13 Dacember 2024
U19
KwaZulu-Natal‘s boys’ teams enjoyed a strong showing at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in East London, which concluded on Wednesday with the u19 side suffering a narrow 6-8 defeat to Central Gauteng A in the final.
Later in the day, five KZN players were included in the South African Schools squad.
They had beaten Central Gauteng A 10-9 earlier in the event, but then fell 7-10 to Western Province A in their final Pool A game, which was played on the same day as the showdown with Gauteng. The eventual champions, meanwhile, beat Western Province A 12-10. KZN went on to beat Western Province A 14-11 in the semi-finals, a day after losing to the same side.
The point being made by sharing all those scores is that there was very little to separate the top three teams. In the end, the defending champions, Province, missed out on the final, after a gritty and superb performance by Rob Ambler‘s charges in the semis.
Check out Pinnacle Schools on YouTube for game highlights.
They were truly an inspiring bunch. They impressed because they so clearly played for one another. Their performances very clearly had a team-first approach.
Crucially, they embraced the challenges that arose in matches, which meant that in some games in which they trailed they were able to come back and win or make the final score a close one. And during those trying times there were moments when players could be seen with smiles on their faces.
That’s a reflection of good leadership, but it’s also a reflection of a group of boys who were willing to be coached and who were willing to be coached in what was best for the team, not themselves individually, although team success often goes hand-in-hand with individual success.
Speaking of leadership, the KZN u19A team included three head boys, two deputy head boys, and two heads of house. Leadership indeed!
The IPT was enriched by the inclusion of a team from clubs around Brisbane, the Aussie Crocs, who played all the leading sides, although they weren’t eligible to win the IPT.
They, in fact, won their opener against KZN, coming back from 12-14 down to win 15-14. Later, they were well beaten by Central Gauteng A and Western Province A, and one believes KZN would have likely comfortably won a rematch. That game, though, was a good introduction to the competition in East London.
After that narrow loss to the Aussies, KZN A beat Buffalo City later in the day and their standard of performance continued to climb rapidly throughout the tournament.
KZN B didn’t quite match the success of the 2023 team, which made the semi-finals, but the 2024 format was different, which made it a tougher road to the final four.
RESULTS
KZN A 14-15 Aussie Crocs
KZN A 13-8 Buffalo City
KZN A 22-8 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN A 10-9 Central Gauteng A
KZN A 7-10 Western Province A
KZN A 16-4 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN A 14-11 Western Province A
KZN A 6-8 Central Gauteng B
KZN B 15-11 Zimbabwe
KZN B 22-4 Eastern Gauteng
KZN B 9-14 Western Province B
KZN B 16-7 Northerns
KZN B 6-11 Central Gauteng B
KZN B 4-18 Western Province A
KZN B 12-16 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN B (3) 13-13 (4) Western Province B
U16
As was the case in the u19 section, there was almost nothing to separate the top three teams in the u16 competition, and, once again, those were KwaZulu-Natal A, Central Gauteng A, and Western Province A.
The KZN squad boasted many players who had regularly starred for their school’s first teams, playing against the best teams in KZN and from around the country. And that’s why there is already massive optimism about next year’s u19 side, which loses only three players from 2024’s squad.
KZN suffered two one-goal losses, which kept them out of the title game, but they will know they could have won both. A semi-final loss to Western Province A surely stung. They went down 7-8 after leading 5-2 at one point.
RESULTS
KZN 13-8 Northerns
KZN 5-6 Central Gauteng A
KZN 17-5 Western Province B
KZN 9-4 Central Gauteng B
KZN 7-8 Western Province A
KZN 9-5 Northerns
U15
The KZN u15 team finished as the runner-up to Western Province A, who were deserved winners. Province’s 9-0 shutout of Central Gauteng A in the first semi-final was an eye-opening result.
KZN held off Western Province B 3-1 in the second semi, but Province A then won by four goals in the final.
In a crucial result, KZN beat Central Gauteng A in their match-up.
RESULTS
KZN 10-0 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN 5-2 Central Gauteng A
KZN 10-4 Zimbabwe
KZN 6-4 Northerns A
KZN 3-1 Western Province B
KZN 4-8 Western Province A
U14
In the younger age groups, KwaZulu-Natal were the kings.
The u14 boys’ A team cruised to the title in style, outplaying Western Province 14-6 in the final. Meanwhile, KZN B took fifth after a shootout against Buffalo City.
KZN A was imperious throughout the competition. The closest any team came to them was losing by five goals. That’s emphatic!
There is some exciting talent in the younger ranks, which promises much in the years to come.
RESULTS
KZN A 17-2 Nelson Mandela Bay A
KZN A 16-3 Central Gauteng B
KZN A 8-3 Western Province B
KZN A 17-4 KZN B
KZN A 10-5 Central Gauteng A
KZN A 14-6 Western Province A
KZN B 5-6 Buffalo City
KZN B 5-8 Central Gauteng A
KZN B 1-12 Western Province A
KZN B 7-5 Northerns A
KZN B 4-17 KZN A
KZN B 7-6 Nelson Mandela Bay A
KZN B (1) 4-4 (0) Buffalo City
U13
In teams that featured a mix of primary school and high school boys, the KZN u13A and u13B sides did the province proud, finishing first and fourth respectively.
The KZN U13 A team compiled an unbeaten record and demonstrated an ability to come out on top when the going got tough.
Meanwhile, the B team performed strongly against the teams that finished above them and won racked up wins in the remainder of their games.
RESULTS
KZN A 8-3 Nelson Mandela Bay A
KZN A 9-2 Central Gauteng B
KZN A 9-7 Western Province B
KZN A 14-0 Buffalo City A
KZN A 5-4 Western Province A
KZN A 8-5 Central Gauteng A
KZN B 12-9 Buffalo City A
KZN B 1-9 Central Gauteng A
KZN B 7-12 Western Province A
KZN B 10-5 Northerns
KZN B 7-3 Central Gauteng B
KZN B 4-10 Central Gauteng A
KZN B 6-8 Western Province A
With two titles (u13 and u14), two second places (u19 and u15), and one third place (u16), KZN enjoyed a strong showing at the IPT. Those results are good reason to expect that there could be better to come.
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