Recognition for Benoni Northerns’ 2017 sporting stars
Every year an independent panel of judges comes together at Benoni Northerns Sports Club (BNSC) to decide upon an overall junior and senior sportsperson of the year from the various sporting subsections at the club.
Those athletes who represented the club with distinction in their respective sporting codes in 2017 were recognised in the presence of honoured guests and former winners of the awards at the prestigious Sportsperson of the Year award dinner at the BNSC main hall on the night of November 11.
A special award was handed out to the athletics subsection’s Amy Hurly.
Hurley (9) was nominated as a candidate for the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award by the athletics subsection.
However, due to clarifications of the criteria governing eligibility for awards that require that nominees for the award be under 21 years old and that they are undergoing either secondary or tertiary education, the committee determined that Hurly was not eligible for nomination for the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award.
“Nonetheless, the committee believes that Amy’s extraordinary athletics talent, work ethic, sportsmanship and excellent performances in her age group and older age groups, deserves recognition,” said the master of ceremonies, Mike Heyink.
With regards to the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award, Heyink said: “The importance of this award may easily be underestimated, but a quick scan of the honours board tells us how many of our junior sportsmen and women have gone on to serve the club with great distinction at senior level.
“It is also worth noting that two of our previous winners, Rowen Fernandez and Jethro Eustice, have gone on to represent South Africa.”
The nominations for the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award were Alexander Levkov (baseball), Aron Visser (cricket), Michael Juanas-Uriol (football) and Gabriella Monique Ferreira (hockey).
Juanas-Uriol was announced as the winner.
He has been a member of Benoni Northerns for 13 of his 17 years.
This season he achieved the distinction of being selected for the Benoni Northerns u-20 team, which won the Colts League.
He was also selected to represent the Easterns Local Football Association (ELFA) u-17 District Team and was made captain of the team.
This team won the Gauteng District Tournament and on their recent KwaZulu-Natal tour defeated the AmaZulu Development Team.
In the senior section, the nominees were Lynne Semple (athletics), Tyler Croft (baseball), Lance Humphrey (cricket), Bruce Millar (hockey) and Matthew Welgemoed (football).
The prestigious award of Senior Sportsperson of the Year was presented to Semple, a remarkable Comrades athlete, who has completed the race 18 times with a best time of eight hours and five minutes.
She has broken the nine-hour barrier on no less than six occasions.
This year Semple was the second grand master woman home at the gruelling up-run, finishing in a time of nine hours and 53 minutes.
The Club Person 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 Michael Veliotes.
The ginger-bearded Veliotes was praised for his commitment to the club which extends from mini hockey through to senior hockey.
He is a member of the cricket section and the athletics section, who he represented at his first completion of the Comrades Marathon this year.
“His hard work behind the scenes is important to the members’ enjoyment of their sport and the off-field camaraderie that has always been a characteristic of this club,” added 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.
Life membership of BNSC was bestowed on the football chairman Rodney Farrell and club president Craig Wittstock.
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https://www.citizen.co.za/benoni-city-times/279369/northerns-salutes-2016s-sporting-stars-orclub-celebrates-2016s-stars/
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