In the calendar year 2017 Benoni’s sportspeople again made their mark in various sporting codes both locally and abroad.
There were moments of great success and times of heart-wrenching failure.
It was a year filled with all the emotions that make sport unique.
Many young sporting talents also emerged, boding well for Benoni sport for years to come.
The town itself also played host to an array of sporting events, proving that Benoni has an essential role to play in the development of South African sporting champions.
This is Benoni’s 2017 sports year in review (from January to June):
January
• Former Benoni High School pupil and Kaizer Chiefs defender Lorenzo Gordinho was one of four players from the club who spent some time training with English Championship side Fulham in London.
• A drawn result occurred in the Sunfoil Series match between the Multiply Titans and the bizhub Highveld Lions, played at Sahara Willowmoore Park from January 12 to January 15.
• The Ebotse Mile, organised by Swim4Life, returned to the East Rand Speedboat Club (ERSC) at Rynfield Dam for the first time in a few years on January 15.
• Protea star AB de Villiers made a return to cricket after a long absence for Northerns versus Easterns in the CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge on January 22. He looked like he never missed a match by blasting 134 runs from 103 balls to guide his team to an eight-wicket win.
• The Eastern Cricket Union’s new club T20 Premier League competition got underway with the first two pool matches played on January 22.
• The Gauteng Open Water Challenge, a provincial championship between long-distance swimmers from Aquatics Gauteng’s four districts of Eastern Gauteng Aquatics, Central Gauteng Aquatics, Northern Tigers and Sedibeng, took place from the Benoni Sailing Club at Homestead Dam on January 28 and January 29.
• Records were broken at that old favourite on the road race calendar – the 35th Johnson Crane Marathon, organised by Benoni Harriers Athletic Club, which took place from Sahara Park Willowmoore on January 29. The record for the number of participants at the race was broken with over 12 500 runners and walkers completing the event on an overcast and hot day. The men’s 21km record on the new course was broken by Lucky Mohale. The Johnson Crane Marathon 42.2km champion was Cool Running veteran Johannes Kekana who crossed the finish line in a time of 2:24:32. City of Ekurhuleni runner Enie Manzini was the first woman home in the marathon.
February
• Ebotse Links’ talented junior golfer and Morehill resident Jayden Schaper were selected for the African Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek and the 2017 All-Africa Junior Golf Championship in Zimbabwe from March 28 to March 31.
• Old Bens Football Club played host to the South African national u-20 team in February with the squad ahead to the 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations tournament which took place in Zambia from February 29 to March 12.
• Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s Premier XI proved that they are the best side in the 20-over version of the game in the Eastern Cricket Union after winning the Eastern Club T20 competition by six wickets against longtime foes Kempton Park Cricket Club at Sahara Park Willowmoore’s main on the night of February 1.
• The Multiply Titans missed out on a second successive Sunfoil Series title despite a four-wicket victory over the Warriors at Sahara Park Willowmoore on February 12. The VKB Knights secured the four-day domestic trophy following an innings victory over the bizhub Highveld Lions the day before.
• Rynfield resident and lawn bowler Colleen Piketh reinforced her status as one of the country’s best with a record-breaking fifth South African Masters title after a 21-9 win over rising talent Jacqueline Janse van Rensburg in the final of the women’s open at the Warwick Bowls SA Masters Singles Championships 2017 held at the Wanderers Club from February 10 to February 12.
• Benoni Sailing Club’s (BSC) annual open regatta was held on the waters of Homestead Dam on February 25 and February 26 despite some inclement weather. Grant Caroline earned the plaudits as the senior winner and Keegan Nel finished as the junior champion.
March
• The Multiply Titans returned to Benoni’s Sahara Park Willowmoore for a domestic day/night Momentum One Day Cup fixture against the VKB Knights on March 3. The visitors from the Free State achieved a 22-run victory in the match, shortened to 48 overs apiece.
• The Benoni City Times and Caxton Local Newspapers reunited with Benoni Northerns Athletics Club (BNAC) for a second year as the media sponsors for the freshly branded Profix Robor Scaffolding Marathon that took place in April.
• Father John and daughter Kyra van Kan claimed top honours at the Benoni Country Club (BCC) annual club championships over the weekend of March 4 and 5. John won the men’s club championship title while his daughter (11) remarkably went on to take the honours as the BCC’s 2017 women’s club champion.
