SuperSport Schools Plus

Consistency key for Reddam House in Paul Roos Nite Series clash

By Avuyile Sawula , in Water Sports | Featured Water Sports | News , at 2025-01-28 Tags: , ,

Reddam House Constantia's Adam Brown scored four times for his team during their SACS Nite Series opener against Rondebosch Boys' High. Photo: MLB Sports Photography
Reddam House Constantia’s Adam Brown scored four times for his team during their SACS Nite Series opener against Rondebosch Boys’ High. Photo: MBL Sports Photography

Executing the game plan and maintaining concentration for four chukkas will be the focus for Reddam House Constantia when they face Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) in round two of the SACS Nite Series in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Reddam opened their Nite Series campaign with a 10-20 loss against Rondebosch Boys’s High at the SACS Aquatic Centre a week ago.

In that clash, coach Nick Tinkler‘s charges put up a brave showing and fought tooth and nail until the final whistle.

Offensively, they did well, with Matthew Cox, Alakay Harwood, and Oliver Finlayson striking once each, while the Brown brothers, Adam and Blake, scored four and three goals, respectively.

“We lost concentration for short periods of time, and that’s when they scored multiple goals in quick succession,” Tinkler said in his assessment of the match against a ‘Bosch team that went on to lift the SAC Shield on Sunday.

“We were in the game for large amounts of time, which was a huge positive, but we need to be playing for four full chukkas in order to beat strong teams,” he said.

Reddam had a jam-packed pre-season programme, which saw them participate in the PRG Festival and Bishops Water Polo Tournament earlier this month.

Those two campaigns assisted coach Tinkler to test combinations and variations.

At the end of 2024, only captain Matt Mincher bade farewell to the team, which means Reddam House returns an experienced team for 2025.

“Our preparation has been good,” Tinkler further told SuperSport Schools Plus. “The boys have been training consistently well. We have a larger first team squad this year, which has helped create some healthy competition in the team, and we are looking forward to a good season ahead.

“We lost Matt [Mincher], but we have some good up-and-coming talents, such as Alakay Harwood, and two talented goalkeepers in Guy Hart and Brodie Pascoe.”

Reddam will be brimming with confidence heading into their clash against PRG considering the outcome of their last meeting. During the Bishops Festival, it was Reddam who came out on top, winning 7-3.

Tinkler is optimistic they can get the better of PRG again if they work on one key aspect of their game. “I think we just need to play consistently for four chukkas,” he explained.

Reddam House Constantia's Struan Valentine in action for his team during round 1 of the SACS Nite Series. Photo: MLB Sports Photography
Reddam House Constantia’s Struan Valentine in action for his team during round 1 of the SACS Nite Series. Photo: MLB Sports Photography

“The quality of the teams in the Western Cape is so high that you cannot afford to lose concentration at all in games like this.

“If we can execute our plan for the game from beginning to end, then we should hopefully be able to have a good game against PRG.”

The mid-week showdown against the Stellenbosch outfit will prepare Reddam for the Grey College ITEC Water Polo Tournament, which takes place from Thursday, 30 January, to Sunday, 2 February, in Bloemfontein.

After that, the Cape Town school will head to East London for the annual Vides Water Polo Tournament, which is hosted by Selborne College.

The team has set realistic goals for the forthcoming tournaments, and the coach wants to see his players reach their full potential.

“We have set ourselves goals of making the top four of all tournaments that we take part in this year, including the Schools League and the Nite Series.

“However, we know that we are not limited to the top four and can go all the way in any one of the tournaments that we take part in. I am looking forward to seeing this group reach their full potential this season,” he ended.

SACS Nite Series fixtures

29 January

17:00 – Bishops Diocesan College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
17:50 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Reddam House Constantia
18:40 – SACS vs Wynberg Boys’ High

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.