20 January 2026
CRICKET
The Kearsney College 1st XI made the trip to Pietermaritzburg on Saturday to face St Charles College in a meeting of sides still searching for consistency after mixed pre-season campaigns.
A gripping, low-scoring affair in which the bowlers got the upper hand followed, before Kearsney held their nerve to edge out the hosts by nine runs.
After losing the toss, the visitors were asked to bat first and quickly found themselves under pressure. Ryan Clarke struck twice early, removing Gary Verbaan and Aaron Blackburn, to reduce the visitors to 19/2.
When captain Keegan de Jager was caught and bowled by Kaiyuran Naidoo for nine, Kearsney was on 41/3 in the 14th over and searching for stability.
That stability arrived through opener Rivaan Moodley, who showed admirable resolve in difficult batting conditions. He anchored the innings, absorbing pressure and rotating the strike, before eventually becoming the sixth wicket to fall on 87. His 40 came from 85 balls and was the backbone of Kearsney’s total.
Runs remained hard to come by, but valuable contributions down the order nudged the visitors towards a defendable total. Luke Grobbelaar and Michael Groom added a crucial 23 for the eighth wicket, while Groom chipped in with 13 and James Bishop remained unbeaten on 16 as Kearsney was dismissed for 139 in the 47th over.
Clarke led the St Charles’ bowling effort superbly with 3/17 from his 10 overs, well supported by Jayden Saville (3/21) and Keegan Vermaak (2/24), as the Saints‘ attack kept a tight leash throughout.
St Charles began their run chase more fluently than Kearsney had begun their innings. Christiaan Prinsloo and Keegan Vermaak put on 29 for the first wicket, and Prinsloo followed that with a further 30-run stand with Thando Zama. At 59/2 after 16 overs, the hosts appeared well placed.
Momentum swung sharply, though, when Moodley’s leg spin began to bite. He dismissed Prinsloo for 27 and then removed both Ryan Clarke and Zama in quick succession, leaving Saints on 66/4 and the contest finely balanced.
Connor Simpson and Caleb Sharp briefly steadied matters, but Simpson’s dismissal sparked another collapse as St Charles slid from 87/4 to 97/8.
A late stand between Connor Vogt and Relebogile Mokoena delayed the outcome, and Naidoo and Mokoena added further resistance, but the target remained just out of reach.
Groom finally sealed the win when he had Naidoo caught behind, thus ending the innings on 130.
Moodley capped a fine all-round performance with 4/30 from 10 overs, while De Jager (2/15) and Matthew Gorrie (2/23) ensured Kearsney emerged with a hard-earned victory.
Rain, at Kearsney, affected many of the scheduled matches, but the visitors enjoyed the better of most of the games played in Pietermaritzburg, with their u16A, u15A, and u14A sides all picking up wins. Saints demonstrated their depth by winning some games lower down the ranks.
RESULTS
1st XI
Kearsney College 139/10 (Rivan Moodley 40; Ryan Clarke 3/17, Jayden aville 3/21, Keegan Vermaak 2/24); St Charles College 130/10 (Chritiaan Prinsloo 27; Rivaan Moodley 4/30, Keegan de Jager 2/15, Matthew Gorrie 2/23). Kearsney College won by nine runs.
u16A
St Charles 160/10; Kearsney 161/5
Kearsney won by five wickets
u15A
St Charles 147/10; Kearsney 148/3
Kearsney won by seven wickets
u15C
Kearsney 117/4; St Charles 120/8
St Charles won by two wickets
Kearsney won by seven wickets
u14A
Kearsney 215/10; St Charles 176/10
Kearsney won by 39 runs
u14C
St Charles 113/4; Kearsney College 50/10
St Charles won by 63 runs
BASKETBALL
A fast start, which saw Kearsney rocket into a 15-point lead before St Charles scored their first point, provided the visitors’ 1st team with all the momentum they need to score a win away from home.
Kearsney’s Phabato Sithole led all scorers, with 26, while Kwa Sibiya played his part, with 15. Tividar Maphosa led Saints with 22 points.
Overall, Kearsney claimed 16 wins to the five of St Charles.
RESULTS
1st: St Charles 61-84 Kearsney
2nd: St Charles 27-42 Kearsney
3rd: St Charles 12-10 Kearsney
4th: St Charles 16-18 Kearsney
5th: St Charles 21-14 Kearsney
6th: St Charles 16-25 Kearsney
16A: St Charles 34-32 Kearsney
16B: St Charles 16-23 Kearsney
16C: St Charles 20-21 Kearsney
16D: St Charles 22-29 Kearsney
16E: St Charles 14-43 Kearsney
15A: St Charles 33-27 Kearsney
15B: St Charles 21-26 Kearsney
15C: St Charles 15-28 Kearsney
15D: St Charles 12-21 Kearsney
15E: St Charles 23-12 Kearsney
14A: St Charles 20-26 Kearsney
14B: St Charles 8-33 Kearsney
14C: St Charles 3-16 Kearsney
14D: St Charles 0-18 Kearsney
14E: St Charles 31-7 Kearsney
WATER POLO
Kearsney played some early season warm-up matches on Saturday, ahead of the start of the Kearsney Night Series on Tuesday, an exciting addition to the KZN water polo calendar, aimed at giving the province more high-level competition, especially ahead of the KES Water Polo Tournament, which bring together most of the country’s top teams.
Coach Nick Rodda’s charges won against DHS but were held to a draw by Michaelhouse. That’s an interesting outcome. On paper, Kearsney is a powerful unit, loaded with experience and talent. What does the draw say about both sides?
Michaelhouse, no doubt, is on the up, but will they continue to challenge Kearsney later in the season, or did they catch them at a good time? Maybe Michaelhouse is set to shake up the established order. Or maybe Kearsney is yet to engage more gears.
Results
1st: Kearsney 10-5 DHS
1st: Kearsney 9-9 Michaelhouse
2nd: Kearsney 3-8 Thomas More 1st
3rd: Kearsney 3-15 Thomas More 2nd
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