• Following his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at EFC 56 at Carnival City on December 9, 2016 former Kids Haven resident Bokang Masunyane made it two wins from two at EFC 57 at Carnival City on March 4. Masunyane defeated Luthando Biko via unanimous decision to ensure a 100 per cent winning start to his professional fighting career.
• The South African Jet Sport Boating Association (SAJSBA) hosted their first national event of the 2017 SAJSBA Series at the East Rand Speedboat Club (ERSB) at Rynfield Dam on March 12. Women’s Runabout world champion Shanté Bukes took first place in the Runabout Open and Runabout Stock categories, while Jonathan Raolo came out on top in both Sport Open and Sport Lites.
• The South African Canoe Polo Championships were held on March 11 and 12 at Homestead Dam. The Western Cape team won the u-15 division while Gauteng ended on top in the open men’s division and the u-21 division.
• The International Tennis Federation (ITF)/Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) African Junior Tennis Championships came to the Gauteng East Tennis Complex in Lakefield from March 27 to April 4.
April
• Jayden Schaper from Ebotse Links became only the fourth golfer to earn the rare double in the 29-year history of the Nomads South Africa Boys u-19 Championship. He won the u-19 and u-17 titles in 2017.
• The Eastern Badminton Association (EBA) hosted the South African u-15 Open and Inter-Provincial Badminton Championships at the John Barrable Hall from April 2 to April 8. Free State proved to be the province to beat as they claimed overall team victories in the u-15 A-Section as well as the B-Section.
• Old Bens Football Club’s A and B women’s football teams beat some fierce competition throughout their recent season to end up playing each other at Bonaero 74 Football Club in the Eastern Local Football Association (ELFA) women’s plate final as rivals. It was Old Bens’ A side that capitalised on their opportunities and, courtesy of a stellar performance from their goalkeeper, Tatum Vermeulen, walked away victorious with a 3-1 win.
• Eight athletes from Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) completed the gruelling Standard Bank Ironman African Championship (consisting of a 3.8km swim, 180.2km cycle and 42.2km run) in Nelson Mandela Bay on April 2. Frans Hattingh, Mark Dingle, Barry Gormley, Craig Dingle, Dean Brons, Brett Else, Kristian Fesel and Keagan Murphy completed the challenge.
• In an exciting move for local sport, Benoni Northerns Sports Club can now add rugby to their mix of sporting codes. Benoni Rugby Club, founded in 1910, now calls Northern Areas their home after an agreement was reached between the two parties to become a sub-section of the overall club. The club, consisting of two senior teams, a Golden Oldies side and the junior club (Benoni Grizzlies), is now known as Benoni Northerns Rugby Club.
• The freshly branded Robor Scaffolding Marathon, organised by Benoni Northerns Athletics Club (BNAC), drew an estimated 4 700 runners to the start line in Brodigan Street for a 5km fun run, 10km, 21.1km half-marathon, 42.2km marathon and 50km ultra-marathon. Gallopers’ George Mooi won the 42.2km main marathon. KPMG’s Irene Goncalves was the first woman home in the marathon. In the longer 50km ultra-marathon Rainbow Athletic Club’s Malose Mabote was the first man home. KPMG runner Franza Landman was the first woman across the line in the ultra-marathon.
• The eighth edition of the Nissan Easter Festival from April 8 to April 17 took place at the Kyalami Equestrian Park and it was Nicola Sime-Riley, owner of Benoni Small Farms’ Sunny Park Equestrian Club, who was again the star of the show. This year Sime-Riley rode Fulvic Connoisseur and defended her title as the Nissan 1.50m South African Outdoor Grand Prix champion.
• Pole Physiques Studio in Benoni took home several titles from the National Pole Sports Competition on April 8 in Randburg.
• The Eastern Cricket Union’s third edition of the ‘franchise’ T20 Battle of the Roses cricket tournament was played at Sahara Park Willowmoore from April 21 to April 23. It was the unfancied Rising Stars who would rip the script up to win the tournament on the main oval on April 23. The Jets would go on to claim the inaugural women’s trophy.
May
• Wattville United Football Club took third place in the Mayoral Kings of Diski Challenge hosted by the Ekurhuleni metro at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton over the Easter weekend.
