High scoring on the opening day of the SAC Shield

A whopping total of 214 goals were scored across the 13 matches on the opening day of the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield, hosted by St Andrew’s College, in Makhanda on Thursday.
The annual tournament, which features some of South Africa’s best water polo-playing schools, runs until Sunday, 26 January, with the final scheduled for 12:10.
Much was expected from the opening day’s play, with sunny and warm weather creating ideal playing conditions.
Watch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
It was fitting that the hosts kicked off matters with a Pool A clash against Westville Boys’ High.
Head coach Grant Mackenzie‘s troops were quickly out of the blocks and played some exciting polo, displaying maturity in attack and defence, to secure an 11-5 victory.
Their second outing of the day resulted in a hard-fought 6-9 defeat against South African College High School (SACS).
The big winners in the group were the Cape duo of Bishops Diocesan College and SACS, who scooped up two wins apiece.
Bishops, led by skipper Heath Blackwell, looked dangerous when in possession and they were clinical in front of goal, although they allowed 14 goals to get past their goalkeeper Michael Mafunda.
They did just enough to defeat Clifton College and St Stithians College in matches where scoring goals appeared to come easily for the Cape Town school.
Prolific goalscorer Matt Fenn netted six times across the two matches, while Owen Cross chipped in with a handful.
Goals were scored from all angles by Bishops as Tim Young, Milo Letschert, Heath Blackshaw, and Luke Cartwright all found the back of the net. James Malan topped off his day with a hat-trick.
SACS won against St Andrew’s College and St Stithians, while another team that impressed was Clifton College.
Despite losing against Bishops, coach Pierre Le Roux‘s boys bounced impressively, beating their provincial rivals, Westville 8-5.
Jamie Nicolau led the scoring with four goals, while Kyle Human netted a brace. Connor Donaldson and Nathan Burger added one each.

Pool B was dominated by Rondebosch Boys’ High and St John’s College, while Selborne College pulled off a shock result.
St John’s College captain, Nicholas Searle, led his team to two wins, while coach Jared Wingate-Pearse’s ‘Bosch boys, who had produced a dominant win over Reddam House Constantia in round one of the SACS Nite Series, carried that momentum into the SAC Shield.
They edged out Hilton College in their opener before outmuscling Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) in their second match of the day.
St John’s, meanwhile, led by veteran coach Vlado Trninic, never got out of first gear but still managed to get the job done against Selborne and Grey High School.
Nicholas Searle was among the St John’s scorers. Luke Shipway and Luke Towell both doubled up against Selborne, and Chris Chapman chipped in with a solitary goal.
Coach Storm Siebert‘s Selborne side caused the upset of the tournament so far by beating PRG 5-4.
It was the lowest-scoring match of the day and was won only 20 seconds from time when SA Schools’ forward Liam Hansen converted from five metres out.
Hilton recovered from their defeat against Rondebosch to beat Grey High 17-13.
Only three teams remain without a win after day one. Day two presents an opportunity for Westville, Grey High, and PRG to place a tick in the win column.
DAY 1 RESULTS
Pool A
St Andrew’s College 11-5 Westville Boys’ High
Bishops 12-6 Clifton College
Clifton College 8-5 Westville Boys’ High
Bishops 10-8 St Stithians College
SACS 9-6 St Andrew’s College
St Stithians College 9-4 St Andrew’s College
SACS 10-7 St Stithians College
Pool B
Rondebosch Boys’ High 13-11 Hilton College
St John’s College 7-5 Selborne College
Hilton College 17-14 Grey High
Selborne College 4-3 Paul Roos Gimnasium
St John’s College 10-5 Grey High
Rondebosch Boys’ High 10-5 Paul Roos Gimnasium
Fixtures
Friday, 24 January
Pool A
09:30 – SACS vs Westville Boys’ High; 10:20 – St Andrew’s College vs Bishops Diocesan College; 11:10 – Clifton College vs Stithians College; 14:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs Stithians College; 15:20 – Clifton College vs St Andrew’s College; 16:10 – Bishops Diocesan College vs SACS.
Pool B
07:00 – Hilton College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium; 07:50 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs St John’s College; 08:40 – Grey High School vs Selborne College; 12:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Grey High School; 12:50 – Selborne College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High; 13:40 – St John’s College vs Hilton College; 17:00 – St John’s College vs Paul Roos Gimnasium; 17:50 – Hilton College vs Selborne College.
Saturday, 25 January
Pool A
07:00 – Bishops Diocesan College vs Westville Boys’ High; 07:50 – SACS vs Clifton College.
Pool B
08:40 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Grey High School
Play-offs
10:20 – Quarterfinal 1; 11:10 – Quarterfinal 2; 12:00 – Quarterfinal 3; 12:50 – Quarterfinal 4; 13:40 – 5th-8th place-playoff; 14:30 – 5th-8th place-playoff; 17:00 – Semifinal 1; 17:50 – Semifinal 2.
Sunday, 26 January
08:00 – 11th/12th place-playoff; 08:50 – 9th/10th place-playoff; 09:40 – 7th/8th place-playoff; 10:30 – 5th/6th place-playoff; 11:20 – 3rd/4th place-playoff; 12:10 – Final.
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