24 September 2024
Clear the decks, water polo fans, it’s time for the 2024 Clifton Water Polo Tournament, with 16 top teams set to battle it out for the title at one of the best water polo venues in the country.
There are two changes from the 2023 lineup, with Northwood replacing Glenwood and Selborne College replacing another Eastern Cape side, St Andrew’s College.
The field is stacked, but St John’s might be the favourites. The 2022 champions finished top of their pool at the recent SACS Water Polo Tournament and they made it all the way to the final where they were beaten by Bishops. That was quite some achievement, though, at an event loaded with many of the best teams in South African schoolboy water polo.
SACS, the defending champions of both their own tournament and Clifton’s, were ousted in the quarterfinals, going down 2-4 to the eventual winners, Bishops. They’re not the dominant unit they were in 2023, but that was an exceptional year and they remain a formidable obstacle for any team with designs on the title. They won the St Andrew’s Shield in January.
Selborne College narrowly missed out on the quarterfinals in Cape Town, but they were there or thereabouts. A 4-1 win over Paul Roos, the runners-up in the 2023 Clifton Water Polo Tournament, was ample evidence of the capabilities of the East London school.
Paul Roos returns for another crack at the title. They, like SACS, were ousted in the quarterfinals of the SACS tournament.
What about the KZN schools? Hilton College was the best of the KZN trio of challengers in Cape Town where their results included a 5-2 defeat of Clifton, which must have been particularly satisfying for those Hilton players who had to play second fiddle to the Durban powerhouse on a number of occasions last year. They’re playing some good polo.
Clifton, playing in their home pool, will be chasing greater consistency, and they will hope that home water advantage will help them lift their game.
At their best, they’re a tough outfit, as they showed in ending St Stithians’ unbeaten record in Cape Town, when they scored a comfortable 4-1 win. When they find their rhythm and consistency, as they did when they won the Vides Water Polo Tournament in February, Clifton is a title contender.
Northwood, the other KZN school in action, made an unfortunate habit of coming out on the wrong end of one-goal matches at SACS, but they also showed the quality that could take them further at Clifton. Those narrow losses were to top-quality opposition.
Another local team to watch out for is Kearsney. Their water polo, under Nick Rodda, is undoubtedly on the up and they proved that in March when they captured the Reef Cup, They have the quality to make waves.
If one mentions Kearsney, then it would be wrong not to mention their neighbours and rivals, Westville Boys’ High. They’re a dark horse contender with a number of difference-makers in their ranks.
Another school whose water polo is on the up is Michaelhouse and it will be interesting to see if they can continue their improving form against a strong field.
Affies is another team that could pull off an upset or two, and watch out for King Edward VII (KES). They scored a convincing win over Clifton at the Standard Bank King Edward VII Water Polo Tournament in March, which underlines their ability.
In a quality line-up, no team should be written off. The demands of a multi-day tournament are very different to league or derby clashes, and it’s how the teams handle the additional demands of tournament water polo which could determine their fates.
POOLS
Pool A – Northwood, Hilton, SACS, Grey College
Pool B – Affies, Michaelhouse, Kearsney, Paul Roos
Pool C – Selborne, Maritzburg College, Westville, St John’s
Pool D – KES, Clifton, Reddam House Constantia, DHS
FiXTURES
Thursday, 26 September
1 – 08:00 – Michaelhouse vs Kearsney (B)
2 – 08:45 – Maritzburg College vs St John’s (C)
3 – 09:30 – Clifton vs DHS (D)
4 – 10:15 – Northwood vs Hilton (A)
5 – 11:00 – Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse (B)
6 – 11:45 – KES vs Reddam (D)
7 – 12:30 – Westville vs Maritzburg College (C)
8 – 13:15 – SACS vs Grey College (A)
9 – 14:00 – Selborne vs St John’s (C)
10 – 14:45 – Affies vs Kearsney (B)
11 – 15:30 – Reddam vs DHS (D)
12 – 16:15 – Hilton vs Grey College (A)
13 – 17:00 – Selborne vs Westville (C)
14 – 17:45 – Clifton vs KES (D)
15 – 18:30 – SACS vs Northwood (A)
16 – 19:15 – Affies vs Paul Roos (B)
Friday, 27 September
17 – 08:00 – KES vs DHS (D)
18 – 08:45 – Kearsney vs Paul Roos (B)
19 – 09:30 – Northwood vs Grey College (A)
20 – 10:15 – Clifton vs Reddam (D)
21 – 11:00 – Selborne vs Maritzburg College (C)
22 – 11:45 – Affies vs Michaelhouse (B)
23 – 12:30 – Hilton vs SACS (A)
24 – 13:15 – Westville vs St John’s (C)
25 – 14:45 – 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool C
26 – 15:30 – 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool D
27 – 16:15 – 3rd Pool A vs 2nd Pool C
28 – 17:00 – 3rd Pool B vs 2nd Pool D
29 – 17:45 – Loser 25 vs 4th Pool D
30 – 18:30 – Loser 26 vs 4th Pool A
Saturday, 28 September
31 – 08:00 – Loser 27 vs 4th Pool B
32 – 08:45 – Loser 28 vs 4th Pool C
33 – 09:30 – 1st Pool A vs Winner 26 (QF 1)
34 – 10:30 – 1st Pool B vs Winner 25 (QF 2)
35 – 11:30 – 1st Pool C vs Winner 28 (QF 3)
36 – 12:30 – 1st Pool D vs Winner 27 (QF 4)
37 – 13:30 – Winner 29 vs Winner 30
38 – 14:15 – Winner 31 vs Winner 32
39 – 15:00 – Loser 29 vs Loser 30
40 – 15:45 – Loser 31 vs Loser 32
41 – 16:30 – Loser 33 vs Loser 35 (PL SF 1)
42 – 17:15 – Loser 34 vs Loser 36 (PL SF 2)
43 – 18:00 – Winner 33 vs Winner 35 (SF 1)
44 – 19:00 – Winner 34 vs Winner 36 (SF 2)
Sunday, 29 September
45 – 07:00 – Loser 40 vs Loser 39 (15th/16th)
46 – 07:45 – Winner 40 vs Winner 39 (13th/14th)
47 – 08:30 – Loser 37 vs Loser 38 (11th/12th)
48 – 09:15 – Winner 37 vs Winner 38 (9th/10th)
49 – 10:00 – Loser 41 vs Loser 42 (7th/8th)
50 – 10:45 – Winner 41 vs Winner 42 (5th/6th)
51 – 11:30 – Loser 44 vs Loser 43 (3rd/4th)
52 – 12:30 – Winner 44 vs Winner 43 (1st/2nd)
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