WATER POLO
WATER POLO
1st Team
Back row : C Slater , L Robinson , N Booysen , E Hodgson , M Ford Front row : G Lesur , K Lovell-Green , D Jones , Mr D Sheriff ( coach ), L Johnson ( captain ), R Williamson , J van der Linde
The 2016 water polo season was set to be an exciting one as we had been invited back to the KES Tournament in the first term , after sitting out in 2015 . The team showed great enthusiasm and , being a very young team , was anxious and excited . The first term started with regular games against local KZN schools building to the tour at the end of the season . The team was unable to pick up a win , but showed promise .
At KES the team were up against some tough schools from around the country and , for all the boys , this was a tournament none of them had been to before . As a result , their inexperience showed but with every game they grew as players and as a team . L Lenz , K Raw and L Robinson , only in Third Form , showed courage and character , taking on bigger and stronger players .
The third term and pre-season for water polo did not start as we might have hoped . The pool developed a crack which had to be repaired . As a result the boys missed out on three weeks of training and this showed in their fitness levels as they were able to come out firing but then slowly faded away . This did not stop the team from working hard in preparation for the Clifton and SACS Tournaments that would be played at the end of the third term . With captain L Johnson being the only Sixth Former left in the team , it was time for the youngsters to gain some experience . The tournament was not a success in terms of results , but the experience gained was immense . D Jones showed great strength and skill in the hole and R Williamson ’ s accuracy from long range shots helped the team in scoring goals . These two carried this form through to the SACS Tournament .
The fourth term was difficult , with three of the starting seven team members having to sit out the remainder of the year with injuries . This term saw us play in the Top Ten KZN Schools ’ Tournament . The final game of the tournament was a nail-biting encounter against Thomas More . The game eventually ended in a 4-4 draw . During the rest of the term , the team picked up a very convincing win over St Charles .
The team worked to improve College water polo and I was very excited to see how they grew as a team and as individual players .
Player Critique :
L Johnson ( captain ): He showed great commitment and leadership in the team and kept the team spirit high . He is an excellent player and , although he did not play to his full potential , he added great value in the pool .
J van Tonder : He showed good speed and enthusiasm in the team . He has a very good shot which I wish he had made use of more often .
D Herman : A fine goalkeeper who has immense talent . He was a wall in the goals and could find any player in the pool with a pin-point accurate pass . We look forward to a bright future for this young man .
V du Plessis : He showed great strength in the pool and often caught defenders unaware , as he is left-handed . With a powerful and accurate shot , he excelled in the hole . Unfortunately , owing to a rugby injury his water polo season was cut short .
A Kostakis : A talented young man who never gave up and learned from every game . He was never afraid to try something new .
C Glover : He is a natural leader in all sports and this showed in the pool . Being a very strong player , he defended extremely well at the back .
D Jones : A very talented player who grew with every game . He was a force to be reckoned with on attack . He also showed great leadership qualities and I look forward to coaching him again in 2017 .
N Booysen : A player with great skill and ability in the water . He was unlucky to have to undergo knee surgery , but he is an exciting player who will reach great heights in the future .
J van der Linde : One of the quickest in the team , he used his speed to his advantage and possessed a powerful shot which was devastating when accurate . He tends to become excitable and must learn to keep his composure . He shows great promise for the future .
K Lovell-Greene : A very clever player who was never afraid to ask for better and easier ways to do things and to use them in the pool . He was unlucky that his season was cut short owing to a shoulder injury .
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Page sponsored by Anastassios Kostakis ( Class of 2016 )