8 October 2026
The battle for water polo supremacy in KwaZulu-Natal takes place on Saturday and Sunday, with the KZN Top 10 bringing together the province’s leading schools for 1st team, U15, and U14 competitions at Clifton College, Westville Boys’ High, and Northwood, respectively.
The 1st team action will be streamed LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Note that the date displayed on the Streaming App is incorrect by one day, although the fixtures and times are correct.
While the three age-group titles are up for grabs, there is an even bigger prize at stake: being crowned KwaZulu-Natal’s top water polo school for 2026.
If last year’s competition is anything to go by, there will be very little separating the leading contenders. In 2025, just one point separated the top three in the overall standings.
Kearsney College claimed the overall honours, finishing a single point ahead of Clifton College and Hilton College. Interestingly, Kearsney didn’t win any of the age groups.
Clifton took the 1st team and U15 honours, while Hilton won the U14 event. Kearsney, though, was second in both the 1st team and U14 competitions and fourth in the U15 tournament, where Northwood broke up the dominance of the top three.
The razor-thin margin sets the scene for another fascinating battle, particularly among the three schools that have established themselves as the leading contenders in the 1st team competition. Clifton, Hilton, and Kearsney all have strong claims.
Hilton arrives as the back-to-back champion of the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, having successfully retained the title in September. It was anything but a comfortable victory, though, as Hilton needed a penalty shootout to overcome a determined Kearsney side in a thrilling final.
Kearsney had earlier needed a shootout of their own to edge past Clifton in the semi-finals, before the hosts recovered to beat Affies 8-6 in the playoff for third place.
The evidence suggests there is precious little between the three.
Hilton’s credentials were reinforced at the SACS Water Polo Tournament, where they went unbeaten all the way to the final before Bishops ended their run with a 5-3 victory. Hilton nevertheless made a strong statement in Cape Town and underlined their status as one of the country’s leading schoolboy sides.
Clifton is a little more difficult to assess. The hosts competed at SACS with a smaller squad than many of their rivals, missing several of their leading players, which makes their performance there a less reliable indicator of what they will produce this weekend. They will, though, be playing in home waters, and that surely counts for something.
Kearsney, meanwhile, did not travel to the SACS tournament, but Northwood was in Cape Town, and they showed how dangerous they could be.
They finished only 14th at the Clifton tournament, but produced a vastly improved showing in Cape Town, reaching the quarterfinals and, in the process, keeping Clifton out of the top eight. A key result was their 5-4 victory over St John’s College, who eventually finished fourth.
Northwood’s second day was particularly impressive, with four wins from four matches, and the confidence gained from that run could prove significant heading into the KZN Top 10.
There are also potential spoilers in Michaelhouse and Westville Boys’ High, both of whom have shown in spurts that they could challenge the top guns, but they’ll need to be more consistent to challenge for a top-three finish.
If the 1st team competition looks tightly poised, the U15 title has a more obvious favourite.
Kearsney College will start as the team to beat after recently winning the Ian Melliar Water Polo Tournament at Wynberg Boys’ High, where they overcame a strong field, led by the Player of the Tournament, Cai Terblanche.
They will be pushed hard by Hilton College, the third-place finishers at the Ian Melliar tournament after winning six of their seven matches.
