Selborne seeks consistency in ITEC title defence
The 2024 water polo season is in full swing, and the action this coming weekend turns to the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament in Bloemfontein.
The tournament will see 10 schools from across the country go head-to-head over four days in search of the title.
One team that will be out to dominate the event is East London’s Selborne College, who are the defending champions.
The squad heads to the Free State after a strong sixth place finish against an elite field in last week’s SAC Shield at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda. There, they recorded a win over one of their pool rivals in Bloemfontein, Grey High, and they also beat Clifton College, St Stithians, and Westville. They took the eventual silver medallists, Bishops, to a penalty shootout, which they lost 4-5, after the teams had finished regulation time level at 9-9.
The side from East London is the only ITEC participant that has taken part in a competitive tournament so far this season.
Selborne are drawn in a tough pool, alongside Pearson High School, Pretoria Boys High, Grey High, and Glenwood High School. The other pool features Grey College, Northwood, Jeppe, Affies and Stirling.
Speaking exclusively to SuperSport Schools ahead of the tournament, Selborne head coach Storm Siebert said his side is in high spirits after their showing in Makhanda. However, they’re aiming to be more consistent.
“We’re feeling very motivated and encouraged by our SAC Shield performance,” he said.
“We definitely have a lot to work on, but we are heading in the right direction.
“Last season was a tough one for our boys, as we struggled for consistency throughout the season. While posting some good results, we couldn’t step it up in the important stages of tournaments.”
Selborne’s run at the title in Makhanda was ended by an 8-3 defeat to Rondebosch in the quarterfinals.
Last year, without having to deal with the high pressure of the very tough SAC Shield competition, Selborne played with confidence at the ITEC Tournament, and they’ll endeavour to adopt a similar mindset in their efforts to repeat as champions.
Siebert said he’s pleased that most of the players from last year’s team have returned, which has been beneficial in the early going of a challenging season for his side.
“We figured out last year at the ITEC tournament that we have to be at our best in every game, regardless of who we are playing. We will take that same mindset into this year’s tournament,” he said.
“Our core group of players has remained the same, which is going to help us gain that consistency throughout the year.
“We have tried to introduce a couple of new players into the side to help gain the valuable experience that they need moving forward,” he added.
Selborne opens its campaign against Pretoria Boys High on day one, Thursday, 1 February, at 16:00.
They tackle Grey High and Glenwood on Friday before concluding their group-stage encounters with an Eastern Cape derby against Pearson on day three at 08:00.
ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament Fixtures
Pool A: Affies, Grey College, Jeppe Boys High, Northwood School, Stirling High School.
Pool B: Pearson High School, Pretoria Boys High, Grey High, Glenwood High, Selborne College
Day 1, Thursday, 1 February @Grey College
14:00 – Stirling High School vs Affies; 15:00 – Pearson High School vs Glenwood; 16:00 – Selborne College vs Pretoria Boys High; 17:00 – Northwood vs Jeppe Boys High; 18:00 – Grey High School vs Grey College.
Day 2, Friday, 2 February @Grey College
08:00- Stirling High School vs Jeppe Boys High; 09:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Glenwood; 10:00 – Grey College vs Northwood; 11:00 – Grey High vs Selborne; 12:00 – Grey College vs Stirling High School; 13:00 – Pretoria Boys High vs Pearson; 14:00 – Northwood vs Affies; 15:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs Grey College; 16:00 – Grey High vs Pearson High School; 17:00 – Glenwood High vs Selborne College; 18:00 – Grey College vs Affies; 19:00 – Grey High vs Pretoria Boys High.
Day 3, Saturday, 3 February @Grey College
07:00 – Jeppe Boys High vs Affies; 08:00 – Selborne College vs Pearson High School; 09:00 – Glenwood High vs Grey High; 10:00 – 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B; 11:00 – 1st Pool A vs 4th Pool B; 12:00 – 1st Pool B vs 4th Pool A; 13:00 – 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B; 14:00 – 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool A; 15:00 – Loser 23 vs Loser 24; 16:00 – Loser 22 vs Loser 25; 17:00 – Winner 23 vs Winner 24; 18:00 – Winner 22 vs Winner 25; 19:00 – Loser 26 vs 5th Pool A; 20:00 – Loser 27 vs 5th Pool B.
Day 4, Sunday, 4 February @Grey College
08:00 – Loser 30 vs Loser 31; 09:00 – Winner 30 vs Winner 31; 10:00 – Winner 26 vs Winner 27; 12:00 – Loser 28 vs Loser 29; 13:00 – Winner 28 vs Winner 29.
