Silverware up for grabs at the Mackenzie Cup
Water polo silverware will be on the line this weekend when the Mackenzie Cup takes place in Cape Town from Friday.
The annual event is hosted by Reddam House Constantia and runs from 12 to 14 September at the school’s Indoor Aquatic Centre.
Sixteen teams will be in action, with the local sides expected to perform strongly, while the travelling teams will be eager to make a statement.
The hosts, Reddam House, won the tournament in 2024 after defeating Herschel Girls School 6-4 in a pulsating final.
Led by coach Connor Whiting, the home team is among the favourites, but they will face some tough competition in Pool A from the Eastern Cape duo of Collegiate Girls’ High and DSG Makhanda, as well as Rhenish Girls’ High, from Stellenbosch.
DSG and Collegiate already have some match practice in the bag after participating in a pre-season spring festival at DSG last week.
There, DSG played three matches and defeated Woodridge College 8-2 before going down 3-7 to Glenwood House and 5-8 against Clarendon School for Girls.
Collegiate, meanwhile, beat Kingswood College 6-4 and Woodridge 7-2 but lost 3-5 against a DSG Invitational side. They were also well beaten by Clarendon, who powered their way to a 9-3 win.
Pool B is, arguably, the group of death and will be contested by Herschel Girls School, Glenwood House, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), and Clarendon.
DGC began their season in style by winning the KZN Top 10 Schools Tournament in home waters a fortnight ago.
They defeated St Anne’s 10-4 in the final and will head to Cape Town brimming with confidence and keen to add a second trophy to their haul. They won the Mackenzie Cup in 2023.
Clarendon, meanwhile, will be aiming high and will be eager to improve on last year’s top five finish. Under the guidance of coach Hannah Muller, the East London school will have medals on their mind.
In the pre-season, they lost only to Kingswood, going down 3-4, but they’ll have to play their socks off to secure a semifinal spot from a tough group.
Pool C is wide open and there for the taking. It features Wynberg Girls’ High, the Herschel Girls School Invitational side, Fish Hoek High, and an unpredictable Springfield Convent School outfit.
St Cyprian’s School, Rustenburg Girls’ High, Reddam House Invitational, and Somerset College, will clash in Pool D.
The action kicks off on Friday morning with an Eastern Cape derby between Collegiate and DSG Makhanda at 07:00.
POOLS
Pool A: Reddam House Constantia, Collegiate Girls’ High, DSG Makhanda, Rhenish Girls’ High.
Pool B: Herschel Girls School, Glenwood House, Durban Girls College, Clarendon High School for Girls.
Pool C: Wynberg Girls’ High, Herschel Girls School Invitational, Fish Hoek High School, Springfield Convent School.
Pool D: St Cyprian’s School, Rustenburg Girls’ High, Reddam House Invitational, Somerset College.
FIXTURES
Friday, 12 September
07:00 – Collegiate vs DSG Makhanda; 07:40 – Herschel vs Clarendon; 08:20 – Wynberg vs Springfield; 09:00 – St Cyprian’s vs Reddam Invitational; 09:40 – Reddam vs Rhenish; 10:20 – Glenwood House vs Durban Girls College; 11:00 – Herschel Invitational vs Fish Hoek; 11:40 – Rustenburg vs Reddam Invitational; 12:20 – DSG Makhanda vs Reddam; 13:00 – Herschel vs Durban Girls College; 13:40 – Fish Hoek vs Wynberg; 14:20 – Somerset College vs St Cyprian’s; 15:00 – Rhenish vs Collegiate; 15:40 – Clarendon vs Glenwood House; 16:20 – Springfield vs Herschel Invitational; 17:00 – Somerset College vs Rustenburg; 17:40 – Reddam vs Collegiate; 18:20 – Glenwood House vs Herschel; 19:00 – Wynberg vs Herschel Invitational; 19:40 – St Cyprian’s vs Rustenburg.
Saturday, 13 September
07:00 – Fish Hoek vs Springfield; 07:40 – Durban Girls College vs Clarendon; 08:20 – DSG Makhanda vs Rhenish; 09:00 – Reddam Invitational vs Somerset College.
