Drama as Westville pips St Benedict’s in the Nestor Pierides Memorial Gala
In the past 15 years, Westville Boys’ High had been beaten only once in the Nestor Pierides Memorial Gala. That happened in 2022, when St Benedict’s College stopped the Westville train.
On Friday night, in the Chad le Clos Pool, at Westville, Bennies appeared to be on their way to a second win until a heartbreaking twist in the tail for the boys from Bedfordview.
Throughout the evening, they held a slight edge over Westville. When the team totals first appeared on the scoreboard, St Benedict’s had 56 points to Westville’s 54. Later, during a 15-minute interval, it read St Benedict’s 170, Westville 165. Next, the scoreboard showed St Benedict’s 225, Westville Boys’ High 221.
When Bennies fared well in the freestyle relays, the last of the event before the 5x50m ladder relay, the trophy was within their touching distance. Then, in a massive blow, after touching the wall first in the ladder relay, they were disqualified for an early start. That was all it took to change the narrative, and Westville Boys’ High sneaked past St Benedict’s to claim the title again, scoring 286 points to Bennies’ 284.
Bloemfontein’s Grey College held off Durban High School (DHS) and St David’s Marist Inanda for third spot, finishing with 225 points to the 215 of DHS and St David’s 211.
Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) took sixth place, on 148 points, while Pretoria Boys High and Northwood tied for seventh, on 138 points. Clifton College followed on 123, edging out Kearsney College by one point, while Maritzburg College finished 11th, on 100, with Glenwood on 31.
The gala is scored with 12 points going to the winner of each relay, with each subsequent finisher receiving one point less. It is raced in all four strokes – freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly – plus the medley relays, and it finishes with the 5x50m ladder relay.
St Benedict’s won 13 of the 26 events, Westville took nine wins, Grey College two, and St David’s Marist Inanda two.
Those stats reveal how close Westville stayed to Bennies throughout despite the Gauteng school winning four relays more than the hosts. By the time the 5x50m ladder relay arrived, Bennies was 10 points clear, their largest advantage of the evening. But their dreams of victory were cruelly shattered in that last event
St Benedict’s smashed the open backstroke relay record, clocking 1:47.22 to take 1.81 seconds off the previous mark, which belonged to Westville’s 2019 team, and Bennies added another record in the u16 breaststroke, comfortably improving upon Grey College’s nine-year-old mark of 2:06.75 with a time of 2:05.57.
St David’s Marist Inanda set a new record in the u16 4x50m butterfly, clocking 1:46.91 to better the 1:47.07 set by Westville in 2017.
The hosts, however, claimed another record, bettering Grey College’s 2:04.15 in the open breaststroke relay, set in 2018, with a time of 2:03.97.
St Benedict’s ruled the open age group, scoring four wins to one by Westville. At u17 level, Bennies scored three wins and Grey College two. St Benedict’s won two u16 relays, St David’s won twice, and Westville claimed one win.
Westville owed much to their u15 swimmers, who dominated their age group, winning all five races, while St Benedict’s took four of five u14 races, with Westville winning the other.
The freestyle relays were the most keenly contested: St Benedict’s won two, while Westville, Grey College, and St David’s picked up a win each.
It was tight in the breaststroke, with Bennies claiming three victories and Westville two.
In the butterfly, Westville added two more wins, St Benedict’s two, and St David’s one.
Bennies won three butterfly relays and Westville two. Bennies also won three medley relays, Westville one, and Grey College one.
Final Standings
Westville Boys’ High 286
St Benedict’s College 284
Grey College 225
Durban High School 215
St David’s Marist Inanda 211
Affies 148
Pretoria Boys High 137
Northwood 137
Clifton College 123
Kearsney College 122
Maritzburg College 100
Glenwood High 31
