28 September 2026
Kearsney College‘s U15A water polo team made waves in Cape Town, where, on Sunday, they became the first KwaZulu-Natal side to win Wynberg Boys’ High‘s prestigious Ian Melliar U15 Water Polo Tournament, which has been running for 20 years.
The event features many of the country’s leading teams, with Hilton College and Clifton College also joining Kearsney in Cape Town.
In a high-pressure environment, Kearsney, under the guidance of coach Chelci Rodda, performed superbly and demonstrated commendable resilience against the elite 20-team field.
The side had a challenging start. After an early flight to Cape Town, they were in the pool just an hour after landing and taking on Rondebosch Boys’ High. In difficult circumstances, the Kearsney players battled their way to an 11-11 draw, sending the match to a sudden-death penalty shootout.
They lost 0-1 on penalties, but that proved to be their lone defeat.
The team responded strongly in the remainder of their group matches, beating St John’s College 7-4, SACS 7-5, and Grey High 10-4. That left Kearsney top of Group B, but they faced St David’s Marist Inanda, third in Group A, in a playoff game. Any slip-up and their title challenge would be over.
Kearsney, though, rose to the challenge and won 7–4 to book their place in the quarter-finals against St Stithians, who had topped Group D, winning their four group matches, including a 6-3 win over Clifton College in their first outing.
It was another dramatic encounter, and Kearsney trailed for much of the match. With only two minutes remaining, the Botha’s Hill boys were 7-9 down. Showing tremendous composure under pressure, the team fought back to level the match at 9–9 and forced a penalty shootout. This time, Kearsney held their nerve, and they won through to the semi-finals.
There, they faced one of the favourites, Bishops. Kearsney came out of the blocks hot, however, and produced an exceptional opening quarter, racing into a 6–1 lead. Despite Bishops’ efforts to claw their way back into the contest, Kearsney controlled the remainder of the match and secured an impressive 15–9 victory to earn a place in the final.
They faced Wynberg Boys’ High, who enjoyed the home crowd’s support, in the title decider.
Again, Kearsney performed their best under pressure. Once more, they took charge in the first chukka, powering into a 4-1 lead.
From there, they managed the game well. It ended 12-6 in Kearsney’s favour, and with that victory came the silverware.
Kearsney’s success was also reflected in three individual awards: Cai Terblanche was named the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, while he and Blake Gaines were selected for the Team of the Tournament.
Hilton College also sparkled. They dominated Group C, scoring 42 goals and conceding only nine in four emphatic victories.
They trounced Pretoria Boys High 10-2 in their opener, then followed up with a 10-5 win over St Andrew’s College, blanked Somerset College 13-0, and cruised to a 9-2 win over Paul Roos.
In the quarterfinals, they kept chugging, outplaying Paarl Boys’ High 18-7. Wynberg, the winners of Group A, stopped the Hilton train in the semifinals, however, winning a tight contest 10-8.
To their credit, Hilton bounced back with a 12-8 win over Bishops in the third-place playoff.
Clifton finished third in Group D. They lost their first two matches, going down 7-12 to St Stithians and 3-6 to Bishops, but then comfortably beat Reddam House Constantia 9-2 and Affies 10-3.
In the playoffs, they sneaked by Paul Roos 7-6, but fell 5-10 to Wynberg. Clifton was then on the wrong end of a 7-6 result, with Paarl Boys’ High edging out the Durban school in a playoff clash.
They had to settle for eighth, ultimately, after a 5-10 defeat against Rondebosch Boys’ High.
KZN TEAMS’ RESULTS
Kearsney College
Group Games
Kearsney 11-11 Rondebosch Boys’ High, Bosch won on penalties
Kearsney 7-4 St John’s College
Kearsney 7-5 SACS
Kearsney 10-4 Grey High
Playoff
Kearsney 7-4 St David’s Marist Inanda
Quarterfinals
Kearsney 9-9 St Stithians, Kearsney won on penalties
Semifinals
Kearsney 15-9 Bishops
Final
Kearsney 12-6 Wynberg
Hilton College
Group Games
Hilton College 10-2 Pretoria Boys High
Hilton College 10-5 St Andrew’s College
Hilton College 13-0 Somerset College
Hilton College 9-2 Paul Roos
Quarterfinals
Hilton College 18-7 Paarl Boys’ High
Semifinals
Hilton College 8-10 Wynberg Boys’ High
3rd/4th
Hilton College 12-8 Bishops
Clifton College
Clifton 7-12 St Stithians
Clifton 3-6 Bishops
Clifton 9-2 Reddam House Constantia
Clifton 10-3 Affies
5th-12th Playoffs
Clifton 7-6 Paul Roos
Plate Playoffs
Clifton 6-7 Paarl Boys’ High
7th/8th
Clifton 5-10 Rondebosch Boys’ High
Final Standings
1st/2nd: Kearsney 12-6 Wynberg
3rd/4th: Hilton 12-8 Bishops
5th/6th: St Stithians 11-5 Paarl Boys’ High
7th/8th: Rondebosch Boys’ High 10-5 Clifton
9th/10th: St Andrew’s College 3-0 Paul Roos
11th/12th: St David’s Marist Inanda 3-2 St John’s College
13th/14th: Grey High 4-3 SACS
15th/16th: Affies 7-2 Reddam House Constantia
17th/18th: Pretoria Boys High 4-3 Selborne College
19th/20th: King Edward VII 13-1 Somerset College