28 September 2024
As the Clifton Centenary Water Polo Tournament headed into Saturday – much like day three of a golf tournament, known as moving day – there was a noticeable increase in intensity, especially among the top teams that had qualified for the quarterfinals, with each of those matches producing enthralling contests.
Hilton College, the winners of Pool A, faced Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) in the first of those last eight clashes.
For the first half, it was neck-and-neck. Every time one of the sides went two goals clear, their opponents pulled it back. At the break, it was all square at 8-8. At last, though, PRG, beaten 7-6 by SACS in the 2023 final, managed to create a small buffer and they went on to a 14-11 victory.
There was another victory for a team that had placed second in the pool stage over a pool winner in the second quarterfinal. This time it was the defending champions, SACS, battling their way to a hard-fought 11-9 victory over Affies.
The Pretoria school started strongly, quickly charging into a 2-0 lead and they made SACS work hard for their goal-scoring successes, with Affies’ organised defence doing a good job. The Capetonians, though, kept their composure, used the width of the pool well, and created openings with crisp ball movement.
Nicholas Fall, their South African Schools’ attacker, lent SACS a calm presence on the right and a blistering left-arm shot helped them to an 11-9 win.
It was Kearsney College against St John’s College in the third quarterfinal, with Kearsney coach, Nick Rodda, previously of St John’s, very familiar with the team his side would be facing. St John’s coach Jon-Marc De Carvalho, best of mates with Rodda, said, however, he made no adjustments for the fact that Rodda knew the St John’s boys so well.
The Johannesburg school went with its tried and tested formula of applying heavy pressure on the opposition’s ball carriers as soon as they gained possession. From there, they would hit hard on the counter.
It worked well and it appeared as if St John’s were on their way to a comfortable win when they went 7-3 ahead. They looked to have all the momentum, but Kearsney quickly dispelled that perception and fought their way back into the contest, coming back to only 8-9 down.
Credit to St John’s, they kept their shape, stuck to their game plan, weathered the storm, and pulled clear near the end to run out 12-9 winners.
Up front, Ross Rovelli, as he has done all tournament long, set the standard and was a danger throughout. At the back, his SA u18 team-mate Greg Pryce controlled the defensive effort.
The fourth quarterfinal was a KZN affair, with the hosts, Clifton, up against a talented Westville Boys’ High lineup. Predictably, it was a tight contest, and there weren’t many goals in it, although Clifton, with nine shots against the frame of the goal, came close to scoring a lot more than they did.
They won it 6-4, scoring the last two goals of the game to take the win in front of a packed and buzzing crowd. A sublime long-range lobbed goal by Clifton captain Ollie Ditz highlighted the first half, but Jamie Nicolau‘s goal near the end that made it 6-4 was super special.
When he received the ball up front, close to the goal but alone, he had two defenders on him. Somehow, he squirted past them, but goalkeeper Connor Clare, responding correctly, lunged forward to close down the space. Nicolau, audaciously, slapped the ball hard into the water. It popped up and over Clare and into the Westville goal for a memorable game-deciding score.
It would be remiss not to also mention Clifton’s SA u18 goalkeeper, Ross Strauss, who has been in magnificent form and pulled off some fantastic saves.
The cross-pool playoffs that followed delivered more good contests, with Selborne College scoring a comfortable 9-4 win over Reddam House Constantia.
Northwood withstood a strong challenge from Durban High School (DHS) to win 7-5. Lian Terblanche and Matt Lortan are two Knights who have caught the eye, and Northwood, as a team, is undoubtedly ascending. They also saw off Michaelhouse in their opening game of the day.
King Edward VII (KES) beat Grey College 10-6 to score their first victory, while Michaelhouse, who’ve had their moments, finally grabbed a win, defeating Maritzburg College 10-7. College, though, will take heart from their performances on Saturday. They lost to ‘House and were beaten 14-6 by DHS in the second game of the day, but they were far more competitive at both ends of the pool than they had been on the first two days of competition.
