Gauteng will battle Western Province for top honours at water polo IPT
Central Gauteng A and Western Province A will meet in the final of the u19 girls’ division of the 50th Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) at St David’s Marist Inanda on Wednesday morning.
The contest is scheduled to start at 11:55.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
The defending champions, Central Gauteng A, are on the hunt for a fourth straight title, while WP A are determined to end that run and claim their moment at the summit.
Province A beat KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) 11-7 to book their spot in the title game, while Central Gauteng A defeated Central Gauteng B 13-3 to secure their berth.
Central Gauteng A and Western Province A have been on a collision course from the first day of the competition. They topped their respective pools in the group stage without losing a match and are the only unbeaten sides in the competition. Between them, the two powerhouses have scored 179 goals in a combined 11 games.
Coach Connor Whiting’s Western Province girls have generally shrugged off challenges from competitors, but KZN wasn’t about to give them a free pass. Coach Cameron Wiid’s outfit treated Province A to their toughest first chukka of the tournament at the Wahoo Aquatic Centre.
Province A took a slender 5-3 lead into the break after the completion of the quarter, but the brief interval gave them enough time to regroup, and they returned to the pool with a fortified defence.
“I’m a very defence-focused coach. I think if you have a strong defence, you can control the game on defence, control the momentum. It’s easy to win a game if you don’t concede a goal. So, that’s the main focus,” Whiting told SuperSport Schools Plus.
Julia Luckhoff, the Province A captain, plays at centre back, alongside Summer-Lee Wain. Whiting credited the duo for his side’s sound defence.
“They’ve been great at communicating. They’re the ones that are the most vocal in defence,” Whiting explained.
The pair stepped up their game and marshalled Province’s stout defensive effort, which denied KZN room to advance close to their goal, forcing KZN to try their luck from range. Their efforts brought scant reward. The ladies from the Western Cape added three more goals and took a commanding 8-3 lead to the halftime break.
“I think that the goal is just to show as much energy on attack [as we can] and force teams to have to make a decision on defence. We’ve got quite a nice bench, so we can roll the subs quite quickly and can play with this high tempo,” Whiting reckoned.
WP A added four more goals over the next two chukkas to secure a comfortable victory and with it a place in the final.
Later in the day, Central Gauteng A overcame their compatriots, Central Gauteng B, in the semifinals. Central Gauteng A coach Kelsey Thomson’s charges took control from the first chukka, ending it with a 5-1 advantage. They continued to build on it.
Instead of developing a complacent attitude and slowing down because they had a comfortable lead, Central Gauteng kept pushing hard, as if they were trailing. That was the same approach they had adopted in their quarterfinal tie against Zimbabwe, whom they thrashed 28-1.
“I keep reminding them that they’ve done such a good job and that they haven’t even reached their pinnacle yet, and I think that helps them just give that a little bit of extra edge,” Thomson revealed.
Central Gauteng B has been one of the most exciting sides at the IPT, scoring the third-most goals in the competition, and they showed that they weren’t satisfied with living in Central Gauteng A’s shadow. Unfortunately for them, they found Central Gauteng A’s defence a tough nut to crack.
“Our non-negotiable as a team is that we always have six defenders back. So, whether the other team is going to have six players attacking or not, we come with six defenders back, because it has to be a full defence every time. And that’s where we are able to then help each other wherever we can in the water.
“We stick to defence as our first priority no matter what, in any game,” Thomson said.
After halftime, Central Gauteng B added only two more goals as Central Gauteng A claimed a 13-3 win.
The defending champions have scored the second-most goals in the event. Yet, they don’t have a player among the top five goal scorers in the competition. That’s because the team mentality is that anyone and everyone can score, and that’s what happened when they thumped Zimbabwe earlier in the day. Then, in the semifinal, eight players appeared on the scoresheet.
“There’s been so much teamwork all over, all kinds of opportunities: centre-forward goals, centre-back goals, extra-man goals, drive goals. I want to see the teamwork, and that’s what the girls have brought. Sometimes the pass is more important than the goal,” Thomson declared.
RESULTS
Semifinals
Western Province A 11: Julia Luckhoff (4), Summer-Lee Wain (2), Bella Murray (2), Sofia Walker (1), Kirsten Böttger (1), Emma Stevens (1). KwaZulu-Natal 7 Farrann Eliot (2), Gemma Mallherbe (2), Isabella Stephenson (1), Inez Letschert (1), Madison Beetge (1).
Central Gauteng A 13 Cadha Mosehla (3), Julia Joseph (2), Taylor Billet (2), Caitlin Scrimgeour (2), Jenna Blaauw (1), Tori Tanner-Ellis (1), Isabella Imbriolo (1), Amy Stubbs (1). Central Gauteng B 3 Rylee Rogers (2), Mia Duffy (1).
Other matches
Western Province A 13 Sophie Vickers (3), Holly Strydom (2), Bella Murray (2), Sarah Palframan (1), Julia Luckhoff (1), Sofia Walker (1), Kirsten Böttger (1), Emma Stevens (1), Charlotte Wiltshire (1). Western Province B 2: Lauren Helm (1), Samantha Miller (1).
Central Gauteng A 28 Caitlin Scrimgeour (4), Emily Carle (3), Julia Joseph (3), Gabriella Morrell (3), Emma Pelicot (2), Jenna Blaauw (2), Cadha Mosehla (2), Taylor Billet (2), Isabella Imbriolo (2), Amy Stubbs (2), Tori Tanner-Ellis (1), Anastasia Hambakis (1), Ziyanda Tshabalala (1). Zimbabwe 1 Katie Gripper (1).
KwaZulu-Natal 7 Inge Southey (2), Farrann Eliot (1), Hannah Savage (1), Gemma Malherbe (1), Josie Houston (1). Nelson Mandela Bay 6 Olivia Attwell (2), Mia Jenner (1), Casey Williamson (1), Lucy Nagel (1), Alexandra Ovendale (1).
Central Gauteng B 9 Esmé du Plessis (2), Mia Duffy (2), Anna Springer (2), Rylee Rogers (1), Annabelle Morton (1), Isabella Duffy (1). Buffalo City 7 Kara Batting (3), Meka Loots (1), Megan Phillips (1), Quinn Carr (1), Erin Batting (1).
Buffalo City 10: Caitlin Mthembu (2), Janey-Heather Wood (2), Caroline Kretzmann (2), Erin Batting (1), Quinn Carr (1), Jenna Botha (1), Meka Loots (1). Zimbabwe 1 Natasha Chaniwa (1).
Western Province B 6: Samantha Miller (3), Olivia Figaji (2), Nina Wides (1). Nelson Mandela Bay 5: Alexandra Ovendale (1), Lucy Nagel (1), Megan Sheard (1), Jessica Stevens (1), Mia Jenner (1).
Western Province B 11: Tess Anderson (3), Samantha Miller (2), Jemma Pearse (2), Sophie Maurel (2), Lauren Helm (1), Abigail Weatherall (1). Northerns 0.
