Domination from Kearsney and DHS on opening weekend in the pool
There were wins for Kearsney College, Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, Hilton College, and Clifton College in the year’s first weekend of water polo action in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
Kearsney and DHS were the big winners, scoring over 20 goals each, and in the process thumping Glenwood High and St Charles College respectively.
The weekend’s action began at Kearsney where the hosts were brutal against a promising Glenwood side, and that showed when they rushed into a 5-0 lead in no time at all in the first chukka, with their first goal coming before 20 seconds had been played.
Blake Kruger and Thomas Aylward were both sublime in front of goal and came out firing in the second quarter to double their team’s tally to 10, while Glenwood was kept in the match courtesy of a hattrick by Matthew Botha, and a solitary goal by Blake Gardener.
Heading into the third chukka, the home side led 10-4, but they quickly changed the complexion of the match.
Nick Rodda’s side hammered home a mammoth 10 goals, while conceding only one, to take a 20-6 lead into the final quarter.
They kept that momentum going in the last chukka, closing down most of Glenwood’s attacking opportunities while clinically slotting their chances.
In an effort to keep Glenwood at bay, the hosts rotated their goalkeepers and introduced Elihle Hadebe, who represented KZN u19B last year, for the final two chukkas, and he conceded only three goals, while their attack, led by Aylward, Kruger, and Luca Sandri, kept finding a way through the Glenwood defence, leading Kearsney to a very comfortable 29-7 win.
Try as they might in the final two quarters, Glenwood was overpowered and outplayed.
There were five hat-trick scorers in the Kearsney team: James Pohl, Thomas Francke, Thomas Aylward, Luca Sandri, and Blake Kruger.
Around The Province
In Pietermaritzburg, Durban High School overran St Charles, who are taking a step up in competition before the unveiling of a state-of-the-art indoor aquatic centre in the near future, which will surely lead to a huge uptick in their fortunes. On Saturday, though, DHS raced to an emphatic 20-1 triumph.
The visitors dominated crucial aspects of the contest and kept growing the goal-scoring gap as the chukkas went by.
Marnu Koekemoer, Adrian Truter, Kirk Wilson, Ruan Basson, and Ryan Spooner all enjoyed stellar games as the Horseflies side got their season off to a winning start.
Dylan Cronje‘s men will take a solid boost of confidence with them as they prepare to battle an in-form Kearsney team next week.
Westville will also be satisfied with the way they started the new year, scoring a 12-6 win over Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg. Rhys Hall scored half of his team’s goals, while a double by Jared Byleveldt and solitary goals by Calvin Stanley, Calvin Deyzel, Drew Hollingsworth, and Max Scully secured the win.
Hilton College got the better of Northwood, thumping the boys from the north of Durban by 10 goals in a 16-6 win.
Paul Martin’s Clifton College hosted Michaelhouse in Durban in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Clifton Aquatic Centre.
Michaelhouse shocked the hosts with an early score, but Clifton, playing with assurance, netted five of their own without reply. From there, it was almost a case of one-for-one as the match ended 11-5 in favour of Clifton.
They’ve given up a lot of experience from their outstanding 2023 side, but Clifton still returns KZN u19A players, Ollie Ditz and Ross Strauss, and Ethan Lyne, the 2024 Head Boy, who represented KZN u19B. Goalkeeper Strauss, in particular, pulled off some remarkable saves in the early going of their win.
Results
Kearsney 29-7 Glenwood
Durban High School 23-1 St Charles
Hilton 16-6 Northwood
Westville 12-6 Maritzburg College
Clifton 11-5 Michaelhouse
Scorers
Kearsney (29): James Pohl (3), Thomas Francke (3), Thomas Aylward (6), Levi Thom (2), Luca Sandri (5), Ryan Sim, Robert Smith (2), Oliver Ludwig, Blake Kruger (6). Glenwood (7): Matthew Botha (3), Blake Gardener (2), Kyron De Kok (2).
Westville (12): Jared Byleveldt (2), Rhys Hall (6), Calvin Stanley, Calvin Deyzel, Drew Hollingsworth, Max Scully. Maritzburg College (5): Mumford (3), Jansen, Robinson, Goddard.
DHS (23): Adrian Truter (4), Kirk Wilson (2), Ruan Basson (5), Jack Bowen, Blake Davidson, Riccardo Girrodo (3), Chris Dennysen, Zion Smith, Marnu Koekemoer (5), Ryan Spooner (2). St Charles (1): Connor Segar.
Michaelhouse (5): Reece Rezac, Bryn Retzlaff, Keegan Elliot, Oliver Guy, Nicholas Smithers. Clifton (11): (Scorers not provided).
Hilton (16): Meyer Malherbe (3), Tristan Uys (2), Garrick Phillips (2), Mitchell Wilson (2), Andrew Schnell (2), Mich Garreau (2), Thomas Taylor (2), Retief Malherbe. Northwood (6): (Scorers not provided).
