Maritzburg College Take On Westville Boys’ High in Traditional Schools Clash!
Maritzburg College opened the new sporting year with a full slate of fixtures against long-time rivals Westville Boys’ High School. Across basketball, cricket and water polo, College produced a string of encouraging early-season performances, highlighted by commanding results on the basketball courts and a strong showing from the U14 water polo team
Basketball (Saturday, 17 January)
Overall: Played 21 | Won 16 | Lost 5
Maritzburg College basketball returned in 2026 against its usual foes from Westville in what is an outstanding show of camaraderie and basketball spirit. The Alan Paton Memorial Hall was loud with supporters cheering on their new recruits as the u14A teams went head-to-head, College emerged victorious winning 53-6. College set the tone on the courts with a comprehensive programme win. The 1st team delivered a statement victory, 56–37, while the depth through the age groups was on full display, especially in the U14 and U15 brackets. A superb collective outing and promising start to the season ahead.
1st team report (Mr Jacques Wilcock, MIC Basketball)
At the start of the 1st team encounter, Westville stormed onto the court and proved too strong for College in the opening quarter, forcing multiple turnovers and ending two points ahead. Strong words during the break saw the College team firing on all cylinders as they managed to keep Westville from scoring during the quarter, with College ahead at halftime 29-16. The first game back syndrome was evident in the second half as both teams struggled, a hot and humid APMH adding to the fatigue, and saw countless errors creating a back-and-forth affair. Maritzburg College were victorious in the end winning 56-37 with a strong scoring performance by M Ntlakana with 15 points.
Senior highlights
- 1st: W 56–37
- 2nd: L 37–41
- 3rd: W 39–25
- 4th: W 42–16
U16s
- 16A: W 48–15
- 16B: W 38–18
- 16C: W 22–15
- 16D: L 14–17
U15s
- 15A: W 38–21
- 15B: W 33–23
- 15C: W 11–9
- 15D: L 13–16
- 15E: W 20–8
U14s
- 14A: W 56–3
- 14B: W 16–14
- 14C: W 15–14
- 14D: L 10–12
- 14E: W 12–3
- 14F: L 8–10
- 14G: W 8–2
- 14H/I: W 15–6
Cricket
Friday, 16 January
College’s 4th XI claimed a gritty win away, chasing down Westville to win by 2 wickets (WBHS 114 all out; MC 116/8, Schrage *41). Several junior sides battled hard but fell short in their chases.
1st team report (Mr Robbie Coutts, MIC and 1st XI coach)
On a warm and wet Pietermaritzburg morning, the Westville captain won the toss and, with the pitch looking good for batting, had no hesitation in electing to bat first.
Westville’s openers made a solid start, adding 28 runs in the first six overs. College’s new-ball pairing of Reece Willson and Greg Hosking bowled with discipline and control, frequently beating the bat without immediate reward. The breakthrough came courtesy of captain Willson, with Kyle de Bruyn taking a sharp catch at slip. Hosking struck in the following over, removing the Westville captain, who was well caught on the square-leg boundary by Luke Venter. Willson then produced the delivery of the game in his next over, clean bowling the batsman to leave Westville three down.
By tea, Westville had negotiated the session well, reaching 108 for 3 after 25 overs, with the match finely balanced. After the interval, College’s bowlers applied sustained pressure, restricting the scoring rate and claiming four wickets for just 21 runs. The Westville lower order responded admirably, however, with a valuable eighth-wicket partnership of 63 giving the visitors a platform to post a competitive total.
The pick of the College bowlers was captain Reece Willson (3 for 38) and Luke Venter (3 for 26). Westville closed their innings on 216 for 8 from their 50 overs, a competitive but by no means unassailable score.
College’s reply began positively, with Akhil Bharath and de Bruyn putting on 36 for the opening stand. However, a lack of strike rotation in the early stages allowed the Westville bowlers to settle, and the College batters gradually found themselves under pressure. After tea, there was a noticeable increase in intent, with the batsmen putting both bowlers and fielders under pressure, but wickets continued to fall just as momentum was building.
The only other partnerships of substance were stands of 29 and 30 for the sixth and seventh wickets, both involving Luan van der Merwe. Van der Merwe top-scored for College with a patient and composed 44. Ultimately, College will rue the number of dot balls faced in the first 25 overs, which made the chase increasingly difficult. College was bowled out for 154 in the 46th over.
