Dear BNSC Family,

As I continue to find my feet in my role as Club Manager, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming support and encouragement I have received from our members, staff, sub-section committees, and all the patrons of our club since I took over on July 1, 2024. Thank you, everyone!

The festive season is fast approaching us, so before we close for the holidays, let’s take a moment to reflect on the highlights of 2024.

ATHLETICS

A record crowd of 2351 people participated in the 2024 BNAC Night Race on 23 October! The 5km, which was electronically timed for the first time this year, had by far the biggest field of 1707 entrants. We are excited by the masses of young children who represented their schools. The BNAC Night Race is truly becoming a community-driven and proudly local event, with members of the Athletics subsection working together to make it happen, local businesses volunteering to host water stations, and local people showing their support.

It takes a special club to orchestrate a road race for thousands of people – AT NIGHT. As a club, we can be immensely proud of the race we hosted. Water tables were hosted by Jan L. Jordaan Inc. Attorneys, Stockton Properties, RE/MAX Randgro, and RE/MAX Dazzle.

Our night race is the only surviving night race in Gauteng at the moment.

• Junior athlete Siyanda Madlabane received the BNSC Junior Sportsman of the Year Award at the Main Club’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year Awards. Siyanda, fondly known as Zuluboy, is a South African National Champion after he won gold at the ASA Cross Country Championships in September. Congratulations Zuluboy, we are very proud of you!
• Senior athlete Kaitlyn Bubb was nominated for the BNSC Senior Sportsperson of the Year Award, facing very tough competition from nominees from the other subsections. We are immensely proud of Kaitlyn’s achievements this year. Congratulations Kaitlyn.
• We had several BNAC members in the Top Ten in the half and full marathon events at the 2024 Jacaranda City Challenge.
• Robyn Pheiffer won the ladies 21KM event in a stunning time of 1:28:40. Well done on your perfectly executed race Robyn and massive congratulations on your podium finish.
• Evangelia Thompson came 5th in the ladies 21KM event in a dashing time of 1:36:41. Well done Vange!
• Kaitlyn Bubb came 7th in the ladies 42.2KM event in an incredible time of 03:19:22, alongside Mark Dingle, Matt Willis and Frans-Louis Van Greunen. Well played Kaitlyn. You’re an inspiration to all the girls.
• Alison de Bruin came 9th in the ladies 42.2KM event in a super-fast 03:20:54. Congratulations on your Top Ten finish
• Sue Holden came 5th in her category in the 10KM event. Congrats on your awesome result Sue!
• In addition, we had several runners achieving respectable Comrades qualifiers and others running their very first marathons. Well done everyone and thank you to Naledi, our catering team and Frans-Louis for transporting the gazebos, BOB and chairs.
• Sunday – PPS Alberton
• Jane Neilson came 2nd in her age category in the 10KM event. Great work Jane! You inspire us!
• Our walkers were out in force with 12 of them participating in the 10KM event and Christo Hechter in the 21.1KM. Well done to all our walkers!

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BASEBALL

Senior League Highlights

The 2024 season saw four fiercely competitive teams in the Senior League:

• Major A: Redskins clinched both the league and the cup titles, showcasing dominance throughout the season.
• Major B: Wichita emerged as league champions, while Sioux claimed the second spot.
• Reserves: Mohicans are still fighting for a trophy, keeping fans hopeful for their breakthrough.

Senior MVP: Brandon Bouillon’s outstanding performance earned him the Senior MVP title.
Club Member of the Year: Gareth Long, whose dedication set a new standard.
Serfontein Award: Awarded to Gareth Long for exceptional contribution.

The Senior League season will kick off again in April 2025, with teams already preparing for another action-packed year.

Junior League Update

Junior League has expanded to 12 teams, with growing talent promising a strong future. An elite training squad is set to be announced soon, aiming to nurture young talent. Additionally, selections for the National Baseball Squad (NBS) are underway, as Cape Town gears up to host the national tournament.

All Junior League coaches have successfully completed police clearances and safeguarding training, reinforcing the club’s commitment to player safety.

International Representation

Our young stars continue to make us proud on the world stage:

• U23 World Cup (China, Aug/Sept 2024): South Africa was represented by Corbin Greenslade, Cullen Pieterse, Kyle Schwartz, and Robert White.
• U15 World Cup (Columbia, August 2024): Joshua Cook represented South Africa as a player, while Gareth Long served as a coach. Logan Gardner was selected as a non-traveling reserve.
• World Children’s Baseball Fair (Japan, August 2024): Carly Steyn and Jarred Long proudly represented Benoni Northerns Indians, joining three other South African children at the event.

Clubhouse Upgrades

Phase 1 of our clubhouse upgrade has been completed, transforming the space into a modern, upmarket facility. Phase 2 is planned for the near future, and the clubhouse is now available for event rentals.

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BRIDGE

Bridge Club had a wonderful year. Club subscriptions remained high and received on average 10 tables. They had a very successful championship and subscriptions were not increased, neither were table fees. The Benoni Northerns Bridge club grows from strength to strength.