• Ebotse parkrunners Gary Jackson (Ebotse parkrun event director) and Darryl Goosen on May 6 became members of an illustrious club – parkrun South Africa’s 250 Club.
• Wet weather wreaked havoc on the top tennis tournament, 2017 Wilson R100 000 Challenge, which was on the go at the Gauteng East Tennis Centre in Lakefield.
• The Capitech Color Run brought the 2017 Superhero Tour to Benoni for the first time on May 21. Color Runners wore white at the starting line at Benoni Northerns Sports Club, walked the streets of Rynfield and finished plastered in coloured powder from the various colour stations along the route of the “Happiest 5km on the planet”. An estimated 3 000 Color Runners participated in the inaugural event in Ekurhuleni.
• Old Bens Football Club’s first XI claimed the first Benoni football derby win of the season against Benoni Northerns on May 27 at Northerns’ home ground for the first time in many moons. Coach Raymond Cloete’s team celebrated a 3-1 victory over their rivals in what was a fiercely contested affair. Bens’ reserve team had earlier set the tone for the afternoon with a 4-2 win over Northerns’ second XI.
• Benoni Northerns Sports Club new rugby sub-section made its eagerly anticipated debut at Benoni Northerns Rugby Club on the club’s fields on May 27. It was the club’s second XV which would ensure that the new rugby section started with a win when they faced Kempton Park’s Wolwe. They emerged victorious by a scoreline of 17-15 in a highly competitive match. The first XV could not match the achievement of the second side and found themselves on the wrong end of a 69-20 scoreline.
June
• Richard das Neves (30) officially commenced duties as the Eastern Cricket Union’s head coach from June 1.
• A number of local road runners managed to climb the innumerable KwaZulu-Natal hills from Durban to Pietermaritzburg to reach the finish line and conquer their 2017 Comrades dreams on June 4. Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) was the local club with the most Comrades entries and therefore, with the most finishers. Of their 170 runners who lined up at the start, the club had 121 finishers. Benoni Harriers Athletic Club had 20 runners who reached the Promised Land while Daveyton Hearts Athletic Club had 10 members finish the gruelling ultra-marathon. Benoni High Athletic Club had two Comrades conquerors.
• Former Laerskool Rynfield and Hoërskool Brandwag learner Ruhan Nel was an integral part of the Blitzbok squad that won World Rugby’s 2016/2017 Sevens Series in June. The Blitzboks claimed their first World Series title win since the 2008/2009 season, winning five of the 10 tournaments and totally dominating the Sevens circuit.
• Southern Cape professional Breyten Meyer signed for a seven-under-par 65 final round to take his total to 13-under and win the South to East Challenge, co-sanctioned by the Big Easy Tour (BET) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Tour at Ebotse Links on June 9.
• Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on June 19, at a function in London, that Benoni will be one of eight cities that will host a team during the newly formed T20 Global League. Pakistani business executive and entrepreneur Javed Afridi (CEO of Haier Pakistan and also the owner of cricket franchise Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League) was announced as the owner of the ‘Benoni Zalmi’ team.
• The popular Ebotse parkrun (the weekly, timed 5km run and walk) celebrated a milestone fifth birthday on the morning of June 17.
• Former Benoni High School learner Lorenzo Gordinho started alongside Rivaldo Coetzee at the back for coach Stuart Baxter in South Africa’s 2-1 loss against Zambia in an international friendly match on June 13 at the Moruleng Stadium, outside Rustenburg, to make his debut for Bafana Bafana.
• Benoni’s Nicholas Weeks was presented with his South African blazer for his achievements in Canoe Polo during the 2016 season by Christo Horn (deputy president of Canoeing South Africa) when the Gauteng Canoe Union hosted its annual award ceremony on May 27 at the Cradle Moon in Muldersdrift.
• SuperSport United (SSU) striker and former Benoni High School learner Bradley Grobler helped make South African football history by scoring a brace of goals and setting up another to steer his club to the defense of the Nedbank Cup against Orlando Pirates on June 24.
• Benoni Northerns men’s first hockey team played their 300th game in Southern Gauteng Hockey Association (SGHA) league competition against CBC Old Boys at the St Dunstan’s College AstroTurf on June 25.
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