Good morning to everyone out there…

Life is all about ups and downs….and we have definitely had a roller coaster in the last few weeks….but this weekend was so marvellous and wonderful in both with our Club sports and mostly on the international front….whilst there was absolute heartbreak for our girls at the World Cup….as they lost in a rain shortened semi-final against the Aussies…losing by just five runs….and this after the first semi-final match had been abandoned a few hours before at the same venue….such is the life of a cricketer….and whilst it was devastating for the girls…I am sure that valuable lessons were learned…and as we have a pretty young side, with new stars emerging as on both the batting and bowling fronts, which will hold us in good stead for the future ….well done to the girls on topping their group in the pool stages and for reaching the semi’s….we are all extremely proud of you….and then in retribution, our boys went out and whacked the Aussie side comprehensively on the weekend to land up with a clean sweep….a heart warming result after a disappointing summer…the boys now jet off to India to look horns in some white ball antics against the hosts….I imagine this will be a different prospect to the red ball game….so good luck chaps…may you all play above your expectations….on the Super Rugby front two wins and loss for the weekend means that the glass is more full than normal….keep that up boys…

And now onto our local Club results….the travels to Barnard Stadium in Kempton for soccer and cricket all had positive results….our soccer boys bringing home all the points and in the premier cricket clash, we were able to also come home with the spoils in that clash….

Our soccer boys were definitely on top in the Kempton game….as the reserves were able to record a 1-0 victory, while the our super league outfit made short work of the opposition coming home with a massive 8-2 score line….a most satisfying result for the new coaching team…. This week we are off to Benfica as we spend our first four weeks on the road…. get out there guys and win this one too… let us keep that winning momentum going….

The cricketers had a most satisfying win against their arch rivals on Sunday to round off the good result weekend against Kempton…Kurt won the toss and elected to bat…and his top order proved this to be the correct decision as Brett top scored with 75 and Riaan and Stephan recording 50’s in allowing us to accumulate 234/7 in the over allocation….Kempton seemed to be getting on top of the game at 176/4, when Phumi decided to up the ante and from then the opposition battled…. Phumi ending up on 3/48 and Stef joining in on the party with 3/36…to bundle them out for 204, still 29 short of their target…really a super effort guys….and now we need some more of the same….as we travel to Alberton to meet the side that is on top of the league at the moment…

Please don’t forget our “Wag fun run” next Saturday… where we have a great day and run with your animals… with the local charity benefitting from the day…. We have held this for the last two years and has gained in popularity with each event… I am sure there will be a huge turnout for this fun day…

As we move on far too quickly through the year, I really can’t believe we are already in March….we have decided to celebrate St Patricks day this year with a vengeance….so please save the date in your diary…come along dressed with the spirit of the day, as we will have innovative spot prizes for the best dressed/ dancer/ mad as a hatter…there will have also be an Irish stew served with a Guinness for R50 to get everyone into the happy day feeling….free Irish flag jello shots will be offered at the door of the Scimitar to all those joining us for the party….and there will also be a band to kick your heels up to and celebrate the evening away with…. a bundle of “fake doctors notes” will be available for your employer explaining your absence at work on Wednesday….hopefully I will get to see you all there….

Our joker has claimed another victory against the crowd….as he remains hidden for another week…..this Friday  we had another “newbie” as Jenny Berrington had her name drawn from the beeeg black box…..and despite the nerves and butterflies floating around in her stomach, she was able to calm down enough to make her selection….in the middle row second from the left…..and this revealed the King of hearts…so the joker lives for another week….the Jackpot has  moved up to R59340….come along this week to chance your arm and become our next big winner at the joker draw….

We welcome back Plus Two this week for our musical entertainment…they joined us late in the last year for their first showing at the North….and proved to become a firm favourite amongst the faithful….join is this week to welcome them back in true Northerns style….

All the registration days are complete for our Junior Soccer and Hockey….and the committees were very happy with their response…but there may still be a few openings available in some of the age groups, please contact the office for further contact details….

AS we rush r-through the year, we are waiting on the edge of our seats as the summer sports start to slow down and the winter sports arrive…I personally can’t wait, to get back onto the field…

Hopefully I will see you all through the course of the week…

Take care, cheers, Rod….