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CRICKET

Senior Cricket

Well done to Kyle Smit for his excellent performance over the past 18 months. Kyle contributed to South Africa’s first-ever Veterans Cricket World Cup title win. He represented Benoni Northerns Veterans, Easterns Veterans, and South African Over-40s Veterans teams.

• Benoni Northerns Veterans: Scored 385+ runs in the inaugural Veterans season at an average of 128.
• Easterns Over-40s Squad: Key player in reaching the Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) final. Second-highest run-scorer with 238 runs in 4 matches (average 59, strike rate 172).
• Proteas Over-40s: Selected for the 2024 Veterans World Cup in Cape Town. Opened batting in every match and top-scored with 49 runs in the group stages. Scored 33 runs in the final on a challenging wicket to secure a World Cup victory!

Congratulations to Andre Steyn for his Man of the Match performance for SA A Over 50’s against the Proteas Over 50’s in the Africa Cup, taking place in Windhoek. Performing with both bat and ball, Andre contributed to the 28 run victory over the SA Proteas in the group stage.

The Proteas and SA A met again in the final match, with the SA Proteas gaining revenge and eventually taking the Africa Cup title. Hosts Namibia faced Zimbabwe in the 3rd Place match, with Zimbabwe taking third place in the tournament.

Clayton Horlick was nominated for Junior Sportsperson of the year, well done to Clayton for his performances:

• Premier Men’s Side: Top run-scorer with 327 runs at an average of 54.50. Scored 1 century and 2 half-centuries.
• Provincial Representation: Selected as the opening batter for the Easterns Under-16 team at the under-16 national week.
• Khaya Majola Week: Selected as a non-traveling under-19 reserve player.
• School Cricket: Played 18 innings this season, scoring 846 runs at an average of 60.4, with a highest score of 157 not out.

National Weeks

A massive congratulations to all the Northerns players that have been selected to represent Easterns at the national weeks.

• Clayton Horlick
• Refilwe Mogabe
• Tamzyn Hartman
• Tharsnii Sagathevan
• Aiden Shaw
• Sohail Ebrahim
• Rebecca McKelvey
• Nadine Visser

Congratulations to Andrew Smith as well who will be the Under 19 mens team manager.

Regional Cricket Week

Congratulations to all our Northerns senior cricket players who were selected to play in the Regional Cricket Week:

• Hein Swart (u/13)
• Kirsten Allen (u/13)
• Jessica Moughan (u/13)
• Jake Bevolo (u/15)
• Xavier van Biljon (u/15)
• Gert Greyling (u15)
• Anke Oosthuizen (u/15)
• Clayton Horlick (u/17)
• Kenan Shaw (u/17)

Congratulations as well to Nicolaos Moragemos (manager), Kayden Pillay (coach), Joshua McCallum (manager) and Megan Wilke (manager).

Senior stats

Junior Cricket

Cricket season is now in full swing and there is so much to look forward to.

Congratulations to all U8 players for achieving their badges!
Hattrick (White Badge) and 5 Wicket Badge

• Jenson Dias

50 Run Badge

• Declan Cuthbert

35 Run Badges

• Luhan Fourie
• Nixon Grobler
• Hunter Tucker
• Kaiden Dex
• Ruben Geyser

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FOOTBALL

Junior Football

Congratulations to Under 9 Premier league team on an incredible achievement. These boys competed in the Easterns Under 9 Premier Football division and went on to be back to back league Champions. To make their season even better they went on to make it a double by winning the Easterns Under 9 Cup.

They were awarded The Team of The Year for the the second year in a row. Congratulations.

Senior Football

Our senior football Super league teams completed their season in September 2024, with our reserve team coming 3rd in cross border league, and our 1st team making the top 8.

In order to take the football section to another level and provide our young players with opportunities going forward, plus help the main club generate more monies by bringing senior football to our club for practically 12 months of the year. We identified the need for us to play football at a higher level and join the SAFA leagues, namely the ex Castle League now Hollywood Bets regional league (Ekurhuleni). This league is in theory the entry level to professional football in SA. It is run by SAFA and has nothing to do with our Easterns Local Football Association. This league runs from September to May in line with the PSL. Our Super League runs from March to Sept, so we now play football at Northerns for 12 months of the year like previously mentioned.

The 14th September 2024 was an historic occasion for our football section and main club. Only one week after finishing our Super League, we played in our 1st Castle League/Hollywood Bets league match at home and won 1 nil. This is the 1st step to taking our senior football to another level & providing opportunities to our youngsters coming through the ranks.

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RUGBY

Rugby practice pre-season training 7 January 2025 – looking for more coaches please see below.

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GENERAL

Sports Person of the Year Award

Cricketer Kyle Smit was named BNSC Senior Sports Person of the Year.

