Good day to you all from a hot and humid North

The ToyRun has come and gone….and another amazing day of fun and fellowship was definitely enjoyed by all….and as with all huge events….the day had its own fair share of surprises and hiccoughs….but all of these were dealt with in the normal professional manner by the people in charge…I saw piles of smiles amongst our Members who manfully (and womanfully) stuck to their task at hand of serving refreshments to thousands upon thousands of bikers, their families, friends and all the spectators that had just come along to experience the feel and spirit of the day…..one of the highlights for me as always was the mass ride past….which carries on for the best part of an hour….with some bikes purring past….others being wound up to the limit of their capabilities….in a cacophony of sound…buzzing, whirring, growling, screaming and whining were some of the sounds that I experienced…. bikes of all shapes and sizes..(with their owners which could be described in a similar fashion) arriving from all the corners of Gauteng (and some from further afield as I met friends and people  from Mpumulanga and the Free State too) who said that they could not wait to join this epic journey…..at the end of the day it is all about the collection of toys for those less fortunate than ourselves…one committed young lady personally brought over a thousand toys in a phenomenal selfless act….and I witnessed mountains of toys being collected and it was such a heart warming and satisfying day….another of those that I was able to experience with new friends and colleagues…..my gracious thanks to the unsung heroes of the day…to Peter Beart and all the organisers from the ToyRun…..well done on another stupendous day….to our President, Doctor Craig Wittstock….who amazed me with the ease that he works tirelessly and everyone is always met with a smile and positive attitude…to my staff team, without whom I would be seriously hamstrung…thank you Shepherd and your team, you are really our Club’s greatest undervalued asset….to the Members who gave up their Sunday to be Bar people….a massive thank you (but I am sure that everyone of you enjoyed your day thoroughly)……to the artists and exhibitors for keeping all the crowds busy being entertained, amused and fed during the day…..my final thanks to Glenda….who counted and rechecked every single note and coin that was collected on the day…and was still able to (like Craig) keep smiling all day….another ToyRun is over…but I can’t wait for the next one….see you next year…..

 Cricket was our only major sport played at the North on Sunday….and I think they should have rather come along to the ToyRun…..in a dreadfully disappointing display they lost to United in a low scoring match, that I feel that we threw away rather than United winning…..I will quickly sum up the lowlights of the day…..after winning the toss and inserting United to bat we had them reeling on 65/6 before allowing their number 8 smash 85 off 82 (being dropped three times, the first time while he only had 5) which resulted in United scoring 166….which should really have been a doddle for us to chase…and with Vaughan and Riaan going along merrily on at 86/1, we appeared to be well on track…..before the wheels fell off completely and we limped out way to 160 all out…I will leave it at that…I have heard opinions from a myriad of different people…. but suffice it to say that coach Nic was livid at the poor display on the day where it was easier to win than to lose…this week the boys need to dust themselves off and cross the N12 to the other side of Benoni to face Spurs at Actonville…..which is always a most difficult opposition on their home turf….so good luck to the boys….we know it will be a tough day to come home with the spoils….but I have full confidence that we have the talent and attitude to overcome this little crisis that we have created….

Our Friday night had a new group to entertain us as Plus 2 arrived with a bang…and proved to be very popular with the patrons in the Scimitar…as they laughed, sang and danced the night away…this week we welcome back another fantastic group as Black and Blue are back…..we have only had compliments about this super bunch as they play covers from the 70’s and 80’s up to the present….their vocalist has an amazing voice and she is backed up by a crew of extremely talented musicians…. hopefully I will see you all there to experience the vibe….

Friday nights Joker draw had another “newbie” in front of the cabinet as Clint Strydom had his name extracted from the beeeeg black box…..and tall Tim had to stoop through a few doorways as he was drinking in the Scimitar bar this week…. he smiled for the camera and then set his sights on the as he made his choice…and waited for Glenda to show us what card has been hiding for the last 27 weeks….and to Clint’s disappointment…it was not the Joker….but the eight of spades…..with his misfortune, Clint has allowed the “pot” to increase to R102915 for this week….so be sure to come along to try your luck this Friday….for only a R5 ticket you could be making your choice at the joker cabinet….

The renovations are well underway…and I must say that I am getting very excited…as the “dividing” wall in the ladies bar has disappeared…it has already transformed the space and the area looks twice as big as it was before…..I must say that I was a little nostalgic…as the last window that was left in the main bar was removed…I still remember those windows from the original Clubhouse….and to see it disappear was a sad but happy occasion all at the same time….to think of all the memories that window could have shared is a little thought provoking (and may remind us of names like Goose, Doc, Jigger, Skin, Bringee, Joao, Gatoo, Spyker and Shambok to name a few)….but progress is inevitable, a fond farewell to the old window…and the new bar is going to add massive value to the Club and its Members….a little sneak peek at the proposed committee room also shows the commitment of the Club to the quiet sanctuary necessary to conduct the important tasks of deciding the future of our Club by the various elected committees…..we will also be turning our attention to the Hall in the New year as we want upgrade this area to be an inviting and exciting place to host functions and events….watch this space for more details…  

Have a super week….I hope to see you all soon to enjoy a beer together….

Take care…Rod

Come and join in with BNAC’s very own Richard’s Annual Pub Run at Benoni Country Club – Tuesday 10th December at 17h45. We look forward to seeing you on the course

BNFC u-13s win league
The team took the league title with an impressive 60 points, only dropping six points during their time competing.
Left, back: Munashe Mukandi, Philile Myemane, Ndumiso Skhosana, Cebo Yekelo, Joshua Tabane, Chris Mhlanga and Siphesihle Bambisa. Left, front: Anesu Nkabinde, Jaymee Jones, Jethrow van Heerden, team manager Earle Jones, Ofentse Motshoari, coach Joseph Lukele, Lucky Nkosi, Thandolwethu Ncobo and Uviwe Sukazi.

Benoni Northerns advance to the Gold Cup
This is a massive achievement for Benoni Northerns Rugby as they have never been selected to take part before. The players are excited (and tired) after their third training session in preparation for next year.