‘It gives me fire’ is the phrase BNHC player Blaine Candy uses to describe how it feels to see the Benoni Northerns Sports Club scimitar on his chest.

When he follows it up with, “It gives me energy to score goals,” it is easy to understand why Candy was named BNHC junior player of the year.

He netted 11 times for Northerns this year; adding 22 for his school, King Edward VII; nine for Southern Gauteng; and five for the national U16A side for a total of 47.

“The badge means a lot to me. I started in the first and then moved to the Evolve team. The badge gives me fire to run on the field and score goals,” he said.

Candy’s words echo the club’s proud hockey heritage, a legacy built in the 1970s by trailblazers like Ted Jarvis, who established Northerns as a force in South African hockey.

“I love playing cub hockey here. I will never leave. Northerns hockey was one of my stepping stones. I worked a lot here. It built my hockey so much. I became better after I started playing here,” he added.

Early beginnings

Born and bred in Zimbabwe, Candy first gripped a hockey stick at the age of four months, inspired by his mother – a gifted player who thrived when Zimbabwean hockey was still a force to be reckoned with.

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“I grew up loving the sport. I have a photo of myself as a four-month-old holding a hockey stick. I just followed in my mother’s footsteps.”

After a successful age-group career playing for the colts and first team in primary school before captaining his high school’s U14 and U15 teams, he moved to South Africa and continued his hockey at St Dunstan’s College and later at King Edward VII School (KES).

National call-up

The Grade 10 learner then made the Southern Gauteng U17A team for the interprovincial tournament (IPT) at Hilton College in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

His displays in the IPT earned him a spot in the national U16A side during the Allister Fredericks Africa Challenge against Zimbabwe in August.

Sharing his experience in the series, where he was Team SA’s co-captain and the tournament’s top-scorer with five goals, the striker was honoured for representing the country.

“It was tough because the team was filled with great players, but I felt honoured to be co-captain. I enjoyed the experience because the senior players who were part of the team last year showed us respect,” Candy said.

Looking ahead, he said, “Next year is a big step. I will try to go to Malaysia with the U17 team. I know it’s a lot of work because I have to make the Southern Gauteng U18A team. It’s going to be tough, but I’m hoping to achieve that to get school colours”.

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