This was the last weekend of term 1 summer sport, with the Maritzburg College taking on respected rivals Northwood. There was also some excellent tennis action from the boys, while the 1st XI hockey team started off their season with a night match against a strong Old Collegian team, going down 2-3. College finished 7th at the Top Schools Gala, and the 1st water polo team took 9th place at the Reef Cup Tournament.

Tennis

College’s tennis first team have enjoyed an excellent season, winning all their matches with only one remaining. At the Midlands trials, the boys stood out with captain, Adam Tilbury ranked number one in the district, and S Deane securing the second spot.

The following boys were selected:

• A. Tilbury (U19A)
• S. Deane (U19A)
• K. Dube (U19B)
• L. Puddu (reserve)
• L. Borchers (U15B)
• J. Greaves (reserve)
• D. Davies (reserve)

Basketball

Maritzburg College’s basketball teams faced off against Northwood in a series of 22 thrilling and closely contested games, with the boys showcasing their skills, determination, and team spirit, securing an impressive 15 wins out of 22 matches! The U14A, U15A, U16A and 2nd teams all brought home good wins, and the 1st team lost narrowly 68-74.

A huge congratulations to all the boys and coaches for an excellent season!

1st team report (Mr Jacques Wilcock, MIC: Basketball)
The final game of the season – an emotional day for the seniors who were playing their final game in a 1st team vest. It was a cagey affair as both teams found it tough going in the opening stages of the game. College took the lead against the back-to-back St John’s Tournament champions and pushed them onto the backfoot with the first quarter ending 12-8 in favour of the hosts. The game was a fantastic watch for the neutrals who got to witness some good high school basketball as the teams went at each other pound for pound. A few defensive errors and lapses in concentration proved to be the difference as Northwood stole the win 68-74. Special mention to the four seniors N Ngcobo, N Ngobese, C Siyongwana and M Zakwe who have performed exceptionally well throughout the season.

Summary of results:

U19 Result:

• 1st L 68-74
• 2nd W 47-45
• 3rd W 32-27
• 5th W 20-16
• 6th L 17-18
• 7th L 14-15

U16 Results:

• 16A W 33-32
• 16B W 33-32
• 16C W 33-17
• 16D W 21-14
• 16E L 14-26

U15 Results:

• 15A W 37-28
• 15B W 32-15
• 15C W 46-20
• 15D L 7-9
• 15E W 28-15

U14 Results:

• 14A W 24-6
• 14B W 22-7
• 14C L 4-10
• 14D W 23-10
• 14 W 10-2
• 14F L 6-16

Cricket

In the last round of cricket fixtures of the term, College had 19 teams in action against Northwood and won nine of their matches. Despite some challenging games, the College teams delivered impressive performances and secured several notable victories. Well done to the 2nd XI who bowled Northwood out for 65, with Barnes taking 5-15, and chased down the target with 68/2, winning by 8 wickets. The 3rd XI produced an equally excellent performance chasing down Northwood’s 122/8 with ease, scoring 123/2, thanks to Botha’s unbeaten 51* and Jursa’s 40* and winning by 8 wickets.

The 14A side delivered a fantastic performance, bowling out Northwood for 126, with Duckham taking 4-6. Emerson’s unbeaten 63* led the team to victory, winning by 7 wickets, while the 14B team topped of an excellent season with a 32-run win, thanks to Jackson’s 3 wickets for 8 runs.

1st team match report (Mr Robbie Coutts, 1st XI coach) For the final summer fixture of the term, College lost the toss and, with the pitch looking good for batting, Northwood had no hesitation in electing to bat first.
Northwood’s openers got off to a solid start, putting together a 36-run partnership in 12 overs. College’s new-ball duo, Samuel Hughes and Reece Willson, bowled with discipline, frequently beating the bat without reward. It was the introduction of Sphamandla Dzanibe that provided the breakthrough in his first over.
By tea, Northwood had negotiated the session well, reaching 104 for 1 after 25 overs, leaving the match finely balanced. After the break, College’s bowlers applied pressure, restricting the scoring rate and preventing Northwood from pushing on to a truly imposing total.

