Durban — Clifton School, Westville Boys High School (WBHS), Hilton College and Michaelhouse represented KwaZulu-Natal in the recent St Andrews College Shield Waterpolo Tournament in Makhanda (Grahamstown) recently.
After finishing 5th, Hilton College head coach of water polo Jason Sileno said that it was a privilege to represent KZN at such a prestigious tournament.
“We were hoping for a strong performance and to potentially win the tournament but we struggled with consistency throughout the tournament and finished in 5th place after losing narrowly in our quarter-final,” Sileno said.
Sileno said that this tournament helped his team’s match fitness and game awareness as they had only played four games prior.
Sileno said: “It will highlight areas for improvement, give a clearer picture of where our opponents are at, and provide motivation to work hard towards the next tournament.”
Clifton Waterpolo director and first-team coach Paul Martin’s side finished 4th in the 12-team tournament after losing 7-3 to the hosts in the bronze medal final.
He said that it was a major event given the calibre of the tournament and how competitive it is.
Martin said that the team went into the tournament with the expectation of making at least the semi-final and they used it in order to gain some much-needed match practice.
Martin said that it helped assess the strengths and weaknesses of some of the individuals in the team.
“It is always a privilege to participate in tournaments outside of the province.
“We had only played one fixture before the event against Durban High School and although we had had a few practices, nothing can simulate the experience that you gain from match practice,” said Martin.
Martin said a highlight for him was beating local rivals Hilton College in the quarter-final in the KZN derby.
WBHS First Team Coach Andrew Stewart said this tournament was great preparation for the 2023 season as they were playing against the best teams in the country.
“We always knew the weekend would be a good test. It was never going to be an easy tour at the start of term 1 after only being back at school for a week then to go on tour,” said Stewart.
Stewart said that he is impressed with the side’s performances despite playing 10 games in three weeks.
WBHS played five games in the round robin stage and won three. This was enough for them to qualify to the quarter-finals – where they were up against Paul Roos.
They narrowly lost that game 5-4. They ended the tournament with a 12-11 win over St John’s College to finish in 7th.
Other teams involved were: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Rondebosch Boys High School, Clifton School, St Andrew’s College, St Stithians College, Selborne College, Bishops and Grey High School.
Selected KZN Standings: Clifton finished 4th, Hilton College finished 5th Westville finished 7th.
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