Inside and Outside the Classroom
Sport
Growth Through Sport
Kearsney provides a dynamic environment to promote sporting excellence, sportsmanship and healthy competition for all. Kearsney sport inspires and supports every boy to participate in and enjoy sport and reach their full potential, while enjoying the camaraderie and health and wellness benefits of sport.
World-Class Facilities
Over 20 sporting venues, including the Skweyiya SportZone and indoor centre, provide boys with exceptional spaces to train.
Expert Coaching
Professional coaches work alongside school masters to develop skills, fitness and sporting potential at every level.
Inclusive Participation
Kearsney promotes “sport for all,” encouraging every boy to enjoy sport, build camaraderie and develop life skills.
More than 100 Kearsney boys have competed at provincial or national levels, highlighting our tradition of sporting excellence.
Superb Sporting Facilities
The Skweyiya SportZone at Kearsney has been developed to provide outstanding facilities to complement our well-established High Performance Sports Programme. The SportZone includes a 672sq metre weights gym where individualised conditioning programmes are provided for our sportsmen.
The indoor centre provides seven cricket nets with full run-ups and four bowling machines, indoor hockey and soccer pitches, and two basketball courts. Adjacent to the indoor centre are two pools, one heated, overlooking the magnificent Alverstone Valley.
Our boys’ high school boasts more than 20 sporting venues on campus. Professional coaches are employed for training and developing the boys’ skills and fitness, and these professionals work alongside our school masters to ensure the boys reach their sporting potential, within the context of a holistic education and a commitment to their personal wellbeing.
Sportsmen are in their element with the large variety of sports on offer.
Basketball
Canoeing
Cricket
Cross Country
Golf
Hockey & Indoor Hockey
Rugby
Soccer
Squash
Swimming
Tennis
Water Polo
Sporting Environment
From boys who play for the pleasure of the sport to those who have risen to prominence locally and internationally, Kearsney’s sport is a reflection of the school’s spirit, commitment and culture of excellence. As a top boys’ private school in KZN, our sportsmen have access to world-class facilities, coaching and support.
Kearsney recognises sport as essential to a broad and integrated approach to wellness and has a policy of “sport for all”. Kearsney believes that participation in sport is integral to a boy’s personal development and holistic education, providing camaraderie, fun, competitiveness and valuable life-skills. The College promotes a culture of fair play and respect.
There are more than 20 other sporting venues at the College, including immaculately kept sports fields, a first-rate SportZone and a water-based, floodlit astroturf hockey pitch.
The Story of Kearsney Rugby
From 1921 to 1939, when Kearsney College was situated amongst the tea plantations of the North Coast, the school had too few boys to field sides against the major schools. The school masters consequently used to join the boys and the team would play against men’s teams from Stanger, Empangeni, Eshowe and Melmoth, competing for the Webber Cup. In 1939, Kearsney College relocated to Botha’s Hill, halfway between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. This move proved to be the turning point in the School’s rugby fortunes, providing as it did a larger intake of boys and the opportunity to play against more school teams.
One of the most fascinating chapters in the history of Natal Schools’ rugby is the story of the “Old Crocks” and their traditional game against Kearsney. Situated at the time near Stanger on the North Coast, the Kearsney boys had little contact with other schools and little opportunity to play or watch quality rugby. In response to this situation, in 1931 Cyril Medworth, together with former Springboks Alf Walker, Wally Clarkson, Bill Zeller and Bill Payn, colleagues of his in the Natal side, gathered together a team comprised of six former Internationals and nine ex-Natal rugby players to play against the School.
Thus began an annual tradition which has continued uninterrupted for a period of 80 years. During this time, only some 500 players have represented the “Old Crocks” – quite remarkable when one considers that one of the qualifications for membership is that the player must have retired from competitive rugby.
Bill Payn served Natal Schools’ Rugby, including as coach and later Chairman, for 18 years. In recognition of his contribution to rugby, the “Old Crocks” Trophy was renamed the “Bill Payn Trophy”, manufactured under Alf Walker’s direction from two 2lb Illovo Syrup tins on a wooden plinth. This trophy is still displayed on “Old Crocks” Day at the College.
The various Old Crocks teams have included thirty five ex-Springboks, five of whom were captains, twenty four former Natal captains, and three English, Irish and Australian internationals. After 81 unbroken years, the final whistle was blown on the historic annual Old Crocks rugby match, played between former Springbok and provincial players and the Kearsney College 1st XV. New SA Rugby Board legislation prohibits matches between players of different age groups, in an effort to reduce injuries in the game.
Harry Newton Walker (South Africa)
Etienne Fynn (South Africa)
Trevor Halstead (South Africa)
Jean-Luc du Preez (South Africa)
Daniel du Preez (South Africa)
Robert du Preez (South Africa)
Mike Halliday (USA)
John Antoni (Italy)
Matt Stevens (British Lions, England, and British and Irish Lions)
Francois Viljoen (USA)
Brad Barritt (England and British and Irish Lions)
Ayron Schramm (Germany)
Dylan Richardson (Scotland)
Martin (Rocky) Rich (1975)
Clifford Hopkins (1979)
Nico Breedt (1997)
Greg Goosen (2001)
Bradley Barritt (2004)
Johan Strauss (2004)
Kene Okafor (2007)
Sandile Kubeka (2012)
Daniel du Preez (2012 and 2013)
Jean-Luc du Preez (2012 and 2013)
Dylan Richardson (2016) SA Schools’ A team
Dylan Richardson (2017) SA Schools
Sibusiso Sangweni (2018) SA Schools
A Competitive Boys’ High School Hockey Programme
The Story of Kearsney Hockey
The first recorded Hockey matches played by Kearsney were in 1963. In that year two matches were played, against DHS and Hilton. The sport grew in popularity over the following years with regular fixtures against Glenwood, Mansfield and Beachwood taking place. Present traditional rivals Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse had yet to offer the sport. The 1st XI have also played annual matches against the Mike Madsen XI and the KCOBs since the 1990s.
