Hosts and Eastern Cape schools shine at Saints Squash Festival
Selborne College confirmed their status as the number one squash team in South Africa with an unbeaten run at the Saints Squash Festival, in Bloemfontein, over the weekend.
They didn’t have matters all their own way, however, with the hosts, St Andrew’s School, pushing them all the way.
When the sides met in the last of their five matches on Sunday, both sported clean records. St Andrew’s had accounted for Michaelhouse (6-0), Hoërskool Zwartkop (5-1), Grey High (4-2), and Pretoria Boys High (5-1), while Selborne owned wins over Pretoria Boys High (4-2), St John’s College A (4-2), Maritzburg College (6-0), and Hoërskool Zwartkop (4-2).
Interestingly, in their two matches against common opponents – Pretoria Boys High and Zwartkop – St Andrew’s had scored slightly better wins, but Selborne owned the slimmest edge on Sunday. The contest hinged on the battle of the number threes, which went to 2-2 before Selborne clinched the vital third game, which lifted them to an overall 4-2 margin of victory.
St Andrew’s, led by SA u17 champion Dean Katzin, will, however, take many positives away from their showing. The Bloemfontein school’s side doesn’t contain a matric learner, which suggests they will be serious contenders for the next two years at least, with Katzin at the forefront of their challenge.
He was beaten only once, by Grey High’s Benji Newman, who was already one of the top u19 players in the country in 2025. Grey High, though, went down to St Andrew’s School A, St John’s College, and Zwartkop, all by 2-4 margins. They beat both Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse 5-1.
When Juan-Corné Brand returns from injury to the Zwartkop ranks, they will bear watching. Zwarries lost three times – to St Andrew’s School, Grey College, and Selborne. They won 5-1 against Westville Boys’ High and 4-2 against Grey High, but the return of Brand and the impact that will have on their match-ups when he takes over their number one spot will be telling.
Some other Eastern Cape schools enjoyed good showings. Graeme College, a young, talented side, beat St Stithians College (5-1) and Kearsney College (6-0). They also drew 3-3 with Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse, but went down to St John’s College A (1-5).
Kingswood College, meanwhile, was one of the pleasant surprises. They beat Kearsney (5-1), King Edward VII (KES) (6-0), St Andrew’s School B (6-0), and Maritzburg College (4-2). They also shared a 3-3 draw with Pretoria Boys High.
Queen’s College, too, enjoyed a good run. They rolled to a 6-0 win over Paarl Gimnasium, beat Westville Boys’ High 4-2, whitewashed Kearsney 6-0, and drew 3-3 with both St John’s College A and Pretoria Boys High.
St John’s showed off their depth. Like St Andrew’s School, they also fielded a B team. The St John’s College A side, playing a challenging schedule, beat Grey High (4-2), went down against Selborne (2-4), won against Graeme (5-1), drew with Queen’s (3-3), and beat Grey College (4-2).
Grey College, nonetheless, put together a good body of work, suggesting that they’ll give St Andrew’s School a tough fight for the Free State’s place in the Top Schools tournament later in the season. Apart from their hard-fought loss to St John’s A, Grey beat Zwartkop (5-1), St Stithians (6-0), and Michaelhouse (5-1). They also went down 2-4 against Pretoria Boys High.
RESULTS
(Games in brackets, matches in the middle)
Round One
St Andrew’s School A (18) 6-0 (0) Michaelhouse
St Andrew’s School B (16) 5-1 (3) St Andrew’s College
Maritzburg College (13) 4-2 (7) KES
Selborne College (17) 4-2 (6) Pretoria Boys High
Zwartkop (8) 1-5 (16) Grey College
Graeme (15) 5-1 (5) St Stithians
Kearsney (6) 1-5 (16) Kingswood
Queen’s (18) 6-0 (4) Paarl Gimnasium
St Andrew’s Invitation (13) 3-3 (9) Hilton College
Grey High (10) 2-4 (13) St John’s College A
Grey College Invitation (6) 1-5 (15) St John’s College B
Westville Boys’ High (18) 6-0 (1) Parktown Boys’ High
Round Two
St Andrew’s School A (17) 5-1 (6) Zwartkop
St Andrew’s School B (12) 4-2 (8) Parktown Boys’ High
Selborne College (12) 4-2 (9) St John’s College A
Paarl Gimnasium (16) 4-2 (9) St John’s College B
Kearsney (9) 3-3 (9) St Stithians
Kingswood (18) 6-0 KES (0)
Michaelhouse (4) 1-5 (15) Grey High
Pretoria Boys High (13) 4-2 (9) Grey College
Graeme (11) 3-3 (10) Maritzburg College
Queen’s (14) 4-2 (10) Westville Boys’ High
St Andrew’s College (7) 2-4 (14) Hilton College
Round Three
St Andrew’s School A (13) 4-2 (8) Grey High
St Andrew’s School B (9) 3-3 (13) Paarl Gimnasium
Selborne College (18) 6-0 (0) Maritzburg College
KES (1) 0-6 (18) Michaelhouse
Kingswood (12) 3-3 (10) Pretoria Boys’ High
Zwartkop (15) 5-1 (5) Westville Boys’ High
Kearsney (2) 0-6 (18) Queen’s
St John’s College A (16) 5-1 (7) Graeme College
St John’s College B (18) 6-0 (3) St Andrew’s College
Hilton College (13) 4-2 (6) Parktown Boys’ High
Grey College (18) 6-0 (0) St Stithians
Round Four
St Andrew’s School A (15) 5-1 (6) Pretoria Boys High
St Andrew’s School B (2) 0-6 (18) Kingswood
Queen’s (9) 3-3 (11) St John’s College A
Westville Boys’ High (17) 4-2 (4) St John’s College B
Grey College (16) 5-1 (6) Michaelhouse
Selborne (13) 4-2 (7) Zwartkop
Grey High (17) 5-1 (3) Maritzburg College)
St Andrew’s College (3) 1-5 (16) St Stithians
Graeme (18) 6-0 (1) Kearsney
KES (13) 3-3 (14) Hilton College
Paarl Gimnasium (18) 6-0 (1) Parktown Boys’ High
Round Five
St Andrew’s School A (8) 2-4 (16) Selborne
St Andrew’s School B (5) 1-5 (17) Kearsney
St John’s College A (13) 4-2 (11) Grey College
St John’s College B (11) 3-3 (15) Hilton College
Maritzburg College (7) 2-4 (12) Kingswood
Parktown Boys’ High (12) 4-2 (6) St Andrew’s College
Michaelhouse (12) 3-3 (14) Graeme
Queen’s (11) 3-3 (9) Pretoria Boys High
Zwartkop (12) 4-2 (7) Grey High
Paarl Gimnasium (17) 5-1 (8) KES
St Stithians 2-4 Westville Boys High
