Trickery treat at the Baxter

"Choose a card," said a starry-eyed nine-year-old in a hoodie and bowtie. He fumbled with some playing cards. Unfortunately his hidden cards fell from his sleeve.

"Okay, let's choose another."

After yet another failed attempt he vanished into the crowd gathered to watch some of Cape Town's top amateur magicians compete.

Backstage, at the Junior Magician Championships on Sunday, objects were levitating, being set alight and even made to disappear as aspiring young magicians practised their routines.

The 12 finalists, ranging from 10 to 18 years old, are students at the College of Magic - the Mother City's equivalent of Hogwarts.

And, much like Harry Potter and his mates, they are from all walks of life and from places as disparate as Khayelitsha and Noordhoek.

But all have one thing in common - a determination to master their craft.

Six hopefuls competed in the stage category, in which contestants are expected to execute "dramatic, large-scale illusions," in pretty much the same way as David Copperfield.

Another six faced off in the close-up category, which involved coin or card tricks.

They are expected to keep a crowd "spellbound" in the tradition of street magicians David Blaine and Criss Angel.

But this was no ordinary crowd at the Baxter Theatre. Well-established magicians, including world-renowned US street performer and magic lecturer Chris Capehart, kept an eagle eye on the young contestants.

Capehart said he had wanted to attend the competition for 10 years but "I don't like flying".

"I think this competition is the best. We should do this in the US; it is such a beautiful idea."

Dougen Hall, a Grade 12 pupil of Constantia's Waldorf School, took top honours in the stage category. He made doves vanish, a person mysteriously appear at the end of his show and, after shredding a newspaper, magically put it together again.

Asiphe Mnqika, 18 of Khayelitsha, won the close-up category.

"Watch out world - you're going to see my name up in lights in Las Vegas," he declared.