Feisty semifinal battles locked in at KES Water Polo Tournament
Bishops will take on South African College High School (SACS), while Kearsney College battles St David’s Marist Inanda in the two semifinals of the KES Water Polo Tournament in Johannesburg on Sunday.
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The four sides booked their respective spots in the last four after picking up some handy results on day two at the KES Aquatic Centre.
After an entertaining opening day, Bishops maintained their unbeaten run and finished the pool stages with a nervy 9-8 win over St David’s. That win meant they would face Hilton College in the last eight.
With a semi-final place on the line, the defending champions were clinical. They suffocated Hilton and outplayed the KwaZulu-Natal outfit in almost every facet of the game.
Matt Fenn was on fire, netting four times, while Noah Viuff contributed a brace. James Malan, Ryan Dales, Tim Young, and Dominic Zulch all chipped in with goals to help their side to a comfortable 9-3 victory.
With the win, Bishops booked a semi-final showdown against their Cape Town rivals, SACS. SACS was made to work hard, but was almost as emphatic in an 8-3 win over St Stithians.
SACS, much like Bishops, enjoyed a superb run during the group stage of competition and topped their pool. With three wins, they earned the maximum of nine points.
In the quarters, they came up against an unpredictable Saints outfit, but they dug deep and secured the victory.
Adam Maggott and Aidan Turrell led the way, and both scored twice, while Nick Wilson, Connor Mortlock, skipper Ben Bigara, and Luca Orgill also got their names on the scoresheet.
The second semifinal between St David’s and Kearsney promises to thrill.
St David’s was outstanding in their quarterfinal clash against Rondebosch and gave the spectators a proper show. They were ruthless in front of goal, rock-solid defensively, and kept some of ‘Bosch‘s dangerous players at bay.
Matthew Peacock led the charge with four goals, while Danilo Giuricich, Luke Laporte, Adam Houghton, Cooper Haworth, and David Latilla-Campbell also added to the score.
Goalkeeper Dyan Wiggill brought the crowd to its feet with an outrageous goal on the buzzer at the end of the second chukka when he spotted the ‘Bosch goalie off his line.
Kearsney College was the last side to book a place in the final four after they beat their neighbours, Westville Boys’ High, 12-8.
Coach Nic Rodda‘s men were pushed hard, but they pulled clear in the second half to take the win. Dru Mills was in a league of his own, netting five times, while Thomas Aylward contributed a brace, and Thomas Francke, Oliver Ludwig, Levi Thom, and Reece York scored, too.
The final day’s action kicks off bright and early with a meeting between Clifton College and St Andrew’s College in the Plate semifinal at 07:00.
The Cup semi-finals will start at 08:00 when Bishops takes on SACS.
Day 2 Fixtures
Saturday, 28 February
Clifton College 10-0 Jeppe High School For Boys
Rondebosch Boys’ High 6-5 St John’s College
King Edward VII 6-5 Selborne College
St Andrew’s College 2-8 Paul Roos Gimnasium
St David’s Marist Inanda 8-9 Bishops
Pretoria Boys High 5-9 Hilton College
SACS 11-7 Westville Boys’ High
Kearsney College (2) 9-9 (3) St Stithians College
Playoffs
Clifton College 7-3 Pretoria Boys High
St John’s 6-5 Jeppe
St Andrew’s College (3) 4-4 (1) KES
Paul Roos 4-1 Selborne College
KES 7-2 Pretoria Boys High
Jeppe (2) 2-2 (1) Selborne
Hilton 4-3 St Stithians
Rondebosch 12-4 Westville
Quarterfinals
Bishops 9-3 Hilton
St David’s Marist Inanda 11-5 Rondebosch
SACS 8-3 St Stithians
Kearsney College 12-8 Westville Boys’ High
Day 3 Fixtures
Sunday, 1 March
07:00 – Clifton vs St Andrew’s College
07:30 – St John’s vs Paul Roos
08:00 – Bishops vs SACS
08:30 – St David’s vs Kearsney College
09:40 – Pretoria Boys High vs Selborne
10:10 – KES vs Jeppe
11:40 – St Stithians vs Westville
12:10 – Hilton vs Rondebosch
