19 November 2024
The all-round success of Westville Boys’ High sports teams has risen to an unprecedented level, with the school recently being ranked number one in South Africa according to the SA School Sports rankings, based on the achievements of the Griffin‘s 1st basketball, cricket, hockey, rugby, water polo, and football teams.
It’s a good story to share because Westville’s success also bucks the trend in traditional boys’ schools. Their Sports
Department is run by Pam Hayward, a woman in what has been regarded by many as a man’s job, but her spell in charge, which began in mid-2021, has been nothing short of spectacular and it has shown that what matters is having the right person for the job.
Hayward, a former national golfer and currently one of the top Padel players in the country, demands a lot from the
school’s coaches, but she empowers them to succeed. While there might have been some who questioned her appointment when it happened, there are few who question it now.
At the annual Westville Sports Awards on Friday evening, Hayward said the school had produced 189 KZN representatives in the past year, their most ever. They also had 18 sportsmen receive their national colours.
Also, for good measure, it’s worth noting that Westville is ranked number one in basketball in South Africa and number one in tennis, and the tennis achievement was not included in ranking the top boys’ school in sports in 2024.
For the record, the Westville team won the prestigious Kearsney Tennis Festival for a second year in succession, beating Paul Roos Gimnasium in the final. KZN also won the annual IPT with four Griffins in their lineup, and that didn’t include Guy Vorwerk, the number one u18 player in the country. He, Lindo Gcwensa and Daniel Naidoo all received their national colours.
As for the basketball team, they’ve been on an upward trajectory for a while now and, most recently, proved their mettle by defeating Northwood, ranked second in the country, 84-71.
Westville’s swimming team, to the surprise of nobody, went undefeated, as usual, to maintain the school’s status as South Africa’s best in the sport.
Another example of Westville’s strength in depth is the fact that all of their cricket A teams are ranked inside the top
12 in South Africa. That’s truly remarkable.
The Rugby Sevens team, meanwhile, won three titles, winning 27 matches, losing only three and drawing one.
Even in the “minor” sports, it was a tremendous year for the Griffin. They won the KZN Volleyball League. They, also, won the KZN Softball League. The Durban and Districts Cross-Country title also found a home at Westville, and the school’s golf team finished third at the Sun City Festival.
The badminton team won the KZN League, but were edged out of first place in the SA High Schools’ Championship by DHS in an extremely tight final. Remarkably, the Westville B team finished third in SA. Never before had a second-string lineup achieved such a high finish.
“The sports executive set numerous process-orientated goals this year, but one of our desired outcomes was to finish the year within the top five of the SA rankings in sport overall. You can only imagine our elation when we received the news that we were named the number one sports school in SA,” Hayward said in her address at the Sports Awards.
Hayward, while acknowledging the exceptional achievements of the school’s sportsmen and teams, didn’t focus only on results. She spoke about the lessons that can be taken from defeats and touched on Westville’s approach to coaching. She explained: “Our sports staff have been deliberate in purposeful coaching, allowing boys to make their mistakes, encouraging boys to be brave and courageous.
“We are on a journey to provide our sportsmen with a toolkit so they can be mentally better prepared for big moments that will enable them to thrive under pressure.
“We employed the services of renowned sports psychologist, Craig Carolan, who has worked with the sports staff throughout the year and I believe we are taking positive steps in empowering our boys to develop a relaxed intensity in key moments. I believe that enabling our sportsmen to execute better in big moments will be our key differentiator going forward.”
While it will be difficult to match the successes of 2024, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Westville
continues at the top. There are some high-quality outfits in the younger age groups, and one thinks, especially, of the u14 hockey team, which ended the season ranked first in the country, while continued success in sports like tennis and swimming is, pretty much, a given.
And there was proof of the success of Westville’s sports programme in the form of the guest of honour, Sharks’ rugby star, Ethan Hooker. As a 2021 graduate of the school, he was a relatable example to the boys of someone who is succeeding in a very demanding sport as a professional, and he shared some lessons with them, urging them to, especially, make sure they enjoy the journey, working hard at every level to derive enjoyment and excellence from their participation.
The Errol Stewart Sportsman of the Year Award went to the versatile Josh Beck (feature photo), while the Mickey Arthur Trophy for Sporting Excellence went to SA u18 water polo star Rhees Hall and tennis ace, Guy Vorwerk.
Head Boy, Max Robertson, received the Governing Body Chairman’s Award, while Thomas Rist was a popular recipient of the Learnership Coach of the Year.
Director of Hockey, Cameron Mackay, was named the Sports Administrator of the Year, while Byron Tucker, the coach of the 1st basketball team, was recognised as the 1st team Coach of the Year.
The Coaches’ Coach of the Year went the way of Njabulo “Jabz” Zulu, who will be moving to King Edward VII (KES) next year.
Cricket received the Sports Code of the Year Award, and the 1st Team of the Year went to basketball.
Something that Westville also acknowledges at their Sports Awards are the contributions of the school’s photographers, who do a fantastic job of capturing the action throughout the year. James Malan and Luthando Mnikathi received awards, while Liam Kruger was named the Photographer of the Year. That recognition was pleasing to witness.
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