St Anne’s DSG first-team water polo coach, Cameron Wiid, applauded his side’s grit and tenacity after a remarkable triumph at the St Anne’s Water Polo Tournament over the weekend.
The hosts defeated their KwaZulu-Natal rivals Durban Girls’ College (DGC) 9-3 in a thrilling and well-attended final.
“I’m incredibly pleased that we were able to win another national event,” Wiid told SuperSport Schools News.
“To win at home is incredibly special, and to have our staff there to witness it, kids who were playing tennis, and kids from around the area who came to support the girls, made it amazing.”
It was St Anne’s second major title this year. They won the Brian Baker Water Polo Tournament in Makhanda in January.
Late last year, coach Wiid’s side won silver at the Saints Water Polo Invitational at St Stithians. That run gave him confidence that they were in for a strong 2026 campaign.
“I knew going into the year after Stayers that we were going to have a super competitive team, but I never would have imagined that we would have achieved what we have in this season so far,” he shared.
“The win at Brian Baker set us up with a good foundation. At St Peter’s, [at the Old Petrians’ Water Polo Tournament], we lost in the semifinals to St Stithians after a penalty shootout, but then a lot of hard work went in after that.
“Throughout winter, the girls trained really hard; they were committed and extremely dedicated. They had a hunger for winning and wanted to play good water polo.”
Over the weekend, the St Anne’s girls played some outstanding water polo.
Up against Roedean School, Rhenish, and St Dominic’s in Pool D, they won all three games, scoring a healthy 26 goals. Those results earned them a quarterfinal showdown with St Mary’s Waverley.
They won 9-4 to move into the semifinals, where Reddam House Constantia awaited the hosts. They had faced Reddam twice at the Brian Baker Tournament, beating the Capetonians in a group game and in the semifinals.
At St Anne’s, coach Connor Whiting had his Reddam side ready, and they made it tough on St Anne’s, who, nonetheless, won again, this time by a 4-2 margin.
“The key focus of our defence talks for the Reddam House game was to stop Holly Strydom. She’s a national forward, an incredible player, very strong, and she has a wide range of shots,” Wiid explained.
“Whenever we play them, I always have a big emphasis on not allowing her to be the person who dictates the way the game goes. I think the girls defended well, and we did a good job.”
Meanwhile, DGC won through to the title game after defeating DSG Makhanda 7-5 in their semifinal.
The final was a rematch of sorts after St Anne’s recently beat DGC to win the KZN Top Schools tournament.
Wild said his charges went into the game with confidence. They had studied DGC’s main threats and were ready to negate them.
After conceding two early goals, the hosts worked their way into the contest. They received top performances from goalkeeper Emily Nienaber, along with Hannah Savage, Inez Letschert, Farrann Elliot, Player of the Final Jessica Bosman, and Maggy Matthews, who scored crucial goals.
“The girls were absolutely incredible; we stepped up defensively and managed to limit their opportunities,” Wiid enthused.
“We also created a great amount of pressure on the opposite side of the pool, thanks to our defensive work.
“The performances from the weekend are something I’ll always look back on as a highlight of my career.”
St Anne’s will next shift their attention to the Saints Water Polo Invitational, which takes place in October.
Thereafter, for some of their players, it will be on to the annual inter-provincial tournament in Cape Town.
Special Awards
Hannah Savage – Attacker of the Tournament (St Anne’s DSG)
Keira Sim – Defender of the Tournament (St Anne’s DSG)
Nthabiseng Mathibeli – Goalkeeper of the Tournament (Durban Girls’ College)
Inez Letschert – Most Valuable Player (MVP) (St Anne’s DSG)
Among the players to catch the eye were the St Anne’s duo of Farrann Elliot and Jessica Bosman.
Elliot was very influential on attack and was incredible all tournament long for her side. Bosman, meanwhile, was consistent in every game she played and was the player of the match in the final. She scored some crucial goals and had a massive impact on defence.
From DGC, Nthabiseng Mathibeli was named goalkeeper of the tournament. She was a standout player in all matches, but was especially good in their quarterfinal win over Herschel. Mary Aylward, who’s in grade 10 and U16, also played above expectations, making a telling contribution to DGC’s run to the final.
Gemma Pearce, from Herschel, had an outstanding tournament and is always a key performer in their squad. Her teammate, Jessica Bosch, also caught the eye. She’s a player to watch out for next year.
Holly Strydom was in top form for Reddam House Constantia and is one of the best centre forwards in the country. She proved that again over the weekend. Always a threat in the pool, she is one of the most discussed players among coaches plotting to stop Reddam from scoring goals.
RESULTS
Plate Playoff
St Dominic’s 3-2 Beaulieu College
Cup Playoff
Herschel 4-3 Roedean
St Stithians College 3-2 St Mary’s Waverley
Plate semifinals
Maris Stella 3-1 Our Lady of Fatima
St Cyprian’s School 3-1 Kingsmead
Cup semifinals
St Anne’s 4-2 Reddam House Constantia
Durban Girls’ College 7-5 DSG Makhanda
Bronze medal match
DSG Makhanda 1-0 Reddam House Constantia
Final
St Anne’s 9-3 DGC
