St Andrew’s College participated in the annual Merrifield Tournament in East London this weekend. The team had an impressive start against Stirling in their first fixture. Despite battling the intense 35-degree heat, St Andrew’s managed an 8-5 win. Undeterred by the conditions, the team continued their winning streak in the second fixture against Selborne. The greatest achievement of the day was the fact that both teams were beaten on their home courts.

Early on Saturday morning the team rose to the occasion, securing a win against Cradock and advancing to the cross-pool play-offs for 3^rd and 4^th position against the host team, Merrifield. This fixture drew a crowd, and the atmosphere was quickly charged with excitement and focus. This was some of the best tennis I have seen in my time at College. In the end, Merrifield won by a narrow margin and St Andrew’s concluded the tournament in 4^th position. This marks a notable improvement – a 3 place advancement from the 2022 performance. Thank you to Cameron, Lou, Karabo and Qhawe for their determination and positivity throughout the weekend. Special recognition is extended to Lou Coetzee, for having us at the edge of our seats, as almost every match he played ended in a tie-breaker.