Old foes Central Gauteng and WP to tangle for IPT glory
The last time the Western Province (WP) u19A boys’ side faced Central Gauteng A in the final of the Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) was in 2023.
That clash took place at Grey High School, in Gqeberha. It was a nail-biting thriller that more than lived up to expectations, and WP did just enough to win it 8-7 on penalties after the game ended tied 8-8 after regular time.
Two years on, and the fierce rivalry between the provincial rivals will be reignited when they go at it in the final at St David’s Marist Inanda‘s Jubilee Pool on Wednesday at 13:10.
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The finalists booked their spots in the big game after a weather-stricken day four that was affected by lightning, delays, and a change of venues.
Their respective journeys to the title decider were quite similar. Both finished the group stages unbeaten, as Central Gauteng A swept through Group A, while Province was almost untouchable in Pool B.
In the last eight, Central Gauteng A met Western Province B and made light work of their opponents.
Coach Jon-Marc De Carvalho’s side scored a whopping 21 goals and conceded just four as Harry Wilkins scored five times, while Cooper Haworth netted four, and Aiden Khoury, Erik Arwidi, and Chris Chapman all fired in hat-tricks.
That victory set up a semifinal date with KwaZulu-Natal A, who were made to sweat for their 12-8 victory over Central Gauteng B in the quarterfinals.
Due to the bad weather, their showdown was played at St John’s College‘s Indoor Aquatic Centre. It was a cracker! From the first chukka, it was end-to-end stuff.
Declan Wood opened the scoring for the home side, but KZN responded almost immediately through Adrian Truter. Harry Wilkins replied to give the local outfit the lead again.
Central Gauteng A started to link up well, and they moved the ball around with intent. Goals by Erik Arwidi, James Crick, Simon Mussett, and a brace by Cooper Haworth edged them into a 7-5 lead at the break.
The tempo of the game increased in the second half, but it was Central Gauteng A who held onto their slender advantage.
The visitors had moments where they looked good, but a miracle was needed to stage a dramatic comeback.
In the second half, Gauteng eventually outscored their opponents by six goals to three to seal a gritty 13-8 win, which kept their title defence alive.
While Central Gauteng A defeated KZN A, coach Devon Card‘s Western Province A outfit knew they were in for a tough outing against Northerns.
WP had enjoyed smooth progress in their quarterfinals game against Buffalo City, winning 10-4. Northerns, meanwhile, pulled off a stirring 10-9 win over Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) to secure their semifinal spot.
WP A was favoured to win, and they showed why in the early going, opening up a two-goal buffer in the first chukka.
Luke Burger scored two incredible goals, and he was joined on the scoresheet by two of the usual suspects, Matt Fenn and James Malan.
Northerns, however, weren’t going down without a fight, and coach Juan-Claud Tribelhorn‘s side showed grit, tenacity, and a never-say-die attitude.
At half-time, the boys from the Western Cape led, but it wasn’t a comfortable lead. They upped the ante in the last two chukkas.
Fenn was instrumental, scoring five goals, and Burger completed his brace. Migael Terblanche and Benjamin Bigara also got in on the action, scoring twice each before Tim Young, James Malan, and Cole Abrahams sealed a 14-6 victory for WP.
For Northerns, Ettiene van der Merwe was once again their standout player with a hat-trick, and his counterpart, Ruan Engelbrecht, troubled the WP defenders at times.
Last year, Western Province A finished third in East London. They’ll try to go all the way in the Jubilee Pool at St David’s on Wednesday. But they face a formidable foe in the home team, Central Gauteng A.
RESULTS
Central Gauteng 21: Harry Wilkins (5), Cooper Haworth (4), Aiden Khoury (3), Erik Arwidi (3), Chris Chapman (3), James Crick (2), Fu-Nam Chen. Western Province B 4: Joshua Ripsold, James Pinnock, Harry Oldham, Colin Douglass.
Zimbabwe 11: Blaise Scheepers (4), Daniel Oxden-Willows (4), Thomas Dorward, Tapfuma Taundi, Donovan Bodington. KwaZulu-Natal B 10: Kyle Human (5), Tane Greene (3), Keegan Vogt, Oliver van der Merwe.
Northern Gauteng 10: Ettiene van der Merwe (3), Adriaan van Niekerk (2), Johan Pieterse, Julien Du Toit, CJ Henning, Joshua Bergh, Ruan Engelbrecht. Nelson Mandela Bay 9: Calum Emslie (4), Carter Rosser (2), Oliver Martin, Spencer Adshade, Johan Moolman.
KwaZulu-Natal A 12: Jamie Nicolau (3), Thomas Aylward (2), Thomas Francke (2), Adrian Truter, Sebastian Laudenberg, Drew Hollingsworth, Matthew Lortan, Nathan Burger. Central Gauteng B 8: Luke Shipway (2), Matt Cross, Roan Wessels, Craig Toet, Matthew Peacock, Troy Pasqualle, Ryan Morley.
Western Province A 10: Luke Burger (2), Matthew Fenn (2), Jandro Rojo-Roos (2), Blake Brown, Tim Young, Benjamin Bigara, Aidan Turrell. Buffalo City 4: Thomas Caswell (2), Samuel van der Venter (2).
KwaZulu-Natal B 14: Tane Greene (4), Kyle Human (3), Keegan Vogt (3), Jordyn Beyleveldt, Blake Gardner, Rich Port, Jess Webber. Eden 13: Luca Whitehead (9), William Tindall (3), Rorke Bubanj.
Nelson Mandela Bay vs Aussie Crocs — Cancelled due to lightning
Zimbabwe 8: Blaise Scheepers (3), Bongani Dube (2), Donovan Bodington, Daniel Oxden-Willows, Tapfuma Taundi. Eastern Gauteng 6: Dylan Kempen (4), Riley Nienaber, Yuhui Xiao.
Western Province B 7: James Pinnock (3), Colin Douglass (2), Joshua Ripsold, Alex Barrett. Central Gauteng B 7: Matthew Cross (2), Luke Shipway, Roan Wessels, Samuel Gomes, Matthew Peacock, Ryan Morley.
Central Gauteng A 13: James Crick (5), Erik Arwidi (2), Cooper Haworth (2), Simon Mussett, Declan Wood, Harry Wilkins. KwaZulu-Natal A 8: Drew Hollingsworth (2), Adrian Truter (2), Thomas Aylward (2), Jamie Nicolau (2).
Western Province A 14: Matt Fenn (5), Luke Burger (2), Migael Terblanche (2), Benjamin Bigara (2), Tim Young, James Malan, Cole Abrahams. Northern Gauteng 6: Ettiene van der Merwe (3), Ruan Engelbrecht (2), Francois Hartslief.
Nelson Mandela Bay 8: Spencer Ashade (2), Oliver Martin (2), Calum Emslie, Tiago Williams, Carter Rosser, Murray Copeland. Buffalo City 4: Daniel Woodin (2), Thomas Caswell (2).
Fixtures, Wednesday, 10 December
07:00 – Zimbabwe vs Eastern Gauteng (11th/12th place) @Kingsmead College
07:30 – KwaZulu-Natal B vs Eden Districts (9th/10th place) @St David’s
08:05 – Western Province B vs Buffalo City (7th/8th place) @Kingsmead College
10:40 – KwaZulu-Natal A vs Northerns (3rd/4th place) @St John’s College
11:45 – Central Gauteng B vs Nelson Mandela Bay (5th/6th place) @St John’s College
12:00 – Aussie Crocs vs Zimbabwe
13:10 – Central Gauteng A vs Western Province A (Final)
