Bishops targets Saints Invitational title
The highly anticipated 30th edition of the annual St Stithians College Water Polo Invitational takes to the water on Thursday at the St Stithians Aquatic Centre.
The opening day features 40 matches, 20 in the boys’ section and 20 in the girls’ section. All in all, 144 games will be played, with the action concluding on Sunday, 27 October.
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A team aiming to make history and build on an excellent 2024 is Cape Town’s Bishops Diocesan College.
The side, led by head coach Jabulani Sibiya, is in outstanding form and will head into the four-day tournament intent on adding to a very successful year in which they’ve captured three trophies, including a memorable and first-ever triumph at the SACS Water Polo Tournament last month.
“It’s a big one coming up. It’s a tournament we’ve never won before in the history of the competition,” Sibiya told SuperSport Schools Plus before the tournament. “We’re feeling confident about it. I think winning the SACS Water Polo tournament was a huge boost for us.
“I think just because of the season we’ve had this year – winning three tournaments, being in four finals, and medalling at each tournament – that allows us to be keen and excited.”
Sibiya’s side has prepared well before heading to St Stithians. A recent outing against their rivals, Rondebosch Boys’ High made it clear that tough obstacles lie ahead for Bishops.
“The preparation has been good, and the guys have been playing well. We beat Rondebosch Boys’ High 12-11 in a tight game,” Sibiya said. “We found ourselves leading by five goals, and Bosch managed to come back.
“We know the Cape teams will be strong in these national tournaments, but we believe in our preparation, and we’re staying humble.”
Bishops, in many of the tournaments they play, are known for dominating during the pool matches and setting themselves up early for the knockout stages. This time around, they’ll aim to follow that recipe in group B when they take on King Edward VII (KES), Michaelhouse, Pearson High, and a strong St John’s College team. They met St John’s in the final of the SACS tournament, beating them 5-2.
“For us, the approach is to track our footsteps as we get up in the tournament and treat each game with the respect it deserves,” Sibiya said.
“We don’t want to get distracted, and, honestly, we know we have to work hard to go all the way; it won’t be handed to us.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to close the season on a high. I’ve won this tournament as a player and would love to win it as a coach and for Bishops to make history,” he concluded.
Bishops will open their challenge with two matches on day one. In the morning, they face Michaelhouse at 09:30 before taking on Pearson later in the day, at 16:10.
