SA’s best on show at 32nd Standard Bank Saints Squash Festival
St Andrew’s School hosts the 32nd Standard Bank Squash Festival in Bloemfontein from Friday to Sunday. Twenty-two teams will be in action, including many of South Africa’s established squash powerhouses.
Overseeing the event are Margo Morgan and St Andrew’s coach Calvin Deutschmann, who have been part of every Saints Squash Festival since its founding in 1994.
Morgan, the event organiser, in a message in the event’s programme, thanked Deutschmann, who has been her right-hand man for many Saints Squash Festivals and Bloemfontein Junior Squash Opens over the past three decades, for his support. She also extended her sincere appreciation to the headline sponsor, Standard Bank, as well as Tecnifibre and Twizza.
In a message from Standard Bank, Kevin de Beer, Coverage Head, Business Banking for the Free State and Northern Cape, said: “This tournament is more than just a competition; it is a platform where young athletes develop resilience, teamwork, and discipline – qualities that will serve them well beyond the squash court.
“We commend St Andrew’s School for its unwavering commitment to fostering a high-performance environment where players from across the country can come together to challenge themselves and grow.
While the event features top teams, Morgan always points out that the Saints Squash Festival is not a tournament. It is a festival. No winner is declared, and good sportsmanship is one of the primary goals espoused by the organisers.
Nonetheless, the top teams include the hosts, who feature SA u17 champion, Dean Katzin, at number one. Their fixtures, as usual, are against other schools with long-established traditions of excellence in the sport, and their fixture list for the forthcoming weekend includes Michaelhouse, Hoërskool Zwartkop, Grey High, Pretoria Boys High, and Selborne College.
Last year, Katzin participated in the SA Schools tour of Malaysia, along with Logan Kidson (Hoërskool Zwartkop), Wian Fourie (Selborne College), and Cobus Schimper (Grey College), all of whom will be in action at the Saints Squash Festival.
Perhaps, though, the player to beat is Grey High School‘s Benji Newman. He finished fourth in the u19 section of the Growthpoint Junior Nationals last year, but the three players who finished above him have all since exited the school ranks.
Zwartkop’s Juan-Corné Brand, who represented South Africa at the 2025 World Junior Championships, is out of action with an injury. Still, with Logan Kidson at number one, Zwarries are not exactly short of talent at the top of their pile.
The team to beat, though, is Selborne College. The East London school won the Top Schools Squash Tournament last year, taking the title for the seventh time to solidify their claim to the number one ranking in South Africa.
Maritzburg College finished second, their highest-ever position, with Grey High in third, and St Andrew’s School in fourth. All four teams will be in action in Bloemfontein.
Maritzburg College has lost some players from their superb 2025 side, but Bandile Mahayi, who played at either three or four for College last year, is now their number one. He’s a talented player whose best squash is yet to come.
Thero Motshubi, from St John’s College, is another player who is ascending, and he could push some of the established top guns hard.
Among the younger teams, Morgan identified Graeme College as a talented group of players, who are going from strength. Their squash programme is, most definitely, on the rise, she said.
FIXTURES
Friday, 6 February
14:15
St Andrew’s A vs Michaelhouse, St Andrew’s 1 and 2
St Andrew’s B vs St Andrew’s College, St Andrew’s 2 and 3
Maritzburg College vs King Edward VII (KES), Oudstudente 1 and 2
Selborne vs Pretoria Boys High, Ramblers 1 and 2
Zwartkop vs Grey College, Grey College 1 and 2
Graeme vs St Stithians, Ramblers 3 and 4
Kingswood vs Kearsney, Bobbiespark 1 and 2
Queen’s vs Paarl Gimnasium, St Michael’s 1, 2, and 3
St Andrew’s Invitation vs Hilton, Municipals 1 and 2
Grey High vs St John’s A, Eunice 3 and 4
Grey College Invitation vs St John’s B, Eunice 1 and 2
15:30
Westville vs Parktown, St Michael’s 1, 2, and 3
19:15
St Andrew’s A vs Zwartkop, St Andrew’s 1 and 2
St Andrew’s B vs Parktown Boys’ High, St Andrew’s 2 and 3
Selborne vs St John’s A, Eunice 3 and 4
Paarl Gimnasium vs St John’s B, Eunice 1 and 2
Kearsney vs St Stithians, Ramblers 1 and 2
Kingswood vs KES, Ramblers 3 and 4
Michaelhouse vs Grey High, Oudstudente 1 and 2
Pretoria Boys High vs Grey College, Grey College 1 and 2
Graeme vs Maritzburg College, St Michael’s 1 and 3
Queen’s vs Westville, St Michael’s 2 and 3
St Andrew’s College vs Hilton, Municipals 1 and 2
Saturday, 7 February
09:30
St Andrew’s A vs Grey High, St Andrew’s 1 and 2
St Andrew’s B vs Paarl Gim, St Andrew’s 2 and 3
Maritzburg College vs Selborne, Municipals 1 and 2
KES vs Michaelhouse, St Michael’s 2 and 3
Kingswood vs Pretoria Boys High, St Michael’s 1 and 2
Zwartkop vs Westville, Oudstudente 1 and 2
Kearsney vs Queen’s, Eunice 1 and 2
St John’s A vs Graeme, Ramblers 1 and 2
St John’s B vs St Andrew’s College, Ramblers 3 and 4
Hilton vs Parktown Boys’ High, Eunice 3 and 4
Grey College vs St Stithians, Grey College 1 and 2
14:30
St Andrew’s A vs Pretoria Boys High, St Andrew’s 1 and 2
St Andrew’s B vs Kingswood, St Andrew’s 2 and 3
Queen’s vs St John’s A, St Michael’s 1 and 2
Westville vs St John’s B, St Michaels 2 and 3
Grey College vs Michaelhouse, Grey College 1 and 2
Selborne vs Zwartkop, Ramblers 1 and 2
Grey High vs Maritzburg College, Eunice 3 and 4
St Andrew’s College vs St Stithians, Oudstudente 1 and 2
Graeme vs Kearsney, Municipals 1 and 2
KES vs Hilton, Eunice 1 and 2
Paarl Gim vs Parktown Boys’ High, Ramblers 3 and 4
Sunday, 8 February
08:30
St Andrew’s A vs Selborne, St Andrew’s 1 and 2
St Andrew’s B vs Queen’s, St Andrew’s 2 and 3
St John’s A vs Grey College, Grey College 1 and 2
St John’s B vs Hilton, Grey College 3 and 4
Maritzburg College vs Kingswood, Eunice 1 and 2
Parktown Boys’ High vs St Andrew’s College, Municipals 1 and 2
Michaelhouse vs Graeme, Grey College 1 and 2
Kearsney vs Pretoria Boys High, Ramblers 1, 2, and 3
Zwartkop vs Grey High, Oudstudente 1 and 2
Paarl Gim vs KES, St Michael’s 1, 2, and 3
St Stithians vs Westville, Eunice 3 and 4
