In the penultimate round of summer sporting fixtures, Maritzburg College took on teams from Glenwood, Northwood and Howick over the weekend. College’s water polo A-sides competed in the Northwood Stayers tournament finishing in 5^th place.

Cricket

College’s cricket teams were undefeated over the weekend, producing excellent team and individual performances. Congratulations to the boys on winning 11 of their 12 matches, with one match abandoned due to bad weather. The 1^st XI secured a commanding 101 run victory with stand out performances from Dedekind (63) and Dzanibe (56*) and 4-15.

Maritzburg College’s 1st XI securing a convincing 101 run win against Glenwood on Saturday, following their 6 wicket victory against St Charles the previous weekend.

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

The Maritzburg College 1st XI travelled down to Durban to take on Glenwood on the Dixon’s Oval. The weather could not have been more different from the week before, with overcast skies greeting the teams. The Glenwood captain won the toss and had no hesitation in sending the visitors in to bat on a wicket showing plenty of grass.

Openers Daniel Nadasan and Kyle de Bruyn started positively, putting on 56 for the first wicket before Nadasan fell for a patient 26 off 55 balls. The College top order then struggled on the slow surface against Glenwood’s spin attack, slumping to 83 for 4 after 23 overs.

After tea, Karl Dedekind and Sphamandla Dzanibe batted sensibly, playing low-risk cricket, running well between the wickets, and punishing the bad balls to the boundary. Their partnership of 124 off 132 balls set up College’s total of 235 for 7. Dedekind top-scored with a well-constructed 62 off 60 balls, while Dzanibe contributed a more patient 56 off 85.

The Glenwood reply started cautiously, with their batters showing little intent to chase in light of the incoming weather. Reece Willson struck twice in his opening spell before the College spinners took over on a helpful surface. Nathan Pembridge picked up two wickets before tea, his second 50th of the year, leaving Glenwood reeling at 44 for 4 after 25 overs.

After a long wicketless spell, leg spinner Deolyn Naidoo broke the partnership, claiming the fifth wicket. As the bad weather rolled in over the Bluff, the College bowlers rushed through the final 15 overs in just 35 minutes, restricting Glenwood to 134 for 9 in their 50 overs to secure a 101-run victory. Dzanibe capped off an excellent all-round performance with figures of 4 for 15, rounding off another impressive display from the College side.

Scores in brief

College 235 for 7; Dedekind 62, Dzanibe 56

Glenwood 134 for 9; Dzanibe 4 for 15

College won by 101 runs

 Summary of results

Team     Result

College 235/7; Dedekind 63, Dzaribe 56*

1st  Glenwood 134/9; Dzanibe 4-15

College won by 101 runs

Hillcrest 1^st 147/10; Avela 3-17, Venter 2-20

2nd College 149/4; Deron 43, Puddu 36 College won by 6 wickets

Howick 1st 207/7; Stead 3-36

3rd College 124/4

Match abandoned

College 191/10; Palmer 61

15A  Glenwood 147/10; Palmer 5-27

College won by 44 runs

College 235/9; Linde 82, Jakatyana 68

15B  Imbali Hub 124/10

College won by 111 runs

Northwood 95/10; Barnard 4-15

15D  College 96/5

College won by 5 wickets

College 125/8

15E Northwood 55/9; Luke 5-15 College won by 70 runs

College 291/7; Seach 110

14A Glenwood 71/10; Seach 3-24 College won by 220 runs

Howick 14A 107/10; Badenhorst 4-20

14B  College 111/6

College won by 4 wickets

Sweetwaters Hub 123/10

14C College 128/5

College won by 5 wickets

College 107/10

14D Northwood 92/10; Grobbelaar 2-15 College won 15 runs

Northwood 103/6

14E      College 104/0

College won by 10 wickets

Basketball

With four wins from four matches against Glenwood, the College basketball teams were on top form over the weekend.

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

College made the trip to Glenwood in what looked like a day full of rain was everything but that. The conditions were not ideal with strong and challenging Durban winds. Fortunately, the College teams held their own with good wins for the u14A and u16A teams, the U15A went to the wire winning by 2 points.

The 1st team, with five of its players missing due to injury allowed an opportunity to rotate players. The game saw a slow start as both teams tried to counter the elements. A back-and-forth affair soon settled as College began asserting their dominance increasing the lead through each quarter. A strong surge from Glenwood towards the back end of the game was unfortunately not enough as College pushed to a convincing 71-36 win.

 Summary of results:

Team Opposition Result

1st Glenwood W 71-36

16A Glenwood W42-11

15A Glenwood W 39-37

14A Glenwood W 22-7

Water polo

College’s water polo teams won all their matches against Glenwood while the A-sides competed in the Northwood Stayers Tournament finishing in 5^th place.

Summary of results:

Team Opposition

Result 2nd Glenwood 2nd W 16-1

3rd Glenwood 3rd W 6-2

U14A Glenwood W 16-1

Summary of results Northwood Stayers 

1st vs Northwood lost 3-10

1st vs Glenwood won 11-4

1st vs MHS invitational won 13-9

1st vs Kearsney lost 3-10

1st vs Clifton lost 3-12

1st vs Thomas More College won 8-2 College finished in 5^th place.

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

Northwood Stayers Water Polo Tournament

The Maritzburg College 1st Team Stayers participated in the Northwood Stayers Water Polo Tournament this past weekend, gaining valuable match experience against strong KZN opposition.

College produced a solid set of results across the event, recording three convincing wins – 11-4 vs Glenwood, 13-9 vs MHS Invitational, and 8-2 vs Thomas More College. Despite determined efforts, the team went down to Northwood (3-10), Kearsney (3-10) and the eventual champions Clifton (312).

The squad showed moments of excellent structure, improved attacking combinations and strong defensive phases, particularly in their victories. Their positive attitude and competitive spirit carried them through a demanding fixture list, ultimately securing a 5th-place finish.