20 January 2026
Fresh off lifting the KZN Region’s Switch Schools SA20 Volume Two title on Friday, Hilton College wasted little time in underlining their strong form, producing a dominant all-round display to hammer Clifton College by eight wickets at the Riverside Sports Club on Saturday.
Much of the gap between the sides could be traced back to their preparation. Hilton arrived battle-hardened after a demanding run that included the Peninsula Cricket Festival and the Schools SA20 regional final, while Clifton came in with only a handful of low-key warm-up matches behind them. The contrast was evident almost from the outset.
Clifton won the toss and chose to bat, but, as Westville had discovered the previous day, that is a risky call against Hilton’s potent seam attack. While Sechaba Gude was kept wicketless with the new ball, his partner Sange Qangule struck telling blows, finishing with 2/11 from five overs. Luke Wilson added further pressure, conceding just six runs in four overs and removing opener Matthias Samuel.
The middle overs proved even more damaging for the hosts. Obakeng Motsepa and Benoit Rey ripped through the Clifton line-up, with Motsepa claiming 3/19 from six overs and Rey producing a devastating spell of 3/6 in 4.4 overs.
From the moment the first wicket fell on 16, Clifton slid steadily, with wickets tumbling with alarming regularity as Hilton maintained relentless discipline.
Some rash shot selection did Clifton no favours, but Hilton’s bowlers were sharp and unforgiving. The home side was bundled out for a paltry 51 in just 24.4 overs, with captain Shiraz Perumal, the lone batsman to reach double figures, finishing unbeaten on 13.
Hilton’s task in reply was straightforward: bat sensibly and remove any remote chance of a stumble. Openers Barack Munawa and Ben Wilson did exactly that, compiling a brisk 44-run stand to all but settle the contest.
Daniel Rea briefly delayed the inevitable by dismissing Wilson for 10 and then Luke Wilson for a duck three balls later, but by then Hilton needed only eight runs with eight wickets in hand. Those were knocked off nine balls later.
Munawa ended unbeaten on 21, while Rea returned figures of 2/12 for Clifton, but the day belonged emphatically to Hilton, whose preparation, depth, and intensity proved too much for their hosts.
Results
1st XI
Clifton College 51/10 (Shiraz Perumal 13*; Benoit Rey 3/6, Obakeng Motsepa 3/10, Sange Qangule 2/11); Hilton College 52/2 (Barack Munawa 21*; Daniel Rea 2/12). Hilton College won by eight wickets.
3rd XI
Clifton 2nd 122/6; Hilton 123/3
Hilton won by seven wickets
4th XI
Clifton 3rd 28/6; Hilton 4th 29/1
Hilton won by nine wickets
u16A
Clifton 153/7; Hilton 119/10
Clifton won by 34 runs
u16B
Clifton 53/10; Hilton 54/3
Hilton won by seven wickets
u15A
Hilton 188/9; Clifton 104/10
Hilton won by 84 runs
u15B
Hilton 352/6; Clifton 54/10
Hilton won by 298 runs
u14A
Hilton 198/9; Clifton 157/10
Hilton won by 41 runs
u14B
Clifton 113/4; Hilton 116/1
Hilton won by nine wickets
u14C
Hilton 104/4; Clifton 54/4
Hilton won by 50 runs
WATER POLO
While Hilton College enjoyed a strong day in the pool, winning all but the 1st team game, Clifton was very impressive in a 13-7 victory, although their defence needs some tightening up.
After falling behind 0-2 early, Clifton came roaring back and surged into a 5-2 lead after the first chukka. They moved further ahead at 7-3, but two penalties just before the break made it 7-5 at halftime.
Hilton closed to within 7-8 in the third chukka, but Clifton finished strongly to record a comfortable 13-7 win.
Clifton coach Pierre le Roux declared himself satisfied afterwards: “It’s early days in the season, but it’s nice to see good competitive ‘polo,” he said.
“It’s always a good game against Hilton. It’s a good measure of where we are at the start of the season from both a fitness and tactical point of view.
“It was good. I was happy with them, and it’s nice to have a lot of young players getting some good water time. We have a bigger matric group this year. Last year, we had zero, so it nice to have those matrics, but, even though this year is starting, we also have to start thinking about next year, so it was really nice to see some of the u16s coming up and playing well.”
Le Roux said his side had enjoyed a good pre-season and had played some games against local teams and New Zealand’s Hamilton Boys’ High.
“I think the competition in KZN is going to be big this year,” he continued. “The guys are keen. The guys are working hard. Next week, at the St Andrew’s Shield, will be the real show.
“I am very happy with the start. We’ve got to sort out the defence. Six penalties in the game is not great, but our ‘keepers – Caleb Malumbete and Izah Roux – were incredible. Six penalties and we saved three of them! That’s really cool.
“We conceded only one six-on-six field playing goal. The rest were with the extra-man penalty, so I am really happy about the defence, barring the easy exclusions and easy penalties.”
Results
1st: Clifton 13-7 Hilton
2nd: Clifton 7-8 Hilton
3rd: Clifton 1-4 Hilton
4th: Clifton 6-6 Hilton
15A: Clifton 5-7 Hilton
15B: Clifton 2-7 Hilton
14A: Clifton 1-14 Hilton
14B: Clifton 3-12 Hilton
BASKETBALL
Hilton College’s 1st team comfortably dominated their clash with Clifton on the Riverside Sports Club court. A solid defensive structure kept Clifton away from the basket and forced the home team into taking difficult shots.
By contrast, aided by a good fast break, Hilton was able to get in on the net more often for simple layups, which helped to keep their scoring ticking.
Clifton huffed and puffed and put forth a huge effort, but Hilton stayed composed and incisive on the counter to record a big win.
Results
1st: Clifton 22-60 Hilton
2nd: Clifton 9-43 Hilton
3rd: Clifton 2-31 Hilton
4th: Clifton 8-51 Hilton
16A: Clifton 4-35 Hilton
16B: Clifton 14-31 Hilton
16C: Clifton 2-36 Hilton
15A: Clifton 14-41 Hilton
15B: Clifton 8-46 Hilton
15C: Clifton 0-53 Hilton
14A: Clifton 6-41 Hilton
14B: Clifton 5-30 Hilton
14C: Clifton 2-42 Hilton
14D: Clifton 11-17 Hilton
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