Junior athlete Siyanda Madlabane was nominated BNSC Junior Sportsman of the Year Award –Siyanda, fondly known as Zuluboy, is a South African National Champion after he won gold at the ASA Cross Country Championships in September.

Lourens Smit was named the Club Person of the Year in recognition of his tireless and selfless contribution to Benoni Northerns.

Legends Night Market

Our monthly Legends Nite Market has resumed operations after a winter break, and we look forward to the upcoming Christmas Market on November 29th, which will be filled with festive surprises. Please come out and support!

Members Draw

Our Member’s Draw has grown to an exciting amount of R26 500! To claim your winnings, you must be present at the draw, so join us for a drink on Friday nights. The draw takes place at 19h30.

Toy Run

2024 Toyrun collection point at Benoni Northern Sports Club is open at the Main Club House until Sunday 24th November. Thanks goes out to all Supporters (Members and Public) who are taking advantage of the new format to both ride and donate.

You are more than welcome to stay, grab a pizza, a cold sharpie and have a good time when you do.

Clean Projects

A big thank you to Clean Projects who supports Benoni Northerns Sports Club.

If there’s anything you’d like included in our upcoming monthly newsletter—whether it’s an announcement, an update, or a special message, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Your contributions and insights are always appreciated, and I’d be happy to help express anything you’d like to share.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

As we wrap up another year, may this festive season bring you joy, warmth, and cherished moments with loved ones.

From all of us at Benoni Northerns Sports Club, we would like to wish you a season filled with laughter and a New Year full of opportunities and success.

Best regards

Lindsay Oosthuizen
Club Manager, BNSC

This last week was a sad one for me….we bade farewell to a Northerns legend and stalwart…..
Sala Robert Foster (affectionately known as Bob)

My story and history with Bob goes back a little further than just Benoni Northerns….it actually begins in 1970, when I met him as a scoutmaster for our troop, 9th Benoni…. you can imagine, being 11, Scouters were larger than life, they taught us many lessons on Friday nights and over weekends, when they gave of their personal time in order to do so….

Bob worked in Johannesburg (most of the fathers in our area worked locally), so he was a little different already… and he worked for a gold mining company…..immediately, myself and my mates were a little more than just a little impressed, he was different to all our fathers… not only did he have inside information about gold mines, he came from Rhodesia (which held it’s own aura of mystique)…and he seemed to have endless knowledge on how to make my life as a scout easier (apart from the intriguing stories relayed at the campfire or while we were readying for sleep on a camping weekend away)….we learned how to pitch and storm lash a tent, endless additional knots were taught and learned, planning of camps and their sites, different ways to cook and prepare food, how to cater for and guestimate quantities …I could continue to make lists of his advice….but I will leave the rest for your imagination to complete…. In practical situations, Bob taught me how to abseil down a cliff face(one of the most exhilarating, but initially scariest experiences of my scouting life….as I kicked out over the edge into the unknown 50 metres below, held up with only a rope that I had complete control of, but of course there were safety ropes and harnesses attached to me too that I had forgotten of and was terrified…but Bob was there to reassure and guide me through the process) and once that was complete, how to climb some treacherous cliffs and passes safely in the Magaliesberg where we were camping at the time… needless to say, I must have completed that ascent and descent 5 odd times that day…it was amazing and has never been forgotten….he taught us how to sleep warm on a hike in the middle of winter, that newspaper was great for warmth and insulation (better and lighter than blankets)…and you could use the newspaper as kindling for your fire if there was lots of rain around….how to cook a chicken overnight, under the ground while we were sleeping…. Again, a list that could go on forever…

One of Bob’s greatest attributes to me, as a teenager by then….was how approachable and practical he was….he was my friend….and I was fortunate enough to be able to maintain that relationship with him throughout his life…

As time inexorably moved on…I left the scouts and the next time I encountered Bob was on the hockey field….he played for a Boksburg side called Navab, but used to umpire more frequently than play….and it didn’t take long for Bob to leave Navab, to find his new home at the North….I went on a few memorable hockey tours with the East Rand Junior Board side where Bob managed the side and also doubled up as an umpire….

Bob then progressed from umpiring and playing and installed himself as permanent fixture in the Happy Hangovers side as their manager…..a position he held with pride and distinction…. In the mid 80’s I went to Cape Town on a holiday, with some legendary Northerns friends….Bogroll, Bushman and Klonkie and we ran into the Foster’s in their newly acquired Kombi…needless to say many a new Northerns hangout was found almost daily, where plenty of eating and drinking was enjoyed by us all….

