DAY 3 | Goals galore as KZN, Province, and Gauteng stake a claim before play-offs
There was a total of 33 hattricks scored between the nine matches played on day three of the girls’ section at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament hosted at the Newton Park Swimming Pool in Gqeberha on Monday.
Western Province A, Central Gauteng A, and KwaZulu-Natal all secured vital wins, and in the process booked their spots for the quarterfinals scheduled to kick off on Tuesday morning.
KwaZulu-Natal bounced back well after a tough 3-15 defeat against reigning champions Central Gauteng on day two.
Paul Martin‘s side came out of the gates strongly against Eastern Gauteng, scoring a mammoth 22 goals courtesy of a fiver from Caitlin McMurray, and four goals each by Christy Dudas and Emma Thornton.
Amber Lewis was also on song, and accurate in front of goal, adding a hat trick to her team’s tally.
Later in the day, KZN were back in the pool against Western Province B, a side known for its fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude, which was visible in their 16-9 triumph against Eastern Gauteng the previous day.
It was not an easy ride for the KwaZulu-Natal ladies, as the girls from Cape Town gave them a solid run for their money.
Braces by Amy Hargroves and Caitlin McMurray, and solitary goals from Georgina Stephenson, and Marlise Pretorius gave the side a 6-3 lead at the halfway mark.
Coach Martin’s speech at the break must’ve been inspiring as his team returned to double their lead, and conceded only one goal in the process, and just like that they had booked their spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
“So far, we haven’t played our best water polo this whole tournament. I’m hoping that it clicks now in the knockout stages,” Martin told SuperSport Schools.
“There’’ a lot of talent here. It’s a young talented team, but it’s more a case of cutting out those individual errors.
“If seven players in the water don’t make mistakes, you’re going to be a good side. We want to get the basics right and stop trying to be too fancy and just work as a unit,” he added.
Another coach who was relieved to make it past the group stages was Western Province’s Nicola Barrett.
After playing to a 16-16 draw against the hosts earlier in the tournament, Western Province have delivered one emphatic performance after another.
On day three, the Western Cape side was made to work extremely hard for their win against the Central Gauteng B team. In-form players like Hannah Banks, Amy Van Breda, and Tyra Penney all came to the fore, scoring crucial goals in a tight 14-8 victory.
Their second match of the day against the Northern Tigers was an exhibition, or one that was used as a “practice” match, ahead of the knock-out stages as the Capetonians overwhelmed the Tigers, scoring 28 goals while conceding only three.
Nevertheless, head coach, Nicola Barrett was ecstatic with her charges’ showing in the pool after that nerve-wracking draw against the hosts on Sunday.
“I think [in] that game, we came in very slow and struggled with our defence, and it just felt a little bit sluggish. But we regrouped, and I think the girls responded well to the other top team in the pool, Gauteng B,” Barrett said after the day’s play.
“We needed it (the wins). We were in a dark place as a team on Sunday, but we pulled ourselves out of it, and we are in a good space now.
“I think the confidence from these last two matches is epic, and we are looking forward to the playoffs,” she added.
Reigning champions, the Central Gauteng A team, continued their dominance in the pool and maintained their 100 percent record in the tournament.
First up, they made light work of Buffalo City, outscoring them by 24 goals to eight.
Lauren Fox, Georgia Eccles, Mia Loizides, Georgia Cope, and Charlotte Crick all scored hattricks in the win. Tori Voke, who scored a brace against the Gauteng side, was a shining light for Buffalo City, who struggled to find any momentum.
Reacting to the match, Gauteng’s head coach, Etienne Le Roux said he was delighted that his side would enter the playoff stages unbeaten, adding that he expects his players to maintain their tempo.
In other matches, Nelson Mandela Bay picked up another win, beating Zimbabwe 14-8.
Central Gauteng B bounced back from their earlier defeat to Province’s A side by scraping through against Zimbabwe, and Buffalo City concluded the round-robin stages in the best way possible with a narrow win over Western Province B in the last match of the day.
