12 October 2026
Hilton College claimed the overall title at the KZN Top 10 Water Polo tournaments over the weekend, with their teams reaching the finals in all three age groups. However, the U14, U15, and U19 titles were shared among KwaZulu-Natal’s three traditional powerhouses, with Hilton taking U14 honours, Kearsney College winning the U15 division, and hosts Clifton College ruling the U19 ranks.
The U19 competition provided a fitting finale to the weekend, with Clifton producing a disciplined performance to overcome Hilton 7-5 in a hard-fought final at the Clifton Aquatic Centre on Sunday.
There was plenty of drama along the way, too, including an eye-catching result from Northwood, who upset Kearsney 8-7 in the first match of the day to finish top of Pool B and set up an unexpected semi-final between Kearsney and Clifton.
Under coach Scott Mantle, the Knights have been steadily improving. They caught the eye with an upset win over St John’s College at the SACS Water Polo Tournament, and their victory over Kearsney was further evidence of the progress they have made. With greater consistency, they’re threatening the established order.
Northwood’s win left Kearsney and Clifton to settle their differences in a semi-final, and Clifton had a score to settle with the Botha’s Hill boys.
Not that they focused on it, but, as Clifton coach, Pierre le Roux, recalled: “At the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, we were up by four goals against Kearsney. We let them back in, and we lost on penalties. We did the same at the Nick Rey U16 Water Polo Tournament. We were up by three goals. We let them back in, and we lost on penalties.”
Clifton, who had impressed throughout the tournament, despite featuring a side without matric players (they chose to concentrate on their exam preparations), wasted little time making their intentions clear. They surged into a 3-0 lead in the opening chukka, putting Kearsney on the back foot.
Coach Nick Rodda‘s side refused to surrender, though. After trailing 5-8 going into the fourth chukka, Kearsney mounted a stirring comeback, riding a wave of momentum, to draw level at 9-9. This time, however, Clifton didn’t blink. They found a way to finish the job, holding on to secure their place in the final with a 10-9 win.
Hilton, meanwhile, was convincing in their semi-final, controlling the contest from start to finish and steadily pulling away from Northwood to record a 10-3 victory and book a rematch with Clifton, who had edged out Hilton 6-5 on Saturday morning.
In that game, Clifton also made a flying start, opening up a 3-0 advantage in next to no time. Hilton fought their way back into contention, but Clifton eventually prevailed 6-5.
Clifton coach Pierre le Roux and his players knew they would need to produce a more complete performance in the final if they were to beat Hilton for a second time.
Once again, the hosts started strongly, controlling the opening chukka to take a 2-0 lead. Hilton responded before half-time, however, pulling to within one at 2-3 down.
Clifton refused to panic. They maintained their composure, held on to their advantage, and continued to repel Hilton’s challenges. Twice in the fourth chukka, the visitors threatened to take control, but on both occasions Clifton responded almost immediately with crucial goals.
That ability to answer Hilton’s pressure proved decisive. Clifton kept their defensive intensity high until the final whistle, securing a 7-5 victory and the U19 title. They had looked vulnerable after going up in their big showdowns with Kearsney and Hilton preceding the final. However, with the title on the line, they lifted their intensity and delivered a complete game.
For Le Roux, the win was particularly satisfying because it showed his players had learned from some painful lessons earlier in the season, when they had let slip advantageous positions.
The Clifton coach was also quick to acknowledge the quality of the opposition. “Hilton is a good team. Coming in, they were the favourites. They won the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, and they were finalists at SACS. Beating them on Saturday was a big confidence-booster for us.”
Clifton’s defensive work was central to their success in the final. Their ability to block Hilton’s attempts not only frustrated the visitors but also created attacking opportunities, with two blocks leading directly to goals.
“That’s massive in water polo,” Le Roux said. “We see it in rugby as well, the transition from turnover into counterattack. It’s a coach-killer!
“We work hard on that. I speak about defence being the best offence.
“If you get pressure on the opposition, they’ll make mistakes, and they’ll take chances. If you’re smart enough — and I have some really smart players — that’s where those penalties and breakaways came from.
“Sometimes you wait a whole game to get just one, but that one can win you a gold medal.”
There was another encouraging aspect to Clifton’s triumph: they achieved it without most of their matric players, with Daniel Nothard, who is still U17, the exception.
Kearsney bounced back from their semi-final disappointment to finish third, edging out Northwood 10-9. Remarkably, the aggregate score across their two Sunday meetings was 17-17, underlining just how closely matched the sides were.
Northwood had to settle for fourth, but their performance was one of the weekend’s talking points. The Knights have made it clear that they intend to challenge the established order.
Hilton’s overall triumph
Although Hilton’s U19 side came up short in the final, it was an outstanding weekend for the school. Their consistency across all three age groups earned them the overall title with 29 points.
Kearsney, the overall champions in 2024 and 2025, finished second on 28 points, just one behind Hilton. Clifton took third place with 23 points.
Reaching the finals in all three age groups was a significant achievement for Hilton, and 1st team coach Paul Martin credited the work of the school’s Director of Water Polo, Andrew Duncan, who has overseen the programme for almost a decade.
“We believe in our systems. We back our programme, and we have been very methodical about how we do things,” Martin said.
Their results over the past month have been outstanding. Besides the 1st team winning the Clifton Water Polo Tournament and finishing as the runner-up at the SACS Water Polo Tournament, their U15 side placed third at the Ian Melliar tournament in Cape Town, facing the country’s best teams.
