Maritzburg College’s teams were on fire this week ahead of the start of exams, taking on local rivals St Charles College in a full round of cricket, basketball and water polo fixtures. The A-side water polo teams competed in the Top Ten Schools competition, while our canoeists took part in the last school league race for 2025, with College finishing in 2nd place overall.
Cricket
Over the weekend, playing under some exceptionally hot weather conditions, College’s cricket teams faced off against St Charles College, with the #RedBlackWhite securing 11 wins from their 16 matches.
1st team report (Mr Robbie Coutts, 1st XI coach)
The Maritzburg College 1st XI took on cross-city rivals St Charles on Goldstones. In situations like Saturday, when deciding to bat or bowl, College Old Boy, coach, and current Auckland Aces mentor Doug Watson once said, there is no need to look at the pitch, only to look up at the sky. With temperatures soaring into the high 30s, the heat was always going to play a part in the captain’s decision at the toss.
The St Charles skipper called correctly and had no hesitation in choosing to bat first. College struck early with the score on 22, when Karl Dedekind held a juggled catch at slip off Samuel Hughes.
Hughes thought he had another shortly after, with strong appeals from players and supporters alike, but the umpire was unmoved. Another big shout followed the next over, yet again to no avail.
Sphamandla Dzanibe claimed the second wicket, well caught by Deolyn Naidoo, to leave the visitors 59 for 2. College bowled and fielded with discipline in the extreme heat, but it wasn’t until the score reached 159 that captain Daniel Nadasan picked up the next wicket. Despite College’s efforts, a run-a- ball sixth-wicket stand of 49 and a brisk 17-run partnership off just seven balls for the seventh wicket pushed St Charles to a defendable 245 for 7 in their 50 overs.
The College reply began cautiously. Nadasan was the first to fall with the score on 16, but Akhil Bharath and opener Kyle de Bruyn rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 72 off 94 balls. De Bruyn departed for a well-played 35, bringing Dedekind to the crease. Together with Bharath, he added a magnificent 107-run stand off 116 balls to put College firmly in control. Bharath was eventually dismissed for a composed 84 off 112 deliveries, leaving College on 199 for 3, needing 47 from the final 10 overs.
Dedekind and Naidoo added a further 22 before Naidoo fell for 6, but there would be no late drama. Dedekind and Dzanibe calmly guided College home, adding 28 runs off 24 balls, with Dzanibe sealing
victory in style with a six. College won by six wickets with 13 balls to spare, Dedekind showing his class with an unbeaten 86 from 81 balls.
Scores in brief
St Charles 245 for 7; Nadasan 2 for 30, Hughes 2 for 39
College 249 for 4; Dedekind 86*, Bharath 84, De Bruyn 35
College won by 6 wickets
Summary of results
| Team | Result |
|
1st |
SCC 245/7; Nadasan 2-30, Hughes 2-39 College 249/4; Dedekind 86*, Bharat 84 College won by 6 wickets |
|
2nd |
SCC 279/9
College 151/10; Puddu 31, Bisset 34. College lost by 128 runs |
|
3rd |
College 247/9; Wiggil 67, Smith 43 SCC 173/10
College won by 74 runs |
|
4th |
SCC 112/7; Mnguni 3-15 College 58/10
College lost by 54 runs |
|
5th |
College 119/9
Howick 83/10; Dunne 4-7 College won by 36 runs |
|
6th |
College 135/7; Lubbe 63*
SCC 5th 101/10; Mathapershad 4-20 College won by 34 runs |
|
15A |
College 76/10 SCC 77/2
College lost by 8 wickets |
|
15B |
College 133/10; Francis 37 SCC 108/10; Fitz 7-27
College won by 25 runs |
|
15C |
Riverwood 105/10; Fourie 3-21 College 107/2
College won by 8 wickets |
|
15D |
SCC 15C 208/4
College 193/2 College lost by 13 runs |
|
14A |
SCC 152/10; Duckham 3-5 College 154/4; Seach 66
College won by 6 wickets |
|
14B |
SCC 167/9; Marot 2-24, Mykonos 2-22 College 170/2; Layden 73*, Ramsay 51
College won by 8 wickets |
|
14C |
SCC 112/5
College 115/6; Salisbury 30 College won by 4 wickets |
|
14D |
College 89/10 Imbali Hub 90/3
College lost by 7 wickets |
|
14E |
SCC 14D 133/10
College 134/3 College won by 7 wickets |
|
14F |
Howick 14B 141/4; Voights 1-15
College 14F 142/2; Voights 64*, Hodge 39* College won by 8 wickets |
Basketball
With some of the fiercest competition of the season taking place, the College basketball teams brought the heat, winning 17 of their games against St Charles College. The 1st team was a tense and hard-fought encounter with both sides showing determination and commitment to the end, and it was College who emerged the victor with a 58-45 win.
1st team report (Mr Jacques Wilcock, 1st team coach)
A scorching summer day in Pietermaritzburg was fitting as two of its biggest schools faced off to secure top basketball bragging rights in the city. The Alan Paton Memorial Hall was alive with passion and excitement awaiting tip-off. A slow start for both teams stemming from the elements and physicality from the players, saw a four-point difference at the end of the first quarter 12-8.
A strong second quarter from College, resulted in an increased lead to 11 points. For the rest of the game the two teams pushed each to the limit, as the crowd rallied behind their respective schools. Congratulations to N Mbele who with a strong 12 points, helped push his team to victory and giving College the bragging rights over their rivals, and a final score of 58-45.
Summary of results
| Team | Opposition | Result |
| 1st | SCC | W 58-45 |
| 2nd | SCC | W 52-31 |
| 3rd | SCC | W 33-16 |
| 4th | SCC | W 32-22 |
| 5th | SCC | W 40-24 |
| 16A | SCC | W 49-25 |
| 16B | SCC | L 20-46 |
| 16C | SCC | W 21-16 |
| 16D | SCC | W 31-26 |
| 15A | SCC | W 66-24 |
| 15B | SCC | W 27-15 |
| 15C | SCC | W 26-18 |
| 15D | SCC | L 15-18 |
| 15E | SCC | L 27-31 |
| 15F | SCC | W 36-6 |
| 14A | SCC | W 34-28 |
| 14B | SCC | L 31-33 |
| 14C | SCC | W 24-13 |
| 14D | SCC | W 28-12 |
| 14E | SCC | W 24-20 |
| 14F | SCC | W 24-2 |
Water polo
An unstoppable display in the pool saw College win all four mid-week fixtures against St Charles. The A teams also competed in the Top Ten Schools competition over the weekend.
Summary of results vs St Charles College
1st vs SCC won 13–1
3rd vs SCC 2nd won 12-11
15A vs SCC 9–3
14A vs SCC 17-4
Summary of results Top Ten
14A finished 8th 15A finished 7th 1st finished 8th
1st team report (Mr D Sherriff, Director of Aquatics and 1st team coach)
The College 1st Water Polo team recently competed in the prestigious KZN Top 10 Tournament, hosted by Clifton School. The tournament featured the province’s strongest water polo sides, offering a highly competitive environment and valuable experience for the College team.
Over the course of the weekend, College faced several tough fixtures. The team recorded a convincing 16–6 victory over Glenwood, while narrowly losing to Michaelhouse (5–7) and Hilton (4–7). Despite determined efforts against Westville (3–8) and the eventual champions Clifton (3–10), College finished the tournament in 8th place.
Canoeing
College competed in the last schools league race for 2025, which comprised a relay and run. The U18 relay team comprising J Worthmann (K1), J Odell and N Curry (K2) and J Gotte (K1) finished in an excellent 2nd place overall.