High drama unfolded on the final day of the 2025 Reddam House Ballito U13 Sports Festival on Sunday.

Ashton International College Ballito came out on top, claiming both tournament trophies after two strong final victories. Hosts Reddam Ballito did not leave empty-handed, securing both individual awards.

Lwazi Msimang and Uminathi Masuku were both voted Players of the Tournament. A rigorous voting system saw coaches from each team select an opposing player to be nominated for the player of the match. Points were tallied to decide the final winners.

The three-day event began on Friday, with schools from across the North Coast and the country participating in football and netball tournaments.

Hosts Reddam Ballito were joined by fellow North Coast schools Ashton International College Ballito, Curro Salt Rock, Eden Village Preparatory School and Maidstone Primary.

Visiting schools included Reddam House Umhlanga, Atlantic Seaboard, Bedfordview, and Durban North Primary.

The festival also featured a motivational speech by Springbok legend Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, along with performances from Reddam’s marimba band and Grade 11 dancers.

“The tournament was fantastic! The kids loved it, which is the most important thing,” said festival coordinator, Andrew Thomas, who cannot wait for next year’s event. “There will definitely be a Reddam Ballito sports festival in 2026,” he said.

Ashton girls’ netball team beat Curro Salt Rock to take the title

Ashton’s netball team cruised through the round robin stage, winning all seven games – without conceding more than seven points in any contest – before beating Curro 15-6 in the final.

They scored 121 goals in eight games, conceding just 24. Curro’s, whose only two defeats came against Ashton, scored more points in two games (13) than the other six schools combined (11).

Reddam Ballito beat Durban North Primary 7-6 to take the bronze medal. Eden Village Prep won their 5th place playoff, beating Reddam Umhlanga 7-2. Tongaat’s Maidstone lost 11-1 to Reddam Atlantic Seaboard in the 7th place playoff.

Ashton complete trophy double after shootout victory

Ashton’s boys’ football team went undefeated in the group stage, topping the table with 12 points. Reddam Bedfordview joined the North Coast team in the final despite a 1-0 defeat to Reddam Ballito in their final fixture on Saturday.

The hosts narrowly missed out on a final showdown with Ashton because of a goalless draw with Cape Town side Reddam Atlantic Seaboard in the opening game of the tournament. In the bronze medal match, Reddam Ballito lost 2-1 to Reddam Umhlanga.

Curro beat Durban North Primary 2-0 to take fourth place, while Eden Village Prep beat Reddam Atlantic Seaboard 2-0 in the 7th place playoff.

Ashton’s boys sealed victory after a tense final against Reddam Bedfordview. The KZN team edged the Joburg side 3-2 on penalties after a fierce 1-1 draw, which saw the referee brandish three yellow cards.

The Ballito school opened the scoring with a wonderful team goal before the Joburg side levelled with a long-range strike with only minutes remaining in the second half. The game went straight to penalties.

Both sides scored their first two penalties in the best-of-three shootout. With the pressure intensifying, Ashton cooly slotted their final spot kick, leaving the opposition needing to score to continue to sudden death.

Ashton’s goalkeeper guessed correctly, saving the final penalty to cue scenes and a team pile-on (joined in by players from other North Coast schools) before the teams shook hands.

Ashton head coach, Shane Duncan, was proud of his charges, who begin their season on a high.

“I want to say a big thank you to Reddam for hosting this festival. It was a wonderful weekend. The kids enjoyed it, and the team-spirit was fantastic,” he said.

“We managed to work on a few things because this tournament was a warm-up for season ahead. Taking home gold is an added bonus but it’s about getting children outdoors playing sports and having fun.”

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