Pathways to silverware confirmed as IPT’s draw closer

The fixtures for this year’s edition of the Water Polo Inter-Provincial tournament, set to be hosted in Gqeberha from 9-13 December, have been released. The tournament brings together the country’s top players in the Windy City for what could be a tournament for the ages.
The girls’ section in this year’s tournament has scaled down from 11 teams to 10, while Boland has been replaced by the Northern Tigers.
The home side, Nelson Mandela Bay, will kick off proceedings with a clash against Central Gauteng B on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, last year’s champions, the Central Gauteng A side, will face Western Province B in the match of the day.
Buffalo City, coached by the experienced Hanna Muller, will play two matches, firstly facing KwaZulu-Natal at midday, before taking on the Eastern Gauteng team in the final game of the day.
The hosts, Nelson Mandela Bay, took away the bronze medal in last year’s edition hosted in KwaZulu-Natal. They’ll be aiming to climb two further steps up the ladder in front of their home supporters.
Their team is full of experienced players plying their trade for some of the best schools in the province.
Diocesan Girls School and Kingswood College dominate the team, while Teagan Harty and Jorja Ross, from Pearson High School, add their skills to the mix.
Nelson Mandela Bay will be deeply tested on day two when they face one of the favourites, Western Province A, before finishing the day with a clash against the Northern Tigers. They complete their pool schedule against Zimbabwe on Monday, 11 December.
The other team to keep a close eye on is, without a doubt, last year’s winners, the Central Gauteng A team. Not only did they dominate in the girls’ section, but their boys made it a double by claiming victory in KZN.
The Gautengers will be counting on the experience of Jenna Penny, who was selected for the SA Schools team last year.
Penny will be aiming to go back-to-back alongside her St Stithians’ schoolmates, Lauren Fox, Charlotte Crick, and Gina Sguazzin.
Penny’s side will play against KwaZulu-Natal on day two, before jumping in the pool to play two competitive matches on the final day of the round-robin stages against Buffalo City and Eastern Gauteng respectively.
Another eye-catching match to look out for is the clash between Zimbabwe and the Northern Tigers on day two.
Day three will be mouth-watering: Buffalo City will have their sights set on an upset win over Central Gauteng A, while a clash of the titans is on the cards between KwaZulu-Natal and Western Province.
*The final will be played on the 13th of December at 10:50 at the Grey High School swimming pool.
POOLS
Group A: Central Gauteng B, Nelson Mandela Bay, Northern Tigers, Western Province A, Zimbabwe.
Group B: Buffalo City, Central Gauteng A, Eastern Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Western Province B.
FIXTURES
Saturday 9, December:
*All fixtures will be played at the Newton Park Swimming Pool on Day 1.
12:00- Nelson Mandela vs Central Gauteng B; 13:05- Kwa-Zulu Natal vs Buffalo City; 14:10- Zimbabwe vs Western Province A; 15:15- Western Province B vs Central Gauteng A; 16:20- Central Gauteng B vs Northern Tigers; 17:25- Buffalo City vs Eastern Gauteng.
Sunday, 10 December:
*The first three fixtures of day 2 will be played at Alexander Road High School – the rest, at Newton.
12:20- Nelson Mandela vs Western Province A; 13:25- Kwa-Zulu Natal vs Central Gauteng A; 14:30- Zimbabwe vs Northern Tigers; 17:00- Western Province B vs Eastern Gauteng; 18:05- Nelson Mandela Bay vs Northern Tigers.
Monday, 11 December:
*All fixtures on Day 3 will be played at the Newton Park Swimming Pool.
09:40- Kwa-Zulu Natal vs Eastern Gauteng; 10:45- Central Gauteng B vs Western Province A; 11:50- Buffalo City vs Central Gauteng A; 12:55- Nelson Mandela Bay vs Zimbabwe; 14:00– Kwa-Zulu Natal vs Western Province B; 15:05- Western Province A vs Northern Tigers; 16:10- Eastern Gauteng vs Central Gauteng A; 17:15- Zimbabwe vs Central Gauteng B; 18:20- Buffalo City vs Western Province B.