Clifton Water Polo Tournament – the teams and the fixtures
Competitors in the Clifton Water Polo Tournament will face a wet welcome on Wednesday in Durban, both in the water and out of it, with a cold front sweeping the region and a 99 percent chance of rain forecast.
While it’s going to be a touch on the cold front, the action at the Clifton Aquatic Centre will, no doubt, be hot.
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The early matches bring together the KwaZulu-Natal sides, with Clifton kicking things off against Maritzburg College at 11:00, followed by Kearsney against Northwood, Durban High School (DHS) against Westville, and Hilton College against Michaelhouse.
Local fans will then have a chance to check out the out-of-province challengers for the title. Paul Roos will be first up against Grey College, followed by Reddam House Constantia against Selborne College, St John’s College against Affies, and the two-time defending champion, SACS, against King Edward VII (KES).
The competition appears to be wide open, with SACS having experienced mixed fortunes in the first term. However, any team underestimating the Cape Town school would be making a serious error.
Another Mother City squad, Reddam House Constantia, is a serious dark horse. Their dominant victory over SACS in the SACS Nite Series at the beginning of the year sent shock waves through Western Province schools’ water polo.
Paul Roos, like SACS, didn’t enjoy a strong showing in the SACS Nite Series. Much like SACS, they started 2025 without some long-established stars. Both sides, though, will have grown since then. With their pedigree in the game, they’ll be out to make some waves
The other team from the Cape, East London’s Selborne College, will be keen to upset the apple cart. A veteran team, with SA Schools’ stars Liam Hansen and Thomas Caswell in their lineup, they have the quality to challenge for the title.
Grey College, as the only school in the Free State that plays the game, face an uphill battle. One can never dismiss the fighting quality of the Bloemfontein boys, but they’re more likely to pull off an upset or two than to go the whole way.
St John’s College, the 2022 champion and last year’s beaten finalist, said goodbye to some stars at the end of 2024, among them SA Schools’ players Ross Rovelli and Greg Pryce. They’re irreplaceable but few schools have as rich a water polo history as the Johannesburg school, so they’ll be in the fight for the title.
Their neighbours, KES, finished above St John’s at the KES Water Polo Tournament in March, and were, in fact, also in front of Paul Roos, Clifton, Westville, and Northwood. That suggests they’ll fancy their chances, and it would be a mistake to sleep on them.
Affies, the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament champion, is another side that is always up for it and a team that could pull off a shock or two. The margins are slim, and if a break or two goes their way, Affies could be a title challenger.
It’s been a while since a KwaZulu-Natal team won the Clifton Water Polo Tournament title, but the local teams are primed and determined to end that unfortunate run this year.
Hilton College is loaded with quality, including Tristan Uys, who was named the Best Attacker at the 2024 Schools Water Polo South Africa Interprovincial Tournament at the end of last year. They’re experienced and battle-hardened.
Kearsney College, the winners of the St Stithians Invitational last year, is another battle-hardened bunch. They’re a team that has shown an admirable ability to pull off victories in the toughest of circumstances.
The hosts, Clifton College, should be in the mix, too, especially since coach Pierre le Roux has had the players under his guidance through a full pre-season for the first time since arriving in Durban in January. The biggest question facing them will be that of leadership, with no matric players in the lineup.
Westville Boys’ High, after a strong showing in the winter league, is another team that cannot be slept on, while Durban High School, led by SA Schools’ defender, Kirk Wilson, is a side that is on the up.
That description fits Michaelhouse, too, and, with KZN Schools’ goalkeeper Elliot Springate in goal, they’re a tough team to break down.
Maritzburg College, once one of the powerhouses of the game in KZN, has been on a programme rebuild over the past couple of seasons, and those efforts are starting to bear fruit, but they’ll be considered an outsider when it comes to a title challenge.
Northwood has been on a similar path, although they appear to be further down it than College. They feature the silky-skilled SA Schools’ forward Matthew Lortan, and could spring a surprise.
The fixture list is jam-packed, but there is one big gap in it. The action takes a pause on Saturday to allow rugby fans to view The Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and the Pumas, which will be broadcast on five big screen TVs at the Clifton Aquatic Centre.