Scores in brief
Westville 216 for 8 College 154 all out
Willson 3 for 38 Van der Merwe 44 Venter 3 for 26
Westville won by 62 runs.
Selected results
- 4th XI: Won by 2 wickets (WBHS 114; MC 116/8 – Schrage 41*)
- 16C: Lost by 42 runs
- 15C: Lost by 3 wickets
- 15D: Lost by 5 wickets
- 15E: Lost by 43 runs
- 14C: Lost by 26 runs
Inclement weather in Saturday caused cancellations of the Durban and Kloof matches, but College still banked a number of age-group wins. The weekend highlighted promising early-season signs from 16A and U14 teams.
Seniors
- 1st XI: Lost by 62 runs (WBHS 216/8; MC 154 all out – van der Merwe 44)
- 2nd XI: No result (cancelled)
- 3rd XI: Cancelled
U16s
- 16A: Won by 3 wickets (WBHS 109 all out; MC 112/7 – Brigg 47*; support from Palmer 34, Bishop 30)
- 16B: No result
U15s
- 15A: Lost by 22 runs
- 15B: Lost by 13 runs
- 15F: Lost by 9 wickets
U14s
- 14A: Won by 7 wickets (WBHS 89 all out; MC 93/3 – Naidoo 35*, Bruyns 24)
- 14B: No result
- 14D: Won by 29 runs (MC 146/9; WBHS 120/9)
- 14E: Won by 28 runs (MC 150/2; WBHS 123 all out – runs shared; Moya 21, Exsteen 31* noted in the card)
- 14F: Lost by 3 runs (thriller)
- 14G: Lost by 32 runs
1st team cricket rankings
Water Polo (Saturday, 17 January)
Overall: Played 10 | Won 5 | Lost 5
A balanced day in the pool with excellent momentum from the juniors. The senior 1st and 2nd teams were edged by powerful Westville outfits, while College’s U14s were outstanding across the board.
1st team report (Mr Darren Sherriff, Director Aquatics)
Maritzburg College made a strong start against Westville, racing into an early four-goal lead. Westville responded well, narrowing the margin to 4–3 by the end of the first chukka. They then gained control of the match in the second chukka, turning the score around to lead 7–4 at halftime. Despite College’s efforts to fight back, Westville managed the game well and held onto their advantage, securing an 8- 12 victory.
Seniors
- 1st: L 8–12
- 2nd: L 3–7
- 3rd: L 4–11
- 4th: W 8–4
- 5th: W 11–7
U15/U14
- 15A: L 4–21
- 15B: L 8–14
- 14A: W 9–1
- 14B: W 9–4
- 14C: W 7–5
Summary
- Basketball: Dominant programme performance (16 wins), including a convincing 1st team 56– 37 victory and emphatic margins in U14 and U15 age groups.
- Cricket: Mixed returns across two rain-affected days; highlights included 4th XI (win by 2 wickets), 16A (win by 3 wickets) and multiple victories from U14A, D and E on
- Water Polo: Even split overall (5 wins, 5 losses), headlined by an U14 clean
Maritzburg College thanks Westville Boys’ High School for competitive fixtures and excellent sportsmanship. The Red, Black and White now turn their focus to the next set of summer fixtures with confidence and valuable early-season rhythm.
Cycling
College Cycling Team were on fire at Cascades MTB Park over the weekend. Our riders raced the trails in both Enduro and XCO, showing grit, speed and serious determination.
Combined Points – U17 & U18 Category:
1st place: Kayden Searle 2nd place: Brynn Fourie
Well done to our talented cycling stars for representing College with heart and energy!
Photo credits:
MC Cricket: There were mixed results across two rain‑affected days; highlights included 4th XI, 16A and U14A victories.
MC Basketball: College set the tone on the courts with a comprehensive programme win for the basketball teams. The 1st team delivered a statement victory, 56–37, while the depth through the age groups was on full display, especially in the U14 and U15 brackets. A superb collective outing and promising start to the season ahead.
MC Water polo: A balanced day in the pool with excellent momentum from the Maritzburg College’s juniors. The senior 1st and 2nd teams were edged by powerful Westville outfits, while College’s U14s were outstanding across the board.
Credit: B Govender
