Fairytale season ends in triumph

The young team’s brilliant campaign came to a fairytale conclusion on Saturday, August 22, with a superb come-from-behind 40-32 victory against rivals Kempton Park, in the final of the Valke u-21 Merlin League, at the Barnard Stadium.

The u-21s, whose only defeat in 12 matches this season was against their eventual final opponents, Kempton, earlier in the year, were in for a tough clash as their rivals played with the kind of intense determination that only a final can muster up.

Benoni were caught off-guard early on, when Kempton Park opened the scoring within the first two minutes.

They had a hard time pulling themselves together until hooker Wessel Duvenage dotted down for an unconverted try.

Kempton remained in the lead and capitalised with another two tries that put the Benoni outfit on the back foot.

Number 10 Eugene Horn added two penalties in the first stanza, to send the teams into the halftime break at 21-11 in Kempton Park’s favour.

A pumped up Benoni team took to the field in the second 40 minutes and the battle intensified.

Kempton stayed in the game, but were outscored by six tries to two in the second half.

Fullback JP Bryder and Duvenage set the scene for a storybook finish, and the coaching staff of Rocco Duvenage and assistant Gordon Pretorius introduced some timely substitutions, with Takkies van Staden and JP Flemming entering the fray and scoring two tries apiece.

Van Staden’s 37th minute try and Flemming’s 39th minute score ensured that the trophy would be lifted by Benoni captain Arnold van den Bergh.

The team dedicated their season triumph to their late friend and teammate Dewalt “Poenie” Visser.

CLICK HERE for a GALLERY of images from the final.