Maritzburg College Sports Report- 27th January

Maritzburg College Sports Report- 27th January:

Maritzburg College achieved excellent results against Glenwood this weekend, with several standout performances across basketball, water polo, and cricket.

With boys also competing in mountain biking, canoeing, trail running and golf, it was a busy second weekend of the year for the RedBlackWhite!

Basketball

College’s basketball teams won 23 of their 25 games on Friday and Saturday, and won all 12 against Glenwood. The balance were against Treverton, Kearsney and Westville. Much to the delight of their supporters, the 1^st team produced an exceptional win 119-23.

1^st team report (Mr Jacques Wilcock, MIC: Basketball)

A strong performance from the first team saw them victors 119-23. The team was focused on achieving their objectives for the match and allowing much-needed game time for some players. The following players performed well, M Askham with 19 points followed by N Ngcobo and C Fynn with 13 points each. Overall, it was a strong day for College basketball as they won all their fixtures against Glenwood.

Summary of results:

The Maritzburg College U16A basketball team also took part in the Michaelhouse tournament winning all but one of their games, and bringing home the silver.

Summary of results

College vs Hilton B won 31-10 College vs Kearsney won 27-20

College vs Drakensburg Boys Choir won 50-8 College vs Michaelhouse B won 44-10 College vs Clifton won 37-10

College vs Hilton A won 34-33 College vs Michaelhouse A lost 30-34 College placed 2nd

 Maritzburg College Sports Report – Cricket

On another extremely hot weekend, Maritzburg College’s cricketers played 19 matches, 15 of which were against Glenwood. Winning 14 of the 15 matches, the boys produced some excellent cricketing action in only their second fixtures of the year. The U14A, U15A, U16A and 1^st XI all had convincing wins, although mention must be made of the U14B side who batted first scoring an outstanding 418 runs for the loss of 9 wickets, before bowling Glenwood out for 61, and winning by 357 runs! Well done boys!

1^st team report (Mr Robbie Coutt 1^st XI coach)

The Maritzburg College 1st XI hosted Glenwood on a hot and humid day at Goldstones. College’s captain Daniel Nadasan won the toss and opted to bat first, looking to build on the lessons from the previous weekend by batting out 50 overs, minimizing dot balls, and setting a competitive target of 200.

The Glenwood bowlers were disciplined from the outset, offering little in the way of scoring opportunities. Ewald Bester was the first wicket to fall with the score on 19 as College struggled to gain momentum. By morning tea, the hosts had reached a cautious 63 for 3, with runs proving difficult to come by.

The most significant partnership of the innings came between Luan van der Merwe and Nadasan, who added 49 valuable runs. However, van der Merwe’s dismissal left College with plenty of work to do to post a challenging total. Some aggressive late-order batting from Kyle de Bruyn and Sphamandla Dzanibe helped College push towards their revised tea-time target of 180. Nadasan played a composed knock, top scoring with a patient 44, as College finished on 183 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs.

Defending 183, College’s bowlers put in a disciplined and clinical performance. Opening bowlers Reece Willson and Samuel Hughes set the tone brilliantly, bowling with good pace and accuracy. Glenwood’s openers were kept in check, managing only 22 for 1 after the first 10 overs, with Willson striking inside the powerplay. The second breakthrough came through a superb catch at gully by Hughes off the bowling of Karl Dedekind. Dzanibe and Nathan Pembridge maintained the pressure in the middle overs, restricting Glenwood to just 55 for 3 at tea.

After the break, Pembridge continued his accuracy and control, while Dom du Toit proved an excellent foil at the other end. Their combined spell after tea decisively swung the match in College’s favour. Pembridge was outstanding, claiming 4 wickets for 30 runs in his 10 overs.

With sharp fielding and relentless pressure, College ensured Glenwood never built a meaningful partnership. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 99 in the 40th over, securing a convincing 84- run victory for College. This win was a testament to a well-rounded team effort, highlighted by disciplined bowling, sharp catching, and a composed batting performance under challenging conditions.

Scores in Brief:

College 183 for 8; Nadasan 44

Glenwood 99 all out; Pembridge 4 for 30, Willson 2 for 11 College won by 84 runs

Summary of scores:

Water polo

It was an excellent weekend for the water polo fraternity who won all five of their games against Glenwood! Congratulations to all the boys. The first team secured a 14-5 victory much to the delight of the boys and families cheering them on. With excellent wins for both the U15A (21-4) and the U14A (19-3) there was plenty to celebrate at the Dudley Forde Aquatic Centre.

1^st team report (Mr Darren Sherriff – Director Aquatics)

On Saturday College hosted Glenwood for a full set of fixtures. It started off as a tough match with College taking an early lead and keeping control of the game to stay in the lead. Glenwood fought hard to try climb back with some goals, but College on the day was too strong and won 14-5.

Summary of scores:

Canoeing – Drak Challenge

College’s talented Keegan Vogt took gold at the U18 K1 Drak Challenge, with Riley Smith finishing in 3^rd place to join him on the podium. In the U16 category Josh Wortmann finished 2^nd with Matthew Rawson in 3^rd to bring home another two podium places!

Summary of results

U18

Keegan Vogt 1st Ryley Smith 3rd

Jayden JvRensburg 5th James Gotte 11th Joshua Craig 13th Brad Cook 18th

U23

Jack Odell 17th

U16

Josh Worthmann 2nd Matthew Rawson 3rd

K2

Keigan Clarke & Dad Gary Clarke 36 th