Hilton’s U14 side provided another highlight on Sunday, emphatically defeating Kearsney 7-3 in the final to claim their age-group title.
Martin and Duncan share the duties of coaching the 1st team and the U14 side, with Martin spending 65 percent of his time with the 1st side and the other 35 percent with the U14s. It’s the other way around for Duncan.
One can’t argue with the results.
Kearsney U15s triumph, withstanding tough challenges
The U15 competition proved the tightest of the three divisions, with Kearsney living up to their billing as favourites after winning the Ian Melliar Water Polo Tournament.
They had to work hard for the title, though, holding off Hilton 7-6 in a tense final.
Clifton finished third. After going down 4-5 to Kearsney in the semifinals, they recovered to beat Michaelhouse 7-6 in another closely contested encounter.
In the U14 division, Maritzburg College claimed third place with a convincing 7-3 victory over Northwood in the playoff.
That result may prove significant for a school that was once the benchmark for water polo in KwaZulu-Natal before slipping behind its leading rivals. College has shown signs of improvement in recent seasons, and their U14 performance offered further encouragement.
With Hilton celebrating overall success, Kearsney adding another age-group crown, and Clifton asserting themselves at 1st team level, the established powers had plenty to celebrate. But Northwood’s challenge, Maritzburg College’s progress, and some strong performances from Michaelhouse suggested the picture in KwaZulu-Natal water polo could become even more competitive in the seasons ahead.
OVERALL STANDINGS
Hilton College 29
Kearsney College 28
Clifton College 23
Northwood 20
Michaelhouse 19
Maritzburg College 15
Westville Boys’ High 15
Durban High School 10
Glenwood High 3
Curro Hillcrest 2
Thomas More College 2
RESULTS
U19
Saturday, 10 October
Westville 13-0 Glenwood
Kearsney 14-8 DHS
Clifton 6-5 Hilton
Northwood 9-1 Thomas More
Westville 7-5 Maritzburg College
Michaelhouse 10-7 DHS
Clifton 20-2 Glenwood
Kearsney 18-8 Thomas More
Hilton 15-2 Maritzburg College
Northwood 6-4 Michaelhouse
Clifton 9-4 Westville
DHS 5-4 Thomas More
Hilton 23-1 Glenwood
Kearsney 9-4 Michaelhouse
Northwood 9-7 DHS
Clifton 11-0
Sunday, 11 October
Northwood 8-7 Kearsney
Hilton 10-8 Westville
Michaelhouse 8-1 Thomas More
Maritzburg College 13-2 Glenwood
Clifton 10-9 Kearsney (Semi 1)
Hilton 10-3 Northwood (Semi 2)
9th/10th – Thomas More 10-7 Glenwood
7th/8th – Maritzburg College 11-10 DHS
5th/6th – Michaelhouse 7-6 Westville
3rd/4th – Kearsney 10-9 Northwood
1st/2nd – Clifton 7-5 Hilton
U15
Saturday, 10 October
Westville 21-1 Glenwood
Kearsney 7-3 Northwood
Hilton 6-5 Clifton
Michaelhouse 19-1 Curro Hillcrest
Westville 5-3 DHS
Northwood 9-2 Maritzburg College
Hilton 20-0 Glenwood
Kearsney 20-0 Curro Hillcrest
Clifton 4-3 DHS
Hilton 8-3 Westville
Northwood 14-2 Curro Hillcrest
Clifton 15-1 Glenwood
Kearsney 15-0 Maritzburg College
Michaelhouse 10-4 Northwood
Hilton 0-5 DHS
Sunday, 11 October
Maritzburg College 14-6 Curro Hillcrest
Clifton 4-3 Westville
Kearsney 9-2 Michaelhouse
DHS 18-3 Glenwood
Hilton 8-7 Michaelhouse (Semi 1)
Kearsney 5-4 Clifton (Semi 2)
9th/10th – Curro Hillcrest 12-2 Glenwood
7th/8th – DHS 14-5 Maritzburg College
5th/6th – Northwood 8-5 Westville
3rd/4th – Clifton 7-6 Michaelhouse
1st/2nd – Kearsney 7-6 Hilton
U14
Saturday, 10 October
Hilton 9-2 Westville
Kearsney 12-2 Clifton
DHS 17-2 Glenwood
Northwood 11-3 Invitational
Maritzburg College 8-2 Westville
Michaelhouse (3) 6-6 (2) Kearsney
Hilton 5-1 DHS
Clifton 9-3 Invitational
Maritzburg College 17-0 Glenwood
Northwood 5-3 Michaelhouse
Westville 8-4 DHS
Kearsney 18-1 Invitational
Hilton 21-1 Glenwood
Michaelhouse 5-2 Clifton
Kearsney 5-1 Northwood
Maritzburg College 5-1 DHS
Sunday, 11 October
Michaelhouse 15-3 Invitational
Westville 14-0 Glenwood
Northwood 7-2 Clifton
Hilton 4-2 Maritzburg College
Hilton 4-2 Northwood (Semi 1)
Kearsney 5-4 Maritzburg College (Semi 2)
9th/10th – Invitational 12-0 Glenwood
7th/8th – Clifton 5-2 DHS
5th/6th – Michaelhouse 9-2 Westville
3rd/4th – Maritzburg College 7-3 Northwood
1st/2nd – Hilton 7-3 Kearsney