I also served with Bob on various committee’s as he became in integral part of the Northerns setup….he served as our licencee at the club, ran the bar in the 80’s…. he was always a practical being, so he ended up doing all sorts of handy work at the club….drawing up of plans and getting approval for these at the Council….he fixed bar stools and assisted with a myriad of odd jobs at the Club….. By 1993 the powers that be, recognised Bob’s concerted efforts and rewarded him by being granted Life Membership of Benoni Northerns, an honour that Bob took in his stride and seem to urge him on to do more than he had done in the past…..Bob was the ideal example of the old saying….how do you get a job done? Give to the busiest person….In the mid 90’s Bob started the Northerns cycling sub section and the it seemed the natural progression to being the Social section chairman for a number of years…. When I returned to Benoni in 2009, my old friend Bogroll (yes the same one from the Cape Town holiday) convinced me to assist him in coaching under 8 cricket at the Club, one of that number being Bob’s grandson… so my interaction with Bob now included his family more than ever…. As time progressed Bob retired from work, but his efforts in assisting the club never faltered…..so much so, that he was awarded BNSC Clubman of the year in 2018…. A position that Bob was most proud of…..I remember us rekindling our friendship in a different manner when I joined as Manager….with Bob offering his services to erect shelves and do various tasks and drawings to make life for me at the North easier and more fulfilling…. Bob was always available for a chat and with his solid and sound advice, became a most useful cog in making Northerns the vibrant and cohesive Club it is today… Bob was always involved in the social activities, being an active Member of the “10 to 1er’s” and Chapel (which he used to frequent right up to 2 weeks ago)

Almost every day in my life, I am reminded of a story that his wife Erica shared with us on our Cape Town trip and this brings a smile to my face…. We were chatting one evening about the slowness of Cape Town traffic….and Erica (Bob’s wife) went on to say that the non-use of indicators by the locals, frustrated the heck out of Bob….she exclaimed…”one day, he is going to jump out of his car and run up to the offender of not using their indicator, reach inside and break off the relevant indicator stalk on the steering column and shout….’that’s as much use as it is to you’….and storm back to his car”…..as the driving in our country has deteriorated over time….this practice seems to have escalated into a pandemic….so I am sure that Bob’s frustration had not improved…..and each time I experience this practice, I could in my mind’s eye, Bob urging me to do what his wife had suggested….and I have a quite little chuckle….

Bob is going to leave a massive hole at the North…his calm demeanour and wealth of experience and advice will be sorely missed.
My thanks to the fellows at Chapel, who have created a wonderful remembrance corner for Bob, he will be chuffed with the gesture….

My heartfelt condolences to Erica and the family….thank you for all the time you allowed Bob to be shared with us (and me particularly in my younger years)….

In closing I share with you some of the lyrics of a song that has always made me think me of Bob….
(from Heal the World)

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race

For me that is what Bob tried and achieved more often than not during his whole life…

Sleep peacefully my friend, till we meet again….

Hi there to all….

I’m a happy fellow, the weather has progressed from freezing to windy… which means August winds readying Nature for the rains of summer… and with that, we are entering the time of the year I enjoy most… summer!!!

To recap on our sports… Senior rugby along with Junior Hockey have completed their fixtures already and the others are fast coming to the end of their season too….

We have had mixed results from all our sports, with soccer in mid table, but with the remainder of their fixtures against the sides below them, should see an improved position by the end of their year… Rugby’s battles with Meyerton, meant that they could just not finish on top of their league, but on the hockey front our girls and boys have performed admirably in their respective leagues…
I am afraid I was a bit ahead of myself in announcing the start of the TAG rugby… with the TAG world Cup, there has been some inactivity and a lack of infrastructure to support our aspirations to start so early… Our local representative is now going for training in the Western Cape… so all beginnings have been put on hold until she returns… please keep an eye on our local social media platforms and this newsletter for more information on this sport…

The “off the wall” soccer is almost complete and the expected date of launch is the weekend of August 26th… again I will have more information on this in the next newsletter… please remember that the main club is running the bar at this new venue… so expect to see the usual familiar happy faces to serve you across the way…

Senior hockey is hosting the “One Cup” tournament this weekend, with matches on Saturday and Sunday at the Easterns and Benoni High Astroturf… we have some raiders arriving from other provinces, so expect to have bunches of crazy hockey players running around the club on the weekend….

 

Our night market makes its spring return on September 1, so please join us in welcoming them back… they will be in their usual position next to Home Ground…

Our new Members draw competition was launched successfully recently… and the first two draws have come and gone….but an elusive winner have not yet been found… the first week it was Phil Hill who’s name was drawn, while Caleb Rorich was the second weeks winning name… with there being no winners, this week the draw has climbed up to R6,000… you have to be present at the draw to claim your winnings, so join us here at the North, for a relaxing way to start your weekend…

There are still two legs of the Junior Rugby merry-go-round to be hosted at Northerns, these will be on August 26th and September 2nd… Please come and follow the fortunes of our young future springboks of the future… there is always massive excitement and enthusiasm with this sports… sometimes it is the antics of the spectators and parents who display more of these traits than their offspring!!

