Star-studded squad to represent KZN at this year’s IPT in Gqeberha
The KwaZulu-Natal u19A water polo team will be aiming to put on a show when they contest this year’s Inter-provincial Tournament (IPT) in Gqeberha from the 9th to the 13th of December.
Matches will be played at Grey High School and Newton Park.
The tournament will bring together the top players from across South Africa, and KZN’s A side is considered one of the title favourites based on the high-quality water polo produced by the province’s leading teams during the season.
The 14-player squad is, undoubtedly, one of the strongest in the tournament but, interestingly, made up of players from only three schools – Westville Boys’ High, Clifton College, and Hilton College.
Westville and Clifton both boast five players each, while Hilton supplies four players.
Representing Westville, who put together an impressive run of results late in October, are Warwick Field, Jamie Spence, Max Scully, Nathan Jacob, and Rhys Hall. Last year, Field and Jacob were named in national teams.
The KZN line-up will also bank on the momentum the Clifton boys will bring to the team after some impressive showings over the past month.
They played like a well-oiled machine at their own Clifton Water Polo tournament in late September where, after a strong showing in the group stages, they lost out to Paul Roos in the semi-finals before defeating Hilton 9-5 to claim the bronze medal.
The experience and teamwork of Ben Ribbink, Jedd Poovan, skipper Mitchell Slade, Oliver Ditz, and goalkeeper Ross Strauss will be a vital component of the KZN side’s challenge as they aim to go all the way. It’s what helped them capture the KZN Top 10 title this season.
Hilton College enjoyed a strong season, too. With Jonathan Bregman-Frangos, Matthew Hayes, Stefan Swart and Mayer Malherbe leading the way, they showed they were among the best teams in the country. A string of strong performances brought them second place in the KZN Top 10 and fourth place finishes in the Clifton Water Polo Tournament and Hussar Grill SACS Water Polo Tournament, just one place behind Clifton each time.
The combination of Westville, Clifton and Hilton players is, on paper, an outstanding outfit, and they will surely be a force to be reckoned with. In Jason Sileno, they also have one of the best coaches in the country.
They will, however, face strong opposition, with Western Province likely to be their toughest challenge. At the same time, the likes of Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, and Gauteng cannot be overlooked.
The B-Team features more selections from Westville, Clifton and Hilton, while Glenwood, Kearsney College, Northwood, and Durban High School (DHS) are also represented in the squad.
TEAMS
U19A
Ben Ribbink (Clifton), Jamie Spence (Westville), Jedd Poovan (Clifton), Jonathan Bregman-Frangos (Hilton), Matthew Hayes (Hilton), Max Scully (Westville), Mayer Malherbe (Hilton), Mitchell Slade (Clifton), Nathan Jacob (Westville), Oliver Ditz (Clifton), Rhys Hall (Westville), Ross Strauss (Clifton), Stefan Swart (Hilton), Warwick Field (Westville).
Head coach: Jason Sileno
U19B
Blake Davison (DHS), Blake Kruger (Kearsney), Elihle Hadebe (Kearsney), Ethan Lyne (Clifton), Jack Slater (Clifton), Jared Beyleveldt (Westville), Jesse Venter (Glenwood), Josh Lawton (Northwood), Kyron de Kock (Glenwood), Luca Di Vincenzo (Northwood), Marnu Koekemoer (DHS), Mitchell Wilson (Hilton), Tallin Laas (Northwood), Troy Rees-Jones (Westville).
Head coach: Darren Stone
