Woodridge aiming for glory in Inaugural Water Polo Stayers tournament
Woodridge College is on the brink of history as they prepare to host their first-ever Water Polo Stayers tournament in the small town of Thornhill between Jeffery’s Bay, and Gqeberha this weekend.
The tournament, in a first of its kind for the school, will see teams assemble and battle it out for top honors starting on Friday, with the final scheduled for Sunday at 14:00.
The format of the tournament is pretty standard, with the teams seeded in four pools, and will play two matches each on the first day before the pool matches conclude before lunch on Saturday.
No easy rides:
Taking a look at how the pools are structured, one thing’s for sure is that no team will have an easy pathway to the final.
The hosts are drawn in Pool A, alongside East London’s Hudson Park, Glenwood House from George, and Saheti school coming all the way from Johannesburg.
Pool B is arguably the group of death. The Pool features powerhouses in Selborne College and Pearson High School.
However, arch-rivals, Stirling High will be planning on having its say in the group, while Somerset College comes into the tournament as the underdogs, with no one giving them a shot—something they could use to their advantage.
Pool C and D, respectively feature teams that can be dubbed as favourites for the inaugural tournament. Grey High, also from Gqeberha will face Makhanda’s Kingswood College, before taking on their second-string team and Alex Road in their final pool match on Saturday morning.
In that pool, Grey will be weary of the threats that can be caused by Kingswood College in the pool, considering their strong Water Polo program and culture within the school.
In the final pool, Wynberg Boys High will be traveling from Cape Town to participate in the tournament.
Another Makhanda school will join them in St Andrews College and Merrifield College from East London, while an Invitational side will be aiming to cause an upset against the big dogs.
The groups are:
Pool A: Woodridge College, Hudson Park, Glenwood House, Saheti.
Pool B: Selborne College, Pearson High School, Stirling High School, Somerset College.
Pool C: Grey High School, Kingswood College, Grey High 2nd, Alexander Road.
Pool D: St Andrew’s College, Wynberg Boys’ High, Merrifield College, Invitational.
Day 1
Pool 1:
10:00 – Glenwood House vs Saheti; 10:50 – Selborne College vs Pearson; 11:40 – Striling vs Somerset College; 12:30- Woodridge College vs Hudson Park; 14:30 – Grey High School vs Grey 2nds; 15:20 – Alexander Road vs Kingswood College; 16:10- Wynberg Boys’ High vs Invitational; 17:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Merrifield.
Pool 2:
10:00 – Grey High School vs Alexander Road; 10:50 – Grey 2nds vs Kingswood College; 11:40 – Invitational vs Merrifield; 12:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Wynberg Boys’ High; 14:30 – Hudson Park vs Saheti; 15:20 – Woodridge College vs Glenwood House; 16:10 – Pearson vs Stirling; 17:00 – Somerset College vs Selborne College.
Day 2:
Pool 1:
08:00 – Woodridge College vs Saheti; 08:50 – Hudson vs Glenwood House; 09:40 – Selborne College vs Stirling; 10:30 – Pearson vs Somerset College.
Pool 2:
08:00 – Grey High School vs Kingswood College; 08:50 – Grey 2nds vs Alexander Road; 09:40 – St Andrew’s College vs Invitational; 10:30 – Wynberg Boys’ High vs Merrifield.
- SAC Shield: Bishops and Rondebosch unbeaten, St Stithians and Selborne impress - 2025-01-24
- High scoring on the opening day of the SAC Shield - 2025-01-23
- Top teams to contest the SAC Shield - 2025-01-22
