Selborne College enjoyed a rewarding week across several sporting codes, highlighted by the first water polo team’s third-place finish at the Woodridge Stayers Tournament in Gqeberha and a remarkable lifesaving honour for pupil Reid de Coning.
The school also hosted a successful Big Bash cricket tournament, celebrated two shooting gold medals for Owen Petersen and saw its indoor cricketers and chess players make their mark at provincial and international level.
Selborne’s first water polo team finished third at the Woodridge Stayers Tournament at the weekend, making an impressive start by winning all three pool matches.
They defeated Glenwood House 8-2, Kingswood 13-1 and Hudson Park 13-3 to advance to the knockout stages.
They continued their strong form in the quarterfinals, beating Pearson 7-1 to book a semifinal meeting with St Andrew’s.
In a close encounter, Selborne went down 6-4, but the players responded positively in the third-place playoff against Grey High to win 7-3.
Their performances were recognised with three selections for the tournament team: Michael Miller, Nathan Weise and Morgan Erasmus. Erasmus also received the attacker of the tournament award.
Selborne hosted its Big Bash cricket tournament on October 9 and 10, with Raiders emerging as champions after an exciting campaign.
The Raiders made their way into the semifinals before continuing their momentum through the knockout stages to claim the title, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of the format.
Matthew Hendry of Trojans was another standout performer, collecting all three individual awards.
He was named fielder, batsman and bowler of the tournament after an outstanding all-round contribution.
Shottist Owen Petersen produced an excellent performance at a Compak competition in Gqeberha, winning two gold medals.
He claimed gold in the junior category and also finished first in his class in sporting.
Petersen competes in four disciplines: skeet, Compak, FITASC sporting and English sporting.
His success has earned him selection for the Eastern Cape clay shooting team, which will compete at the national championships at Wattelspring, near Pretoria, from October 20 to 26.
One of the school’s most significant achievements came off the sporting field, with Reid de Coning receiving the 2025 Russell Medal from Commonwealth Drowning Prevention for an exceptional act of lifesaving.
In September 2025, De Coning rescued a man from the Nahoon River. When he reached the man, he was not breathing and had no pulse.
De Coning immediately began CPR, continuing for 30 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
His quick response and lifesaving skills helped save the man’s life.
A lifeguard for the past three years, De Coning has now received one of the most prestigious recognitions for resuscitation efforts by a young person in a Commonwealth country.
Established in 2000 in tribute to Pat Russell, a long-serving member of the Royal Life Saving Society, the medal is awarded annually for the most outstanding resuscitation or attempted resuscitation performed during the previous calendar year by a Commonwealth citizen under the age of 21.
In chess, Tyler Botha competed in the Eastern Cape Schools Championships for U17 boys.
He recorded three wins, one draw and one defeat from his five games to finish fifth among 28 competitors.
He narrowly missed selection for the Eastern Cape team, with places awarded to the top four finishers.
His performance nevertheless represented a strong showing in a competitive provincial field.
