31 October 2023
Three schools – Clifton College, Hilton College and Westville Boys’ High – dominate the KZN u19A Water Polo team, which was recently announced. The u19B team includes representatives from six schools.
KZN’s best
Clifton, KZN’s best in 2023, and one of the best in the country, had five boys – Mitchell Slade, Ben Ribbink, Jedd Poovan, Oliver Ditz, and Ross Strauss – represented in the A side, with another two – Ethan Lyne (who was recently appointed Head Boy for 2024) and Jack Slater – in the B team.
After winning the KZN Top 10 and finishing third in both the Clifton Water Polo Tournament and the Hussar Grill SACS Water Polo Tournament, where they beat SA’s number one, SACS, in the pool stages, it’s fair reward for Mitchell Slade and his team-mates.
Clifton down Hilton to capture KZN Top 10 Water Polo title | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
Hosts’ third as SACS win Clifton Water Polo Tournament | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
In all three of those tournaments, it was Hilton College who finished just one place below Clifton. Four of their players – Jonathan Bregmann-Frangos, Matthew Hayes, Mayer Malherbe and Stefan Swart – were named in the A team and one more – Mitchell Wilson – in the B team.
Strong Westville representation
Interestingly, Westville Boys’ High, had five players – Jamie Spence, Max Scully, Nathan Jacob, Rhys Hall, Warwick Field – named in the A team, and two more – Jared Byleveldt and Troy Rees-Jones – selected for the B team.
The Griffins’ results in the latter part of 2023 have not been quite at the level of Clifton and Hilton, but their quality is not in doubt. As Pinnacle Schools reported during the Clifton Water Polo Tournament: “Spare a thought, though, for Westville Boys’ High, who gave two outstanding teams everything they could handle, but ultimately suffered one-goal losses to both SACS and Saint John’s College. A break here and a break there and the Griffin could have been playing for much higher honours than their spot in the playoff for 7th and 8th on Monday.”
Rising power
Kearsney College, who together with Clifton, Hilton and Westville were among the elite teams on the KZN scene in 2023, had only Blake Kruger selected in the u18B team, but the Botha’s Hill boys have only two of their 2023 1st team matriculating this year.
Their recent win in the Northwood Stayers Tournament, along with their runner-up finish in the DHS Nick Rey u16 Waterpolo Tournament, suggests they’re going to be challenging for number one in 2024. They also had two players named in the KZN u16A side and four in the u15A line-up.
DHS, with Blake Davison and Marnu Koekemoer, have two reps in the u19B side, Glenwood is represented by Jesse Venter, who was named goalkeeper of the tournament at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, and Kyron de Kock, while two Northwood Knights, Luca Di Vincenzo and Tallin Laas, joined them.
U19A
Coach: Jason Sileno
Ben Ribbink (Clifton), Jamie Spence (Westville), Jedd Poovan (Clifton), Jonathan Bregman-Frangos (Hilton), Matthew Hayes (Hilton), Max Scully (Westville), Mayer Malherbe (Hilton), Mitchell Slade (Clifton), Nathan Jacob (Westville), Oliver Ditz (Clifton), Rhys Hall (Westville), Ross Strauss (Clifton), Stefan Swart (Hilton), Warwick Field (Westville)
U19B
Coach: Darren Stone
Blake Davison (DHS), Blake Kruger (Kearsney), Elihle Hadebe (Kearsney), Ethan Lyne (Clifton), Jack Slater (Clifton), Jared Beyleveldt (Westville), Jesse Venter (Glenwood), Josh Lawton (Northwood), Kyron de Kock (Glenwood), Luca Di Vincenzo (Northwood), Marnu Koekemoer (DHS), Mitchell Wilson (Hilton), Tallin Laas (Northwood), Troy Rees-Jones (Westville)
Non-travelling reserves
Zach Rowe (Northwood), Ryan Sim (Kearsney), Callum Clark (Kearsney), Connor Hunter (Northwood), Reece Rezack (Michaelhouse), Monde Ngcobo (Glenwood), Phila Dlamini (Glenwood)
u16
Coach: Rob Ambler
Trent Chubb (Hilton), Mich Garreau (Hilton), Thomas Taylor (Hilton), Tryston Uys (Hilton), Kirk Wilson (DHS), Luca Sandri (Kearsney), James Pohl (Kearsney), Brogan James (Westville), Bryn Retzlaff (Michaelhouse), Nicholas Smithers (Michaelhouse), Matthew Lortan (Northwood), Lian Terblanche (Northwood), Usanda Mkhwanazi (Glenwood)
Non-travelling reserves
Robert Smith (Kearsney), Jack Harley (Maritzburg College), Keegan Elliot (Michaelhouse), Drew Hollingsworth (Westville), Daniel Beaumont (Glenwood), Akabongwe Ngcobo (Glenwood)
u15
Coach: Cameron Wiid
Elliot Springate (Michaelhouse), Musawenkosi Mponda (Hilton), Levi Tom (Kearsney), Tom Aylward (Kearsney), Oliver Ludwig (Kearsney), Oliver Guy (Michaelhouse), Thomas Franke (Kearsney), Andrew Schnell (Hilton), Garrick Phillips (Hilton), Jamie Nicolai (Clifton), Sebastian Laudenberg (Hilton), Connor Donaldson (Clifton), Caleb Malumbete (Clifton), Taine Green (Michaelhouse)
Non-travelling reserves
Nadalo Moyo (Hilton), Nicholas Purdy (Michaelhouse), Nathan Burger (Clifton), Alex Jankowitz (Michaelhouse)
u14
Coach: Andrew Duncan
Liam Casey (Hilton), Jake Frederic (Clifton), Henry Harker (Westville), Griffon Le Meme (Hilton), Max Mills (Kearsney), Daniel Northard (Clifton), Lwango Ntantala (Hilton), Jed Reilly (Michaelhouse), Izah Roux (Clifton), Rourke Stirk (Westville), James Swart (Hilton), Bradley van Loggerenberg (Hilton), James Whatmore (Kearsney)
Non-travelling reserves
Tyler Allan (Westville), Preston Bees-Atkinson (Northwood), Nabil Bejia (Clifton), Luca Harris (Clifton), Seth Hopkins (Northwood), Jake Jones (Northwood), Clement Makelele (Kearsney), Mcebisi Zulu (Kearsney), Zhaun Swart (Hilton)
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