5 February 2025
The Nestor Pierides Gala is around the corner, taking place on Friday at Westville Boys’ High, and the hosts will be hot favourites to win the elite event again.
They’re the long reigning kings of schoolboy swimming in South Africa, and they proved in Pretoria and Johannesburg over the past weekend that they remain the team to beat.
Westville was joined by Durban High School (DHS), Maritzburg College, and Glenwood in Pretoria for the Affies Invitational Gala on Friday. There, they, also, faced Affies, Pretoria Boys High, St Benedict’s College, and Grey College.
It was the fourth time that Westville has contested the Affies Invitational – they do so every second year when the Alan Burt Gala is hosted in Johannesburg – and it was also the fourth time that the Griffin came out on top.
Westville won comfortably from St Benedict’s, scoring 419 points to the 366 of the runners-up, with DHS taking third on 296, 20 points clear of Grey College.
Pretoria Boys High won the local tussle, finishing only two points clear of Affies, to take fifth place, while Maritzburg College placed seventh, and Glenwood, eighth.
Affies Invitational Gala
1 Westville Boys’ High 419
2 St Benedict’s College 366
3 Durban High School 296
4 Grey College 276
5 Pretoria Boys High 255
6 Affies 253
7 Maritzburg College 210
8 Glenwood 89
The action moved to St Stithians, in Johannesburg, on Saturday, for the Alan Burt Gala, with Westville being joined by DHS, College, Glenwood, and Pretoria Boys High, again. The remainder of the line-up included Saints, Parktown Boys’ High, King Edward VII (KES), and St David’s Marist Inanda.
Once more, there was no stopping Westville. They won comfortably, finishing 114 points clear of DHS, who finished in second spot. For a 17th year in succession, Westville claimed top spot.
It was tight between Pretoria Boys High and St David’s for third, with the Sandton school edging out PBHS by six points.
Fifth went to KES, while Maritzburg College and St Stithians provided excitement with their battle for sixth place. There was nothing to separate them at the end, with both schools finishing on 322 points.
Glenwood placed eighth, and Parktown ninth.
Alan Burt Results
1st Westville Boys’ High 568
2nd Durban High School 454
3rd St David’s Marist Inanda 410
4th Pretoria Boys High 404
5th King Edward VII 370
6th Maritzburg College and St Stithians 322
8th Glenwood 210
9th Parktown 130
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