Kearsney now fields twelve teams that play every Saturday in the Hockey season. Kearsney is a core school of the Founders Hockey Festival, and the U14A, U16A and 1st teams play in this prestigious event every year.
In 2001 Kearsney laid a water-based synthetic hockey pitch near the main entrance of the College. The initial funding for this project resulted from a generous bequest to Kearsney College from Mrs Christine Mason, hence the field is named “The Mason Astro”. In 2011 the pitch was replaced and while this was being done a “dug-out” for the technical area was built. This facility was donated to the school by a group of parents (two of whom were Old Boys). The pitch was replaced in 2022 again and a mini pitch, of the same standard, was built at the same time which allows all our teams to train on astro, as we no longer have fixtures on grass. The field also has floodlights which were initially funded by the “Friends of Hockey Trust”. The lights were upgraded by the school in 2006 and recently a section seating was added on the one side of the astro.
At present the facility is home to the Kearsney Men’s and Ladies Hockey Club and our twelve school teams. The building next to the pitch, now fondly called the “Hockey House”, includes changing facilities, a kit room, tuck shop, viewing deck and a memorabilia room, where blazers kindly donated by our national players and pictures of the 1st teams are displayed.
The Kearsney 1st XI has embarked on a number of overseas tours. In 1975 and 1993 the team toured to Zimbabwe, while in 1990, 1999, 2002 and 2005 the team toured to Europe and England. In 2011, 28 players making up the 1st team and a youth development team went to Malaysia and Singapore. In 2015, 28 players representing the 1st team and an U16 group traveled to Belgium and Holland.
Jonathan Lowe 1968
Paul Logan 1985
Greg Pilling 1992
Justin King 1995
Wayne Madsen 2004
Lloyd Madsen 2007
Greg Last 2013
Nqobile Ntuli 2017; 2018; 2019; 2021 2022; 2023; 2024
Guy Morgan 2022; 2023; 2024
Calvin Davis 2024
Nqobile Ntuli 2015, 2016, 2017
Guy Morgan 2021 (Captain)
Calvin Davis 2022 and 2023
Matthew Mendes de Oliveira 2024
P Gladman 1968
I Cole 1969 (B Team – Capt)
Paul Logan 1980, 1981, 1982
Craig Livingstone 1980
Greg Pilling 1981
Peter Gibson 1981 (B Team)
Mark Pearse 1981 (B Team)
Craig Grinyer 1983, 1984, 1985 (Capt ’85)
Mike Phillips 1986
Wayne Dollar 1987 (B Team)
Justin King 1993
Hedley Young 1997
Scott Power 1999 (B Team)
William Tsolo 1999 (B Team)
Wayne Madsen 2001 (B Team) and 2002 (A Team)
Lloyd Madsen 2004
Greg Last 2008
Ryan Wallace 2012 (B Team) and 2013 (A Team)
Nqobile Ntuli 2014
Lyle Jarvel 2016 (B Team – Captain)
Keanan Naidoo 2017 (B Team)
Steven Conway 2018
Guy Morgan 2018 (B Team)
Ben Proctor 2018 (B Team)
Matthew Mendes de Oliveira 2023; 2024
Lyle Jarvel 2015
Guy Morgan 2017
Matthew Mendes de Oliveira 2023
Hedley Young 1995
Wayne Madsen 1999
Rowan Moran 1999
Lloyd Madsen 2002
Carl Hirsch 2003 (B Team)
Michael Dawson 2006
Greg Last 2006 (B Team)
Joshua Perry 2007, 2008
Scott Drew 2009
Craig Kirsten 2010
Ryan Wallace 2010
Bili Ntuli 2012
Ru Baker 2012
Lyle Jarvel 2014
Blake Tyack 2014
Luke de Vlieg 2015
Jeremy Foord 2015
Guy Morgan 2016 (Captain)
Chase Kelly 2017 (HP squad)
Calvin Davis 2019 (HP squad)
Matthew Mendes de Oliveira 2022 (HP squad)
Tom McKenzie 2022 (HP squad)
Keegan de Jager 2024
The Wellness Programme
As a school, we value the life-long health and well-being of our boys. A broad-based, integrated approach provides the ESSENCE of Wellness at Kearsney. A Wellness Committee meets quarterly to plan and monitor all the elements of the programme.
Wellness Programme Objectives
Increase pupils’ capacity to learn
Improve emotional well-being and self esteem
Instil lifelong habits to promote active and healthy lifestyles
Improve sporting performance and enjoyment therein
Implement sports injury prevention programme
Manage a high performance programme for sportsmen
Foundations of Health and Wellbeing
The ESSENCE of Wellness at Kearsney
