In a week of busy sporting fixtures, Pearson High School’s girls showed their fortitude as they took on DSG in tennis, and Collegiate in cricket, at Pearson.
The home side delivered a memorable performance at the Theron tennis courts, edging past DSG in a closely contested and exciting encounter.
The team got off to a strong start in the doubles, with excellent wins from Milla Biggs and Bhakti Govindjee, and Amy Stuart and Erin Dold-Chapman giving them an early advantage and setting the tone for the match.
In the singles, Stuart, playing at number one, produced a commanding display to secure an impressive 8-1 victory.
She was joined by Biggs, the talented Grade 8 newcomer, who once again proved her class with an equally convincing 8-1 win in her singles match.
With the overall result hanging in the balance, Milani Somyalo rose to the occasion.
Showing great resilience and composure after a slow start, she fought back strongly to claim an 8-5 victory, sealing the match for Pearson in dramatic fashion.
The final score of 5-4 to Pearson reflected a true team effort, highlighted by determination, quality tennis and excellent sportsmanship throughout.
As part of a midweek fixture, Collegiate took on Pearson’s first team in a Twenty20 cricket match.
Collegiate batted first and made 51 all out. Pearson’s Cayleigh Wanckel dominated the bowling attack, claiming 5/11 in her allotted overs.
She was ably assisted by Peyton Scheepers (2/8) and Kayla McLagan (1/5).
Pearson responded with 55/2 in 11.4 overs. Wanckel proved why she has been selected for the SA U19 girls’ cricket team, showing her strength with both bat and ball, scoring 29 runs.
Pearson also hosted arguably the largest boys’ second team water polo tournament in the country at the weekend, involving 20 teams and more than 300 players.
Following the cross-pool matches on Saturday it came down to Paul Roos Gym and Selborne to battle it out for third place, with Bishops and Rondebosch competing for the top spot.
The final match of the day, between Bishops and Rondebosch, was one worth watching, with Bishops winning the tournament for the second year in a row.
Bishops took control of the game with some quick goals, but Rondebosch fought back and levelled matters by the end of the second chukka.
The holders, however, showed their determination to keep the trophy, scoring twice more in the final chukka to win 7-5.
Awards went to: James Ciolli (Bishops, best defender), Gabriel Pierce (Selborne, best goalkeeper), Ben van de Hoek (Rondebosch, best defender)
The final placings were: 1 Bishops, 2 Rondebosch, 3 Selborne, 4 Paul Roos, 5 St David’s, 6 Bishops 3rd, 7 St Stithians, 8 Michaelhouse, 9 Merrifield, 10 St Andrew’s, 11 Wynberg, 12 Clifton.