28 January 2024
While South African College High School (SACS) and Bishops Diocesan College battled it out for the title on Sunday at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield in Makhanda, Clifton College and Westville Boys’ High met to decide which school would finish the highest among the four KZN participants.
The organisers had drawn an outstanding field, representing the cream of the crop in South African schoolboys’ water polo, and the KZN sides endured some struggles over the course of the four days. However, before doom and gloom are sounded, the quality of the field and the fact that the event falls right at the beginning of the school year should be taken into account.
A team like Clifton College, for example, said goodbye to many outstanding players who played in their 2023 1st side and who had earned over 100 caps. Yet, in Makhanda, they pushed the top dogs like SACS, Bishops and St John’s College hard.
And it wasn’t only Clifton who were able to extend the teams that finished at the right end of the field. Westville, Hilton College and Michaelhouse all had their moments. What they lacked was consistency across four chukkas.
In the end, though, there was a familiar look to matters when Clifton held off Westville for a 4-3 victory to finish as KZN’s top performers, just like they were in the SAC Shield in 2023. That win earned them seventh place, while the Griffin had to settle for eighth.
Hilton College finished tenth after playing St Stithians to an 11-11 draw, before Saints clinched the win 3-1 in a penalty shootout.
Michaelhouse, who had gone winless the first two days, had shown encouraging glimpses, nonetheless, and on Saturday they picked up their first win, handing Grey High School an 8-5 loss.
On Sunday, ‘House followed up that victory with another one over the hosts, St Andrew’s College. It was tight, but the 8-7 success meant the Balgowan boys finished 11th.
The KZN schools will likely be disappointed with their results, but they know, too, that there are plenty of opportunities to improve and to further gel as teams. The best is, no doubt, yet to come. And being battle-tested and hardened by going up against the best will come with its rewards.
The title went the way of SACS, who netted two late goals to beat Bishops 9-7.
That result was a reversal of the two wins Bishops had secured over their southern suburbs’ rivals earlier in the week. The first was a resounding 11-5 victory in a Western Province League match, in which they had trailed 1-4 at the break. The second, early on day one in a Pool A clash, had ended 11-10 in their favour.
St John’s College, who finished top of Pool B, were beaten 10-9 in the semi-finals by SACS, but they rebounded from that disappointment to outlast Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 to take third place.
Results: Day 4
11th/12th: Michaelhouse 8-7 St Andrew’s College
9th/10th: St Stithians College 11 (3)- 11 (1) Hilton College
7th/8th: Clifton College 4-3 Westville Boys’ High
5th/6th: Paul Roos 9-4 Selborne College
3rd/4th: St John’s College 6-5 Rondebosch Boys’ High
1st/2nd: SACS 9-8 Bishops Diocesan College
Final standings
South African College School
Bishops Diocesan College
St John’s College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Paul Roos Gymnasium
Selborne College
Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High
St Stithians College
Hilton College
Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s College
Grey High School
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