Sports news from St Charles College vs Clifton College
Cricket (by Head Coach Divan van Wyk)
On a beautiful Saturday morning, St Charles College 1st XI travelled down to Riverside to take on Clifton College in their weekly fixture under sunny Durban skies.
Winning the toss on a batsman-friendly wicket, St Charles College elected to bat first, looking to make the most of the excellent conditions. The innings began cautiously, with the openers showing patience early on. A solid 50-run partnership between Caleb Sharp and Christiaan Prinsloo provided a platform, but wickets at regular intervals prevented any major momentum from building. A late flurry from Keegan Vermaak and Connor Vogt added a valuable 29 runs for the final wicket, helping Saints to a total of 216 all out.
Clifton began their chase confidently, with their openers putting on a 54-run stand before Keegan Vermaak made the first breakthrough, followed shortly by Ryan Clarke with a sharp caught-and-bowled dismissal. Despite these efforts, Clifton capitalised on the good batting surface and extras amounting to 36 runs to reach the target in the 43rd over, finishing on 217/6.
Well done to Clifton College on a composed performance and for making the most of their home conditions.
Basketball: St Charles College vs Clifton College (by Head Coach Darren Holcomb)
The St Charles College First Team travelled to Clifton College this past Saturday for what proved to be a hard-fought encounter played in challenging outdoor conditions. With the heat and strong wind making accurate shooting difficult, both teams were forced to adapt their usual styles of play.
Clifton made the most of their home-court advantage, adjusting well to the elements and adopting a disciplined zone defence that limited scoring opportunities in the early stages. Their composure and familiarity with the conditions allowed them to remain competitive throughout the first three periods.
St Charles College rotated its players regularly, ensuring that all team members gained valuable court time and experience. St Charles introduced a full-court press in an attempt to force turnovers and change the tempo. Clifton, however, handled the pressure well and continued to play with structure and determination.
As the match wore on, the Saints began to find greater rhythm defensively, implementing their own zone setup to good effect. This adjustment slowed Clifton’s scoring opportunities and allowed St Charles College to gradually pull away in the final period. Despite the conditions being far from conducive to attractive basketball, the team showed commendable resilience and tactical flexibility to close out the game strongly.
Both sides are to be commended for their effort and sportsmanship in difficult circumstances. St Charles College’s ability to adapt and finish strongly ultimately secured a deserved victory in a testing contest, 71-42.