Benoni Northerns salutes 2016’s sporting stars

Those athletes who represented the club with distinction in their respective sporting codes this year were saluted and recognised in the presence of honoured guests and former winners of the main award.

An independent panel of judges was presented with the nominations from the various sporting codes and based on those, an overall junior and senior Sportsperson of the Year were chosen.

The nominations for the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award were: Amy Hurley (athletics), Kian Schwartz (baseball), Byron Giraudeaux (cricket), Jenna Harris (hockey) and Kwanda Sokutu (football).

The winner of the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award was Sokutu.

The 17-year-old became an integral player in the Benoni Northerns Football Club’s first XI this past campaign, scoring crucial goals for coach Jannie van der Berg’s team.

Sokutu was presented with the award, according to master of ceremonies Mike Heyink, due to his “ethic of hard work, responsibility and respect for the game, his opposition and his teammates.” In the senior section, the nominees were Paul Pitco (athletics), Jaco Kruger (cricket), Keegan Frawley (football), Chris Tucker (hockey) and Bradleigh Peeters (baseball).

Peeters (who was a nominee at last year’s awards) finally scooped the esteemed Sportsperson of the Year Award. He has represented the Benoni Northerns Indians Ball Club for many years and his baseball resume is studded with achievements throughout his career – with the pinnacle being his recent selection to the South African u-23 baseball squad, that represented the country in the World Baseball Classic in Mexico during October.

A short biography of the other senior nominee’s 2016 achievements:

Paul Pitco (athletics): 

Pitco has excelled as an elite athlete for Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) over many years.

He has run 7 comrades and broken the 7 hour barrier on three occasions. He brings honour to Benoni Northerns with consistent performances week in and week out and the athletics section have great pride in nominating him for the award this year.

Jaco Kruger (cricket): 

A strike bowler who has represented the club with great distinction over many years.

The 2015/2016 season saw Kruger take 42 wickets and contribute significantly to the success of the Promotion team.

Keegan Frawley (football): 

Frawley has already achieved the distinction of playing semi-professional football in the USA and has been one of the stars in the Benoni Northerns Football Club first team.

He was selected to play for the Easterns senior team at the prestigious KZN Annual tournament and was named the player of the tournament.

Chris Tucker (hockey): 

Tucker has played hockey at Benoni Northerns from his childhood, having played mini hockey at the club.

He has over 200 first team caps and represented Eastern Gauteng in both indoor and outdoor hockey in 2016, captaining the outdoor team.

The Clubperson of the Year Award which is awarded to the often unsung heroes of the club – the workers and administrators who make it possible for members to enjoy their sport – was presented to Deon Breedt, who has helped ensure the club complies with legislative and regulatory requirements at no cost.

“His efforts have been of enormous assistance in the governance and management of the club,” said Heyink.

The evening also afforded the club’s executive the opportunity to pay homage to members who are the heartbeat of the club; and who have made outstanding contributions to the club over many years.

These awards of Life Membership were conferred upon Norman Milne and Mike Harper (absent on the evening)

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