Maritzburg College shines across multiple sporting codes in action-packed weekend against Glenwood and at National Water Polo Festivals
28–29 February 2026
Maritzburg College enjoyed an exceptional weekend of sport, producing outstanding performances across basketball, cricket, and water polo. In addition to their traditional fixtures against Glenwood, College also participated in three major national water polo festivals and the KZN Top10 schools basketball tournament, displaying depth, resilience, and competitive spirit on multiple fronts. There were also excellent athletics performances and podium places for the shootists. Congratulations to K Searle who placed in the Top 10 at the SA National XCO in Paarl.
BASKETBALL: Resounding victories across age groups and KZN Top 10 Championship school
College basketball teams delivered one of their strongest weekends of the season against longtime rivals, Glenwood, securing emphatic wins across junior and senior divisions.
The 1st Team set the pace with a commanding 91–28 victory over Glenwood (as part of the KZN Top 10 Schools Tournament), while the 2nd Team and 3rd Team followed with confident wins of 47–24 and 45–13, respectively.
Top 10 Report (Mr Jacques Wilcock, MIC Basketball)
The culmination of the basketball season came with the battle to see the best basketball programme in the province in the KZN Top 10 basketball tournament.
The Maritzburg College 1st team faced off against some tough opponents most notably the double header on Friday with Michaelhouse and Kearsney. A narrow victory against Michaelhouse as the tournament opener 44-41 was a good starting point as they wished to progress through the tournament, the following game, approximately an hour later, against Kearsney proved to be too much for the team as they faced their first loss of 2026 with Kearsney landing some demoralising three pointers to push them to a four point victory and making progression through to the knockout rounds dependent on the result on Saturday against DHS. The loss proved to be the igniter for College who stormed to commanding victories against Glenwood (91-28) and DHS (74-32) as they went on to top the group. In the semifinals the team faced off against Westville, the third time this year, which was going to be a challenge as Westville are in a good run of form and the familiarity between the teams required new variations. College sneaked through with the score 54-44 in the end following a late surge from Westville to progress to their third final of 2026 where a rematch against Kearsney awaited. College came out the gate with a point to prove as they out ran Kearsney in the opening stages and pushed the score to double digits within the first few minuets with Kearsney looking for answers. The game opened up in the latter stages of the game as College stormed ahead and ultimately proving to strong for Kearsney winning 78-37 and being named u19 KZN Top 10 champions.
The U14 and U15 teams had a fantastic tournaments, as they went unbeaten in their respective tournaments, becoming age group tournament winners. Maritzburg College were named the overall KZN Top 10 winners with 38 out of 40 points achieved, emphasising that they are the best programme in the province.
These results reflect a basketball programme firing on all cylinders, with consistent excellence at every level.
CRICKET: Strong all-round performances against Glenwood
College cricket continued its impressive run of form with comprehensive wins across the board. The 1st XI claimed victory by 5 wickets, successfully chasing down Glenwood’s 116.
Other notable team performances included:
- 16A: Won by 8 wickets
- 15A: Won by 9 wickets
- 14A: Won by 8 wickets
1st team report (Mr Robbie Coutts; 1st XI coach)
On a warm Maritzburg morning, College hosted Glenwood on Goldstones. Overnight rain meant the start was delayed by thirty minutes, but once play got underway, it was College who settled quickest.
Captain Reece Willson lost the toss, and the visiting skipper elected to bat first. Willson led from the front, striking in his second over when he trapped the Glenwood opener LBW. Shortly thereafter, a sharp low catch by James Pembridge off Willson’s bowling had the visitors in early trouble at 5 for 2.
Kyle de Bruyn and Luke Venter tightened the screws through disciplined spells, both claiming wickets as Glenwood slipped to 30 for 4 after 15 overs. To their credit, the visitors dug in and produced their best partnership of the match, a stand of 38, briefly stabilising the innings. However, College never allowed the game to drift from their control, maintaining pressure and ensuring Glenwood were unable to build any meaningful momentum.
While pleased with the control they exerted, College will reflect on moments of ill-discipline that allowed Glenwood to edge their way to 116 all out in 49 overs. In a telling statistic, the top scorer of the innings was Extras. Willson and De Bruyn were the pick of the bowlers, both finishing with three wickets.
The College reply never quite found full fluency. The first five partnerships all reached double figures, but none were able to convert promising starts into something decisive. It required calm heads in the middle as Luka Puddu was joined by his captain.
The pair combined maturity with composure, guiding College steadily towards the target. In the 26th over, the job was completed for a five-wicket victory. Willson capped an excellent all-round performance, finishing unbeaten on 29, while Puddu struck the winning runs to end on 27 not out.
A professional performance overall, with key contributions at important moments, ensuring College controlled the game from start to finish.
Scores in brief
Glenwood 116 all out College 120 for 5
Willson 3 for 22 Willson 29*
De Bruyn 3 for 18 Puddu 27*
College won by 5 wickets
College’s cricket depth continues to be a major strength, with disciplined bowling and composed batting across the age tiers.
WATER POLO: Unbeaten vs Glenwood & outstanding showings at national festivals
College water polo enjoyed a spectacular weekend, remaining unbeaten in fixtures against Glenwood while simultaneously delivering strong performances at three national festivals.
WATER POLO FIXTURES VS GLENWOOD
College swept all matches against Glenwood:
- 3rd Team: W 8–4
- 4th Team: W 8–1
- 15B Team: W 10–9
- 14B Team: W 13–1
WATER POLO FESTIVALS (27–29 February 2026)
College’s water polo programme was well represented across three major festivals, showcasing talent from U14 to 1st Team level.