Then, in the first of the Plate semi-finals, Kearsney College served notice that they’re going to be challenging Clifton and Hilton, the two top dogs in KZN last season, for the number one spot this season and next year. In a very tight contest, they edged out Hilton 9-8 and, with a young side, many of whom played for the first team last year already, they’re becoming a battle-hardened unit.
Affies and Westville faced off in the second of the Plate semis, and both sides produced strong defensive performances. That’s been their calling card. The most Westville had conceded in their previous four games was six goals and they kept Affies to five on this occasion, which proved enough for a 7-5 victory.
Surprisingly, the first of the Cup semi-finals was a high-scoring affair and it resulted in the most goals in a game in the tournament thus far. Given that it was between Paul Roos and St John’s, it was a bit of an eye-opener.
In the four games they had played before the PRG clash, St John’s had given up only 19 goals, but Paul Roos put 12 past them. Unfortunately for last year’s runners-up, St John’s struck 16 times in response to book themselves a place in the final where they will have a shot at winning the title they won in 2022.
To do that, they’ll have to take down the 2023 champions, SACS, who’ve had some tight games along the way. They lost to Hilton College in a penalty shootout in the match to decide first place in Pool A. Then, in the playoffs, they beat Selborne by one goal. They followed that up with a tight quarterfinal against Affies, in which they clawed their way to an 11-9 victory.
Then, in Saturday’s last game, they edged out the hosts, Clifton, 7-6. While SACS have won by tighter margins than St John’s, their opponents in the final, which takes place at 12:30 on Sunday, it’s important to remember that they’ve won when it truly mattered.
The finalists resemble one another in the sense that they look comfortable with the style in which they play the game. They don’t panic. They keep their shape and they keep plugging away until their opposition finally cracks. Of course, on Sunday, one of them will have to concede. It should be fascinating.
Before they meet, there are some cracking contests lined up as the final places are decided. Even the ninth-place game between Selborne College and Northwood looks very tasty. Both teams are capable of some very good water polo. Both are improving, and both boast some outstanding individual talent.
After them, Hilton against Affies should be exciting. The local lads will need to get over the disappointment of two tight losses on Saturday because Affies will take it to them. They’re a more complete side than they were last year.
Kearsney versus Westville is a rivalry match-up. When rivals meet, outcomes are unpredictable, and, individually, both teams are loaded. It’s going to be a battle for fifth place.
Then, in the third place game, Clifton faces Paul Roos, with an opportunity to match the third place they achieved in 2023 with a handsome 9-5 win over Hilton. They would be thrilled to achieve a similarly convincing victory, but it’s likely to be tougher than that, and they would be happy with any win.
Clifton has come on in leaps and bounds during the tournament. For that matter, Paul Roos is finding its groove, too. If they are to have any hope of beating the Stellenbosch boys, Clifton will need to play wider and not become static. It’s a point their coach Paul Martin drummed into his side late in their quarterfinal win over Westville. When they did that, they looked far more dangerous. If that’s the Clifton that takes to the water on Saturday, an exciting game is on the cards.
RESULTS
Northwood 11-6 Michaelhouse
DHS 14-6 Maritzburg College
Hilton 11-14 Paul Roos
Affies 9-11 SACS
St John’s 12-9 Kearsney
Clifton 6-4 Westville
Selborne 9-4 Reddam House Constantia
Northwood 7-5 DHS
KES 10-6 Grey College
Michaelhouse 10-7 Maritzburg College
Hilton 8-9 Kearsney
Affies 5-7 Westvile
Paul Roos 12-16 St John’s
SACS 7-6 Clifton
FIXTURES
07:00 – Maritzburg College vs Grey College (15th/16th)
07:45 – Michaelhouse vs KES (13th/14th)
08:30 – Reddam House Constantia vs DHS (11th/12th)
09:15 – Selborne College vs Northwood (9th/10th)
10:00 – Hilton College vs Affies (7th/8th)
10:45 – Kearsney College vs Westville Boys’ High (5th/6th)
11:30 – Clifton vs Paul Roos (3rd/4th)
12:30 – St John’s College vs SACS (1st/2nd)
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