DAY 1| SAC Shield off to a blistering start in Makhanda
Superb water polo, filled with non-stop action and a slew of upsets, highlighted the SAC Shield as it got off to a fiery start at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda on Thursday.
The annual tournament welcomed 13 schools from across the country to battle it out for top honours in a gruelling and demanding three-day slugfest between a selection of many of South Africa’s elite teams.
The hosts had a disappointing opening to their day, losing against St John’s and Paul Roos respectively. But they got into the winning column with a win over Michaelhouse in the evening at DSG.
The big winners on the day were, undoubtedly, Bishops Diocesan College, who for the second time this week defeated South African College High School (SACS) 11-10. The win came in the wake of Jabulani Sibiya’s side recording a stunning come-from-behind 11-5 triumph against the same opponents at the SACS Night Series on Tuesday.
That momentous victory added to Bishop’s 10-8 triumph against St Stithians earlier in the day and puts the side in a commanding position entering day two of the event.
There were also provincial derbies in play, which included Clifton College edging Hilton College 8-6 to claim KwaZulu-Natal bragging rights. Meanwhile, Selborne College shocked Grey High in an Eastern Cape clash to shake up matters in Pool A ahead of a busy day two.
One team that will need to improve on Friday is Stellenbosch’s Paul Roos Gymnasium, the defending champions.
Despite winning all three of their matches, they were, at times, lucky and had to come from behind twice to force penalty shootouts against St Andrew’s and Michaelhouse respectively.
The second day’s action kicks off with a mouthwatering clash between St John’s College and Paul Roos at 07:00. The home side face Rondebosch Boys High at 09:15, while Selborne College will look to make it two wins on the trot when they take on Hilton College at 13:45.
Results: Day One
Pool A
Bishops 10-8 St Stithians College
SACS 10-8 St Andrew’s
St Stithians College 11-7 Grey High
SACS 10-5 Selborne College
Bishops 11-10 SACS
Selborne College 6-3 Grey High
Clifton 8-6 Hilton College
SACS 13-6 Hilton College
Clifton 11-4 Grey High
Hilton College 13-3 Grey High
Pool B
Paul Roos 10-5 Westville Boys High
Rondebosch Boys High 10-7 Michaelhouse
St John’s College 10-8 St Andrew’s College
Paul Roos 7(9)-7(8) St Andrew’s College
St John’s College 8-6 Rondebosch Boys High
Paul Roos 6(12)-6(11) Michaelhouse
St John’s College 7(10)–7(9) Westville Boys High
St Andrew’s College 11-8 Michaelhouse
Rondebosch Boys High 12-8 Westville Boys High
Day 2 Fixtures
Friday, 26 January, @ St Andrew’s College
07:00 – (19) St John’s vs Paul Roos; 07:45 – (20) Hilton vs St Stithians; 08:30 – (21) Selborne vs Clifton; 09:15 – (22) St Andrew’s vs Rondebosch; 10:00 – (23) Grey High vs SACS; 10:45 – (24) Bishops vs Selborne; 11:30– (25) St Stithians vs Clifton; 12:15 – (26) Westville vs Michaelhouse; 13:00 – (27) Rondebosch vs Paul Roos; 13:45 – (28) Selborne vs Hilton; 14:30 – (29) Clifton vs Bishops; 15:15 – (30) SACS vs St Stithians; 16:00 – (31) Westville vs St Andrew’s; 16:45 – (32) Michaelhouse vs St John’s; 17:30 – (33) Bishops vs Hilton
