Durban Girls’ College downs Reddam House Constantia in Mackenzie Cup final
Durban Girls’ College (DGC) produced a gritty performance to score an impressive 8-6 victory over Reddam House Constantia in the final of the Mackenzie Cup in Cape Town on Sunday.
The girls from KwaZulu-Natal, led by captain Lara Mervis, showed strong character and scored some outstanding goals in a tightly contested final.
They impressed in Pool B, where they withstood the challenges of some redoubtable teams to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Their successes in the group stage included an 8-6 win over Herschel Girls School, a 4-2 defeat of Clarendon High School for Girls, and a 10-5 victory over Glenwood House.
In the knockout phase of the competition, they brushed aside a Herschel Invitational side 12-4 in the last eight to move onto the semifinals.
With a shot at the title game on the line, coach Peter Lavett‘s troops upped the ante and dominated DSG Makhanda, outscoring them 9-2, while Reddam House defeated Herschel 9-7 in their semifinal to set up an interesting showdown for the silverware.
It was a hard-fought battle from the outset, with DGC drawing first blood through a long-range effort in the first chukka from skipper Mervis.
Reddam quickly responded, striking twice before the experienced Inge Southey won a five-metre penalty for DGC. She also converted it.
At the halfway point, there was nothing to separate the sides, who were tied at 5-5, with further goals from Lia Janse van Rensburg, a second for Southey, and another from Isabella Stephenson keeping the KZN visitors in the game.
Both sides came out firing in the second half, and the lead exchanged hands several times.
It was, however, DGC who scored struck three more times, and they also defended bravely, with goalkeeper Hannah Weinert pulling off some fantastic saves, to seal the win.
Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus after the game, captain Lara Mervis said she was pleased with how her team had performed: “It was a great weekend in Cape Town, and I’m very happy with how we played,” she said. “The team played really well, and we worked together nicely.”
DGC was brimming with confidence heading into the Mackenzie Cup after they won the KZN Top 10 Girls’ Water Polo Tournament earlier this month.
Mervis said that win, in their home pool, was the boost DGC needed to clinch a second title in as many weeks.
“Yes, that win at Top Schools definitely gave us the confidence that we needed and helped us perform the way that we did,” she explained
DGC’s success was also reflected in the individual awards, which included their Kayla Andrews receiving the Attacker of the Tournament accolade, while Inge Southey was named the Player of the Tournament.
The Durbanites will next shift their attention to the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament, which take places from 26 to 28 September.
They’ve been drawn in Pool B and will face Roedean School, Rhenish Girls’ High, and St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls.
