Roedean on fire on day one of the Brian Baker Tournament

Roedean started the 2025 edition of the Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament like a house on fire. The Johannesburg side registered, by far, the most goals by a team on Thursday, the first day of the annual showpiece.
The competition, which is being hosted by Kingswood College, runs from 23 to 26 January.
Coach Siya Guzana‘s outfit powered their way to 41 goals and conceded a mere five in two matches on their way to the summit of Pool D.
Roedean also boasts the top three scorers in the tournament, thus far. Ané du Plessis, Gabrielle Morell, and Emma Pelicot were responsible for more than half the goals Roedean chalked up, with 23 between them.
Du Plessis and Morell netted eight goals each, while Pelicot beat opposition goalkeepers seven times. In Roedean’s first match of the day, Morell starred with five goals, as the Gauteng side trounced Kingswood 17-5, while Du Plessis and Pelicot bagged a hat-trick each.
Du Plessis led the way with a five-goal haul when Roedean overran Alexander Road 24-0 and Pelicot struck four times. Du Plessis’s sister, Esmé, scored a hat-trick, which was matched by Morell, Taylor Billet, and Amy Stubbs.
St Anne’s is in second place in Pool D, followed by Kingswood, Stirling, and Alexander Road, in third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
St Stithians scored the second-most goals on day one and had the fourth-highest individual scorer, with Emily Carle netting six of their 25 goals. She opened her account by tallying four in Saints’ 12-2 win over Rhenish.
Carle played second fiddle to Erin Blackburn when St Stithians handed St Dominic’s a 13-7 defeat, with Blackburn scoring four, while Carle, Courtney Calenborne, and Tori Tanner-Ellis contributed two each. The back-to-back wins launched Saints to the top of Pool A after day one, Clarendon lies second, followed by St Dominic’s, Rhenish, and Woodridge.
Pool B leaders Reddam House Bedfordview were way behind Roedean’s incredible goal-scoring pace, but ended Thursday with the third-most goals, netting 20 times. The Malcolm Ackermann-coached side began their campaign with a nailbiter against Durban Girls’ College (DGC).
Four goals from Jessica McCamlie, and hat-tricks from Anastasia Hambakis and Annabelle Morton, plus a solitary strike from Aimee Hattingh lifted Reddam Bedfordview to 11 goals. However, their KZN opposition struck back with four goals each from Kayla Andrews and Lara Mervis, a brace from Bailey Bartlett, and a single goal from Inge Southey, to match that tally.
The contest went to a penalty shootout from there, with DGC edging it 4-3. Reddam Bedfordview bounced back from that tough loss with a 9-5 win over Pearson, courtesy of goals from Hambakis (2), Caitlin Scrimgeour (2), Kacey Williams (1), Annabelle Morton (1), Aimee Hattingh (1), Jessica McCamlie, and Alisha Beswick (1).
Reddam Constantia occupies second place in the pool, followed by Glenwood House, DGC, and Pearson.
St Mary’s Waverley surged to the top of Pool C with two wins in as many matches. They scraped a thrilling 8-7 win over Hudson Park in their opener, with Julia Joseph stealing the spotlight with a hat-trick. She was well-supported by Jenna Blaauw, who added a brace, while Giorgia Leather, Skyla Roberts, and Isabella Rajak all made it onto the score sheet with one each.
St Mary’s was also extended in their second outing, with Kyla Moolman‘s team holding on for a 6-4 win over Collegiate late in the afternoon. This time, Jenna Blaauw chalked up a hat-trick, with Kathryn Thorburn bagging two and Julia Joseph the other.
Defending champions Herschel ended the day second in Pool C after winning their only match. DSG Makhanda, Hudson Park, and Collegiate fill third, fourth, and fifth places respectively.
Results
Roedean 17-5 Kingswood
DSG Makhanda 8-2 Collegiate
Reddam Bedfordview (3) 11–11 (4) DGC
St Dominic’s 6-2 Woodridge
Pearson 2-4 Glenwood House
St Mary’s Waverley 8-7 Hudson Park
Roedean 24-0 Alexander Road
St Stithians 12-2 Rhenish
St Anne’s 11-8 Stirling
Clarendon 10-3 Woodridge
St Mary’s Waverley 6-4 Collegiate
Reddam House Bedfordview 9-5 Pearson
Reddam House Constantia 10-4 DGC
Herschel 11-4 DSG Makhanda
St Stithians 13-7 St Dominic’s
Kingswood 12-7 Stirling.
Fixtures
07:00 – Clarendon vs Rhenish, Reddam House Constantia vs Pearson
07:50 – Herschel vs Hudson, Reddam House Bedfordview vs Glenwood House
08:40 – Kingswood vs Alexander Road, DSG vs St Mary’s Waverley
09:30 – Woodridge vs Rhenish, Roedean vs St Anne’s
10:20 – Clarendon vs St Dominic’s, DGC vs Pearson
11:10 – Herschel vs Collegiate, Reddam House Constantia vs Glenwood House
12:00 – St Anne’s vs Kingswood, DSG vs Hudson Park
12:50 – St Stithians vs Woodridge, Stirling vs Alexander Road
13:40 – St Dominic’s vs Rhenish, DGC vs Glenwood House
14:30 – Herschel vs St Mary’s Waverley, Reddam Bedfordview vs Reddam Constantia
15:20 – St Stithians vs Clarendon, St Anne’s vs Alexander Road
16:10 – Hudson Park vs Collegiate, Roedean vs Stirling
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