The senior soccer has progressed into their cup round… and in a twist of fate, our draw has meant that we will have another derby encounter…. We unfortunately have to travel to the club down the road… but that will not deter our local vociferous support in following their team on the 2 kilometre journey… let’s bring the win back boys, that we can progress to the semi-finals… The reserve side is playing Balderstone in Befordview… so all the best to them too…

Cricket have held their junior trials… practices should be starting shortly… with the East Rand Veterans league commencing shortly… our boys enjoyed a most successful start in the inaugural season last year… we can expect that these fellows will be giving their all to win it this year…

We still haven’t been able to get the Council to rubber stamp our various building proposals… so nothing, as yet, to report on these projects…

I am sure that everyone have seen how “Clean Projects” (a local Benoni NPO) is busy cleaning up at intersections and pavements… well this weekend they have chosen to clean up the area in and around our beloved North…they have asked for any assistance from any and everyone… so we are requesting that all members to come along and support this wonderful initiative… They have suggested that we bring a spade/fork/set of gloves or some sort of paint brush to assist them in making the area look wonderful again… we have seen the steady decline in the surrounds of Benoni over the last few years….and it will be amazing to see it being returned to its former glory…. If you do have some spare time this weekend, please support this satisfying project…
That’s all I have for this week… see you at the North soon

Cheers Rod

Hi there everyone….

Hope that you are all well…. A hectic last little while…crazy loadshedding… a water crisis….massive lightning strike… some great results, mixed with some not so happy on the sports front…. and with the joker being found last week, we have a new competition this week, with an added twist….

So let me begin with our sports results….

Our cricketers are enjoying a very successful start to 2023…with almost all their sides being unbeaten thus far…there has been a wonderful new development on the cricket front….all home games are being streamed…it has been marvellous to be able to catch up with our premier sides even if we aren’t in the Benoni area for the day….there is long link to all the matches, I have included this at the end of the letter….catch up there if you are able….

The Johnson Crane marathon was recently held in Benoni and most of our runners take past in this to gain their qualification to the Comrades early in the year….well done to all those who achieved their goals… special mentipon must be made of our own Bright Mikolongwe, who ended on the podium in the half marathon in third place….well done Bright…we are all most proud of you….

Our soccer boys started their pre-season with an away game against Alberton in the top 8 competition….our boys came home with a 4-2 loss….but the new management, were happy with the progress and form shown by our boys…our new coach Les Grobler is excited about the future…we are at home this weekend against Impala…please pop along an join us across the road at the C field on Saturday afternoon….next week should be a cracker with us popping down to the club down the road at Currin park….put that into your diary for a pre-season derby!!

Our juniors, in the form of cricket and baseball….have been having a blast in their respective leagues….if you enjoy their adrenalin and excitement, please get down to the North to experience some of their breath taking enthusiasm….

We had a massive storm a week or so ago, which caused absolute havoc, with us having a direct lightning strike at the Club….this resulted in damage to various of our electronic equipment….most of this has already been repaired or replaced….but it did take its toll on our resources for a while….

On the local water supply front, we have experienced poor water service on the traditional pipelines supplied from the Council…. We had already had the alternate back up of a Jojo tank and have filled this up from our borehole…enabling Members to shower, wash hands and keep the toilets flushing…. without it we could have had disastrous results….but thank you to the staff on the superhuman effort in overcoming the odds…and keep the water flowing at the Club….

Off the Wall soccer courts are coming along very nicely and we should be having the opening very soon…

Loadshedding has also become a really uncomfortable reality in 2023…we have also had various systems in place to try to keep life as normal as possible….but we are currently looking at more innovative and different alternative to overcome this crazy situation in which we find ourselves….

We had a lovely night market last Friday…but the little rain never seemed to worry anyone…and the evening was a great success…the next one will be on the 3rd of March…
Another date for your diary will be 11th March….the DJ rally will once again be ending at our Club…last year was a fantastic day….I am sure that this year will be another treat….

Our Joker draw has been won….it took a visitor from Cape Town, Sean Collins to show us where the Jester had been hiding….taking home over R21k to cover his weekend costs quire easily….
The Joker draw will continue this week…starting with a R10 000 jackpot….we are keeping all the rules as before with one addition….when your ticket is drawn, a pair of dice will presented for you to roll….if you are able to get a double six….you will be able to draw a second card…. So more opportunities for everyone to make themselves a winner… tickets will be on sale from about 16h00 on

Friday afternoon with the draw taking place at 19h30…. Remember that you have to be present to win it….so don’t run off home and expect to get a call that you have won…

That’s all for today….See you at the North soon….

Cheers
Rod

Here is the link for the cricket streaming:

https://www.youtube.com/@benoninorthernscricketclub2679

A very warm 2023 welcome to you all

After an hiatus I am back, to bug you weekly with the News from the North.

At the outset, I would like to wish everyone a prosperous and fulfilling year ahead…. Already to me, it feels like the year has been going on forever, with our Government enforced load shedding, making every day seem to take longer than before…I am sure we are all hoping that we will be able to quickly overcome this massive hurdle that has been placed in our way for going forwards.

