CRICKET
Kearsney 1st X1: 211-3 (Verbaan 104*, Blackburn 87; Gasa 2/29)
Glenwood 1st X1: 82 all out (Nkwayana 28; Moodley 3/19, Groom 2/18, Bishop 2/8)
Kearsney won by 129 runs
On Saturday, Kearsney hosted Glenwood and elected to bat first when they won the toss.
Glenwood showed great control with the ball, and assessed the conditions quickly by introducing spin in the fourth over. It was slow going for the hosts who were 56/1 at tea. However, after tea the Kearsney batters showed greater intent, with Gary Verbaan and Aaron Blackburn putting on a great display with the bat. They recorded a 194-run partnership with Verbaan scoring his maiden century for the Kearsney 1st XI, ending with 104 not out, and Blackburn, dismissed in the final over, scored 87. Kearsney ended their innings on 211-3. The standout player with the ball for Glenwood was left arm spinner Esihle Gasa who recorded 2 for 29 in his 9 overs.
Chasing was going to be tough. Kearsney struck early through Michael Groom 2 for 18 and James Bishop 2 for 8 to leave Glenwood in trouble at 39 / 6. It was a position from which they never recovered, with only Charles Nkwayana showing any resistance scoring 28. Rivan Moodley once again did the most damage for the hosts taking 3 for 19 in 7 overs to bowl Glenwood out for 82 and give Kearsney a 129-run victory.
BASKETBALL
Kearsney 1st team beat Glenwood 1st team 74-47
Kearsney hosted Glenwood for this week’s basketball fixture which turned out to be a bit of a mismatch with Kearsney dominating their opposition from the outset. This allowed Kearsney’s coach to give much-needed playing time to some of the bench players. Kearsney won the first quarter 27-15, second quarter 33-17; the third quarter 52-32 and the fourth quarter 74-47.
The main Kearsney players hardly stepped onto the court during the match as they were resting for the second game of the day against the Kearsney Old Boys, a team which comprised players currently in university teams or who have played professionally.
The game against the Kearsney Old Boys was a tense affair, with both teams playing for pride and neither allowing their opposition any wriggle room. The crowd was treated to a great spectacle and was able to see some of Kearsney’s legendary players in action, with the fixture living up to the hype. Kearsney’s 1st team won the game 61-57 – looking by the end of the fourth quarter more in shape than their opponents who had made them work hard for their victory.
Overall Kearsney’s basketball teams played well, losing only one match to Glenwood. The U14C team placed third in the inaugural Hoops Mania U14 tournament, where they competed against U14 teams from tier two schools.
WATER POLO
Kearsney Water Polo Night Series
Kearsney beat Maritzburg College 14-7
Hilton drew with Northwood 10-10
Westville beat DHS 13-5
In a thrilling Night Series matchup, Kearsney faced off against Maritzburg College, emerging victorious with a 14-7 win. The game started strongly for Kearsney in the first chukka, jumping to a 4-1 lead with goals from Dru Mills (extra man), Max Mills, Aston Grace and Oliver Ludwig, despite College sneaking in one extra man goal.
The second chukka maintained the momentum, with Kearsney adding four more through Thomas Francke (action and penalty), Dru Mills and Thomas Aylward, while College responded with a penalty to make it 8-2 at half-time.
College mounted a comeback in the third, scoring twice to narrow it to 8-4, but Kearsney held firm with strikes from Levi Thom, Thomas Aylward (penalty) and James Beningfield (extra man).
The fourth chukka saw ups and downs as College clawed back three goals to close the gap to 11-7, but Kearsney sealed the win with efforts from James Beningfield, Dru Mills (extra man) and another from Levi Thom, showcasing solid defence and opportunistic scoring.
Kearsney 1st team water polo beat Glenwood 1st team 24-7
Kearsney dominated the scheduled school fixture against Glenwood on Saturday, cruising to a commanding 27-4 victory.
The first chukka set a blistering pace with Kearsney scoring eight unanswered goals, led by James Whatmore (three action shots), James Beningfield (two), Reece York, Cruz Reynolds and Dru Mills (penalty), ending 8-0
Glenwood fought back in the second, netting three while Kearsney added five through Aston Grace, Max Mills (penalty), James Whatmore, Cruz Reynolds and Dru Mills, pushing the score to 13-3 at the break.
The third chukka was all Kearsney again, piling on eight more with Dru Mills (four action shots), Cruz Reynolds (extra man), James Whatmore, Max Mills and Reece York, extending the lead to 21-3.
In the fourth, Kearsney tacked on six final goals from Reece York, Dru Mills (penalty), Cruz Reynolds, James Beningfield (extra man) and James Whatmore (penalty and extra man), though Glenwood managed one late goal to finalize at 27-4, highlighting Kearsney’s offensive firepower and defensive steals.
Across the age groups, Kearsney had excellent results: 2nd team won 16-2, 3rd team won 19-1, Kearsney U14B beat Glenwood U14A 19-0, and Kearsney U15B beat Glenwood U15A 18-5.
MIDMAR MILE
Kearsney grade 9 swimmer Zach Hopf completed the open water Midmar Mile in a time of 22 minutes, finishing 43rd overall. Despite choppy conditions and strong currents on Sunday, he managed to improve his time from last year’s swim by nearly a minute, marking a significant personal milestone.
Other Kearsney swimmers who participated were Cai Terblanche, Nicholas Caley, Mason Allan, Thomas Ludwig, Blake Kearns, Jaden Dellar and Blake Gaines.
Cricket photographer: Samir Reddy (Kearsney, Grade 10)