Bishops downs Hilton to win first-ever KES Water Polo Tournament title
The Bishops first team water polo side made history when they won the annual King Edward VII (KES) Water Polo Tournament by edging out Hilton College in a penalty shootout in the final on Sunday in Johannesburg. It was the first time that the school had claimed the prestigious title.
Bishops were pushed to their limits by a strong Hilton outfit at the Mark Stevens Aquatic Centre but, after the teams had finished regulation time level at 8-8, they clinched the title 4-2 from the spot.
The KES tournament has been running since 1981, and last year Bishops picked up the bronze medal after suffering a narrow 11-12 loss to Rondebosch Boys’ High, the eventual champions, in the semi-finals. Now, coach Jabulani Sibiya and his troops have added their names to the list of winners.
They entered the event rejuvenated, high in confidence, and seeking to go two steps further than last year after a run of good form.
Under the guidance of coaches Sibiya and Lwazi Madi, they were ruthless in front of goal but, most importantly, they played some smart polo in the knockout stages.
They dismantled the hosts, KES, 16-8 in the quarterfinals to set up another date with Rondebosch in the semis. This time around, Bishops dictated the play and came away with a 6-4 victory. That win set up a showdown with Hilton for the title.
Coach Paul Martin‘s Hilton side impressed throughout the tournament and beat St Stithians College 11-9 in their semifinal. They had improved on their sixth-place finish in 2024, but they intended to go all the way.
From the first whistle, it was all-out action. Both teams applied early pressure and were rewarded with a flurry of goals, with the opening seven minutes resulting in eight being shared.
Timothy Young, Matt Fenn, and Owen Cross (2) found the back of the net for the Cape Town school, while Thomas Taylor, Tristan Uys (2), and Mitchel Garreau scored for Hilton.
The second chukka continued the entertainment, but the deluge of scoring stopped. Only two goals were scored, with Fenn striking for Bishops and Garreau for Hilton, as both players increased their contributions to two goals each.
The third chukka, deemed the “championship quarter” lived up to expectations and delivered some cracking goals.
Fenn fired in a thunderbolt to complete his hattrick before Luke Cartwright scored a brilliant one-on-one goal against the run of play to extend Bishops’ advantage to two goals. Garreau, once again, came to Hilton’s rescue, scoring in the dying seconds, which left the boys from the KZN Midlands trailing 6-7 heading into the final chukka.
With the title on the line, the fourth chukka produced three goals, plenty of drama, and big-match temperament energy.
Fenn was the first to strike, burying Bishops’ eighth goal of the game. It appeared as if the Capetonians were on their way to victory, but Hilton had other ideas, and the duo that had delivered for them all tournament long, Garreau and Uys, struck back, netting in quick succession to send the contest to penalties.
Luck, split-second decisions, confidence, and, of course, goalkeeping, play a major role in penalty shootouts and, in this instance, Hilton started strongly, but, after incurring a first miss, they fell off. Bishops, meanwhile, converted four of their five shots, with Fenn, Owen Cross, James Malan, and Ford finding the back of the net to secure the win.
The victory means Bishops have, in the space of five days, claimed two trophies. Earlier in the week, they clinched the SACS Nite Series title.
Scorers in the final
Bishops 8: Matt Fenn (4), Harry Ford (2), Timothy Young, Luke Cartwright. Hilton College 8: Mitchel Garreau (4), Tristan Uys (3), Thomas Taylor.
DAY 3 RESULTS
St Andrew’s College 4-1 Clifton
Paul Roos 4-3 St John’s
Semifinals
Bishops 6-4 Rondebosch
Hilton 11-9 St Stithians
Playoffs
Westville Boys High 2-1 Northwood (Plate 5th/6th playoff match)
St John’s College 6-3 Clifton College (Plate 3rd/4th playoff match)
Paul Roos 5-2 St Andrew’s College (Plate final)
Selborne College 8-4 KES (7th/8th playoff)
Kearsney 7-3 SACS (5th/6th playoff)
Medal places
St Stithians (7) 5-5 (6) Rondebosch (3rd/4th)
Bishops (4) 8-8 (2) Hilton College (Final)
FINAL STANDINGS
Diocesan College
Hilton College
St Stithians College
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Kearsney College
SACS
Selborne College
KES
Paul Roos
St Andrew’s College
St John’s College
Clifton College
Westville Boys’ High
Northwood School
Jeppe High School for Boys
Pretoria Boys High
