Selborne College’s top water polo teams faced stiff competition over the Heritage Day weekend, taking on the country’s elite in high-profile Western and Southern Cape tournaments.
Both the 1st Team and the U15A squads fought hard through demanding pool schedules at the SACS 1st Team Water Polo Tournament and the Ian Melliar U15 Water Polo Tournament respectively, picking up valuable lessons against top-tier national opposition.
Competing in Cape Town at the prestigious SACS Tournament, the Selborne 1st Team finished sixth out of 10 teams in their pool, ultimately missing out on a quarter-final spot.
The KuGompo City side opened their campaign with a hard-fought 3–3 draw against Clifton before encountering a tough run against traditional powerhouses, dropping games to Rondebosch (1–5), St John’s (5–9), Bishops (1–4), and Jeppe (2–6).
However, Selborne showed resilience throughout the pool stages of the tournament, securing convincing victories over Pretoria Boys’ High (8–4) and Paul Roos Gymnasium (4–1), alongside a dominant 13–1 victory over Parktown.
A narrow 2–3 loss against Northwood proved crucial, keeping Selborne just out of reach of the knockout rounds.
1st Team SACS Tournament Results:
v Clifton: drew 3–3
* v Rondebosch: Lost 1–5
* v Pretoria Boys: Won 8–4
* v St John’s: Lost 5–9
* v Bishops: Lost 1–4
* v Jeppe: Lost 2–6
* v Parktown: Won 13–1
* v Northwood: Lost 2–3
* v Paul Roos: Won 4–1
The Selborne U15A team travelled to the Ian Melliar Tournament, finishing 18th overall after a grueling set of fixtures against relentless competition.
After dropping their pool games to Wynberg (3–13), KES (2–7), St David’s (2–4), and Paarl Boys’ High (3–8), Selborne moved into the placement play-offs.
An initial 1–4 play-off setback against Eastern Cape rivals Grey High, set up a lower-bracket semi-final, where Selborne bounced back in style to thrash Somerset College 8–1.
In their final placement match for 17th/18th position against Pretoria Boys, Selborne played out a dramatic 2–2 draw at full-time before narrowly falling 1–3 in a tense penalty shootout.
U15A Ian Melliar Tournament Results:
Pool Games:
* v Wynberg: Lost 3–13
* v KES: Lost 2–7
* v St David’s: Lost 2–4
* v Paarl Boys: Lost 3–8
Play-Offs:
* v Grey High: Lost 1–4
* v Somerset College: Won 8–1
* v Pretoria Boys (17th/18th Play-off): Lost 2–2 (1–3 on penalties)