At the Club we have some exciting sports events that all our sub-sections will be hosting and participating in over the course of the year, interspersed with some live shows and other entertainment and also other exciting developments… You will be kept up to date with all the attractions that we will be creating and hosting…as well as recapping on the important sports results that we have achieved and played in recently…

On the sports front, Cricket and Baseball leagues and practices are currently happening, with some excellent results being achieved already, hopefully these will even improve as the season progresses…. Pre season practices in our winter sports (rugby and soccer) have already commenced and I also see that hockey are having some wonderful preseason tournaments that will hone your skills to be at their peak by the beginning of season (please contact the respective chairmen for more details on your sport of choice and you would like to participate in)

Our athletes are also hard at work, with their goal of Comrades being held a little earlier this year….plenty of our runners are participating in the Johnson Crane marathon this weekend in order to qualify for the big race….at the Club our time trials on a Tuesday are proving to be very popular and with our Club runs on a Wednesday evening, also on Tuesdays and Fridays in the morning, there is no excuse for all our runners not to be in top form… Our annual Marathon has been moved forward this year due to the earlier running of the Comrades… and will take place from the Club on the 5th of March…. All our members that day will be on the road marshalling or making sure that everything at the marathon runs smoothly…

Hockey and soccer registrations for juniors will be at the end of February/ beginning of March, whilst the rugby juniors will commence practices in May, registrations being held toward the end of April….

Moving away from sports….our joker draw is still running and after 24 weeks our jackpot has moved up to R20759….please come along and buy a ticket in the Hall from about 16h30 on Friday, the draw will take place at 19h30…..the beer and meat voucher raffle will be drawn at 19h25, just prior to the Joker…

This week we welcome music back at the club…Andrew Lawrence will be in the limelight this week….note the new time slot, from 16h00 to 20h00… pop down and join us…grab a bite to eat (there is a variety of choices on offer) and enjoy a cool refreshment in the beer garden or the Scimitar bar….

I am sure that everyone will have seen the activity at the Tennis club over the last little while….where has been building operation, laying of grass over the old surface, new side boards and nets being erected… Our “Off the Wall Soccer” set up is coming along very well….they are hoping to get everything finished soon, so that we can then offer this exciting brand of soccer….extremely quick and fast moving, this will definitely be a spectacle to behold…. I am sure that all the followers of “indoor type” soccer, will love the addition of this sport at the North….

Be on the lookout for next week newsletter….. with results, action pictures and a whole lot more…

Hope to you all soon at the North…

Till then, cheers…
Rod

Hello to everyone out there……

What a lovely week we have just had….. warm weather and plenty of celebration……

Here is a quick recap….Thursday the 22nd was the actual day of our anniversary and was a day for celebration….an endless happy hour with half price drinks proved to be most popular….I am sure that there were a fair share of sore heads the following day, to greet in the weekend….

Friday night saw a glittering gala dinner, celebrating the sports person of the year, both junior and senior, Clubman of the year….and ending off with Ted Jarvis relating some of memories…. the Clubman this year was awarded to Logan Green, for his marvellous edition of the jubilee magazine….

Madison Landsman edged out her fellow competitors in the junior sports person of the year category….she has made huge inroads in cricket, culminating in national U19 ladies colours, a truly talented young lady…

In the Senior category, there was fierce competition, but in the end Shane McGregor for his efforts in attaining a sub 7 hour Comrades, proved to be sufficient for the judges to judge him a worthy winner….. well done to all the winners, and best of luck to all the nominees… may you all continue to grow and excel in your sports and make our Northerns faithful proud!! The evening ended off with Ted running us through a quick resume of the Clubs history…from the humble beginnings, to growing into the massive and respected club it is today…. we have truly stood the test of time and will continue to do so…..a massive thank you to all the Members, past and present, for all the efforts in making this marvellous Club the we are all an integral part of….

Saturday saw another busy day at the North….a junior hockey tournament was sprung on us unexpectedly, which was handled in our stride…our Legends cricketers took on the Titans in a 50 over encounter, the result of which is a closely guarded secret, but both sides have said it was a super warm up for the forthcoming season for our boys….and a necessary build up for the tournament that the Titans are participating shortly…..our Rugby boys held a most successful 10’s tournament, well done to our committee and the organisers…..and then in our last football game of the season, there was a goal fest….with our boys ending up on the wrong side of the final result….we did put up a great effort throughout the season with an unbeaten extending to over 15 games….a really super season from our lads….well done to you all, players, coaches and the committee, we are very proud of you…go and have a well-deserved rest….before you start off your pre-season fitness programmes in anticipation of the new year that awaits….

Last Thursday we also held our Joker draw, but Sean Lees who was selected, drew the 7 of hearts….his misfortune means that our jackpot now edges up to R15033 for this week….please join us to try your luck at finding the Joker…

This Saturday we have the Glimlag Fees on at the North…..

