KwaZulu-Natal boys’ teams won the u15 and u16 titles at the Schools Water Polo South Africa (SWPSA) Inter-Provincial Tournament in Johannesburg, which concluded on Wednesday, while Clifton‘s Jamie Nicolau, Kearsney‘s Thomas Aylward, and Northwood‘s Matthew Lorton were included in the South African School‘s squad.
The u19 team placed third, the u14 A team finished third and the u14B team fourth. In the u13 age group, KZN A ended fourth and KZN B sixth.
In 2024, KZN won titles at u13 and u14 level, was second in the u15 and u19 age groups, and third at u16 level.
At a quick glance, the winning u14 team of 2024 turned that into another inter-provincial crown in the u15 age group this year, but the u13s, who dominated the field in East London last year, fell off the pace, although KZN placed two teams in the semi-finals of the u14 competition.
u16
One of the best stories of the IPT, though, was the victory of the KZN u16 team. They had played second fiddle to Western Province at u14 and u15 level, losing out to a star-studded line-up in the final in consecutive years. In Johannesburg, they turned the tables on Province.
It wasn’t just that they finally took down their nemesis – winning from the penalty spot after a 10-10 draw in regulation time – it was the character they showed to hang tough and claw their way back from deficits of 4-7 and 8-10 to take the final to a shootout.
Western Province, led by the competition’s two highest scorers, James Swart, of Paul Roos Gimnasium, and Noah Reiback, of Rondebosch Boys’ High, had averaged a sensational 16 goals per game on their way to the final.
KZN, though, kept them six goals below that torrid scoring rate and matched Province’s output, then kept their cool to snatch a stirring victory.
Kearsney College’s Max Mills, the event’s third-highest scorer, rose to the occasion in the title game, scoring five goals, while Reiback and Swart went for four and three respectively.
But KZN’s success was about more than one standout player, it was about a never-say-die mentality and teamwork, and it showed, in the title game, that winning championship is often, also, about top defences beating top offences.
KZN u16 Results
KZN 16-0 Northerns B
KZN 12-6 Northerns A
KZN 10-7 Central Gauteng A
KZN 9-4 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN 13-5 Central Gauteng B
KZN 13-1 Buffalo City
KZN (2) 10-10 (1) Western Province A
u15
Like the u16 side, the KZN u15 boys went unbeaten, with Kearsney’s Dru Mills and Clifton’s Lincoln Burger driving the engine with 18 and 16 goals respectively, which made up just more than half of the 66 goals the team scored in total.
Again, though, water polo is not an individual’s game, although it can be heavily impacted by outstanding individual performances, and the pair were superb from the first game to the last.
The u15 age group proved to be KZN’s best because the KZN girls’ team also claimed the inter-provincial crown.
As was the case in the u15 final, it was KZN against Western Province A, and it came down to a penalty shootout after the teams had finished level at 6-6. KZN took it 3-1 from the spot.
Earlier, in a group stage game, KZN beat Province 8-6.
KZN u15 Results
KZN 10-1 Buffalo City
KZN 8-6 Western Province A
KZN 9-4 Central Gauteng A
KZN 12-8 Western Province B
KZN 10-6 Central Gauteng B
KZN 11-4 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN (3) 6-6 (1) Western Province A
u19
Things never quite came together for the KZN u19 team, which, perhaps, had missed a big opportunity to take the inter-provincial title in 2024 in East London, where they beat Central Gauteng A in a key group stage game, but went down to the same side in the final.
They did, at last, reverse a shock loss to the Aussie Crocs, who won 15-14 in 2024, but were beaten 16-13 this time around.
The IPT is mostly about the big three – KZN, Central Gauteng, and Western Province – and that proved to be the case in the u19 age group, with Northerns, also, performing exceptionally well, but, unfortunately for KZN, they had to settle for third.
KZN captain Thomas Aylward, a reliable standout performer, received the newly introduced Top Utility Player Award, while Matt Lortan was one of only two players to be named in the South African Schools’ squad for a second year in succession. The other was Selborne College’s Thomas Caswell.
Jamie Nicolau, with his selection, continued a proud tradition of national team selections for Clifton College, and followed in the footsteps of goalkeeper, Ross Strauss, who cracked the nod in 2024.
