St Stithians crowned champions after thrilling final against St Anne’s
The St Stithians Girls’ Water Polo Invitational concluded in dramatic fashion, with the hosts, St Stithians College, edging out St Anne’s Diocesan College 9–8 in a nail-biting final.
The title game carried an emotional edge, as Saints’ coach Megan Sileno, who was in charge at St Anne’s until the end of last year, faced her former team in a matchup that delivered dollops of intensity in a showdown between unbeaten sides.
St Stithians swept through Pool D with emphatic wins over Kingswood College (9–5), Rhenish Girls High (21–0), and Kingsmead College (17–1), before overcoming Durban Girls’ College (DGC) 10–6 in the pool decider.
In the knockout rounds, Saints was pushed to the limit by a familiar foe, Reddam House Bedfordview, but they pulled off a tight 6-5 win. Then, in the semi-finals, they showed tactical discipline in an 6-3 win over the defending champs, Roedean, to earn their place in the title decider.
St Anne’s put together a similarly impressive run to the final. Drawn in Pool B, arguably the toughest of them all, they topped their group with wins over Collegiate Girls’ High (11–2), Reddam House Constantia (7–5), St Peter’s College (12–5), and Reddam House Bedfordview (11–4).
In a tense quarterfinal, they edged out their KZN rivals, DGC, 6–5 before defeating Herschel Girls High 7–4 in a fiercely contested semifinal.
The final lived up to every expectation, delivering a thrilling contest between two skilful and resilient teams who refused to back down. St Stithians drew early momentum from a packed home crowd, but St Anne’s responded with composure and precision as the match ebbed and flowed, with the sides exchanging goals throughout.
In the end, it was Saints’ superior conversion rate and defensive discipline in the closing minutes that proved decisive, as they held off a late St Anne’s surge to seal a 9–8 victory and their sixth St Stithians Invitational crown.
The closing day also saw several standout performances in the classification matches. Herschel finished third after a dominant 8–4 win over Roedean, while Reddam House Constantia held off DGC 8–6 in another thriller.
Clarendon High School for Girls overcame DSG Makhanda 9–6, and St Mary’s Waverley claimed a 5–3 win over Pearson High. Reddam Bedfordview defeated Kingswood 6–4, Beaulieu College topped St Dominic’s 4–2, and Kingsmead earned a narrow 5–4 victory over Rhenish.
RESULTS
Kingsmead 5-4 Rhenish (19/20)
Crawford Lonehill 5-3 Woodridge (17/18)
Beaulieu College 4-2 St Dominic’s (15/16)
St Peter’s College 9-7 Collegiate (13/14)
Clarendon 9-6 DSG (11/12)
Pearson High 3-5 St Mary’s (9/10)
Reddam Bedfordview 6-4 Kingswood (7/8)
Reddam House Constantia 8-6 DGC (5/6)
Roedean School 4-8 Herschel (3/4)
St Stithians College 9-8 St Anne’s (1/2)