FIXTURES
1ST TEAMS at Clifton College
Pool A
Glenwood, Clifton, Westville, Maritzburg College, Hilton
Pool B
Kearsney, DHS, Northwood, Michaelhouse, Thomas More
Saturday, 10 October
07:00 – Game 1, Glenwood vs Westville (A)
07:45 – Game 2, Kearsney vs DHS (B)
08:30 – Game 3, Clifton vs Hilton (A)
09:15 – Game 4, Northwood vs Thomas More (B)
10:00 – Game 5, Westville vs Maritzburg College (A)
10:45 – Game 6, DHS vs Michaelhouse (B)
11:30 – Game 7, Glenwood vs Clifton (A)
12:15 – Game 8, Kearsney vs Thomas More (B)
13:00 – Game 9, Maritzburg College vs Hilton (A)
13:45 – Game 10, Northwood vs Michaelhouse (B)
14:30 – Game 11, Clifton vs Westville (A)
15:15 – Game 12, DHS vs Thomas More (B)
16:00 – Game 13, Glenwood vs Hilton (A)
16:45 – Game 14, Kearsney vs Michaelhouse (B)
17:30 – Game 15, DHS vs Northwood (B)
18:15 – Game 16, Clifton vs Maritzburg College (A)
Sunday, 11 October
07:00 – Game 17, Kearsney vs Northwood (B)
07:45 – Game 18, Westville vs Hilton (A)
08:30 – Game 19, Michaelhouse vs Thomas More (B)
09:15 – Game 20, Glenwood vs Maritzburg College (A)
11:30 – Game 21, Semi 1, 1A vs 2B
12:15 – Game 22, Semi 2, 1B vs 2A
13:00 – Game 23, 9th/10th, 5A vs 5B
13:45 – Game 24, 7th/8th, 4A vs 4B
14:30 – Game 25, 5th/6th, 3A vs #b
15:15 – Game 26, 3rd/4th, L21 vs L22
16:00 – Game 28, 1st/2nd, W21 vs W22
U15 TEAMS at Westville Boys’ High
Pool A
Glenwood, Hilton, Westville, DHS, Clifton
Pool B
Kearsney, Northwood, Michaelhouse, Maritzburg College, Curro Hillcrest
Saturday, 10 October
07:00 – Game 1, Glenwood vs Westville (A)
07:45 – Game 2, Kearsney vs Northwood (B)
08:30 – Game 3, Hilton vs Clifton (A)
09:15 – Game 4, Michaelhouse vs Curro (B)
10:00 – Game 5, Westville vs DHS (A)
10:45 – Game 6, Northwood vs Maritzburg College (B)
11:30 – Game 7, Glenwood vs Hilton (A)
12:15 – Game 8, Kearsney vs Curro (B)
13:00 – Game 9, DHS vs Clifton (A)
13:45 – Game 10, Michaelhouse vs Maritzburg College (B)
14:30 – Game 11, Hilton vs Westville (A)
15:15 – Game 12, Northwood vs Curro (B)
16:00 – Game 13, Glenwood vs Clifton (A)
16:45 – Game 14, Kearsney vs Maritzburg College (B)
17:30 – Game 15, Northwood vs Michaelhouse (B)
18:15 – Game 16, Hilton vs DHS (A)
Sunday, 11 October
07:00 – Game 17, Maritzburg College vs Curro (B)
07:45 – Game 18, Westville vs Clifton (A)
08:30 – Game 19, Kearsney vs Michaelhouse (B)
09:15 – Game 20, Glenwood vs DHS (A)
11:30 – Game 21, Semi 1, 1A vs 2B
12:15 – Game 22, Semi 2, 1B vs 2A
13:00 – Game 23, 9th/10th, 5A vs 5B
13:45 – Game 24, 7th/8th, 4A vs 4B
14:30 – Game 25, 5th/6th, 3A vs 3B
15:15 – Game 26, 3rd/4th, L21 vs L22
16:00 – Game 27, 1st/2nd, W21 vs W22
U14 TEAMS at NORTHWOOD
Pool A
Hilton, DHS, Westville, Maritzburg College, Glenwood
Pool B
Clifton, Kearsney, Northwood, Michaelhouse, Invitational
Saturday, 10 October
07:00 – Game 1, Hilton vs Westville (A)
07:45 – Game 2, Clifton vs Kearsney (B)
08:30 – Game 3, DHS vs Glenwood (A)
09:15 – Game 4, Northwood vs Invitational (B)
10:00 – Game 5, Westville vs Maritzburg College (A)
10:45 – Game 6, Kearsney vs Michaelhouse (B)
11:30 – Game 7, Hilton vs DHS (A)
12:15 – Game 8, Clifton vs Invitational (B)
13:00 – Game 9, Maritzburg College vs Glenwood (A)
13:45 – Game 10, Northwood vs Michaelhouse (B)
14:30 – Game 11, DHS vs Westville (A)
15:15 – Game 12, Kearsney vs Invitational (B)
16:00 – Game 13, Hilton vs Glenwood (A)
16:45 – Game 14, Clifton vs Michaelhouse (B)
17:30 – Game 15, Kearsney vs Northwood (B)
18:15 – Game 16, DHS vs Maritzburg College (A)
Sunday, 11 October
07:00 – Game 17, Michaelhouse vs Invitational (B)
07:45 – Game 18, Westville vs Glenwood (A)
08:30 – Game 19, Clifton vs Northwood (B)
09:15 – Game 20, Hilton vs Maritzburg College (A)
11:30 – Game 21, Semi 1, 1A vs 2B
12:15 – Game 22, Semi 1, 1B vs 2A
13:00 – Game 23, 9th/10th, 5A vs 5B
13:45 – Game 24, 7th/8th, 4A vs 4B
14:30 – Game 25, 5th/6th, 3A vs 3B
15:15 – Game 26, 3rd/4th, L21 vs L22
16:00 – Game 27, 1st/2nd, W21 vs W22