u19 girls dish up IPT thrills and suspense
Monday’s matches in the u19 girls’ division of the 50th Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) produced thrilling encounters that kept fans and spectators on the edge of their seats.
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Not even four hours of heavy rain was enough to dampen the quality of the competition.
The first half of the matches were played at St Stithians College but, with lightning in the air, the remainder were completed at the Wahoo Aquatic Complex, in Sunninghill.
The afternoon tie between Central Gauteng B and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) spanned more than five hours. The heavens opened up when they were in the fourth chukka and did not let up until later in the day, thus forcing the teams to take a break.
The disruption left everyone following the contest on tenterhooks, keen to see how that tightly contested affair would end.
Coach Siyabonga Guzana‘s Central Gauteng B side produced a masterclass in defence to deny KZN’s attempts to sneak ahead. When KZN made incisions, they found themselves face to face with Gauteng B’s superb goalkeepers, Kuhle Buthelezi and Meegan Zomero, who denied KZN goals on multiple occasions.
When the enforced break occurred, Central Gauteng B was leading 10-7. They went on to secure an 11-9 win.
“From the very first whistle, the girls were fired up and determined. Their energy never dipped, and they followed our game plan for the full match, even with the weather delays,” Guzana said.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the way they came together and fought as a team.”
That win was the first of two victories for Central Gauteng B on Monday. They also beat Zimbabwe 15-4 in the final fixture of the day, which left them in second place in Group B.
Earlier in the day, the tournament favourites, Central Gauteng A, were given a stern examination by Nelson Mandela Bay. Coach Delaine Mentoor’s charges surprised the local side by racing into a 3-0 lead in the first half.
“We didn’t expect this one to be tight,” Mentoor admitted to SuperSport Schools Plus, “but we knew that if we stuck to our game plan, things would fall into place, and they did.
“They beat their opponents by 20 goals, so we knew that defence was key.”
Nelson Mandela Bay, who had edged out their Eastern Cape rivals, Buffalo City, 9-8 on Sunday, stayed true to their style and frustrated Central Gauteng A.
During their halftime team talk, Central Gauteng A’s coach, Kelsey Thomson, told her charges that “they were creating the opportunities in the water, but they have to want to finish them”.
She also reiterated the need for full dedication to defence and encouraged her players to trust their instincts on attack. The defending champions played with renewed confidence and determination in the second half, which enabled them to overturn the 0-3 deficit and register a 6-4 win.
“They were chuffed that they were able to adapt to a pressure situation, and it spoke a lot about all the teamwork it took to come back to the lead,” Thomson commented.
The win meant that Central Gauteng A maintained a clean record in the group stage, going three for three.
Despite their hard-fought loss to the hosts, Nelson Mandela Bay had overachieved, and they carried confidence from that fixture into their match against Western Province B. In another thrilling encounter, Mentoor’s ladies triumphed 11-9, which secured them a second-place finish in Group A.
The day witnessed a single blow-out. Western Province A, who are in scintillating form, posted the biggest win of the tournament by firing 28 unanswered goals past Northerns.
Coach Connor Whiting’s charges, like Central Gauteng A, remain unbeaten in the competition, with their record standing at four wins from four outings.
They will face their compatriots, Western Province B, in the first of the cross-pool matches on Tuesday morning at 08:15. Central Gauteng A, who finished at the summit of Pool A, will cross swords with Zimbabwe immediately afterwards.
RESULTS
Southern Gauteng A 6: Emma Pelicot (3), Emily Carle (1), Cadha Mosehla (1), Caitlin Scrimgeour (1). Nelson Mandela Bay 4: Alexandra Ovendale (1), Mia Jenner (1), Lucy Rutherfoord (1), Olivia Attwell (1).
Western Province A 28: Bella Murray (5), Kirsten Böttger (5), Holly Strydom (4), Julia Luckhoff (4), Kelly Cadiz (3), Emma Stevens (2), Charlotte Wiltshire (2), Jade Jarvis (1), Summer-Lee Wain (1), Sarah Palframan (1). Northerns 0.
Buffalo City 12 (3): Janey-Heather Wood (3), Erin Batting (2), Megan Phillips (2), Kara Batting (2), Caroline Kretzmann (1), Meka Loots (1), Quinn Carr (1). Western Province B 12 (2): Olivia Figaji (4), Jemma Pearse (3), Samantha Miller (2), Lauren Helm (1), Holly Binneman (1), Tess Anderson (1).
Central Gauteng B 11: Isabella Duffy (4), Ambrin McEwan (2), Mia Duffy (1), Iminathi Njokwana (1), Annabelle Morton (1), Ané du Plessis (1). KwaZulu-Natal 9 Inge Southey (4), Inez Letschert (3), Hannah Savage (2).
Western Province A 15: Holly Strydom (4), Kirsten Böttger (3), Kelly Cadiz (2), Summer-Lee Wain (1), Sophie Vickers (1), Sarah Palframan (1), Julia Luckhoff (1), Emma Stevens (1), Charlotte Wiltshire (1). Zimbabwe 5: Taya Gray (2), Amelie Mtongwiza (2), Iliyah Afzal (1).
Nelson Mandela Bay 11L Jessica Stevens (2), Olivia Attwell (2), Mia Jenner (1), Anna Olivier (1), Casey Williamson (1), Megan Sheard (1), Elizabeth Horn (1), Alexandra Ovendale (1), Jessi Whitebooi (1). Western Province B 9: Samantha Miller (2), Jemma Pearse (2), Olivia Figaji (1), Samantha Nimb (1), Lauren Helm (1), Tess Anderson (1), Nina Wides (1).
KwaZulu-Natal 25: Hannah Savage (4), Gemma Malherbe (4), Farran Eliot (3), Inez Letschert (3), Josie Houston (3), Bailey Bartlett (2), Lara Mervis (2), Isabella Stephenson (1), Keira Sim (1), Erin Mayoss (1), Inge Southey (1). Northerns 4: Emma Davis (2), Gabriella Grobbelaar (1), Danél Schoeman (1).
Central Gauteng B 15: Rylee Rogers (3), Annabelle Morton (3), Esmé du Plessis (2), Mia Duffy (2), Isabella Duffy (2), Iminathi Njokwana (1), Anna Springer (1), Ané du Plessis (1). Zimbabwe 4: Natasha Chaniwa (2), Katie Gripper (1), Jodie Bawden (1).
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