Clarendon finish fourth in pool in tough Makhanda tournament
The Clarendon High first water polo team delivered an excellent account of themselves by finishing fourth in the highly competitive Brian Baker tournament, hosted by Kingswood in Makhanda at the weekend.
After defeating Alexander Road (24-2) and St Dominic’s (76), Clarendon suffered narrow defeats to Reddam Bedfordview (10-9) and Durban Girls’ College (9-8).
This placed Clarendon third in their pool and they became involved a tense battle with St Stithians for a spot in the quarterfinals. Eventually they won 12-11 to set up a clash against hosts Kingswood.
The Clarendon outfit continued to shine, winning 13-7 to earn a tilt at the powerful Reddam Constantia side in the semifinals.
Despite putting in their best efforts, Clarendon went down 8-13 and then lost their third place play-off against Roedean to finish fourth out of 20 teams.
Kingswood College hosted 20 schools from around the country in the 13th edition of the popular water polo tournament at the weekend.
The programme began with the hosts proving too strong for Woodridge, winning 14-2.
They then came up against a mobile and crafty St Anne’s team, with their KZN opponents eventually edging home 9-8.
On day two, Makhanda turned up the heat, with temperatures reaching 39°C by midday, but this did not stop the teams from producing their best form.
Kingswood proved too strong for old rivals Crawford Lonehill, winning their match 11-2.
Later, in what could be described as the game of the day, Kingswood faced the formidable Reddam Constantia side.
Reddam took control early on, leading 4-1 at the halfway mark.
With the school behind them, pushing them every step of the way, Kingswood hit back to use their chances, levelling the score with three minutes left.
Home team captain Matipa Karimazondo took charge of her troops, encouraging them to stay in the fight, and this resulted in a thrilling 7-5 win for Kingswood.
After losing to Clarendon, Kingswood went into the playoffs for fifth to eighth positions, facing DSG in a Makhanda derby, which was full of physicality and energy.
DSG were in control for extended periods, but Kingswood finally fought their way back to lead 11-9 with less than two minutes remaining.
As DSG fought valiantly to restore the balance, Julia Hough pulled off an incredible save and Kingswood were able to wind down the clock for a thrilling win.