The Kingswood College 1st girls water polo team gained valuable experience in the National Co-Ed Water Polo Championships which was held in East London recently. The vast majority of the girls were playing in their first co-ed tournament and ten of the Kingswood girls who were involved will be part of the team for the next two years.
The Kingswood College 1st girls water polo team gained valuable experience in the National Co-Ed Water Polo Championships which was held in East London recently. The vast majority of the girls were playing in their first co-ed tournament and ten of the Kingswood girls who were involved will be part of the team for the next two years.
“While this is exciting for the future, it meant that we started the tournament very short of playing experience at this level,” said Pieter Serfontein, head of sport at Kingswood.
The girls started the tournament with two losses to Thomas Moore and Stirling respectively. Stirling went on to win the girls section of the tournament which puts the Kingswood side's 1-6 loss to them in perspective. The team had a further heavy loss against a well-drilled Westerford team from Cape Town.
The first day of the tournament ended on a good note though with Kingswood recording two well-earned victories against Port Rex and Kingsway. “What was pleasing to note at this stage was the structure with which the Kingswood girls were playing and it was clear to see that a great deal of cohesion and team play was developing,” said Serfontein.
The Kingswood side continued to grow as a team as the tournament progressed and started to compete in the truest form of the word. The Kingswood defence seemed considerably more organized and the side found the ‘back of the net’ with more ease.
In the play-off game the Kingswood team beat Somerset College to eventually finish 13th out of 16 teams in a very competitive competition. “The tournament was a great platform for the younger and less experienced players to gain some valuable insight into what is needed to compete at the highest level. There is no doubt that this team will continue to improve given it’s character in trying situations and we look forward to future fixtures with great anticipation,” said Serfontein.
Results:
National Co-Ed Championships (EL) Kingswood Girls 1st team
KC vs Thomas Moore lost 1-4
KC vs Stirling lost 1-6
KC vs Westerford lost 0-12
KC vs Port Rex won 5-1
KC vs Kingsway won 2-1
KC vs Alex Road lost 1-7
KC vs St Dunstan’s lost 3-5
KC vs Somerset College won 6-2
13th out of 16 teams
