Captain Conor Melling-Williams chasing IPT glory for Western Province
Western Province u19 boys’ water polo captain, Conor Melling-Williams, is relishing the opportunity of leading his team at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Interprovincial Tournament in East London.
The much-anticipated annual event, which features boys’ and girls’ competition in the u13, u14, u15, u16, and u19 age groups, runs from 7-11 December. The u19 matches will be played at the Joan Harrison Swimming Pools.
Province are the favourites to win the u19 title alongside Central Gauteng A and KwaZulu-Natal. However, Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay will not be a walk in the park. Playing in familiar waters, they’ll be eager to upset the usual title challengers.
Melling-Williams is one of the returning stars from last year’s group that claimed gold in Gqeberha. In that tournament, Province was led by coach Jabulani Sibiya and dominated during the pool stages, seemingly scoring goals at will.
They came up against a strong Central Gauteng A side in the final, and after it ended 8-8, they went on to record a nervy 8-7 win in a penalty shootout.
A lot has changed since that final, and it’s an almost revamped Province team that will take to the pool in this year’s event. Only five players, including Melling-Williams, have survived from 2023.
“The team is extremely excited to get going at IPT this year,” Melling-Williams told SuperSport Schools Plus. “After successful school seasons all around for the boys, IPT provides one last bite at the cherry for a gold medal this year.
“The preparation has been intense and proper under the dedicated guidance of our coach, Jabulani Sibiya. We’ve been training really hard and are now preparing for the last push in the build-up to tournament time.”
A noticeable absentee from the Province team is goalkeeper Jordan De Sousa, who has been an influential presence for both Bishops, and Western Province throughout his water polo career, and who was selected for the SA Schools side after last year’s IPT.
Melling-Williams is not naïve and recognised that De Sousa’s shoes are going to be tough to fill, but he backed the goalkeepers selected to get the job done.
“Yes, Jordan is missing out this year. However, our goalkeepers, Pierre Du Plessis and Adam Lawrence, are some of the best in the country,” he insisted.
“The team has full belief and confidence in their abilities to keep our opponent’s scores low.”
Province’s last proper outing as a unit was at the Currie Cup in March, which was also hosted in Buffalo City.
There, Melling-Williams and his teammates didn’t quite live up to expectations and finished with the bronze medal after losing to Central Gauteng in the semifinals.
The skipper believes he and his team have learnt from that disappointing tournament and they will not replicate some of the mistakes they made there.
“The Currie Cup was a bit of a disappointment for our WP side earlier this year,” he acknowledged. “That is now in the past, though, and we’ve definitely taken lessons from that experience, which will hopefully stand us in good stead coming into the IPT.
“I think the main lesson learnt was probably the need to be awake and focused throughout the entirety of every game. Drop-offs in this regard can easily swing results out of your favour.”
The Western Province team is stacked with matric learners out for a last hurrah. Playing in their last Schools Water Polo South Africa Interprovincial Tournament alongside the skipper are Ross Stewart (vc), Adam October, Arkin Marias, Nicholas Fall, Pierre du Plessis, Bradley Warneke, Thomas Truter, Zack Cicero, Mac Lecuona, and Matthew De Villiers.
“Yes, it is our ‘last dance’ for Western Province, and it has been an absolute honour to represent WP on multiple occasions throughout my polo career,” Melling-Williams added.
“I must extend a special thank you to all the people behind the scenes who work tirelessly organising kit, transport, and accommodation to make the players’ experiences so easy and enjoyable.
“Furthermore, the dedicated coaches who give up so much of their time to ensure the players are prepared to put on a show. And to the parents, who make these opportunities possible for everyone, thank you for your sacrifices!
“To end on a high note in taking home that last gold medal would be super special and a great way to finish our WP careers. It is definitely not a given, though, as the competition is fierce, but we’ll give it our best shot, that’s for sure,” he concluded.
WESTERN PROVINCE U19A SQUAD
Luke Burger, Matthew de Villiers, Pierre du Plessis, Bradley Warneke (Rondebosch Boys’ High), Zack Cicero, Nicholas Fall, Mac Lecuona, Jandro Rojo-Ross, Connor Melling-Williams (SACS), Adam October, Adam Lawrence, Arkin Marias (Paul Roos Gimnasium), Thomas Truter, and Ross Stewart (Bishops Diocesan College).
