A very good day to everyone out there…..

After a bit of a hiatus, your favourite weekly letter of my ramblings about happenings at The North is back!!!

There is lots of news that has occurred since the last update, so I will fill you in with some of the important stuff at the North….Let me start with the Joker draw!!….this has recently been won with the Jackpot just over R18,000…but waning interest and reduced numbers have necessitated the executive committee to reassess their position on the this competition and they have decided to put this on the back burner for a while….all is not lost however, as they have decided to re-introduce the exclusive members draw again…..with the original rule… you have to be present at the draw to win it, so please come along on Fridays to see if you can be our first winner in this exclusive draw….the draw is open to all paid up Members in possession of a current membership card…. The draw will commence this week, with an opening Jackpot of R5,000…. the winnings each week will escalate by R500 if it is not won, up to a maximum of R20,000…. Join us this Friday for a drink and a bite to eat before the festivities commence… the draw will be at the same time as the old Joker competition and commence at 19h30…. Any winnings will be paid onto your Membership card, which can be used for drinks, food or any Membership payments.

We are proud to announce that we are “testing the water” with a new sport….”TAG” that will be played on the ‘B’ rugby field at present, with the time for play being on a Wednesday night at 19h00 starting this evening….it promises to be a fun sport and all the rules will be explained…for the first few weeks it will merely be a run around (and in this weather a good warmup)… the governing body of TAG is also getting involved and it is envisaged that leagues will commence in the not too distant future…the sport is open to both ladies and gentlemen….unfortunately, at present, this will only be for over 18’s…..but if there is sufficient interest, we will have juniors in various age groups as well….come along and try this new fun sport, that has proved extremely popular throughout the country….

We also have some excellent new proposals of buildings and additions of sports and shops in the offing…. To explain some of the highlights from the exciting prospects are “off the wall” soccer, which is being housed on three of the old tennis courts…. for all our observant Members, they will have seen the building and renovations happening across the fields on the southern side of the our grounds…so now you know what is happening…we are also adding on a new pub at this facility and we are in the process of breaking down walls and building others to accommodate this…. Baseball is also altering their clubhouse…by going up and adding another floor to their existing premises….and once approval is gained from the Council….there will also be more toilets and creating a much larger bar and lounge…..we’re all holding thumbs that the approval is achieved soon on this…the Baseballers are also fixing up their diamond, which has subsided over time…the work should be completed within the next fortnight….. there is also a retail sports store planned to be erected on our premises, which will be a super convenience for all our sportsmen and women…additionally, we have the possibility of Action Sports relocating to part of our unused grounds too…I think that this will be a marvellous “coup”….as the synergies between our sports would mean that we could “feed” off each other….also having this facility in the suburbs should be a major advantage with improved access and security…. I will keep everyone informed on this newsletter of the progress and opening dates of all the progress as we go along…….

Our winter sports are drawing to a close….the football boys have experienced an average season, but with a change in coach and a major reshuffle in the teams, the committee is happy with their progress, displays and results…the juniors have been extremely busy and every weekday they practicing and even having some night games….whilst Saturday and Sunday the leagues are played at Northerns….Hockey Juniors are almost at an end, with the seniors nearing the end of the season…. hocky masters are gearing up to go to their annual showpiece, which is being held in Pretoria this year…. All the best to all our players that will be going…. Baseball is nearing the end of their season, but Juniors will be starting soon, so their fields will soon be abuzz with activity very soon again….Rugby seniors are also coming to the end of their leagues, with the first side only battling with Meyerton in their league…..the rest of the opposition were swatted aside with ease….Junior rugby had it’s first tournament at Northerns 10 days ago, with another planned for this weekend…and their last early in September…these festivals are always fun, with enthusiasm and plenty of energy being displayed being the order of the day…. Please come down and support these little fellows, I am sure they will appreciate it….

Our summer sports are also now beginning to prepare for the upcoming summer and cricket hosted their junior trials this past weekend, followed by seniors next weekend….

Could everyone please diarise that the night race glow run, will be held at the North on October 25th…this is always a fantastic event…lots of lights and crazy costumes….and even more crazy people running around…. make sure you don’t miss it….

That’s all for this week….hope to see you all next week…. Cheers Rod