St Andrew’s College and Clarendon High School for Girls showed their mettle on their way to clinching top honours at the Woodridge Stayers Water Polo Tournament.
The annual event took place over four days in Thornhill, culminating in the finals on Sunday.
St Andrew’s in their run to the boys’ title, while Clarendon proved too strong for their opponents in the girls’ section.
The boys from Makhanda defeated Glenwood House 8-4 in the final, while Clarendon sneaked past Pearson High 6-4 in their title game.
Boys’ Wrap
St Andrew’s was drawn in Pool D, where they faced Paarl Boys’ High, Pearson, and a Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Invitational Team.
From the start, coach Grant Mackenzie‘s troops hit the ground running, winning their three group games emphatically. They beat Boishaai 14-2 in their opener, cruised past Pearson 15-1, and outplayed the NMB Invitational Team 23-2.
They met their toughest opposition in the quarterfinals in the form of Hudson Park High, a side that had finished third in Pool A behind Glenwood House and Selborne College.
Still, St Andrew’s won comfortably, recording a 13-2 victory to set up a date with Selborne in the last four.
They found a far tougher opponent in the KuGompo City crew and had to tough out a hard-fought 6-4 win.
That set up a title decider against Glenwood House after the side from George edged out Grey High School on penalties in their semifinal.
In another tightly contested game, featuring several momentum shifts, St Andrew’s held on for the win to lift the title for the second time after winning in 2024.
Girls’ Wrap
In the girls’ competition, Clarendon had to overcome some adversity in the early rounds of the tournament to go all the way.
It was far from a smooth road for coach Hannah Muller’s side, who finished the group stage in third place behind DSG Makhanda and Pearson.
They, however, peaked at the right time and played smart, enterprising water polo in the knockout rounds.
In the quarterfinals, Clarendon came up against their KuGompo City rivals, Stirling High, and outmuscled them to score an 8-5 victory.
They faced Glenwood House for a place in the final and won more comfortably, advancing to the title game with an 8-3 victory.
In a nervy final, Clarendon then defeated Pearson 6-4 to claim their maiden Stayers’ title after they finished in third place last year.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
BOYS
Top Goal Scorer – Riley Porter-Fleet (Oakhille College) – 19 goals
Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Michael Swart (Pearson High) – 44 saves
Top Assists – Riley Owen (Selborne College) – 12 assists
Top Steals – Joshua Talbot (Merrifield College) – 13 steals
Top Blocker – Ben Rutherford (St Andrew’s College) – 8 blocks
Top Passes – Matthew Phillips (Merrifield College) – 100 passes
Swim-offs – Connor du Preez (Woodridge College) – 6 swim-offs won
Team of the Tournament: Gabriel Pierce (Selborne College), Ethan Barry (St Andrew’s College), Luke Parker (St Andrew’s College), Malachi Smith (Woodridge College), Morgan Erasmus (Selborne College), Christiaan Meintjes (Paarl Boys’ High), Michael Miller (Selborne College), Joshua Talbot (Merrifield College), Gareth Steenkamp (Woodridge College), Ben Rutherford (St Andrew’s College), Riley Owen (Selborne College), Luca Hamlet (Woodridge College), and Callum Ryan (Hudson Park).
GIRLS
Top Goal Scorer – Hannah Hattingh (Clarendon) – 21 goals
Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Caylin MacKenzie (Hudson Park) – 76 saves
Top Assists – Abby Batting (Hudson Park) – 10 assists
Top Steals – Mia Gibson (Glenwood House) – 27 steals
Top Blocker – Melissa Foot (Somerset College) – 5 blocks
Top Passes – Caylin MacKenzie (Hudson Park) – 177 passes
Swim-offs – Nellie Hansson (Glenwood House) – 18 swim-offs won
Team of the Tournament: Caylin MacKenzie (Hudson Park), Joria Wilmot (Pearson High School), Mia Gibson (Glenwood House), Hannah Hattingh (Clarendon High School), Charlotte van Bochove (Collegiate Girls’ High School), Nellie Hansson (Glenwood House), Kayden Glasgow (Hudson Park), Nicola Schwartz (Stirling High School), Jodi Carr (Clarendon High School), Zoe Zondi (Steyn City School), Tatum Dace (Pearson High School), Cate Harrison (DSG Makhanda), and Tyler-Jade Robert (Hudson Park).
RESULTS
Boys’ Playoffs
Oakhill College 5-9 Somerset College (13th/14th)
NMB Invitational 4-15 Kingswood College (15th/16th)
Grey College 4-5 Merrifield College (11th/12th)
Grey High 2nd 8-7 Woodridge College (9th/10th/Plate Final)
Stirling High 5-4 Pearson High (7th/8th)
Paarl Boys’ High 4-7 Hudson Park High (5th/6th)
Selborne College 7-3 Grey High 1st (3rd/4th)
St Andrew’s College 8-4 Glenwood House (Final)
Girls’ Playoffs
Oakhill College 4-7 Merrifield College (11th/12th)
Woodridge College 6-3 Steyn City (9th/10th)
Somerset College 3-6 Collegiate Girls’ High (7th/8th)
Stirling High 3-9 DSG Makhanda (5th/6th/Plate Final)
Hudson Park High 5-6 Glenwood House (3rd/4th)
Clarendon High 6-4 Pearson High (Final)