The pick of the College bowlers were captain Daniel Nadasan (2 for 34) and Reece Willson 2 for 23. It was however Dom Du Toit who bowled his 8 over for just 14 runs that put a stop to the scoring. Northwood finished on 207 for 6 in their 50 overs, a competitive but not unassailable total. College’s chase started with a 30-run opening stand, before Ewald Bester was run out in the 8th over. Willson followed soon after with the score on 39, leaving College in need of a stabilizing partnership. The largest stand of the innings was for the third wicket, where Daniel Nadasan and Karl Dedekind added 36 runs. However, both fell in quick succession with the score on 75, putting College on the back foot. The next biggest partnership of the innings for College was that of 33 between Hughes and Du Toit of 33 for the 9th wicket. College was eventually bowled out for 157 in the 41st over, falling 50 runs short.

Scores in brief

Northwood 207 for 6

• Nadasan 2 for 34
• Willson 2 for 23

College 157 all out

• Nadasan 36

Northwood won by 50 runs.

2nd Northwood 65 all out

• Barnes 5-15

College 68/2

• de Bruyn 25
• Currie 21*
• Naidoo 20

College won by 8 wickets

3rd Northwood 122/8 College 123/2

• Botha 51*
• Jursa 40*

College won by 8 wickets

4th College 83 all out Northwood 84/3 College lost by 7 wickets

U16 Results:

• 16A College 71 all out Northwood 72/1 College lost by 9 wickets
• 16B College 113 all out; Venter 38 Northwood 114/4 College lost by 6 wickets.
• 16C College 78/7 Northwood 79/8 College lost by 3 wickets

U15 Results:

• 15A College 115 all out Northwood 115/5 College lost by 5 wickets
• 15B College 207/7 Northwood 208/8; Pauw 2/20 College lost by 2 wickets
• 15C College 138/6 Northwood 103 all out College won by 35 runs
• 15D College 128/7 Northwood 80 all out College won by 48 runs
• 15E Northwood 52 all out; Barnard 5-17 College 53/1 College won by 9 wickets

U14 Results:

• 14A Northwood 126 all out; Duckham 4-6 College 129/3; Emerson 63* College won by 7 wickets
• 14B College 118/9; van der Westhuizen 25 Northwood 86/9; Jackson 3/8 College won by 32 runs
• 14C Northwood 116-9; van Staden 3-6 College 95 all out College lost by 21 runs
• 14D Northwood 87 all out; Foster 2-2 College 88/6; Ramraj 57* College won by 4 wickets
• 14E Northwood 119/7 College 45 all out College lost by 74 runs
• 14F Northwood 127/5 College 70 all out College lost by 57 runs
• 14G College 119/3; Doyle 33* Northwood 75/7 College won by 44 runs

Water polo

The Maritzburg College 1st water polo team travelled to Johannesburg to compete in the Reef Cup against 19 schools. They had some very close matches eventually finishing in 9th position beating several of their rivals. The U14A team participated in the Ken Short tournament facing tough opposition.

1st team report (Mr Darren Sherriff – Director of Aquatics)
Over the weekend the 1st team participated in the Reef Cup hosted at St Stithians College. The tournament started with a win against Falcon College from Zimbabwe. The second game saw College face tournament finalists, Affies, losing 5-13. The remaining pool games were against Parktown and St Benedict’s, winning one and losing. In the playoff game to get into the quarter finals, College faced St Albans in what was a tough encounter down to the final seconds, and eventually going down 9-10. In the last two games College played St Peter’s and Grey College winning both games and finishing 9th out of 20 at the tournament.

Summary of results:

• Vs Falcon College won 12-3
• Vs Affies lost 5-13
• Vs Parktown won 13-6
• Vs St Benedict’s lost 5-7
• Vs St Albans lost 9-10
• 1st vs St Peter’s won 10-8
• Playoff for 9th/10th
• Vs Grey College won 11-5
• Placed 9 out of 20 schools

The junior teams struggled against Northwood who proved the stronger in the pool over the weekend.