A review of Benoni and Boksburg’s sporting moments of the year – Part 1
This year we witnessed stories of triumph while some ended in setbacks. But athletes rose above these challenges and achieved remarkable results.
Despite starting the year with Covid-19 regulations still in place, it was a busy year for Benoni and Boksburg sportspeople locally, nationally and internationally.
This year we witnessed stories of triumph while some ended in setbacks. It was, nonetheless, a good year for the young and old as every athlete ensured that both Benoni and Boksburg’s flags were raised aloft.
Some highlights of the 2022 local sports achievements (January to June) include:
January
• Golfer Ryan van Velzen earns his Sunshine Tour Pro Card. The 21-year-old Benoni Country Club member turned pro in April 2021 and immediately made an impact on the course, finishing fourth on the Big Easy Tour Order of Merits. He made his Sunshine Tour debut in May at the Lombart Insurance Classic.
• Bray Wanderers from Ireland donates soccer gear and equipment to the East Rand Excellence Soccer Academy (ERESA) from Daveyton.
• Baseball 5s is introduced to children from the region at the baseball Grand Slam at Benoni Northerns Sports Club.
• The first Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) track and field league meeting is held at Boksburg Stadium. Several Benoni and Boksburg athletes claim podium finishes as they set their sights on the provincial championships.
• In the Eastern Premier League, the second-wicket partnership of 121 runs between Vaughn Humphrey and Matthew Smith led Benoni Northerns Cricket Club to an 88-run victory against CBC College in Boksburg.
February
• Lighting issues at Boksburg PG Park and Reiger Park Sports Arena are again thrust into the spotlight as Boksburg Rugby Club and East Rand United revealed the lack of lighting at both venues was hampering their preparations for the Valke Peregrine League.
• A solid bowling attack assisted by impeccable fielding saw Bedfordview Cricket Club grab a 60-run victory against Actonville Spurs in the Eastern T20 League at Lords Cricket Ground.
• Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA)’s Deidrè Jordaan, Jarred Elliot, Robert White, Amy Ackerman and Ruan Snyman fly to Uganda to represent South Africa at the Thomas and Uber African Championships.
• Benoni resident Rudi Craps swims in the Midmar Mile 16 times to raise funds for children suffering from cancer.
• Several Boksburg and Benoni athletes qualify for the CGA Provincial Championships after a stellar showing at the second CGA track and field meeting at Boksburg Stadium.
• South African rugby legend Victor Matfield helps motor-cross biker Davin Cocker raise funds at the DC87 golf day at Benoni Country Club.
• The Boksburg Aquatic Saints Swimming and Lifesaving Club members excel at the Gauteng Pool and Lifesaving Gala in Pretoria, bringing home several golds, silver and bronze medals.
• Farrarmere resident Josh van Wyk beats a strong field of cyclists to take the first wheel in the men’s 116km at the Dis-Chem Ride for Sight at Boksburg Stadium. Carla Oberholzer won the women’s race.
March
• Hoërskool Hans Moore wins the B-Division of the Finsbury Super League.
• Kemang Khunonyane and Cornelia Joubert win the Johnson Crane Hire Marathon. Kunonyane crossed the line in 02:23:22 to win the men’s marathon while Joubert beat a strong line-up that included Charnè Bosman to win the women’s race. Local girl Kate van Jaarsveld finished second in the women’s 21.1km.
• Leon de Raay and Aydin O’Hara win the annual Open Sailing Regatta at Homestead Dam.
• Old Bens beat Kempton Park FC 3-0 in the second game of the Easterns Super League at Currin Park.
• The New World Shotokan Karate Benoni dojo held its first interclub tournament in over two years. The karateka was elated to be back in action after two years of little competition due to Covid-19.
• Benoni and Boksburg athletes book themselves a place in the CGA team to compete at the ASA junior national track and field championships after dominating their disciplines at the CGA Provincial Championships at Germiston Stadium.
• Boksburg Cardinals U10 wins the Gauteng Provincial Baseball Council U10 cup competition after beating the Benoni Indians Cherokee 23-15 in the final.
• Kyle Schwartz walks away with the Benoni Indians junior player of the year award at the club’s end-of-season prize-giving ceremony.
April
• East Rand United claims a nail-biting 35-34 victory in their encounter against local rivals Boksburg Rugby Club in their opening Valke Peregrine League match at PG Park.
• Easterns Baseball Association players help Gauteng to a second-place finish at the National Baseball Championships in Cape Town. Tatum White from the Benoni Indians was named the best shot stop of the tournament.
• Crystal Park dancer Neriah Tobi scores 90.2% to win the children’s solo street dance category at the Dance World Cup South Africa leg qualifiers in Centurion.
• Tennis South Africa announces the return of the BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star tennis programme at Baikagetse Primary School in Daveyton. The association also handed over a newly revamped tennis court to the school.
May
• Old Bens draw first blood in the first local football derby of the Eastern Super League season after both the reserve and first teams claim convincing victories against local rivals Benoni Northerns Football Club (BNFC). The reserve side claimed a 2-0 victory while the first team won 4-1.
• The Colgate Race returned as runners painted the Boksburg Streets after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Local runner Kate van Jaarsveld won the women’s 15km event. Samuel Moloi won the men’s main race and Kenyan Jennifer Koech was the first woman at the finish.
• Boksburg resident Robert ‘9mm’ Swanepoel wins his maiden EFC fight after defeating Masefi Ngoma by TKO.
• In the first derby of the Valke Peregrine League, cross-town rivals Boksburg Rugby Club and Benoni Northerns Rugby Club met at PG Park in Boksburg with the home side claiming a 32-15 victory.
• Northerns’ bad run continued in the Valke Premier League as they lost 72-5 to Vereeniging at home.
• Ekurhuleni Bowls hosted the Bowls South Africa men’s national singles championships. Shaun Thomas from the Johannesburg Bowling Association emerges victorious in a tightly contested final in Edenvale.
June
• Boksburg BMX rider Kayden Keyser participates in the Riviera Water Bike Challenge in Monaco. The event was organised by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. Participants raced for 21km from the Port of Nice to the Port of Monaco to raise funds for the ‘Swim for Safety’ project run by the foundation in Sri Lanka to teach swimming and water safety to underprivileged children.
• Visually Impaired bowlers May Homer and Beppie Summersgill win silver medals in the B3 and B1 categories at the National Disability Championships in Durban.
• Benoni Northerns FC moves on from their derby loss as they thrash Impala 6-0 to extend being unbeaten in the Eastern Super League.
• The BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star tournament begins with regional championships at Gauteng East Tennis Association in Lakefield.
• Ebotse parkrun celebrates its 10th anniversary with its 432nd event at CR Swart Park. The man who launched the event in 2012, Ian Morshead and Bruce Fordyce’s daughter, Cara, were the guests of honour.
• Several players from the Eastern Baseball Association are selected for the South Africa U12 team to compete at the sixth World Baseball and Softball Confederation U12 World Cup in Taiwan.
Also Read: What a year of Benoni sport (July to December 2014)
Also Read: What a year of Benoni sport (January to June 2014)
