Ian Melliar Cup up for grabs in Cape Town
The annual u15 Ian Melliar Cup Water Polo Tournament, hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High, charges into action on Thursday, with 24 teams from around the country battling it out for top honours in the Mother City.
The highly anticipated tournament, which is entering its 17th year, commences on Thursday afternoon and finishes with the final at 12:20 on Sunday.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
In last year’s event, Bishops Diocesan College took home the trophy after defeating their arch-rivals South African College High School (SACS) 6-5 in a heated final.
The defending champions have been drawn in Pool C where they will face KwaZulu-Natal’s Clifton College, Grey College, St Stithians, Reddam House Constantia, and an Invitational side.
Bishops, coached by Sam Hansen and Tom Liefeldt, will be wary of the threats posed by an unpredictable group of opponents, which includes a number of sides from established water polo powerhouses, with Clifton and St Stithians appearing to be their most likely challengers.
As for SACS, they are in group D, arguably one of the toughest groups in the tournament. They’ll be up against St John’s College, their Western Cape rivals, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), Maritzburg College, Jeppe High School for Boys, and Grey High.
Paul Roos will present a stiff challenge. They’re coached by Cameron Laurenson, and the experienced Vaughn Marlow, who is also the head coach of the PRG first team.
Grey High heads into the tournament in high spirits after recording a couple of emphatic wins over the past weekend. They thumped Pearson High 13-0 and Woodridge College 11-3 to set themselves up nicely for a crack at the prestigious title.
In Group A, there’s no outright favorite. But that’s not to say that quality is lacking. There’s plenty of it. Rondebosch Boys’ High represents the local interest, while Hilton College will likely be among the contenders. St David’s Marist Inanda and Makhanda’s St Andrew’s College present potential potholes for ‘Bosch and Hilton, while Pretoria Boys High and Glenwood House appear to have outside shots at winning the group.
Group B is tough. It boasts a strong line-up of teams and predicting a winner is well nigh impossible.
Wynberg, who finished third last year, after beating Paul Roos 8-5 in the bronze medal match will be aiming for an even higher finish, but they’re going to have their hands full as they set out to qualify for the right to play for the title. It won’t be an easy ride for coach Kwakhona Ngwanya and his Wynberg boys, but, with the backing of the home crowd, they’ll surely be in the mix at the business end of matters.
Kearsney College could go all the way. Earlier this year, their u15 side won the Indigo Cup, facing the top teams in the country, including Bishops, SACS, and Paul Roos. It is worth noting, too, that the top four in that tournament featured two other KZN sides, both of whom will be in action in Cape Town, Hilton College, who placed second, and Clifton College, who finished fourth. Kearsney also had Thomas Aylward and Thomas Francke named in the SA u16 water polo side in April.
Affies could upset the apple cart, along with Paarl Boys’ High, St Alban’s College, and Selborne College, who claimed the cup just two years ago in 2022.
The first match of the tournament sees Clifton College taking on Bishops Diocesan College at 13:00 on Thursday.
Click HERE for all the fixtures.
GROUPS
Group A: Glenwood House, Hilton College, Pretoria Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys High, St David’s Marist Inanda, St Andrew’s College.
Group B: Affies, Kearsney, Paarl Boys High, Selborne College, St Alban’s College, Wynberg Boys High.
Group C: Bishops Diocesan College, Clifton College, Grey College, St Stithians College, CT Invitational, Reddam Constantia.
Group D: St John’s College, SACS, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Maritzburg College, Jeppe Boys High, Grey High.