KEN SHORT FESTIVAL (U14A)
The U14A team delivered an impressive mix of results, with four standout wins demonstrating their potential.
- W 9–0 vs St Benedict’s
- L 2–5 vs Bishops
- W 8–2 vs Jeppe
- W 10–0 vs PBHS
- L 4–5 vs Affies
- L 1–8 vs SACS
- W 7–3 vs St Stithians
- L 1–6 vs St David’s
- L 2–6 vs KES
INDIGO PARKTOWN TOURNAMENT (U15A)
Competing against tough Gauteng opposition, the U15A team fought hard throughout:
- L 1–11 vs Kearsney
- L 2–3 vs Jeppe
- L 4–7 vs St Stithians
- L 2–4 vs St David’s
- L 2–1 vs WBHS
- W 6–2 vs St Benedict’s
REEF CUP (1st Team)
The 1st water polo team delivered a series of high-quality performances against tough opposition and finished in 5th place with six wins from eight games:
- W 28–1 vs Reddam Umhlanga
- W 8–4 vs Grey College
- W 20–4 vs Rand Park
- L 9–10 vs Affies
- W 16–3 vs Glenwood
- L 5–6 vs Northwood
- W 9–5 vs St Benedict’s
- W 12-11 vs St Peter’s
1st team report (Mr Darren Sherriff, Director of Aquatics)
Maritzburg College delivered a strong performance at the Reef Cup, finishing an impressive 5th out of 20 teams. College opened the tournament in dominant fashion with convincing victories over Reddam Umhlanga (28–1), Grey College (8–4), and Rand Park (20–4). College faced a narrow 9-10 defeat to Affies in a closely contested match.
They continued their momentum with a commanding 16–3 win against Glenwood, before meeting Northwood in a tightly fought quarterfinal. Despite a determined effort, College fell just short, losing 5-6. The team responded positively in their remaining fixtures, securing strong wins over St Benedict’s (9–5) and St Peter’s (12–11) to close out the tournament on a high note.
Overall, the team showed excellent attacking strength, resilience, and character throughout the competition, earning a well-deserved top-five finish.
ST CHARLES COLLEGE FESTIVAL (2nd Team)
The 2nd Team demonstrated grit and promising development throughout their festival fixtures finishing in 7th place overall.
- W 13–2 vs Michaelhouse 3rd
- L 6–8 vs WBHS
- L 2–6 vs Hilton
- W 7–6 vs SCC 1st
- W 13–3 vs Invitational
- L 2–11 vs Michaelhouse
- L 4–6 vs SCC
- W 11-3 vs Woolridge
ATHLETICS AQUELLE SERIES FINAL
Athletics Results – 5th aQuellè Summer Track & Field Series
Maritzburg College delivered an exceptional all-round performance in the 5th aQuellè Summer Track and Field Series, from start to finish. The team secured first place at all five events, earning the title of overall series champions in emphatic style. This marks the fourth time in five editions that College has claimed the overall title, reinforcing the consistency, depth, and excellence of the athletics programme. As overall winners, the team was also awarded R10 000 in prize money.
Individual Athlete Highlights Under 13
- BR Cassels
- 2 first places, 1 second place and 3 third places
- Also placed 3rd overall U13 athlete for the series
Under 15
- LH Bottcher
- 3 first places and 1 third place
· RS Slade
- 2 first places and 1 second place
· MV Puddu
- 1 first place
Under 17
- S Ismail (Barns)
- 2 first places and 2 second places
- Also set a new 800m record
· SD Jansen (Barns)
- 1 first place, 3 second places and 1 third place
Under 19
- M Mogale (Strachan)
- 1 first place and 1 second place
· TJ Boshoff (Calder)
- 3 first places and 2 second places
· CJ Scheepers (Commons)
- 3 first places and 3 third places
· B Andrews (Lamond)
- 3 first places, 2 second places and 3 third places
- Also finished 2nd overall U19 athlete of the series
· CA Sweetnam (Strachan)
- 1 first place and 1 second place
· B Fourie (Strachan)
- 2 first places, 1 second place and 3 third places
- Set a new U19 javelin record
· M Smith (Forder)
- 1 first place and 1 second place
SHOOTING
Maritzburg College produced a top quality performance in the U21 Sporter categories, securing the top three spots in both the 10m and 3P events. With strong contributions from the U16 division as well, the results point to a robust and well-developed shooting programme with talent emerging through the ranks.
| Summary of Results | |
| U21 Sporter 10m | |
| 1. E Hunter Smith. | 499 |
| 2. N Naidoo. | 493 |
| 3. P Khumalo. | 492 |
| 4. W Parker. | 406 |
| 5. S Raju. | 402 |
| 6. W Van Dyk. | 378 |
| U21 Sporter 3P | |
| 1. E Hunter Smith. | 469 |
| 2.N Naidoo. | 468 |
| 3 P Khumalo. | 440 |
| 4. W Parker. | 319 |
| 5. W van Dyk. | 298 |
| 6. 6. S Raju. | 296 |
U16 Sporter 10m and 3P
2nd T Marwick 329 and 213 respectively
CANOEING
College’s canoeists produced excellent results over the weekend at the KZN sprinting championships.
U14
Jock Cairns: 4th in K1 1000m
U18
Matt Rawson: Semi-finals in K1 1000m, 4th K2 1000m
Josh Worthman: 5th in K1 1000m, 1st in K2 1000m, 2nd in K1 5000m
A REMARKABLE WEEKEND FOR COLLEGE SPORT
Across all codes, Maritzburg College reaffirmed its reputation as one of South Africa’s premier sporting schools. Winning most of their fixtures, competing fiercely in festivals around the country, and showcasing depth at all levels, the Red, Black, and White continue to strive for excellence.
