SACS triumph in final against Bishops in Makhanda tourney
Cape Town school SACS emerged as the champions in the St Andrew’s College Shield water polo tournament in Makhanda at the weekend, shading Bishops in the final.
The event from Thursday to Sunday drew top teams from across the country, with 13 schools representing various regions: Gauteng (St John’s and St Stithians), KZN (Hilton, Westville, Michaelhouse and Clifton), Eastern Cape (St Andrew’s College, Grey High, Selborne), and Western Cape (SACS, Bishops, Paul Roos and Rondebosch).
The competition lived up to expectations, presenting a formidable challenge for all participating teams.
The schools were divided into two pools. Bishops, St John’s and Paul Roos remained unbeaten on day one, with Paul Roos showcasing their resilience in two games that required penalty shootouts.
St John’s maintained their dominance on the second day, securing the top spot in pool B alongside Rondebosch, with Paul Roos and Westville filling the other quarterfinal spots.
On the final day, the excitement increased in pool A, awaiting the conclusion of the St Stithians-Selborne game to determine the final standings.
Bishops led the way, with SACS, Clifton and Selborne securing the remaining spots.
The quarterfinals were: Bishops v Westville, SACS v Paul Roos, Selborne v Rondebosch, Clifton v St John’s.
The Cape sides dominated, with Bishops, SACS and Rondebosch making it to the last four, alongside St Johns.
In the plate semifinals, St Stithians defeated Michaelhouse, and Hilton beat St Andrew’s College. Bishops triumphed over Rondebosch, and SACS defeated St John’s, setting up a rematch in the finals.
St John’s and Rondebosch battled for the bronze medal, with St John’s staging a comeback in the last quarter to secure victory. In an exciting final, SACS turned the tables on Bishops to win 10-9.
The final standings were: 1 SACS, 2 Bishops, 3 St John’s, 4 Rondebosch, 5 Paul Roos, 6 Selborne, 7 Clifton College, 8 Westville, 9 St Stithians, 10 Hilton, 11
● The St Andrew’s tennis team produced some excellent performances in the annual Merrifield tournament in East London this weekend, finally finishing in fourth place.
The team had an impressive start against Stirling in their first fixture. Despite battling the intense 35C heat, St Andrew’s managed an 8-5 win.
Undeterred by the conditions, the team continued their winning streak in the second fixture against Selborne.
Early on Saturday morning the team rose to the occasion, securing a win against Cradock and advancing to the crosspool playoffs for third position against hosts Merrifield.
Merrifield won by a narrow margin, but St Andrew’s moved up three places from their finish in the 2022 event.