville had no problems with Affies, cruising to a 17-1 win to secure their place in the title-decider.
Kearsney were also comfortable winners, easing to a 16-1 win over Saint David’s. That means they’ll meet Pretoria Boys’ High for fifth place on Sunday after PBHS beat Rondebosch 14-3.
Final
The final should be an epic encounter. Paul Roos achieved the more impressive result against a common opponent, beating Grey College 15-7, while Westville sneaked a 14-12 win in their clash with Grey.
Westville, however, are loaded with players who have both talent and BMT. They have the guns to shoot down Paul Roos’ attempt at a third successive title, but it’s going to be a hard-to-call battle.
Forget the Internet, though, the matches are played on the court. Kearsney’s courts 1, 2 and 6 will host the final.
Sunday Morning Final and Playoffs
1st and 2nd: Westville Boys’ High vs Paul Roos
3rd and 4th: Grey College vs Affies
5th and 6th: Kearsney College vs Pretoria Boys’ High
7th and 8th: Saint David’s Marist Inanda vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
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