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The City Derby
It felt like summer had arrived in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday as the temperatures soared for the City Derby. With the Top 10 tournament taking place for water polo, the Blue and Gold and White locked horns with the Red, Black and White on the basketball courts and cricket ovals.
CRICKET VS MARITZBURG COLLEGE
The Saints, on home soil, won the toss and batted first, starting the day in full control with Fortmann and Riley scoring at 5 runs per over. Their 87-run partnership for the first wicket set the Saints up for a decent total. Fortmann was the first to go, driving the ball in the air, and getting caught at long on for 53. Skipper, Marcell Wellman joined Riley, and the pair steadied the ship, and got the total over the 100 runs mark before Riley was run out for 32. The Saints men kept the momentum going as Sunguro and Zama both contributed powerfully with attacking half-centuries. St Charles College, for the first time this season, recorded a decent total on The Oval of 273 for the loss of 6 wickets.
In reply Maritzburg College got off to a shaky start, losing a wicket in the first over. The visitors batted slowly, scoring at 2 to 3 runs per over. St Charles College remained patient and bowled with discipline. Connor Vogt made a break-through in the 8th over. The College captain, Chad Mason, came to the crease and batted with maturity and control. With wickets falling at one end, Mason’s century was not enough, and the Saints piled on the pressure, restricting Maritzburg College to 189 all out in the 45th over. St Charles College won by 84 runs. – Mr Lucky Dladla (Head Coach)
BASKETBALL VS MARITZBURG COLLEGE
This weekend saw the Maritzburg Derby take place in front of a packed SK Arena at St Charles College. Arguably the most watched game of basketball at the school-boy level, the home team were hoping to have a strong showing for their first home game of the season.
While St Charles College drew first blood with a corner three-pointer, the majority of the first half belonged to the visiting team. With slick transition defence and excellent outside shooting, College was able to score at will and put the Saints’ defence under immense pressure. While College’s defence and offence were excellent, the real game-changer was their offensive rebounding. The visitors dominated in this area and regularly gave themselves second and third chances to convert the basket.
With the Saints under pressure, they were not able to keep the score close enough, and this added to the confidence of the visitors, who ran away with a comfortable victory, 81 – 45. The young Saints team will look to bounce back this week as they travel to Glenwood. – Mr Darren Holcomb (Head Coach)
WATER POLO VS MARITZBURG COLLEGE
With two key players down, our 1st team faced a tough challenge in their latest match, going up against a strong Maritzburg College 2nd team. Despite putting in a tremendous effort, the absence of these pivotal team members was felt, and the team struggled to keep up, ultimately losing 14 – 2.
From the opening whistle, the team fought hard to stay competitive. Their defence showed resilience, with several impressive saves and defensive stops as the system was doing its job. Within this system, the outfield players pressed on their opponents to create scoring opportunities. However, the attacking rhythm that the team usually thrives on was disrupted, leading to difficulties in converting chances.
Throughout the game, the opposition capitalised on this and began to widen the gap. Despite the scoreline, the team showed great spirit, never giving up and continuing to push until the final whistle. Two consolation goals came through moments of individual brilliance, showing glimpses of the potential the team holds when playing at full strength.
While it wasn’t the result they were hoping for, the team can be proud of their determination and effort. – Mr Brett Croeser (Head Coach)
Team of the Week
What a stellar week of sport for the St Charles College family! Both our Prep and Senior School faced formidable opposition, and the boys in Blue and Gold truly shone on Game Day. Our 1st XI cricket teams both had fantastic performances. The Senior School team triumphed over Maritzburg College, while the Prep team secured a winning draw against Highbury, showcasing their skills. The U15A and U14A cricket teams also played impressively, with the U14As delivering a resounding victory against their opponents and the U15s narrowly missing out in a tough match. Our U14B and Cs, along with the 4th cricket team, also enjoyed successful outings.
