SACS get one past Paul Roos to claim the Clifton Water Polo tournament
South African College Schools (SACS) produced a clinical performance to outscore Paul Roos (7-6) in the final of the Clifton Water Polo tournament on Monday.
SACS, who were impressive with their attacking style of Water Polo play from day one, asserted themselves early in the final, keeping hold of the lead despite the fight shown by the men from Paarl.
The tournament kicked off on Friday with mouthwatering fixtures in display.
SACS began their campaign in the best way possible, dismantling Glenwood (21-2) before another emphatic (18-5) win against King Edward VII which was followed by a (14-5) win against Kearsney College.
As a result of their dominance, the Cape-side found themselves top of their Pool which featured the two KwaZulu-Natal teams and KES from Gauteng.
The boys from Cape Town remained accurate in attack, scoring goals for fun, while they were resolute at the back, conceding very little.
They faced their toughest opposition in the quarterfinals, Westville. That clash proved to be more demanding from the Cape side, and despite Westville showing grit and refusing to go away, SACS prevailed by one goal, taking it (10-9)
While SACS were going on smoothly about their business, Paul Roos was also making progress, edging out teams along the way looking to reach a second straight final after losing against St John’s in last year’s campaign.
The side from Paarl were smart about their business and when they edged out Hilton (10-9) in the quarterfinals, one could sense that the team Cape sides would meet in the final.
That is exactly how things panned out, as both teams managed to nail Hilton and Clifton respectively in the semi-finals to set a date for an all-Cape final in a tournament hosted in Durban.
The finale was short of no excitement as the two sides had set the tempo throughout the tournament. Played with a full house of support, and their fellow teammates cheering them on in the stands, the two sides put on a show for the ages.
It all started with four minutes left to play in the first chukka when SACS opened the scoring from a counterattacking opportunity which saw Paul Roos left napping at the back.
Paul Roos tried to get into the game after conceding, hitting the crossbar several times and not able to break through the SACS defence.
The second chukka is where things changed, and the matches started being competitive. Paul Roos scored two quick goals in a space of five minutes to lead (2-1).
They added to their tally, making it three, before SACS pulled two back and levelled the scores at (3-3) with just seconds remaining in the chukka.
The third chukka is where SACS ran away with the match, scoring two goals to take their tally up to five goals while Paul Roos struggled and remained on three points.
In the last quarter of the match, Paul Roos tried to stage a comeback, but SACS had already done the damage and a further two goals saw the Cape side prevail (7-6) against their old rivals.
In other matches on the final day, Clifton beat Hilton College to finish in third place. While wins for St Johns, Westville and Affies saw them finish the tournament inside the top 10 standings.
Results:
Day 1:
Westville 11, Durban High School 6; Clifton 18, Grey College 1; St Andrews 8, Reddam House Constantia 6; KES 5, Kearsney College 9; Affies 5, Westville 9; St Johns 7, Michaelhouse 2; Maritzburg College 5, St Andrews 6; SACS 21, Glenwood 2; Paul Roos 13, Durban High School 4; St Johns 18, Grey College 4; Hilton College 13, Maritzburg College 3; Kearsney 9, Glenwood 6; Clifton 9, Michaelhouse 2; SACS 18, KES 5; Paul Roos 7, Affies 5; Hilton 10, Reddam House Constantia 3.
Day 2:
Michaelhouse 9, Grey College 4; Maritzburg College 8, Reddam House Constantia 7; KES 2, Glenwood 3; Clifton 9, St Johns 7; Hilton 7, St Andrews 3; Paul Roos 8, Westville 7; SACS 15, Kearsney 5; Durban High School 5, Affies 7; Kearsney 14, Maritzburg College 6; Westville 6, Michaelhouse 0; St Andrews 8-3 Glenwood; St Johns 9, Affies 5; Maritzburg College 15, Grey College 5; KES 10, Michaelhouse 6.
Day 3:
DHS 12, Glenwood 4; Affies 9, Reddam House Constantia 4; Maritzburg College 8, KES 7; Affies 6, DHS 5; Grey College 5, Michaelhouse 4; Glenwood 5, Reddam House Constantia 8; St Johns 7, Westville 6; Kearsney 10, St Andrews 4.
Day 4:
Michaelhouse 10, Glenwood 2; Reddam House Constantia 10, Grey College 1; Durban High School 10, KES 9; Affies 10, Maritzburg College 7; Westville 9, St Andrews 0; St Johns 9, Kearsney 5; Clifton 9, Hilton 5. SACS 7, Paul Roos 6.
Quarterfinals:
SACS 10, Westville 9; Paul Roos 10, Kearsney 9; Hilton 3, St Johns 2; Clifton 11, St Andrews 2.
Semifinals:
SACS 11, Hilton 10; Paul Roos 9, Clifton 7.
Final:
SACS 7, Paul Roos 6.
