A nail-biting final, between Hilton College and Kearsney College for the Clifton Water Polo Tournament title, came down to a penalty shootout at a jam-packed Clifton Aquatic Centre on Sunday afternoon, with Hilton edging out Kearsney 5-4 from the spot after regulation time had ended in a riveting 8-8 draw.
Hilton seemed to have wrapped up victory when, with less than a minute to play, Lincoln Burger earned a five-metre penalty, and Bradley van Loggerenberg buried the opportunity.
All credit to Kearsney, they had 26 seconds to draw level, and they scored with only 12 left by going to Max Mills, who stood tall in the title game.
He demonstrated massive big-match temperament, and Kearsney turned to him time after time when they needed a goal. Mills didn’t shrink from the responsibility, peppering the Hilton goal, where Lwango Ntantala pulled off some fantastic saves. Mills, though, had his successes, too.
Hilton did an outstanding job of closing down Kearsney’s dangerous captain, Tom Aylward, when he was in possession, but Mills found space, and he found the back of the net, too.
Rourke Stacey, in the Kearsney goal, played well, stopping a Hilton breakaway from point-blank range early in the contest and then rejecting a penalty shot by Bradley van Loggerenberg, which would have levelled the scores at 1-1.
After being stopped once, Van Loggerenberg delivered from the spot in the remainder of the contest, including in the shootout.
Ntantala stopped Kearsney’s third penalty shot, taken by Thomas Francke, and that proved to be the difference, with Hilton College celebrating back-to-back Clifton Water Polo Tournament titles.
Ntantala was later named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament. Kearsney’s Oliver Ludwig, who played his 200th match for the 1st team in the final, was named the Defender of the Tournament, and the admirable Max Mills was named the Forward of the Tournament.
Clifton College faced Affies in the bronze playoff. At the start of the game, Affies were fired up, while Clifton appeared to be carrying a playoff hangover following their loss to Kearsney after a penalty shootout in the semifinals.
That combination was costly for the hosts, who quickly found themselves 0-4 behind in the first chukka. They kept their cool, however, and pulled two goals back by the time it ended.
Slowly, Clifton clawed their way back against a stubborn Affies’ outfit. Then, with just over three minutes remaining, the home side, to a roar from their supporters, finally took the lead, and they added one more goal to come away with a hard-fought 8-6 win.
Coach Pierre le Roux and his charges might feel a little disappointed about not going all the way, but they won every game apart from their 4-5 loss to Kearsney from the spot. Kearsney, too, won every game, apart from the final, which they also lost by the same 4-5 margin in the shootout.
Hilton was beaten once, losing 6-8 to SACS in a Pool D clash, but they played the big moments better than any other side. That was why they won the trophy.
For Affies, the Clifton Water Polo Tournament was a massive success. They turned some of the potential that has threatened to upend the established order into production.
In the quarterfinals, they pulled off a stunning win over SACS and gave Clifton all they could handle in the third-place playoff, showing they’re not out of their depth among the big-name teams.
St John’s College also lost only one game, falling 7-8 to Hilton in a rematch of the 2025 final. On Sunday, they clinched fifth place, outplaying Paul Roos Gimnasium 11-4.
In a meeting of familiar opposition, SACS beat Reddam House Constantia 14-6 to finish seventh. It was only late in the contest that Reddam began to breach the tight SACS defence, but by then victory was already out of reach.
Michaelhouse‘s KZN Schools’ goalkeeper, Elliot Springate, came up big in a penalty shootout against Westville Boys’ High, stopping two shots to earn his side ninth after the teams had played to an 8-8 draw.
King Edward VII (KES) let rip against the Clifton 2nd team, with their attack demonstrating a sharp edge. Tyler Mwekassa caught the eye with an impressive all-round game.
Selborne College held off Northwood, winning 13-11, to finish 13th.
It was a frustrating tournament for the Knights, who were in every game. Their largest loss was by only two goals, but all too often, they came out on the wrong end of the result.
In a clash between long-standing traditional rivals, Maritzburg College outplayed DHS to finish 15th.
There won’t be much of a break for SACS, Hilton, Paul Roos, Clifton, Selborne, St John’s, and Northwood. They’ll all be in action at the SACS Water Polo Tournament in Cape Town. It runs from Thursday to Saturday.
St John’s is the defending champion.
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
