Benoni’s sporting best named at Benoni Northerns
Every year they host this event to show not only the winners of these prestigious awards, but also the nominees, players and supporters just how possible it is to achieve the best when you work hard.
Benoni Northerns held their annual Sportsperson of the Year Awards on November 9, MC’d by Mark Heyink, hockey and cricket member of Northerns since 1975.
The winner of the Life Member Award for 2019 went to Shawn Schwartz (baseball) and the winner of the Clubman of the Year Award was Mark Hardman.
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The nominees for Junior Sportsman of the Year were Bester de Lange (athletics), WP Myburgh (cricket), Matt Chaplin (hockey), Gibbs Hlabangane (football) and Ilaine Troth (rugby) and the winner was Nicholas de Asceancio (baseball).
De Asceancio was chosen to represent the u-15 Gauteng team in early 2018 and based on his outstanding performance was then selected for the u-15 SA team, which saw him compete in the u-15 Baseball World Cup in Panama in August last year.
He has not only fared well in baseball, but has also represented his school and province on the softball field.
Heyink said De Asceancio’s ethics on and off the field make him well liked and respected among his peers and coaches and it is due to this that Benoni Northerns acknowledged him for his efforts.
“He sets an example to his peers and those in younger age groups regard him as a leader, role model and a fitting ambassador for Benoni Northerns Sports Club.”
De Asceancio said of his win: “I was a bit surprised, but it felt good!”
The nominees for Senior Sportsman of the Year were Mike Serfontein (baseball), Len Killeen (cricket), Cody Vorster (hockey), Ernest Makalaka (football), Lee-Roy (Brandon) le Roux (rugby) and the winner was Jasper van Rensburg (athletics).
Van Rensburg, or Jazz as Benoni Northerns knows him, while a very accomplished runner in his own right has decided that excelling in one sport is not sufficient if one can excel in three.
He found his calling as a triathlete later in life (he started competing in in his late 30s).
He ran in the Central Gauteng Athletics (GCA) 10km championships hosted by RAC, where he completed the hilly 10km course in a time of 38:42.
Jazz participated in the SA Duathlon Championships, held at Killarney Racetrack in Cape Town, in the colours of Central Gauteng, where he won his age category, taking not only the South African Championship, but also the African Championship.
He has perhaps made his greatest impact in the club in the triathlon discipline.
On June 6, Jazz had the opportunity to qualify for the world champs at the Durban half Ironman, finishing 10th in his age group and 55th overall, which was sufficient to qualify him for the world champs.
The world championship was held in Nice, France, and Jazz was the 13th South African to finish.
Heyink described Jazz as a humble victor who is an attribute to the club.
“It’s very overwhelming,” a smiling Jazz said of his award.
The following people were thanked for making the event a success: Northerns president Craig Wittstock, chairperson Laurence Brown, vice-chairperson Emma da Silva and secretary Glenda Roux.