The venue will also be filled with vendors offering plentiful food options, so it will truly be the place to be for fans of the game regarded as rugby in the pool.
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 24 September
Game 1 – 11:00 – Pool A – Clifton vs Maritzburg College
Game 2 – 11:50 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Northwood
Game 3 – 12:40 – Pool C – DHS vs Westville
Game 4 – 13:30 – Pool D – Hilton vs Michaelhouse
Game 5 – 14:20 – Pool B – Paul Roos vs Grey College
Game 6 – 15:10 – Pool A – Selborne vs Reddam Constantia
Game 7 – 16:00 – Pool C – St John’s vs Affies
Game 8 – 16:50 – Pool D – SACS vs KES
18:00 – Opening Ceremony
Thursday, 26 September
Game 9 – 07:00 – Pool D – Hilton vs KES
Game 10 – 07:50 – Pool C – St John’s vs DHS
Game 11 – 08:40 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Grey College
Game 12 – 09:30 – Pool A – Clifton vs Reddam Constantia
Game 13 – 10:20 – Pool D – Michaelhouse vs SACS
Game 14 – 11:10 – Pool C – Westville vs Affies
Game 15 – 12:00 – Pool B – Paul Roos vs Northwood
Game 16 – 12:50 – Pool A – Selborne vs Maritzburg College
Game 17 – 13:40 – Pool D – Hilton vs SACS
Game 18 – 14:30 – Pool C – St John’s vs Westville
Game 19 – 15:20 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Paul Roos
Game 20 – 16:10 – Pool A – Clifton vs Selborne
Game 21 – 17:00 – Pool D – KES vs Michaelhouse
Game 22 – 17:50 – Pool C – Affies vs DHS
Game 23 – 18:40 – Pool B – Grey College vs Northwood
Game 24 – 19:30 – Pool A – Reddam Constantia vs Maritzburg College
Friday, 26 September
Game 25 – 08:00 – 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool C
Game 26 – 09:00 – 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool D
Game 27 – 10:00 – 3rd Pool A vs 2nd Pool C
Game 28 – 11:00 – 3rd Pool B vs 2nd Pool D
Game 29 – 13:00 – Loser 25 vs 4th Pool D
Game 30 – 14:00 – Loser 26 – 4th Pool A
Game 31 – 15:00 – Loser 27 – 4th Pool B
Game 32 – 16:00 – Loser 28 – 4th Pool C
18:00 – Parents Social Evening
Saturday, 27 September
Game 33 – 07:00 – QF1 – 1st Pool D vs Winner 27
Game 34 – 08:00 – QF2 – 1st Pool C vs Winner 28
Game 35 – 09:00 – QF3 – 1st Pool B vs Winner 25
Game 36 – 10:00 – QF4 – 1st Pool A vs Winner 26
Game 37 – 11:00 – Winner 29 vs Winner 30
Game 38 – 12:00 – Winner 31 vs Winner 32
Game 39 – 13:00 – Loser 29 vs Loser 30
Game 40 – 14:00 – Loser 31 vs Loser 32
Game 41 – 15:00 – Plate SF 1 – Loser 33 vs Loser 35
Game 42 – 16:00 – Plate SF 2 – Loser 34 vs Loser 36
South Africa vs Argentina – Viewing on five big screen TVs
Game 43 – 19:30 – SF 1 – Winner 33 vs Winner 35
Game 44 – 20:30 – SF 2 – Winner 34 vs Winner 36
Sunday, 28 September
Game 45 – 07:00 – 15/16 – Loser 40 vs Loser 39
Game 46 – 07:50 – 13/14 – Winner 40 vs Winner 39
Game 47 – 08:40 – 11/12 – Loser 37 vs Loser 38
Game 48 – 09:30 – 9/10 – Winner 37 vs Winner 38
Game 49 – 10:20 – 7/8 – Loser 41 vs Loser 42
Game 50 – 11:10 – 5/6 – Winner 41 vs Winner 42
Game 51 – 12:00 – 3/4 – Loser 44 vs Loser 43
Game 52 – 13:00 – 1/2 – Winner 44 vs Winner 43
14:00 – Prize Giving