For the record, here is the SA Schools’ squad of 2025:
Dylan Wiggill (St David’s Marist Inanda, Central Gauteng A), Michael Mafunda (Bishops Diocesan College, Western Province A), Jamie Nicolau (Clifton College, KwaZulu-Natal A), Declan Wood (St Stithians, Central Gauteng A), Cooper Haworth (St David’s Marist Inanda, Central Gauteng A), James Crick (St Stithians, Central Gauteng A), Thomas Aylward (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal A), Ettiene van der Merwe (Affies, Northerns), Matthew Fenn (Bishops Diocesan College, Western Province), Tim Young (Bishops Diocesan College, Western Province), Ben Bigara (SACS, Western Province), Thomas Caswell (Selborne College, Buffalo City), Luca Whitehead (Glenwood House, Eden Districts), Matthew Lortan (Northwood, KwaZulu-Natal A), Nicholas Searle (St John’s College, Central Gauteng A)
KZN u19A Results
KZN 16-13 Aussie Crocs
KZN 13-5 Western Province B
KZN 14-13 Northerns A
KZN 8-12 Western Province A
KZN 12-8 Central Gauteng B
KZN 9-13 Central Gauteng A
KZN 14-7 Northerns A
KZN u19B
The KZN u19 B side produced mixed results, with their record including a win and a loss each against Zimbabwe, and two wins and a loss against Eden Districts.
Kyle Human was the second-highest goal scorer in the competition, with his 24 goals trailing only SA Schools’ player, Luca Whitehead‘s 29.
KZN u19B Results
KZN B 14-5 Eastern Gauteng
KZN B 12-7 Eden Districts
KZN B 18-12 Zimbabwe
KZN B (1) 5-5 (3) Buffalo City
KZN B 10-11 Zimbabwe
KZN B 14-13 Eden Districts
KZN B 9-3 Eastern Gauteng
KZN B (1) 6-6 (2) Eden Districts
u14
From their opening match, it was clear that the KZN u14A team was in for a stiff challenge. They won by only a single goal against Western Province B and, again, there was only one in it in a win over Nelson Mandela Bay.
After that, the side found its form in comfortable wins over Central Gauteng B and Buffalo City, but they suffered a penalty shootout setback against the hosts, Central Gauteng A, in the semi-finals.
In a testament to KZN’s strength in depth, it was KZN A vs KZN B in the third-place playoff, which, predictably, the A side won.
Cooper Morrison, of Michaelhouse, was a regular on the score sheet and finished as the second leading goal scorer in the u14 age group, netting 17 times.
KZN u14A Results
KZN A 7-6 Western Province B
KZN A 5-4 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN A 14-2 Central Gauteng B
KZN A 13-4 Buffalo City
KZN A (1) 8-8 (3) Central Gauteng A
KZN A 11-5 KZN B
The KZN u14B side was handed the toughest possible start, with back-to-back games against Central Gauteng A and Western Province A, who would go on to win the title. They went down 4-8 to both.
Wins over Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay were followed by losses to Western Province A and KZN A.
KZN u14B Results
KZN B 4-8 Central Gauteng A
KZN B 4-8 Western Province A
KZN B 10-2 Buffalo City
KZN B 6-4 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN B 1-7 Western Province A
KZN B 5-11 KZN A
u13
The KZN u13A side faced a stiff opening challenge, taking on the home side, Central Gauteng A. They went down 2-6.
An 8-10 loss to Western Province B in their next outing was like a cause for concern. Ultimately, though, it was a reflection of Western Province’s dominance in the age group. Their A and B teams went on to meet in the final.
KZN A’s biggest win came against Zimbabwe, with Mphilo Khomo scoring six times and Troy Botha and Evan Halstead five times each in a 23-2 victory.
A second loss to Western Province B in the semi-finals – this time by a 3-4 margin, kept KZN A out of the title contest, and they subsequently fell 3-5 to Central Gauteng A in the third-place playoff.
KZN u13A Results
KZN A 2-6 Central Gauteng A
KZN A 8-10 Western Province B
KZN A 10-2 Buffalo City A
KZN A 23-2 Zimbabwe
KZN A 6-5 Central Gauteng B
KZN A 3-4 Western Province B
KZN A 3-5 Central Gauteng A
KZN u13 B
KZN u13B gave the eventual champions, Western Province A, a good workout in their opening game, going down 4-7.
A penalty shootout loss to Central Gauteng B in their third outing was a setback, but they later won against the same side in another shootout.
In the end, KZN u13B finished sixth after a 3-6 defeat against Nelson Mandela Bay A.
KZN u13B Results
KZN B 4-7 Western Province A
KZN B 1-5 Nelson Mandela Bay A
KZN B (0) 5-5 (2) Central Gauteng B
KZN B 7-6 Central Gauteng C
KZN B 1-8 Western Province B
KZN B (2) 3-3 (1) Central Gauteng B
KZN B 3-6 Nelson Mandela Bay
KZN Girls
For the record, the KZN u19 girls’ team placed fourth after losing out to Central Gauteng B in a penalty shootout.
Hannah Savage (St Anne’s), Inge Southey (Durban Girls’ College), and Inez Letschert (St Anne’s) were included in the SA Schools’ squad.
The KZN u16 side finished in second place, the u15 team won the IPT title, KZN u14A finished second and KZN u14 B fourth, while KZN u13A placed seventh after beating KZN u13B in their final playoff game.
Leave a Reply