Good morning to all out there……

WOW!!! What a weekend!!! If you didn’t get to the North on the weekend, you missed out on an absolutely epic adventure and smashing time!!!

It all started on Friday night….with a marvellous night market, which was particularly well supported….and then we also had Coyote rocking everybody’s socks off, with great music….having plenty of heels tapping and feet stomping…they continue to show us why they are always so popular…..the joker remains in hiding for another week…even Eskom couldn’t dampen any of the spirit with their untimely load shedding later on in the evening….and while the next morning started early for runners and coffee shop, the cleaners had to work hard at clearing up what the darkness had hidden the night before….with the cricket committee busy removing covers in expectation of the ground staff readying to mark pitches….everyone on tenterhooks in expectation of the DJ rally… I will return to all the details shortly after the headlines and a foretaste of the weekend happenings…..

We were able to confuse the weather Gods again, having another successful rain free evening for the night Market which proved to be a great hit with all the patrons….as for the Joker draw, Meryl Navarria was again in the frame by having her name drawn….but unluckily her selection turned out to be the three of hearts…..which made everyone else draw a sigh of relief that they were still in with a chance for next week…and with the Jackpot swelling to R22022 for Friday 18th…. we can expect to see plenty of our old friends back to try their luck….. you are welcome to join us, pop in and try your luck…..we have another band of old favourites to entertain us at the Club this week….the Zimmer Twinz and Eileen making a welcome return….after a health scare last year, Peter has regained full use of his wrist and they will be strumming their tunes for us from about 18h45 this week….

Saturday was such a busy day….there was school hockey, with children scurrying between Benoni High and the Astro to get to their next match….the Junior cricketers had super weather in which to play their matches….even our Football boys had a home match to satisfy their soccer starved spectators….and they did not disappoint…both sides bringing home 3 points….a great result for the Club…well done chaps….the senior cricketers had to keep playing their matches, despite hearing the roar of the veteran cycles and the applause and cheering of the crowd watching the event…..

The Dj rally was a massive success….with pre 1938 bikes coming in from about 13h45….through till about 16h00….there was a hive of activity on the fields…competitors finishing, spectators listening to the stories…and having a cool one to cool the parched throats…one of the competitors motor cycle broke down just short of WIllowmoore park….and he decided that he was going to push it all the way to the North in order to complete his first DJ!!! And that summed up the spirit of the day for me….a wonderful band of amazing individuals….with a passion for veteran motor cycles…..and yes the Binder boys did finish and some people were even lucky enough to get some autographs and pictures with the elusive two!! We had some great support from our Members and the Benoni Community….with a super crowd on the Ted Jarvis field to welcome all the weary motor cyclists….

A massive thank you to everyone who helped us on the day….we had willing Members braaing, selling wors rolls, helping behind the bars….and generally making the day a fantastic success…. We enjoyed the best weekend of turnover since I have joined….so the biggest thank you goes to each and everyone who made a purchase from the bars…..for contributing to this superb weekend…. I have had a chat to the organisers of the DJ and they said…. ”see you next year”….I personally, can’t wait!!!

Sunday was another busy day of cricket, hockey 5’s….while the Junior Baseball held their finals to wrap up our fantastic weekend…
Despite my positive thoughts regarding the relaxation of the “State of Disaster”…..the Command Council do not share my feelings….and have extended the regulation for another month…they have even already predicted that we are in for another wave toward the end of April….. If you had been at the Club this weekend, I would have said that my opinion was shared by every single person present…. but we still do need to be careful…. If we look at the world statistics, there are still quite a number of countries that have really startling figures on infections…. So please take care out there and stay safe….

I was honoured last night to be invited to the Junior Baseball prize giving….and to be honest…. I was blown away!! A massive well done to Shaun and Clifford and their committee…..the amount of spirit and enthusiasm shown by the players and parents was exhilarating and contagious…. Congratultions to all the players and coaches on the fantastic turnout and for all the commitment shown…. our Baseball Club is in the best position I have seen t in many years…. long may it continue!!

Please don’t forget that our Athletics section are hosting the “Spayathon” on Monday 21st March….the event will start at 08h00 and the entrance fee will be sponsored to TAG for using on keeping our doggie population “in check”…this has been a hugely popular fun event in the past….enter, and join us in continuing this trend.

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