14 November 2024
Glenwood‘s Rob Ambler will coach the KZN u19A side at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in Buffalo City from 7-11 December. The 14-player lineup includes nine players who captured gold under Ambler at the u16 IPT in 2023.
Last year, when the KZN u19A side finished third, only Clifton College, Hilton College, and Westville Boys’ High supplied players to the team. This year, four other schools – Kearsney College, Northwood School, Durban High School (DHS), and Glenwood High – have players included. A top coach recently remarked that this was a reflection of a rise in the standards in the province.
Add to that, Kearsney College winning the stayers’ St Stithians Invitational Water Polo Tournament against the best teams from around the country at the end of October, and the KZN u19 team has reason to feel confident.
Interestingly, only two Kearsney boys – James Pohl and Luca Sandri – are in the u19A side. That’s because the Kearsney team is experienced but it remains young.
Three members of the side – Clifton goalkeeper Ross Strauss, Northwood’s Matt Lortan, and Rhees Hall, of Westville – represented South Africa at the World Aquatics Men’s U18 Water Polo Championships.
The gaps between the traditional powers and the rest are being challenged and narrowed and that is good for water polo in the province.
One looks, also, at the Ian Melliar Cup for u15 teams, which was hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High in September. It brought together 24 leading teams from around the country and Clifton finished second, Hilton fifth, and Kearsney sixth.
Earlier in the year, in March, Kearsney’s u15s won the Indigo Cup at another tournament featuring the best sides in South Africa. Hilton placed second and Clifton fourth.
Then, if you’re going to look at the best u14 teams in the country, Clifton has a claim to being number one. They’ve played 27 games in 2024 and won 26 of them, losing by only a single goal to Rondebosch Boys’ High.
The point is that there is depth up and down the age groups and when it comes to the title contenders in Buffalo City it is likely, as usual, to be the big three of KZN, Central Gauteng, and Western Province in contention, although, in the u19 age group, a guest team from Down Under, the Aussie Crocs, could upset the apple cart.
KZN TEAMS
u19A
Ross Strauss (Clifton), Kirk Wilson (DHS), Lian Terblanche (Northwood), Ethan Lyne (Clifton), Rhees Hall (Westville), Matthew Lortan (Northwood), Brogan Jones (Westville), Max Scully (Westville), Tristan Uys (Hilton), Thomas Taylor (Hilton), James Pohl (Kearsney), Mitchel Garreau (Hilton), Aka Ngcobo (Glenwood), Luca Sandri (Kearsney).
Non-travelling reserves: Drew Hollingsworth (Westville), Ruan Basson (DHS), Robert Smith (Kearsney), Adrian Truter (DHS), Trent Chubb (Hilton)
Coach: Rob Ambler (Glenwood)
Assistant coach: Jarred Appelgryn (Westville)
Manager: Kaylin Short (Reddam)
u19B
Trent Chubb (Hilton), Usanda Mkhwanazi (Glenwood), Ruan Basson (DHS), Kyran de Kock (Glenwood), Troy Rees-Jones (Westville), Keegan Elliot (Michaelhouse), Drew Hollingsworth (Westville), Robert Smith (Kearsney), Adrian Truter (DHS), Matthew Botha (Glenwood), Nick Naude (Northwood), Buyani Dlamini (Glenwood).
Non-travelling reserves: Ryan Spooner (DHS), Nicholas Smithers (Michaelhouse), Zaid Asmal (Glenwood), Daniel Beaumont (Glenwood), Jack Bowen (DHS).
Coach: Darren Stone (Glenwood)
Assistant coach: Sinqobile Simamane (DHS)
Manager: Amy Visagie (Northlands)
u16
Thomas Aylward (Kearsney), Nathan Burger (Clifton), Thomas Francke (Kearsney), Oliver Guy (Michaelhouse), Oliver Ludwig (Kearsney), Caleb Malumbete (Clifton), Musawenkosi Mponda (Hilton), Garrick Phillips (Hilton), Andrew Schnell (Hilton), Taylor Seiler (Hilton), Elliot Springate (Michaelhouse), Levin Thom (Kearsney), Keegan Vogt (Maritzburg College), John Watkins (Northwood).
