SACS hopeful despite a tough start
The 2023 Saints Invitational Tournament champion, South African College High School (SACS), remains hopeful after winning one and losing one game on Thursday, the first day of the 2024 tournament, at the St Stithians Aquatic Centre.
The Cape Town school, which has won the event for three consecutive years, held off Jeppe High School for Boys 13-10 in a tough opener.
Jeppe hit their straps quickly and charged into a 4-0 lead, but SACS clawed their way back, pulling to within two goals at 5-7 down at the break. SACS‘ coach Devon Card admitted afterwards, his side had met a well-prepared and tough Jeppe.
“Day one was good. It’s always tough to make the trip up with the altitude, and having your first game at 07:h00 in the morning. We met an energised Jeppe team, who came flying out the blocks and we found ourselves 4-0 behind early,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus
However, in the second half Card’s charges took their chances and were rewarded with victory.
“We managed to switch on eventually and found our way to a 13-10 win,” Card said, “so, we are happy that we ticked the box and we were able to move on from that.”
In their second outing, SACS ran into a stubborn Hilton College side and were edged out in a back-and-forth contest.
“We came up against, on paper, one of the better teams at the tournaments,” Card reckoned. “It was a closely contested game and we ended up losing 7-6, but we took a lot of confidence out of that game.
“Our stats say we missed 15 shots, two penalties, and two man-ups. So, we created a lot of chances. Unfortunately, at the first-team level, if you do not take your chances, it is very difficult to win the game. We are, obviously, disappointed with the last game but it gives us encouragement that we can once again challenge those top teams.”
Last year’s beaten finalists, St John’s College, bagged full points, brushing aside their neighbours, King Edward VII School (KES), 11-6 before being extended by Michaelhouse, whom they beat 6-5.
Jeppe made up for their earlier disappointment with a comfortable 12-5 win over Pretoria Boys High.
There were some very tight contests, including St Andrew’s College sneaking a 7-6 win over Grey High, Kearsney College beating Hilton 7-5 in a game that could prove to be very consequential if Kearsney can score a win over SACS, while St Andrew’s had a second close victory, beating Affies 6-4.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ competition, there were some large wins on the opening day. Roedean School cruised to two victories, downing Kingsmead 10-1, which they followed with a 10-4 defeat of St Mary’s Waverley.
The host, St Stithians College, made light work of Zimbabwe’s Chisipite Senior School, running away to a 12-2 win after opening their challenge with an 11-5 defeat of Kingswood College.
It was a nightmarish day for Rand Park. Kingsmead College hammered them 16-0 in their opener, and later in the day Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) Makhanda handed them a bigger 18-0 loss. DSG also punished St Peter’s College 15 -4.
St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls (Boksburg) kept St Peter’s winless, posting a 9-1 win.
One of the most eye-catching results of the day was Durban Girls’ College‘s (DGC) 8-4 win over Reddam House Constantia. The Cape Town school, this term, has already won the MacKenzie Cup, which they claimed with a win over the Saints Invitational defending champions, Herschel, and the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament, so that was a momentous victory for the Durban girls.
Herschel outplayed Crawford Lonehill 16-0 but had to work hard for a 7-4 win over Kingswood.
SAINTS FESTIVAL RESULTS
Boys
St Andrew’s College 7-6 Grey High; St John’s 11-6 KES; SACS 13-10 Jeppe; St David’s 10-8 St Alban’s; Rondebosch 10-2 Affies; Bishops 14-6 Michaelhouse; Kearsney 7-5 Hilton; St Stithians 16-3 Grey College; DHS 8-6 Grey High; KES 10-4 Pearson; Jeppe 12-5 Pretoria Boys High; Reddam Constantia 7-6 St Alban’s; St Andrew’s College 6-4 Affies; St John’s 6-5 Michaelhouse; Hilton 7-6 SACS; St David’s 11-5 Grey College; Rondebosch 9-4 DHS.
Girls
Roedean 10-1 Kingsmead; DGC 8-4 Reddam Constantia; Clarendon 5-4 Beaulieu; Herschel 16-0 Crawford Lonehill; DSG Makhanda 4-3 St Mary’s Waverley; St Dominic’s 8-1 Collegiate; Reddam Bedfordview 8-5 St Anne’s; St Stithians 11-5 Kingswood; Kingsmead 16-0 Rand Park; DSG Makhanda 15-4 St Peter’s; Beaulieu 3-3 Pearson; Crawford 4-5 Chisipite; Roedean 10–4 St Mary’s Waverley; Reddam Constantia 7-5 Collegiate; Clarendon 3-7 St Anne’s; Herschel 7-4 Kingswood; DSG Makhanda 18-0 Rand Park; St Dominic’s 9 -1 St Peter’s; Reddam Bedfordview 4=0 Pearson; St Stithians 12- 2 Chisipite.
