Teams hunt glory at 49th Vides Water Polo Tournament
Silverware will be on the line this coming weekend when 16 teams battle it out at the Vides Water Polo Tournament, hosted by Selborne College in East London.
The prestigious event runs from 13-15 February and will take place at the Selborne College pool and Clarendon High School for Girls’ Harrison Aquatic Centre.
The Vides is the oldest schools’ water polo tournament in South Africa and attracts big names year after year.
Last year, KwaZulu-Natal’s Clifton College beat Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) in the final to claim the trophy.
Clifton returns to defend their title with a young and exciting squad under the guidance of head coach, Pierre le Roux.
Le Roux took charge of Clifton earlier this year and, despite not having spent the off-season with the side, led them to an impressive seventh-place finish at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield last month.
They have been drawn in Pool D along with the Eastern Cape trio of Grey High, Selborne Collegians, and Woodridge College.
The KZN school is expected to breeze through the pool and secure a quarterfinal spot in their quest to defend the title, but Grey High, after a challenging run at the SAC Shield, pulled off some strong results at the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament, where they finished fifth.
While Clifton should be strong contenders, St Andrew’s College, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), and the home team, Selborne, should be in the running for the title, too.
St Andrew’s, by their high standards, underperformed at last year’s tournament and ended up eighth, behind Grey High and St Alban’s College.
They do, however, appear to be an improved side in 2025, led by captain Calum Emslie, who was Nelson Mandela Bay‘s leading goal scorer at the 2024 Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament.
PRG is also a team not to be underestimated despite a challenging start to their season in the Western Cape.
At the SAC Shield, coach Vaughn Marlow’s side finished 11th, which would have disappointed them.
It’s their home form, however, that they’ll want to carry into East London. PRG is currently joint second on the SACS Nite Series log. They’ve won two out of three, including an upset of SACS in their opener.
The Stellenbosch school has played some enterprising water polo in recent weeks and inspired performances will be needed if they are to go all the way this time around.
The hosts are another interesting outfit that will be out to stake a claim in front of their supporters. Selborne last won the Vides in 2017 and last year won the bronze medal after beating Reddam House Constantia 8-5 in the third/fourth playoff match.
Coach Storm Siebert will feel confident about his team’s chances after an outstanding run at the SAC Shield where they finished in fourth place and defeated a strong Hilton College team 12-9 along the way.
Other schools in action at the tournament include the Western Cape’s Wynberg Boys’ High, Paarl Boys’ High, and Reddam House Constantia. At the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament, Reddam topped their pool but lost out in the playoffs. They’re a dark horse title challenger.
St David’s Marist Inanda and St Alban’s College fly the flag for Gauteng, while the Free State’s Grey College and KZN’s Michaelhouse will be aiming to spring a few surprises. ‘House, especially, has shown signs that they could make some noise.
At Selborne, the action will begin on Thursday with a crucial Pool D clash between Clifton and Grey High, while St David’s and Pearson High will lock horns at Clarendon. Both matches start at 15:00.
Groups
Pool A: St Andrew’s College, Wynberg Boys’ High, Michaelhouse, Stirling High School.
Pool B: Paul Roos Gimnasium, St David’s Marist Inanda, Pearson High, Grey College.
Pool C: Selborne College, Reddam House Constantia, St Alban’s College, Paarl Boys’ High.
Pool D: Clifton College, Grey High, Selborne Collegians, Woodridge College.
Fixtures
Thursday, 13 February
Selborne College Pool
15:10 – Clifton College vs Grey High School; 16:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Michaelhouse; 16:50 – Paul Roos vs Grey College; 17:40 – Selborne College vs St Alban’s.
Clarendon Aquatic Centre
15:10 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Pearson High School; 16:00 – Selborne Collegians vs Woodridge College; 16:50 – Stirling High vs Wynberg Boys’ High; 17:40 – Reddam Constantia vs Paarl Boys’ High.
Friday, 14 February
Selborne College Pool
08:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Wynberg Boys’ High; 08:50 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Pearson High School; 09:40 – Reddam House Constantia vs Selborne College; 10:30 – Selborne Collegians vs Clifton College; 11:20 – Stirling High vs St Andrew’s College; 12:10 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs St David’s Marist Inanda; 13:00 – Selborne College vs Paarl Boys’ High; 13:50 – Woodridge College vs Clifton College; 15:30 – 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B (Plate quarterfinal 1); 16:20 – 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B (Cup quarterfinal 1); 17:10 – 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A (Cup quarterfinal 2); 18:00 – 1st Pool C vs 2nd Pool D (Cup quarterfinal 3); 18:50 – 1st Pool D vs 2nd Pool C (Cup quarterfinal 4).
Clarendon Aquatic Centre
08:00 – Michaelhouse vs Stirling High; 08:50 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Grey College; 09:40 – St Alban’s College vs Paarl Boys’ High; 10:30 – Woodridge College vs Grey High; 11:20 – Michaelhouse vs Wynberg Boys’ High; 12:10 – Grey College vs Pearson High; 13:00 – Reddam House Constantia vs St Alban’s College; 13:50 – Selborne College vs Grey High School; 15:30 – Plate quarterfinal 2; 16:20 – Plater quarterfinal 3; 17:10 – Plate quarterfinal 4.
Saturday, 15 February
08:00 – Cup playoff 1; 08:50 – Cup playoff 2; 09:40 – Cup Semifinal 1; 10:30 – Cup Semifinal 2; 11:20 – Plate 7th – 8th playoff; 12:10 – Plate 5th – 6th playoff; 13:00 – Plate 3rd – 4th playoff; 13:50 – Plate final; 14:40 – Cup 7th – 8th playoff; 15:30 – Cup 5th – 6th playoff; 16:20 – Cup 3rd – 4th playoff; 17:10 – Final.
Clarendon Aquatic Centre
08:00 – Plate play-off 1; 08:50 – Plate play-off 2; 09:40 – Plate W QF1 vs W QF 3; 10:30 – Plate W QF2 vs W QF 4.
