3 March 2024
The Kearsney College 1st team showed what those who had seen them in action in 2024 knew: they were an outstanding side, and they proved it by capturing the 2024 Reef Cup Water Polo Invitational Tournament title at St Stithians College on Sunday.
From the start of the event, it was clear that Kearsney was one of the teams to beat, while Michaelhouse, who finished third at the Reef Cup in 2023, was also one of the favoured sides, along with St David’s Marist Inanda, St Alban’s College and Affies.
Kearsney, under coach Nicholas Rodda, went unbeaten through Pool C.
They began their challenge with a 29-3 shellacking of Crawford College (Lonehill). That was followed by a 16-6 win over St Peter’s College. Meanwhile, Affies, the runners-up at the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament, outplayed Crawford College 19-3 and Rand Park High 24-5.
In 2023, they had beaten Kearsney 7-6 in the fifth-place playoff at the Reef Cup, and a crucial pool stage match loomed between the sides on day two.
Last year, Kearsney took some losses, with a very young team, but they were never overrun. They showed character and no shortage of ability. A win at the Stayers Tournament at Northwood also suggested something good was brewing in Botha’s Hill, and we’re not just talking about the 1000 Hills Brewing Company.
On Saturday, Kearsney pounded Rand Park High 26-4. Then, it was again Kearsney vs Affies, but this time around it was the boys who play in the maroon caps who won. It was tight, but they took a 10-8 win.
Meanwhile, Michaelhouse claimed top spot in Pool A. They ran roughshod over Beaulieu College, 24-1, and hammered Grey College 15-3 on day one. They, then, smashed Reddam House Bedfordview 30-1, before ending pool play with a tough 10-7 victory over St Benedict’s College.
In Pool B, Durban High School (DHS) opened with wins over Reddam House Helderfontein (10-7) and Steyn City School (15-3). On Saturday, they improved their record to three from three with a 12-3 defeat of Zimbabwe’s Falcon College. St Alban’s College finally stopped the Horseflies in their final pool outing, winning 12-7.
Glenwood, playing in Pool C, outplayed Reddam Umhlanga 21-5 on day one, then outlasted Parktown Boys’ High 12-8. Day two was less successful. They were beaten 12-11 by Woodridge College, in a match they would have expected to win, and then fell 7-19 to table-topping St David’s Marist Inanda, who had cruised to a 16-3 win over Woodridge on the opening day.
In the quarterfinals, Kearsney comfortably handled Reddam Helderfontein, winning 19-5. Their semi-final opponent was another kettle of fish, however. St David’s Marist Inanda had ploughed through their pool opposition before crushing St Benedict’s 17-2 in the last eight.
Lessons learnt from the previous year were put to the test as Kearsney tackled their more experienced opponents head on in the semi-finals. It was a tight contest, but coach Rodda’s charges came away with a 7-5 victory to secure a place in final.
Michaelhouse took on Affies in the quarterfinals. It was expected to be a close game and that forecast proved accurate, but it was ‘House who emerged with the win, edging out the Pretoria school 12-10.
In their semi-final, they faced St Alban’s College. They gave it a good go, but this time there was a win for a Pretoria school as St Alban’s reached the title-decider following a 9-6 victory.
Earlier in the day, Affies had accounted for Glenwood, winning 18-10, and Grey College then beat Glenwood 11-6 on a Saturday that would have also looked really inviting for spectators if those fixtures were on a rugby field.
DHS suffered a narrow 9-10 loss to St Benedict’s but came back with a 12-9 defeat of St Peter’s College.
On Sunday, playing for 11th place, Glenwood went down 7-12 to St Peter’s. DHS finished ninth after a 14-10 win over Grey College.
Michaelhouse had to settle for one place lower than 2023 after St David’s beat them 13-7 to claim third place.
In the final, Kearsney quickly found themselves 0-2 down, but they heaped pressure on St Alban’s and ended the first chukka 5-3 ahead. They never ceded the lead.
St Alban’s managed to pull within a goal on a couple of occasions, but each time they did that Kearsney immediately stretched their advantage once more.
At the final whistle, they had won 10-8 and the 2024 Reef Cup was theirs.
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