Sports News: Maritzburg College weekend recap.

Sports News from Maritzburg College on the weekend matches.

Overview

Maritzburg College took on local rivals Durban High School and Westville Boys High over the weekend in a full round of exciting cricket, basketball and water polo fixtures. The 1^st and U15A water polo teams took part in the Clifton and Ian Melliar tournaments respectively.

Cricket

College secured 5 wins and 1 tie, losing 5 matches against Westville Boys’ High School, with the 1st XI winning by 8 wickets, and the 2nd XI clinching victory by 6 wickets. Against Durban High School, College had 5 wins and just 2 losses; highlights including the 2nd XI victory by 24 runs, and the 3rd XI 62-run win. Across all levels, the teams displayed skill, teamwork, and College pride!

1^st team report (Mr Robbie Coutts, 1^st XI coach)

The Maritzburg College 1st XI travelled to Westville for a 100-ball triangular against DHS and the hosts, Westville.

In the opening fixture, College took on Westville, and after winning the toss, elected to bowl first on a dry, grassy pitch. The bowlers started well, showing excellent discipline, they were well supported by sharp fielding. Although College only managed four wickets, they never allowed the opposition to accelerate. Left-arm spinner Nathan Pembridge was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 18 from his 20 balls, he well supported by seamers Karl Dedekind and Dominic du Toit.

Westville posted 111 for 4 in their 100 balls, a total that looked tricky to defend, but after they struck twice in the powerplay to remove both College openers, they may have felt they had a chance to defend their score. However, Dedekind and Deolyn Naidoo combined superbly, putting together a match- winning stand of 99. Dedekind was the aggressor, smashing 62* off 33 balls, while Naidoo played a composed hand with 34* from 25 balls, guiding College home with 27 balls to spare.

Scores in brief

Westville 111 for 4; Pembridge 2 for 18 College 112 for 2; Dedekind 62*, Naidoo 33* College won by 8 wickets

In the second game against DHS, College lost the toss and were asked to bowl. The bowling attack wasn’t quite as disciplined as in the first game, and the final 15 balls proved costly, with DHS hammering 37 runs in that period. Du Toit again impressed with 2 for 25 from his 20 balls, while Dedekind bowled 10 balls for just 7 runs. Two wickets fell to outstanding catches, one by Luke Venter and another by wicketkeeper Joseph Currie. DHS closed on 136 for 4.

The chase started promisingly, but College struggled to build momentum, losing wickets just as they looked to reassert themselves. The best stand came from Luka Puddu and du Toit, who added 35. Puddu top-scored with 28, showing good intent.

The match ended in controversy. With 24 runs needed from 11 balls, Reece Willson was caught at long- off. The fielder, close to the boundary cushion, flicked the ball back into play., College supporters were certain he had made contact with the rope, while DHS supporters were equally convinced, he had not. The call went DHS’s way, and with only a single taken from the shot, the tail was exposed. Three balls later, the innings was wrapped up, College bowled out for 113 with seven deliveries remaining, and DHS claimed victory by 23 runs.

Scores in brief

DHS 136 for 4; Du Toit 2 for 23

College 113 all out; Puddu 28 DHS won by 23 runs

Summary of results:

Basketball

Maritzburg College brought the heat to the courts this past weekend delivering some electrifying performances against Durban High School and Westville Boys’ High School.

Highlights versus DHS were the three wins from four games, with the 1^st team securing a convincing 84-53 victory. Against Westville, the College teams won 13 of their 19 games, with the 1^st team again showing their skill in a commanding 73–39 win. Well done to all the teams on their excellent commitment and energy.

1^st team report (Mr Jacques Wilcox, 1^st team coach)

An action-packed weekend saw College play against two of its provincial rivals Durban High School and Westville Boys High School on Friday and Saturday respectively. A tight encounter against DHS the last time, saw the two first teams start in a sense of unease. A physical affair, as expected, saw fifteen fouls in the first quarter and both teams making continuous trips to the free-throw line. The quarter ended 29 – 13 in favor of College. The game began spiraling out of control with both teams struggling to score as a back-and-forth action ensured. College held out for the result winning 84 – 53.

On Saturday College faced Westville who have in recent times proven to be a challenging competitor. A strong showing by College in the first half had Westville in a tough predicament by halftime with score being 55 – 17 to College. The Westville surge out of halftime made it difficult for College to adjust and had them on the back foot. A controlled approach in the final quarter saw College storm to a commanding score of 73 – 39.

It was a great weekend of basketball for Maritzburg College as they won 16 out 23 games against DHS and Westville combined.

Summary of results

Water polo

College’s water polo teams showed plenty of grit, growth and great spirit throughout their challenging fixtures and tournament battles.

The 1st team took on six tough matches at the Clifton Tournament, clinching a thrilling 12–10 win against KES! Despite challenging games against Clifton, Selborne, Reddham Constantia, Paul Roos, and Northwood, the team gave it their all and represented College with pride.

College’s 15A team played seven matches, celebrating a hard-fought 8–6 victory over Glenwood House at the end. Every match was a learning curve, and the boys showed true grit against some strong teams.

The rest of the College teams battled it out with passion against Westville Boys’ High School and Durban High School fighting hard in all their games against tough opposition. Well done to all the players and coaches for their commitment and courage.

1^st team report (Mr D Sherriff, Director of Aquatics)

The annual Clifton Water Polo Tournament took place in Durban from 24–28 September, bringing together some of South Africa’s top school teams for five days of intense competition. College’s 1at team showed resilience and fighting spirit throughout the tournament, facing strong opposition in every match.

In the opening round, they went down to hosts Clifton with a 4–20 loss before regrouping for a much tighter contest against Selborne College, eventually falling short 8–11. A high-scoring clash with Reddam Constantia followed, where the boys battled hard but lost 11–19.

In the cross-pool stage, College faced Paul Roos and pushed them all the way before going down 7–10. The highlight of the tournament came in the next fixture against KES, where the team delivered a spirited performance to secure a thrilling 12–10 victory.

In the final match, the team faced a well-organised Northwood side and despite creating chances, were unable to convert them consistently, finishing with a 6–14 defeat.

While results didn’t always go the way of College, the tournament provided invaluable experience against some of the country’s strongest water polo schools, and the boys can take pride in their effort, determination, and the progress shown throughout the competition.

Summary of results from the Clifton 1^st team Tournament

Vs Clifton lost 4-20 Vs Selborne lost 8-11

Vs Reddam Constantia lost 11-19 Vs Paul Roos lost 7-10

Vs KES won 12-10

Vs Northwood lost 6-14

Finished 14th

Summary of results from the Ian Melliar Tournament

Vs Glenwood House lost 3-8    Vs St David’s lost 2-11

Vs PBHS lost 1-3    Vs Rondebosch lost 0-15

Vs Grey PE lost 4-6   Vs Cape Town Invitational lost 4-5

Vs Glenwood House won 8-6

Finished 19th

Summary of results vs WBHS and DHS

Cycling

College’s cyclists competed in the KZN Provincial XCO Championships held at Cascades MTB park over

the weekend. Congratulations to Kayden Searle who placed 2^nd in the Junior category.

Other results:

Junior category

B Fourie 6th

C Wood 9th

Youth category

D Rencken 14th

Sub-junior category

R Champkins 10th