27 January 2025
(Article and Westville vs Paul Roos video highlights by Marlowe Bloem)
A weatherman would tell you that Grahamstown (Makhanda) has enjoyed a wonderfully, sunny, few weeks. For the nation-wide catalogue of competing schools, at the prestigious St. Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield, there was a lack of sunscreen on the perennially wet and red-skinned players. However, there was a full cargo ship of action, as the sides waged war against each other.
Water Polo balls were blasted around the foaming white waters, like cannon balls between warring navy vessels and looting pirate ships alike.
The tournament, ran from Thursday, 23 January, to Sunday, 26 January, and brought together 12 top tiers schools, divided into two groups:
Pool A: St. Andrew’s College, Westville Boys ‘ High School, SACS, St. Stithians College, Bishops and Clifton College.
Pool B: Rondebosch Boys’ High, Selborne College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Grey High School, Hilton College and St. John’s College.
The winners of the Shield in recent years were, mostly, from the Western Cape:
2019 – SACS
2020 – Bishops Diocesan College
2021 – St. Andrew’s College
2022 – Bishops Diocesan College
2023 – Paul Roos Gimnasium
2024 – SACS
The group stages were contested on Thursday and Friday, with a handful of games completing the group stage of the event on Saturday morning.
The hosts, St. Andrew’s College, played their opening game KZN’s Westville Boys High School and delivered a valiant performance to beat the Griffin 11-5. There were goals aplenty as defensive units adjusted to competition play.
Bishops and SACS showed up well on the opening day, with Bishops comfortably dealing with Clifton College. The Durban school, now under the guidance of Pierre le Roux, bounced back to beat their KZN rivals Westville, 8-5. Before departing for Makhanda, Clifton had scored a hard-fought 9-8 win over their KZN rivals.
After a narrow loss to a strong Rondebosch Boys’ High team, Hilton College showed their resilience in a 17-13 win over Grey High School.
The school from the KZN Midlands has some very exciting talent in its ranks, but there might be some adjusting to be made now that Paul Martin has assumed the coaching reins from Jason Sileno, who has moved to St Stithians. Martin previously oversaw a decade of success at Clifton.
After the completion of the group stages, Bishops and Rondebosch were unbeaten. Bishops topped Pool A comfortably, but ‘Bosch needed a penalty shootout to get past St John’s. Hilton, meanwhile, thumped St John’s 8-3, which showed off the quality that they are capable of producing.
Some impressive feats were achieved by the KZN sides. Westville beat the defending champion, SACS, 6-5, while Clifton overcame St. Andrew’s 9-7, and Hilton outshone Paul Roos 10-5.
The quarterfinals left some teams hurting and others smiling. Hilton, for a second time in the tournament, came out on the wrong end of a penalty shootout, playing Pool A winners, Bishops, to a 10-10 draw before going down 1-3 from the spot.
St John’s, meanwhile, comfortably handled Clifton 14-7. Westville was left to play for 9th-12th.
Quarterfinals Results
Bishops Diocesan College (3) 10-10 (1) Hilton
Selborne College 9-5 St. Stithians College
St. John’s College 14-7 Clifton College
Rondebosch Boys High 13-9 SACS
The losing quarterfinalists, then, met for fifth to eight places. Hilton breezed past Clifton to secure a spot in the 5th and 6th playoff, while SACS edged out St Stithians, leaving Clifton to take on Saints for a second time. Earlier in the event, the Johannesburg school had trounced Clifton 14-5.
Meanwhile, in the Plate semifinals, Westville Boys’ High sneaked past Paul Roos. They finished all square after regulation time at 8-8, but the Griffin took it from the spot by a 3-1 margin. St Andrew’s College beat Grey High 12-8.
Late on Saturday afternoon, while the temperature may have cooled, the heat of battle was nearing boiling point as the semi-finals took place.
St. John’s, a side familiar with the top end of the competition at the SAC Shield, ousted Bishops 8-6, while Rondebosch got the better of Selborne College, winning 11-6. It was an upset loss to Selborne that had kept Hilton out of the semi-finals.
The final, between Rondebosch and St. John’s, started just after midday on Sunday, under a bright sun, which hovered almost directly above the watery stage. Around the pool, the support from spectators was strong and loud.
An arduous affair ended 12-7 in favour of Rondebosch Boys High, who pulled clear in the last chukka after leading by only goal going into it.
With the win, ‘Bosch became the SAC Shield’s fifth winner in seven years, which underlined how tight the margins are at the top tier of boys’ water polo in South Africa.
Westville finished tenth after going down 5-9 to St Andrew’s College in a rematch of the tournament’s first match.
Clifton, losers by nine goals the first time they met St Stithians, turned the tables on Saints, winning 9-7.
Hilton College placed fifth, the best of the KZN contingent, after a tense 10-9 win over SACS.
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