Coach: Jason Sileno (Hilton)
Assistant coach: Brendan Gray (St Anne’s)
Manager: Hayden Adamson (Westville Senior Primary)
Non-travelling reserves: Jordyn Beyleveldt (Westville), Connor Donaldson (Clifton), Tane Greene (Michaelhouse), Kyle Human (Clifton), Sebastian Laudenberg (Hilton), Russell Mhungu (DHS), Jamie Nicolau (Clifton), Zion Smith (DHS), Rourke Stacy (Kearsney), Oliver van der Merwe (Westville).
u15
Ben Watson (Clifton), Bradley van Loggerenberg (Hilton), Daniel Nothard (Clifton), Gabriel Landzanakis (Hilton), Griffon Le Meme (Hilton), Henry Harker (Westville), Izah Roux (Clifton), Jake Frederic (Clifton), James Whatmore (Kearsney), Liam Casey (Hilton), Lwango Ntantala (Hilton), Max Mills (Kearsney), Nabil Nejia (Clifton), Reece Yorke (Kearsney)
Coach: Cameron Wiid (Hilton)
Assistant coach: Paul Bees (Umhlali Prep)
Manager: Stephan Joubert (Kearsney)
Non-travelling reserves: Arthur Greef (Westville), Clement Makelele (Kearsney), Jake Jones (Northwood), Karl-Werner Lüderitz (Hilton), Mcebisi Zulu (Kearsney), Preston Bees-Atkinson (Northwood), Tyler Sklarchik (Clifton)
u14A
Carter Seiler (Hilton), Casey Marks (Hilton), Cristiano Sandri (Kearsney), Cruz Chapman (Clifton), Dru Mills (Kearsney), Finn Mallett (Northwood), Josh Watson (Clifton), Lincoln Burger (Clifton), Matthew Thompson (Westville), Maxwell Fowlds (Clifton), Michael Spooner (DHS), Mitchell Rodgers (Clifton), Oliver Hunter (Hilton), Everraud Raynard (Westville)
Coach: Andrew Duncan (Hilton)
Assistant coach: Darren Sherriff (Maritzburg College)
Manager: Tyrone Green (Westville Girls’ High)
u14B
Akani Mukansi (Clifton), Alex Verster (Clifton), Benji Keeton (Hilton), Blake de Bruin (Northwood), Cruz De Fonseca (Clifton), Cruz Reynolds (Kearsney), Jett Robertson (Clifton), Luke Calvert (Hilton), Matt Shannon (Michaelhouse), Nicholas Taylor (Hilton), Satya Munthree (Clifton), Seth Wessels (DHS), Tai Smith (Clifton), Tyrone Southey (Clifton).
Coach: James Bentley (Clifton)
Assistant coach: Dean Macleod-Henderson (Hilton)
Manager: Tyrone Green (Westville Girls’ High)
Non-travelling reserves: Kaiden Sharp (Northwood), Jack Deeb (Northwood), Jesse Miller (Hilton), Omhle Dwane (DHS), Remando Sefethle (Westville), Rijn Prinsloo (Westville), Munashe (Sean) Mwanjira (Kearsney).
u13A
Zack Lourens (Clifton), Julio Paulo (DPHS), Max De Charmoy (Clifton), Bandile Mahaye (Westville), Cruz Marks (Highbury), Noah Brown (Clifton), Kian Spencer (DPHS), Callam Botha (Highbury), Cai Terblanche (DPHS), Blake Gaines (Clifton), Thomas Ludwig (DPHS), Jonty Mun-Gavin (Clifton), Eddy Harker (DPHS.
Coach: Gareth May (DPHS)
Assistant coach: Shaun Ferreira (Clifton)
u13B
Aidan Smith (Chelsea), Nicholas Caley (Highbury), Thandolwethu Mthethwa (DPHS), Mphilo Khomo (DPHS), Kenzo Kappes (Chelsea), Rupert Keeton (Umhlali), Luke Barendse (Highbury), Joshua Coventry (Highbury), Jack Hill (Umhlali), Zach Hopf (Glenwood Prep), Matt Swan (Clifton), Mason Allan (Clifton), Connor Els (Chelsea)
Coach: Brent Bothwell (Chelsea)
Manager: Teegan Hardwick (Livingston)
Non-travelling reserves: Kaelan Krimm (Umhlali), Luke Robson (Umhlali), Joel Pearson (DPHS), Evan Halstead (DPHS), Lyric Nichols (Chelsea)
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