Please note that the Club is NOT closed…but the organisers have asked that to limit access to the festival, that they close our parking lot…..so parking will be across the road…and Members will need to show their Club Membership cards to gain access to the Club…. There is going to be fencing around the Club, again to limit access to the festival… if our Members are wanting to join the Festival. They will receive a 66% discount, only paying R50 for a ticket….the proceeds of the ticket will go directly to the Smile Foundation….which has always been a very deserving charity…

Artists will be performing all day and the event should end at about 11pm….there are plenty of food and craft stalls available and also a massive children’s entertainment area available….and of course a massive beer tent!!

Thank you for all your support and understanding .

Sport will be back in full swing next week again.
See you all soon
Rod

And here we are….finally the beeeeg day is only two days away….

Super Saturday is going to be a massive day here at the North…. With both sides of our hallowed fields being full of top notch sport….Junior rugby on the JBH side all day and the Derby and reunion on the Main Club side in the afternoon till late…. More information below….

Athletics

Our Athletics section are taking it easy at the moment, with Comrades only 10 days away…but they will adding to the festivities…with a brekkie on Sunday in a send-off to the all the runners that will be participating in one of the greatest human challenges in the world…the Comrades Marathon…Good luck to everyone taking part, whether you are participation, assisting with a table or on the road or a family member supporting on the big day…good luck…

Baseball

Baseball are busy with their season and on the social front, they have commenced with their renovations…which promise to be amazing…. The plans are most ambitious, but it is a wish-list and they have a plan of how the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place…All the best to you with your plans….

Hockey

The hockey guys are nearing the end of their seasons…but the competitiveness remains….there is still a fight left for those not wanting to end up holding the wooden spoon….whilst on the other side of the leagues table, the top spot is also being hotly contested….hope that everyone gets the results that they desire…

Rugby

This Saturday is a culmination of years of work for the Rugger boys….since them joining us at the North, this section have been wanting to create and develop a junior section…and host their Junior tournament…which they will do this weekend….my personal thanks to Lourens and his hard working committee for attaining your goal…finally we will showcase the talent we possess and our prowess at hosting a wonderful tournament…. Good luck to all our youngsters and to the committee for a great day…..please join us across the road on the rugby fields for a wonderful day…..we start off early by around 8 and finish off when the sun goes down….

Football

On the football front…our first side have been playing some amazing ball…and with a win in our catch up game against Bedfordview last weekend, we are now punching with the top sides and leaders in the league…..this weekend we host our noisy neighbours (from down the road)…the derby will definitely add to the flavour of the day, the losers of the clash facing an uphill battle to fight their way back into contention…the winners will have a slightly easier run in, but is there ever an “easy run in”? I am sure both sides will be at their best…and with Bens having the advantage of winning the first meeting, the North have everything to prove…. Give it horns boys…

To make sure that our boys are given everything to assist and support on the day…the footballers have made this an official reunion of the all the old boys to celebrate our 50th anniversary….so there will be a very partisan crown to cheer on our boys….another invitation to you all to pop in and come along to support….it should be an amazing day of celebration….

Joker Draw

Our Joker draw remains climbing…this week Nick Murray had his chance….but his choice landed up being the nine of clubs….and that pushes up our jackpot to R12117….only 4 weeks gone….but the interest is gaining momentum…..if you feel lucky this week, come along to join us…if you don’t feel lucky, come along anyway….always good fun on a Friday at the North…

Upcoming events

Here is a quick run-down of activities at the North in the next couple of weeks:-

• August 20th Football derby day, fun activities and food stalls available…. Junior Rugby tournament…with a beer tent
• August 21st Comrade breakfast and send off
• August 27th “Big Day Out” music festival (tickets through the Green. Live on Facebook)
• August 28th Comrades Marathon
• September 2nd First night Market of summer
• September 3rd Hockey tournament

See you all soon….

Have a great week
Cheers
Rod

Wow…..at the North we are having an amazing return from COVID!!

The stage is set for the next few months to get back into the groove and put the last two years behind us…. It is marvellous to have all our sports back in full swing and with their governing bodies allowing spectators again, means that there is always some sort of activity at the North….we are also experiencing a resurgence of events being hosted at our beloved grounds…..and with all the anniversary events coming up, there is plenty to do and watch over the next while…I will list the dates a little further down, to remind everyone to diarise their favourites….

Firstly let us have a look at football….our Juniors have been super busy, some sides faring a little better than others, but marvellous the see and to feel the excitement and see all the enthusiasm gendered by the little players is really something to experience…this spirit has been contagious and moved up to our top sides and they are now also enjoying a golden run….after having beaten the top sides in the last few weeks and some results also going our way….mean that we are within three points of being on the crest of the Super League….we travel to Befordview this week, to play a “catch up” game…and with a favourable result, we will go into the “derby match” next weekend….near the top of the league standings… as a special day, the “derby” will be a football extravaganza and a super reunion, with past players that have represented the North being invited to see how Football and the Club has grown since they pulled on a jersey competitively…. It should be a fantastic day of celebration and I am sure there will be plenty of reminiscing and many friendships will be re-ignited on the day…Join us for what promises to be a memorable “jol”!!

