The Independent Schools’ Sports Festival (ISSF) took place in Durban on 9 and 10 June, hosted by Our Lady of Fatima Diocesan Convent School in Durban North.

Owing to the limited facilities on campus, only netball was played at the school. The other three sports were all played at different venues, but in close proximity. We played hockey at the Riverside Sports Club, tennis at Durban North Tennis Club and squash at the Crusaders Sports Club.

The ISSF is a wonderful event that has been running for about 20 years, between some of the independent girls’ schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Hosting of the event works on a rotational basis, with the hosting taking place in KwaZulu-Natal one year then in Gauteng the following year.

Unfortunately, the date always falls during our examinations, which proves problematic, especially when we are required to travel as far as Durban. We were very fortunate, much to the delight of all, to be able to fly to Durban and back. Our diligent girls took their books and studied at the airport before we transferred to the tournament.

Our teams performed superbly, and all the coaches were proud to be associated with the “red” school. Out of a total of 24 matches across all four sports, we were only 4-5 down in one tennis match when time was called, and one squash match was lost. It was an outstanding performance for “Team St Mary’s”. Well done, everybody.

Quix

Head of Sport