A synopsis of the Kearsney Night Series at the halfway point
The inaugural Kearsney Night Series, hosted by Kearsney College in Botha’s Hill, reached the halfway mark on Tuesday, with all six participating schools in action.
The hosts took on Maritzburg College, while Westville Boys’ High battled Durban High School (DHS), and Northwood locked horns with Hilton College.
It was business as usual for Kearsney, who entered round three on the back of commanding victories over Westville and DHS in the opening two rounds.
Coach Nic Rodda’s side weren’t at their best, according to him, but they outplayed their opponents 15-7 to retain top spot on the log.
It was a classic Kearsney performance – intense, physical, and visually entertaining.
“I don’t think we have yet found our stride, with disruptions of training, injuries, and team dynamics still to be worked on,” Rodda told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“With that said, the team is still performing. Playing bad ‘polo and winning is still bad ‘polo; we want to play good, cohesive ‘polo. The results will follow. This should all come together before the KES Water Polo Tournament.”
Kearsney takes on Northwood and Hilton College in their two remaining fixtures, and coach Rodda has identified an area of concern: “Fitness seems to be a key category we need to focus on,” he said.
“We can play one game at a time, but consider a tournament, and we would be under the cosh to maintain [our form]. But again, this will come.”
While the hosts kept their unbeaten record, Westville recorded their first victory of the series.
The Griffins, led by coach Matt Stringer, defeated DHS 13-5 to climb up the table into fourth place. Behind them are Maritzburg College and DHS.
Hilton and Northwood remained in second and third place, respectively, after playing to a thrilling 10-10 draw.
There was controversy after the game, with Hilton arguing that it had ended 11-10 in their favour, but after a review, the draw stood, and the spoils were shared.
Jon Watkins, of Northwood, leads the goal scoring charts with 18 goals – eight of which came in the clash against Hilton.
He’s followed by Hilton’s Bradley van Loggerenberg and Sebastian Laudenberg, with 10 each, while Kearsney’s Thomas Francke has seven goals to his name.
The action resumes on Tuesday, 10 February, when round four takes place.
Fixtures
16:30 – Westville vs Hilton
17:20 – Northwood vs Kearsney
18:10 – Maritzburg College vs DHS
