9 February 2026
For the better part of a decade and a half, the Nestor Pierides Memorial Gala has belonged to Westville Boys’ High. In the past 15 years, the hosts had surrendered the trophy just once, and that was in 2022, when St Benedict’s College produced a statement performance to derail the Westville juggernaut.
On Friday night, under the lights at the Chad le Clos Pool, it looked for long stretches as though Bennies was about to do it again. Instead, they were left heartbroken, victims of a cruel final twist that allowed Westville to cling to their crown by the narrowest of margins.
From the opening relays, St Benedict’s held the upper hand. The scoreboard told the story of a contest balanced on a knife-edge: 56-54 to Bennies at the first check-in, then 170-165 during the mid-gala interval, and later 225-221 as the programme edged towards its climax. Every age group, every stroke, and every relay carried weight, and neither side was prepared to yield an inch.
When St Benedict’s came out on top in the fiercely contested freestyle relays, the sense was that the Bedfordview school had finally prised open a decisive gap. Going into the final event, the dramatic 5x50m ladder relay, Bennies enjoyed a 10-point cushion – their biggest lead of the evening – and the trophy was within touching distance.
Then came the moment that flipped the narrative. St Benedict s touched first in the ladder relay, only for their celebrations to be cut short by a disqualification for an early start. In one stroke, the points swung, and Westville slipped past to reclaim the title, finishing on 286 points to Bennies’ agonising 284.
Behind the leading pair, Grey College once again underlined their depth and consistency to secure third place on 225 points, holding off Durban High School (DHS) and St David’s Marist Inanda, who finished just behind on 215 and 211 respectively.
Affies placed sixth on 148, while Pretoria Boys High and Northwood shared seventh on 138. Clifton College edged out Kearsney College by a single point, 123 to 122, while Maritzburg College finished 11th on 100, and Glenwood completed the field.
Across the 26 relays – raced in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, the medley, and capped by the ladder relay – St Benedict’s won 13 events to Westville’s nine, with Grey College and St David’s picking up two wins apiece. Those numbers underlined just how relentlessly Bennies applied pressure, even though Westville remained within striking distance throughout.
Records tumbled as the tempo rose. St Benedict’s delivered a standout swim in the open backstroke relay, smashing the meet record with a time of 1:47.22 to slice 1.81 seconds off the mark set by Westville in 2019. They added another in the u16 breaststroke, improving on Grey College’s nine-year-old record with a commanding 2:05.57.
St David’s Marist Inanda joined the record breakers in the u16 butterfly, clocking 1:46.91 to eclipse Westville’s 2017 standard, while the hosts responded with a new open breaststroke record of their own, touching in 2:03.97.
The age-group battles were just as compelling. St Benedict’s dominated the open age group, winning four of the five relays, while Westville claimed one.
At u17 level, Bennies again led the way with three victories, with Grey College securing the other two. The u16 races were shared, with Bennies and St David’s taking two apiece and Westville grabbing one.
Westville’s title defence was built on a superb showing from their u15 swimmers, who swept all five races in their age group. St Benedict’s countered strongly at u14 level, winning four of the five relays, with Westville claiming the remaining event.
Stroke by stroke, the margins were razor-thin. The freestyle relays were spread evenly, with Bennies winning two and Westville, Grey College, and St David’s each claiming one. Breaststroke was just as tight, Bennies edging it three wins to Westville’s two.
Butterfly honours were shared, with St Benedict’s and Westville winning two each, and St David’s taking the other victory, while the medley relays leaned in Bennies’ favour.
In the end, though, the gala was decided not by dominance, but by composure under pressure, and by one decisive, devastating moment.
For Westville, it was another chapter in a remarkable run of success. For St Benedict’s, it was a result that will linger for all the wrong reasons.
Final Standings
Westville Boys’ High 286
St Benedict’s College 284
Grey College 225
Durban High School 215
St David’s Marist Inanda 211
Affies 148
Pretoria Boys High 137
Northwood 137
Clifton College 123
Kearsney College 122
Maritzburg College 100
Glenwood High 31
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