St John’s makes winning start, Kearsney, Westville, Northwood among KZN winners

The first weekend of summer sports fixtures of 2025 included basketball teams taking to the court in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
After 16 days of rain in the Gauteng Province, it was a welcome opportunity for sports to light up the weekend, and Jeppe High School for Boys welcomed St John’s College for a full set of summer fixtures.
The cricket fields were packed, all-out water polo action was lighting up the pool, and basketball games had attracted their always-passionate supporters.
In the first team game, it was the St John’s College basketball team that emerged victorious in their first outing of the year, beating Jeppe 56-45.
The boys from Houghton dominated, winning 17 of the 19 matches, but the majority were closely contested.
In Kwazulu-Natal, Kearsney College welcomed Michaelhouse for the year’s opening fixtures on Saturday.
The hosts made full use of their home-ground advantage as they turned in a 64-59 overtime victory at the SportZone after leading 31-27 at halftime.
Pabatso Sithole led Kearsney’s scoring, with 18 points, while Funi Kanyongolo shone for Michaelhouse, dropping 26 points through the hoop.
Competition between the rivals was extremely close, with Kearsney winning 10 games and ‘House 11.
In Pietermaritzburg, Westville Boys’ High met Maritzburg College in a clash of elite teams. The Griffin, who had staked a strong claim to be the best side in South Africa in the last term of 2024, pulled off an eight-point win in the cauldron of the Alan Paton Memorial Hall and Multi-Purpose Centre to live up to that status.
Meanwhile, in Durban, Northwood, the winners of the St John’s Basketball Tournament in 2024, faced a stiff challenge from Durban High School (DHS). After going behind early, the visitors clawed their way back into the contest and led midway through the game. The Knights, though, battled their way back, created easier baskets for themselves, and came away with the win.
Hilton College won at Glenwood, and St Charles College overcame a half-time deficit to cruise to a big 21-point win over Clifton College.
Weekend Basketball Results
Kearsney College 64-59 Michaelhouse
Maritzburg College 54-62 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood School 62-53 Durban High School
Glenwood 30-41 Hilton College
Kearsney College 64-59 Michaelhouse
St Charles College 70-49 Clifton College
St John’s 56-45 Jeppe