Pearson High’s top seven tennis boys were invited to the Gerrie Berner tournament, held in Stellenbosch from February 12-15, to play against arguably the best tennis schools in the country.
The tournament began with Pearson edging Outeniqua 4-3 in a close encounter to secure the perfect start.
Hosts Paul Roos were Pearson’s next opponents and the Gqeberha team went down 7-0, though there were a number of nailbiting matches going to the final set and into tiebreakers.
Pearson then bounced back against Kearsney, defeating them 5-2, with standout performances from Alex Hurter, who delivered a top-class singles display, and Tyler Stanham, whose excellent team effort made a big impact throughout the first day.
On the second day Pearson had a tough match against Westville, going down 6-1, setting up a crucial clash against Waterkloof to decide who would finish third in the pool.
What followed was one of the biggest wins in Pearson’s history.
In a high-pressure decider, Hurter stepped up and delivered a top-class performance to seal a massive victory for Pearson.
With momentum on their side, Pearson moved into the playoffs for positions 5-8, where they defeated Hermanus 4-2.
They then came up against Grey College to battle it out for fifth place and after a gruelling playoff, they eventually had to settle for sixth spot.
The team consisted of Evan Swart, Alexander Hurter, Petri Reynolds, Tyler Stanham, Drew Stanham, MG Saayman and Lian Payne, along with coach Janre Viljoen and manager Connan de Wee.
The final placings were: 1 Paul Roos Gymnasium, 2 Paarl Boys’, 3 Westville, 4 Affies, 5 Grey College, 6 Pearson, 7 Kearsney, 8 Hermanus High, 9 Waterkloof, 10 Outeniqua, 11 St Stithians, 12 Oakdale Landbou.
Not to be outshone, the Pearson girls’ first cricket team competed in the Reddam House Constantia Girls’ Festival of T20 cricket.
Opening their programme against Northern Cricket Union from Ireland, Pearson scored 134/3 and then restricted NCU to 116/8, with Peyton Scheepers taking 4/20.
Against Wellington from England, Pearson scored 154/5, Cayleigh Wanckel contributing with a magnificent 89 not out.
Pearson managed to hold Wellington to 134/6 to win by 20 runs with a solid performance by Zané Swanepoel of 3/16.
Their second match of the day was against Reddam Constantia, with Wanckel once again proving her worth with a solid 95 not out.
She also took two wickets, while Swanepoel and Scheepers also took two apiece in a 78-run win.
The final match of the tournament saw Pearson score 147/9 against Stellenberg and then dismissing their opponents for 102.
Wanckel was named the batter of the tournament for her sterling performances throughout the event.
The Herald