However, it was our Prep 2nd XI cricket team that truly stole the show with an epic match day performance. This group of boys demonstrated the grit and character that we hope all our boys will embody. Under the leadership of Mr Beyers, they rallied together and delivered a stellar performance. Well done to our boys in the 2nd XI! We are incredibly proud of you. While it may just be a cricket game, these experiences are where our boys develop the skills and character that they will need in life. – Mr Divan van Wyk (Sports Marketing)
Prep Cricket News
Our cricketers enjoyed a fantastic weekend against Highbury. There were some excellent games played. In the 4th XI game, SCC were chasing 96 and won with 9 wickets down and 2 balls to spare. Our U9A team chased down 133 and our U11B team chased 183 to win their matches. Congratulations to our 3rd XI who batted first and made an impressive 189/5. In the 2nd XI match, Highbury posted 155 and had our SCC team at 35/6. However, our boys showed great courage and were very brave to eventually pass the score and win by 2 wickets. We also congratulate our 5th XI who played Clarendon 1st XI, and the match was only decided with 2 overs to go and Clarendon 9 wickets down. Well done to Sihle Makhoba for taking his first five-for for SCC with figures of 5-20.
In the 1st XI match, SCC won the toss and elected to bat. We posted a formidable 312 with Geoffrey Pedley top scoring on 75 runs. Being a timed game, we needed 10 wickets to win the match. With 9 wickets down and 8 balls to go in the match, it was very close. Highbury managed to keep it out and the game ended in an exciting draw. Well done to all our Prep Cricket teams. – Mr Gregg Cole-Edwardes (Head of Prep Sport)
We congratulate the following individual performances:
Okuhle Majozi: 52 runs Geoffrey Pedley: 75 runs
Kairav Devsuran: 75 runs Mzila Mzila: 72 runs
Sihle Makhoba: 5-20
DELF Exams
We recently received the DELF (diplôme d’études en langue française) results for boys who completed these examinations in July this year. The DELF examinations are internationally recognised diplomas awarded by the French Ministry of Education to prove the French-language skills of non-native candidates. Our Grade 9s completed the A1, Grade 10s the A2 and the Grade 11s the B1, respectively.
Our boys worked incredibly hard, with all Middle School boys passing all four sections (reading, writing, speaking, listening). These boys can be exceptionally proud of this achievement as many of them have only studied French over the past year for the first time. Congratulations! – Mrs Carrissa Ortmann
Science and Engineering Club
Last term, the members of our Science and Engineering Club embarked on
an exciting project – building rubber band-propelled cars. The students
dedicated significant time to designing and constructing their vehicles, focusing on both creativity and functionality.
To test their creations, the cars were released down a ramp, and the distance each car travelled was measured. Among the impressive entries, the car designed by Carl Hellberg and Louis Koch stood out, achieving 4.8 metres. – Mrs Claire Beckedahl
Learning isiZulu in Scrummies
Growing up in South Africa brings the privilege and opportunity to learn several different languages. Research shows that exposure to different languages from a young age enhances cognitive ability and problem-solving skills. Moreover, multilingual children develop greater empathy, tolerance and cultural respect which are important qualities for future citizens of our country. At Scrummies our boys get very excited when it is time for their lessons with Ms Dlamini, our isiZulu specialist. From Grade 000 they learn to greet, count and sing a variety of fun songs in isiZulu. Ms Dlamini uses our themes to introduce new isiZulu words. It makes our hearts very happy when our boys proudly tell us that a train is also “isitimela”. – Mrs Liesl Meter (Head of Pre-Primary)
Grade 1 Bike and Ice Cream Day
Today was a special day for our Grade 1 boys – Bike Day – a chance to ride around the school and share the joy of riding with their friends. Laughter echoed as they raced each other around the car park and playground, the thrill of speed, and mud puddles igniting a sense of freedom and adventure.
As they pedalled along the paths, the boys discovered the value of bike riding beyond mere fun. They navigated some rough terrain and encouraged one another to tackle small hills and sharp turns. Most importantly, they embraced being outdoors, appreciating the simple pleasure of movement and exploration. Bike Day was not just about the bikes, it was a celebration of being carefree, young, and eating ICECREAM! – Mrs Lauren Riley (Head of Junior Primary)
