St John’s College wins SACS Water Polo Tournament after thrilling final
An exceptional performance by captain Nicholas Searle and some outstanding defensive work sealed a nervy 11-10 win for St John’s College over St David’s Marist Inanda in the final of the SACS Water Polo Tournament, in Cape Town, on Monday.
The prestigious event, held at the SACS Aquatic Centre, brought together many of the country’s top boys’ water polo-playing schools.
After three days jam-packed with all-out action, it ended in an all-Gauteng final, which entertained and kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
To book their place in the title-decider, St John’s had to overcome adversity after an underwhelming start on Saturday, which ended with their record at one win, two draws and a win over Grey High School.
The Johannesburg side suffered another defeat early on Sunday at the hands of Hilton College, but that turned out to be their last.
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Coach Jon-Marc De Carvalho’s outfit, then, hit their straps and bagged wins over St Benedict’s College, Wynberg Boys’ High, and Northwood School.
Those nine points improved their standing in Pool A and a win over St Stithians College was enough to secure a quarterfinal spot.
“We needed to start thinking because it was a whole different format,” De Carvalho said in reference to his team’s performances on day one of the event, which features shorter format 20-minute games.
“We had to get out of the mode where we have to build into games, like we did a week ago at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament.
“It was the little mistakes that cost us, like when we allowed teams to get in front. We were also a bit lazy on defence, and that cost us a bit. I told the boys we had to concentrate and play the way we normally do.”
Once they reached the last eight, St John’s had found their way, and they produced some enterprising water polo.
Playing with a sense of freedom, they beat Paul Roos Gimnasium 8-3 before shocking the defending champions, Bishops Diocesan College. 8-7 in the semifinals.
St David’s, meanwhile, was causing havoc and eliminated the favourites, Rondebosch Boys’ High, in the quarterfinals before stunning SACS to win through to the final.
It was a game for the ages. A blistering start laid the platform for a high-scoring contest and, with only 30 seconds left in the second half, St John’s held a fragile 9-8 lead. Then, Matthew Peacock equalised for St David’s to send the game into extra time.
In an intense extra period, Searle fired in his sixth goal of the final to grab the lead again for St John’s, but St David’s levelled with an incredible lob shot by Danilo Giuricich from his own half.
Seconds later, however, Searle converted a five-metre penalty to seal the win and lead St John’s to a seventh SACS Water Polo Tournament title.
“Playing a Gauteng team in the final was just awesome for Gauteng polo,” De Carvalho said.
“We actually have not played St David’s that much, so we didn’t know them well. But that final showed that Gauteng polo is strong.
“But, for us, getting over the line was special. I’ve got to give credit to the players, in particular, Nicholas Searle. He really pushed. He wanted it as it was his last SACS tournament.
“That was probably one of the best individual performances I have seen from any player in any match.”
The St John’s win broke a finals’ hoodoo for the Johannesburg powerhouse. Last year, they contested the finals of the KES Water Polo Tournament, Clifton Water Polo Tournament, and SACS Water Polo Tournament and fell at the final hurdle in all three.
Earlier this year, they were defeated by Rondebosch Boys’ High in the SAC Shield final and lost to Hilton College at Clifton.
De Carvalho declared himself pleased after seeing his boys end that frustrating run. They’ll next turn their attention to the St Stithians College Stayers Water Polo Tournament, which kicks off on 16 October.
RESULTS
Day 3
Pool A
Hilton 8-1 St Benedict’s College
Grey High 4-3 Northwood
St Andrew’s College 7-1 Jeppe High School for Boys
St John’s College 5-4 St Stithians College
Rondebosch 4-3 Wynberg
Pool B
Selborne College 8-0 Grey College
St Alban’s 5-3 Pretoria Boys High
St David’s Marist Inanda 4-0 Paul Roos
Clifton 12-2 Parktown Boys’ High
Bishops 6-2 SACS
Quarterfinals
SACS 5-3 St Andrew’s College
St John’s 8-3 Paul Roos
St David’s 7-4 Rondebosch
Bishops 5-4 Hilton College
Semifinals
St David’s 9-6 SACS
St John’s 8-7 Bishops
Bronze medal match
Bishops 7-6 SACS
Final
St John’s 11-10 St David’s