Our rugby boys have endured a tough season, being moved up a couple of leagues, into the top Valke league….but many lessons have been learned and we were unfortunate during more than one only one match to only lose by a couple of points…so well done to our boys on showing plenty of commitment…we are very proud of you… our Rugby juniors have been hard at work and have been practicing really well and are now rewarded next weekend with the hosting of their home tournament….busy day, with the derby on the Main Club side…the junior Rugby tournament will be on our rugby fields on the JBH side of the grounds…

Cricket as also getting into swing, with Junior trials commencing this weekend…and senior trials being held next weekend (yes!! You read correctly!!) As if we don’t have enough on the 20th….we also have the senior trials….please get ready for all our sports getting together to show off their talents….

Hockey is busy winding down…after a stop-start last two years, their leagues are now slowing down and the league winners and wooden spoonists being resolved in the next week or two…Juniors have also experienced some changes in the practicing and playing format…there have also been lessons learned with these changes….and our Junior committee have proposed that we start fearing ourselves up for next year already…and will have a “meet-and-greet” for all the players to get together with the committee, coaches and players for next year….the date set for this day of exploration has been set for…yes, you guessed it….the 20th!! It will continue again the following Saturday 27th, but the energy of the 20th now includes hockey….

Our athletes had their Comrades get together on Wednesday the 17th….and are now ready for Sunday the 28th which is their day of reckoning….good luck to you all, I am sure you will achieve your goals…..

Our new Joker draw now has three cards turned over….and the current Jackpot stands at R11715….join is this Friday for a relaxing evening….enjoy a refreshment with a friend…or meet some new ones….hope to see you there….

Just a quick run down on dates to diarise….

• August 13th Junior Cricket trials
• August 20th Football derby day, fun activities and food stalls available…. Junior Rugby tournament…with a beer tent Senior Cricket trials Junior Hockey “meet-and-greet”
• August 27th “Big Day Out” music festival (tickets through the Green. Live on Facebook)
• August 28th Comrades Marathon
• September 3rd Hockey tournament
• September 23rd 50th anniversary dinner
• October 1st Glimlag Fees (Smile Foundation) music festival (tickets through TicketPro) – there will be substantial discounts for Northerns members

I hope that you will be able to join us at some of these fantastic events….
The North will be “cooking”!!
Have a great week
Cheers
Rod

Warm greetings to all of you out there….

The trees and grass are changing colour and the rain seems to have finally abated…the mornings are quite a bit cooler…and in the late afternoon it is time to don that warm jersey or jacket to ward off the freshness in the air…which means that summer is officially over….we are in the throes of autumn and winter is right here on our doorstep… but that said, I think we had more days of cool winter days in the last six months, than I can ever remember….hopefully summer and winter have reached an agreement and we will have some stinking hot days in the next three months!!

After some waterlogged fields experiences in April, our soccer, rugby, baseball and hockey players are now getting through their season without any major weather disruptions…

Soccer will this weekend be at the North again… after a couple of solid performances, both sides are now on a double roll, overcoming Edenvale and Sporting at home…. we would like this performance to be continued this weekend as we host Olympia…this has been one of our bogie sides in the past, so let us come and support our boys into a winning position this weekend……

The rugby men are back in action and are playing our old foe, Brakpan this weekend, also at home…good luck chaps, this is a massive match for us….it is many a year that we are playing in the old Derby….let us make this weekend a successful…. please come down to support them if Rugger is your game….

Baseball are up and running with their leagues again on Sunday…so all the best to them for all their encounters….

All the hockey players will be in action again this weekend….good luck to all of our sides in their matches…I see that there are quite a few of our sides that are showing off their new kit….I have included some pictures of the Fossils in their new kit….

Our Joker draw hunt continues….we are now through 32 weeks and still no winner…..Les Archibald, showed us that the luck of the draw is still in place around the main bar counter, as he had his name drawn last Friday…and although he was unable to find the Joker he indicated the hiding place of the ten of Clubs ….this week we are ready to pay the lucky person who reveals the joker the very tidy sum of R28734…. your R5 ticket could be reason to having almost R29k in your bank account by early next week…. Remember also that if you have a bar slip of over R100, please hand it in at the joker sales desk and receive an additional ticket for the draw….so come down of Friday night, have a beer with some mates….listen to the music of the very popular Ryno and Freedom Unfound, he has promised some exciting stuff, with a surprise guest appearance and they has been hard at work practicing some new material….

The year 2022 is our 50th anniversary…and the committee is hard at work getting a commemorative year book together…..they are currently selling off advertising for this amazing magazine, that will be a collectors item, please contact the office if you would like to advertise in this unique edition…the magazine will be filled with plenty of articles, photographs and memories from the last 50 years…Logan Green is our liaison person, if there are any contributions or further information you may require in this regard.

Please join us for another great weekend of fun and laughter at the North….
See you there
Rod