A hat-trick of goals by Tori Voke, alongside Roxy-Lee van Eek’s brace and the bravery of goalkeeper, Maya Klopper, who made crucial saves in the last two quarters, proved just enough for the Eastern Cape side as they held on for a nervy 9-8 win.
Results | Day 3
KwaZulu-Natal 23-3 Eastern Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal – Caitlin McMurray (5), Marlise Pretorius (2), Christy Dudas (4), Emma Thornton (4), Amber Lewis (3), Annabelle Hardie, Taylor Cherry, Claire Hind, Amy Hargroves, Cara Meldrum. Eastern Gauteng – Alana Vermaak, Megan Keira Venter, Maddison Griffin.
Western Province A 14-9 Central Gauteng B
Central Gauteng B – Cecilia Petersen, Humairaa Bodiat (2), Amy Smith (2), Amy Mather, Amy Stubbs (2), Emma Morley.
Western Province A – Emma Catto (2), Hannah Banks (4), Amy Van Breda (2), Erin-Belle Nordgaard (2), Tyra Penney (3), Morgan Christian.
Central Gauteng A 24 – 8 Buffalo City
Buffalo City – Jasmine Koch, Tori Voke (2), Tatum Knox, Jenna Tarr, Gemma Hannafay, Julianna Saffy, Alison Woodin.
Central Gauteng A – Kara Wicht (2), Lauren Fox (4), Georgia Eccles (3), Mia Loizides (3), Georgia Cope (3), Francesca De Villiers (2), Charlotte Crick (3), Jenna Penney (2), Ruby Carlson.
Nelson Mandela Bay 14-5 Zimbabwe
Nelson Mandela Bay – Teagan Harty (2), Amelia Brown (3), Amie Jenner (3), Matipa Karimazondo (3), Anna Pinto, Jorja Ross.
Zimbabwe – Natalie Hazelden, Erin Bent (3), Zoe Denslow.
KwaZulu-Natal 12-7 Western Province B
KwaZulu-Natal – Georgina Stephenson, Amy Hargroves (2), Marlise Pretorius, Caitlin McMurray (2), Emma Thornton (2), Taylor Cherry (2), Amber Lewis, Christy Dudas.
Western Province B – Isabella Tooley, Kate Formby, Tara Ross (3), Amy Pettipher (2).
Western Province A 28 – 3 Northern Tigers
Western Province A – Tyra Penney (4), Roxanne Uys (4), Alexa De Villiers, Erin-Belle Nordgaard, Olivia Geddes (5), Tetra Hollenbach (3), Tayla Kreymborg, Hannah Banks (3), Isabella Roche, Morgan Christian, Emile Van Heerden (4).
Northern Tigers – Ngandu Darina Muzungu (3).
Central Gauteng A 28 – 2 Eastern Gauteng
Eastern Gauteng – Maddison Griffin, Myra Strydom.
Central Gauteng A – Jenna Penney (2), Gina Sguazzin, Georgia Eccles (2), Charlotte Crick (2), Francesca De Villiers, Kara Wicht (3), Georgia Cope (3), Ruben Carlson (3), Lauren Fox (5), Mia Loizides (6).
Central Gauteng B 16-12 Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Jessie Sparrow, Natalie Hazelden (3), Erin Bent (3), Lauren Ashwin (2), Charlotte Martell, Bailey Knox (2).
Central Gauteng B: Amy Smith (2), Morgan Harrison, Humairaa Bodiat (2), Emma Van Rensburg, Amy Stubbs, Amy Mather (3), Jessica Black (4), Morgan Harrison, Cecillia Petersen.
Buffalo City 9-8 Western Province B
Buffalo City: Tatum Knox, Roxy-Lee van Eek (2), Alex Albers, Tori Voke (3), Jasmine Koch (2). Western Province B: Kiara Bester, Amy Pettipher (2), Tara Roos, Isabella Tooley (2), Leila Hibling, Nicole Bantom.
