21 September 2026
(Feature photo: Kearsney’s Max Mills prepares to test Hilton’s goalkeeper Lwango Ntantala)
The Clifton Water Polo Tournament produced a final worthy of its status as one of the premier events on the schools’ calendar, with Hilton College edging out Kearsney College 5-4 in a penalty shootout after an absorbing 8-8 draw at a packed Clifton Aquatic Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Neither side was able to pull away as they traded blows throughout.
Hilton, though, appeared to have done enough when Lincoln Burger earned a five-metre penalty with less than a minute remaining, and Bradley van Loggerenberg calmly converted to put the defending champions in front.
Kearsney had just 26 seconds to find an equaliser.
They needed only 14 of them.
With 12 seconds remaining, the ball found its way to Max Mills, who had been one of Kearsney’s most influential players throughout the final. He made no mistake, beating Lwango Ntantala to send the contest into a penalty shootout.
Mills demonstrated tremendous big-match temperament. Whenever Kearsney needed a goal, they looked to their influential forward, and he repeatedly took responsibility, testing the Hilton defence and goalkeeper. Later, he was deservedly named the Forward of the Tournament.
Ntantala, however, produced several excellent saves to keep Hilton in contention.
Kearsney also did an outstanding job of creating opportunities despite Hilton’s effective efforts to shut down their dangerous captain, Tom Aylward, whenever he had possession. Mills found the space and, crucially, found the back of the net.
At the other end, Rourke Stacey was equally impressive in the Kearsney goal. Early in the match, he produced a point-blank save to deny a Hilton breakaway before stopping a penalty from Van Loggerenberg that would have brought the scores level at 1-1.
Having been denied once, Van Loggerenberg made no mistake from the spot thereafter, including in the shootout.
The decisive moment came when Ntantala kept out Kearsney’s third penalty, taken by Thomas Francke. Hilton converted their opportunity that followed, securing a 5-4 shootout victory and back-to-back Clifton Water Polo Tournament titles.
Ntantala, who also made some stunning saves in regulation time, was subsequently named Goalkeeper of the Tournament, while Kearsney’s Oliver Ludwig, who made his 200th appearance for the 1st team in the final, was named Defender of the Tournament.
Clifton fights back for bronze
Clifton College had to settle for bronze after overcoming Affies 8-6 in the third-place playoff.
The hosts, who had been in imperious form before blowing a big lead in their semifinal penalty shootout defeat to Kearsney, didn’t seem to have their heads in the game early on. Affies, meanwhile, came out firing.
They raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening chukka, putting Clifton under immediate pressure. The hosts steadied themselves, though, stayed composed, and reduced the deficit to two by the end of the opening period.
From there, Clifton slowly worked their way back into the contest against a stubborn Affies side.
With just over three minutes remaining, the hosts finally moved in front, prompting a huge roar from their supporters. They added another goal to complete an impressive comeback and secure an 8-6 victory.
Coach Pierre le Roux and his charges might have been left feeling they had let slip an opportunity to go all the way and win their home tournament, but Clifton’s tournament record was outstanding. They won every match apart from their semifinal against Kearsney, which they lost 4-5 in a shootout.
Kearsney’s record was similarly impressive. They won every game apart from the final, where they suffered the same 4-5 shootout fate.
Hilton, meanwhile, was beaten once during the tournament, going down 6-8 to SACS in Pool D.
But when the decisive moments arrived, the defending champions repeatedly found a way to deliver.
Affies make their mark
For Affies, the tournament represented a major step forward.
They have improved, with the solid performers turning into contenders. Their stunning 8-7 quarterfinal victory over SACS was one of the tournament’s most eye-opening results, alongside Clifton 2’s 5-4 win over Michaelhouse.
Affies pushed Clifton all the way in the bronze-medal playoff, underlining that they were more than capable of competing with the tournament’s established big names.
Playoffs
St John’s College also finished with just one defeat, their 7-8 loss to Hilton in a rematch of the 2025 final.
They bounced back on Sunday to secure fifth place, producing an impressive 11-4 victory over Paul Roos Gimnasium.
In another meeting between familiar opponents, SACS defeated Reddam House Constantia 14-6 to finish seventh, clamping down on Reddam’s usually productive attack until late in the match.
Michaelhouse claimed ninth place after goalkeeper Elliot Springate, the KZN Schools’ goalkeeper, produced a superb performance in a penalty shootout against Westville Boys’ High.
The teams had finished their match locked at 8-8, but Springate saved two penalties to secure the victory for Michaelhouse.
Earlier in the day, ‘House convincingly avenged their previous defeat to Clifton’s 2nd team, scoring a decisive 10-5 win.
King Edward VII (KES), edged out 10-9 by Westville in an enthralling playoff clash, finished 11th after producing an attacking masterclass against the Clifton 2nd side.
Selborne College beat Northwood 13-11 to finish 13th. For the Knights, it was a frustrating tournament. They were competitive in every game and never lost by more than two goals, but repeatedly found themselves on the wrong side of the result.
In the final classification match, Maritzburg College got the better of their traditional rivals, Durban High School (DHS), to finish 15th.
The Clifton Water Polo Tournament may be over, but there is little time for several of its leading sides to reflect on the weekend.
Clifton, Hilton, Northwood SACS, Paul Roos, Selborne, and the defending champions, St John’s, will be back in action on Thursday at the SACS Water Polo Tournament in Cape Town.
Based on their performances in Durban, Clifton, Hilton, SACS, and St John’s should be title contenders.
RESULTS
Sunday, 20 September
Playoffs
Michaelhouse 10-5 Clifton 2
Westville 10-9 KES
DHS (1) 7-7 (2) Selborne
15th/16th
Maritzburg College 14-6 DHS
13th/14th
Selborne 13-11 Northwood
11th/12th
KES 15-7 Clifton 2
9th/10th
Michaelhouse (2) 8-8 (0) Westville
7th/8th
SACS 14-6 Reddam House Constantia
5th/6th
St John’s 11-4 Paul Roos
3rd/4th
Clifton 8-6 Affies
1st/2nd
Hilton (5) 8-8 (4) Kearsney