Aussie Crocs sneak by KZN in opening day thriller
A fantastic crowd lined all sides of the Joan Harrison East Swimming Pool for the eagerly awaited clash between KwaZulu-Natal u19A and the Aussie Crocs on the opening day of the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in East London.
Saturday’s showdown proved that the visitors, from Brisbane, have the firepower to challenge for the title. They came away with a thrilling 15-14 victory, but KZN will feel they let slip a win.
With Ross Strauss, in the first half, and Akabongwe Ngcobo, in the second half, performing well in goal for the South African side, KZN owned the edge for almost the entire match. In fact, when the Crocs scored to go 15-14 up, with less than a minute remaining, it was the first time they had led the contest.
In the early going, they created some good scoring opportunities, but Strauss, who represented South Africa at the World Aquatics Men’s u18 Water Polo Championships in Argentina in July, showed why he earned that selection with some spectacular stops.
It was truly a game that could have gone either way, with the frame of the two goal boxes being regularly struck throughout the enthralling clash.
As time ticked down, the Aussies pulled level at 12-12 when coach Rob Ambler‘s KZN side lost some of their shape. However, they responded well once they had been hauled in by the Crocs, and Tristan Uys rocketed two shots into the back of the visitors’ net to stake KZN to a two-goal lead.
Credit to the Aussie Crocs, though. They kept their cool while KZN, just when they needed to control possession, became loose and ceded it. With 48 seconds remaining, they fell behind for the first time in the contest, and they couldn’t pull it back.
Crocs’ coach Simon Daley, a former South African, said his players had prepared at home by staying in action for their local clubs. However, they played warm-up matches against UCT, Western Province u16 A, and Western Province u19B before the IPT, which proved to be invaluable.
Commenting on the pressure of representing Australia, Daley said: “There were 500 people watching. We have never been in a stadium so big, with such great interest. For our guys, this is a story they will remember for the rest of their lives.
“We were a bit like deer in the headlights,” he added, “but massive credit to KwaZulu-Natal. What a game of water polo in the end! Yes, we got over the line, but I have always said water polo is alive and well in South African schools.”
He was pleased with his team’s composure and finishing when the game was on the line, Daley said: “We’ve been practicing that. We worked on that with Western Province. In every game we played, we were challenged.
“Changing the philosophy of these youngsters, and just believing in our tactics, and going down to the last second, we converted and shut them out and won the game.”
Joseph Gallagher paced the Crocs with four goals, while Angus Cope and James Martin struck three times each.
Tristan Uys was the primary goal threat for KZN, netting six times. Thomas Taylor, who performed well wide on the right, scored twice.
Central Gauteng A, beaten in a heart-stopping penalty shootout by Western Province A in last year’s final, was given a good workout by Buffalo City, but Gauteng’s quality came through in the end as they recorded a 17-7 victory.
They’ll produce better games as the tournament progresses, but coach Jon-Marc De Carvalho‘s boys played with confidence and enjoyment, which positively impacted their performance.
Ross Stuart and Karabo Mamaregane led the scoring, firing in three goals each, as 10 players got their names onto the scoresheet.
Liam Hansen and Thomas Caswell both netted twice for Buffalo City.
In the first match of the tournament, Central Gauteng B romped to a 21-5 win over Eastern Gauteng.
Travis Donnelly enjoyed his outing, topping the scoring chart with five goals, while Logan du Preez and Francois Hartslief claimed hat-tricks. Michael Oliver bagged a double for Easterns.
KwaZulu-Natal B, who made the semi-finals in 2023, had to work hard to get by Zimbabwe, but they eventually won by four goals, registering a 15-11 win.
Their goals were spread around, with nine players netting, led by Kyron de Kock, who scored three times. That mark was matched by Zimbabwe’s Garrick Duff, Chika Mgbemena, and Ruan Nel, but Sibusiso Sibanda, with two goals, was the only other Zimbabwean to make it onto the scoresheet.
Day two, on Sunday, will see the defending champions, Western Province A making their bow when they face Nelson Mandela Bay at 08:05. A 14:35, they’ll tackle Central Gauteng A in a major showdown.
The Aussie Crocs will try to build up further momentum when they take on Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City. KwaZulu-Natal will aim to get their challenge back on track in a late morning meeting with Buffalo City.
SCORES
Central Gauteng B 21: Travis Donnelly (5), Logan du Preez (3), Francois Hartslief (3), Simon Mussett (2), Darien Salovy (2), Calder Millington (1), Chris Chapman (1), Erik Awidi, Kyle Kennerley (1). Eastern Gauteng 5: Michael Oliver (2), Nathan Whelan (1), Reece Coetzer (1), Daniel Stead (1)
Central Gauteng A 17: Ross Stuart (3), Karabo Mamaregane (3), Jack Wilkins (2), Marc Smith (2), Harry Wilkins (2), Ross Rovelli (1), Nicholas Searle (1), Greg Pryce (1), Alexander Kelbrick (1), Sebastian Bruinders (1). Buffalo City 7: Thomas Caswell (2), Liam Hansen (2), Mitchell Höll (1), Sean Audie (1), Connor Maree (1).
Aussie Crocs 15: Joseph Gallagher (4), Angus Cope (3), James Martin (3), Jack Plowman (2), Kairo Lynch (1), Benjamin Spall (1), Giacomo Hernandez (1). KwaZulu-Natal 14: Tristan Uys (6), Thomas Taylor (2), Adrian Truter (1), Luca Sandri (1), James Pohl (1), Kirk Wilson (1), Matthew Lortan (1). Mitchel Garreua (1).
KwaZulu-Natal B 15: Kyron de Kock (3), Ryan Spooner (2), Keegan Elliott (2), Drew Hollingsworth (2), Andrew Boucher (2), Troy Rees-Jones (1), Matthew Botha (1), Buyani Dlamini (1), Robert Smith (1). Zimbabwe 11: Ruan Nel (3), Garrick Duff (3), Chika Mgbemena (3), Sibusiso Sibanda (2).
Day 2 Fixtures
07:00 – Western Province B vs Central Gauteng B
08:05 – Nelson Mandela Bay vs Western Province A
09:10 – KwaZulu-Natal B vs Eastern Gauteng
10:15 – Northerns vs Zimbabwe
11:20 – Buffalo City vs KwaZulu-Natal A
12:25 – Nelson Mandela Bay vs Aussie Crocs
13:30 – KwaZulu-Natal B vs Western Province B
14:35 – Western Province A vs Central Gauteng A
15:40 – Zimbabwe vs Eastern Gauteng
16:45 – Northerns vs Central Gauteng B
17:50 – Nelson Mandela Bay vs KwaZulu-Natal A
18:55 – Zimbabwe vs Western Province B
18:55 – Aussie Crocs vs Central Gauteng A (Joan Harrison West)
