THE St Andrew’s College 2nd water polo team returned to the National 2nds tournament this year as defending champions and played so from the first whistle.
The tournament was hosted at Pearson College from Thursday February 1 to Saturday February 3.
The team started like a team possessed beating Michaelhouse 13-0, Wynberg 14-3, Paul Roos 7-4, Grey 8-5 and Pearson U16A 6-5. They however lost 6-5 to Selborne. Standout player in the pool stages was Nicholas Behr, who racked up the kick-outs and goals.
In the semi-finals the St Andrew’s men met St Davids from Johannesburg. The teams were evenly poised but the St Andrew’s team held their composure to run out narrow 5-4 winners, to progress to the final.
The final was beckoning, with Selborne College waiting for them. The St Andrew’s 2nds started the stronger, taking a 2-0 lead after the first chukka. The boys were playing clever polo, and moved the ball into space well. The Selborne 2nd team however had other ideas, as they managed to double mark Nicholas Behr in the hole and take their own chances on attack. They scored some crucial goals to take the lead going into the last three minutes. The pace of the match increased exponentially and both teams had chances but it was Selborne who won the match 5-4.
Congratulations must go to the St Andrew’s 2nd team for winning silver medals and for playing enterprising water polo throughout the tournament.
– Report by David Mackenzie, director of water polo at St Andrew’s
