January
Botes replaces Matthee as Owls chairperson
Former TW Boksburg Rugby Club assistant coach Willem Botes became the new chairperson of the club following the departure of Danie Matthee, who served as chairperson from 2015.
East Rand United welcomes new head coach
East Rand United have opted for experience and pedigree in their quest of pulling out all the stops to prepare for the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Gold Cup by appointing former Pirates Rugby Club coach Colin Lloyd as the team’s new head coach.
Lawrence Sephaka at the helm of Alberton Rugby Club
Former Reiger Park Springbok prop Lawrence Sephaka was appointed as the new chairperson of A Square Forklift Alberton Rugby Club.
February
Naicker emerges as speed king
The Sunward Park racer, only 19 and racing against fully grown men, set the morning’s fastest official qualifying lap time, taking pole position for the first race.
He went on to show that his blitzkrieg qualifying start in his BMW E90 335i had little to do with luck when he showed the grid a clean pair of tar tracks from beginning to end.
He set the day’s fastest race lap at a little over two minutes while he was at it.
Young gun Mark Pritzen powers to victory in Ride for Sight
The 19-year-old dashed to the finishing strip in a time of 2:28:17 to comfortably win the 116km distance at the Boksburg City Stadium on February 17.
Webb Ellis Trophy returns to South Africa
World Rugby has brought the prestigious cup to our shores and Heineken, the official sponsor, got first dibs when it landed in Cape Town.
March
Up-and-coming swimming star Kian Keylock rakes in the medals
Libradene swimming sensation Kian Keylock produced a performance of the ages during the South African Junior Nationals (SANJ) which took place at King’s Park in KwaZulu-Natal.
Oosthuizen outgunned in Russia
Up-and-coming Russian cruiserweight pugilist Alexey Egorov earned a deserved and big unanimous decision victory in Russia on March 23 when he stopped Tommy Oosthuizen after 10 rounds.
SA blind cricket team completes cricket training camp
The South African blind cricket team completed a three-day training camp at the Boksburg City Stadium between March 21 and 23.
April
Former skipper named new ERU coach
Merlin League East Rand United winning captain Alvandre Maart was named as the new head coach of the club.
Hockey star Oratilwe selected for specialised sports tour to Holland
A selected team of top hockey players who participated in a hockey clinic in Bloemfontein embarked on a specialised sports tour to Holland between September 22 and October 3.
EG Jansen student Oratilwe Selamolela was part of the group.
Easterns end 16-year wait for provincial silverware
On April 7, the side, coached by Richard das Neves and skippered by Grant Thomson, fittingly defeated fellow Titans franchise side Northerns at SuperSport Park in Centurion by two wickets to end a 16-year trophy drought and claim the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Provincial One-Day Challenge title.
May
Huxtable puts in a monstrous performance at Arnold Classic
Parkdene’s Arnold Classic bodybuilder Craig Huxtable probably produced his best stage performance until this juncture of his career when he finished seventh out of a quality line-up of 12 at the Arnold Classic Africa event in Sandton.
Bodybuilder’s legacy lives on
Former Boksburg professional bodybuilder Tyrel Ekermans was remembered during the re-opening of his TTT supplement shop at the K90 Centre on May 25.
South Africa baseball team advances to WBSC Europe-Africa qualifiers
The South African men’s national baseball team won the Africa Continental Cup at the Boksburg City Stadium to earn qualification.
June
Local bowling club hosts South African National Championships of Bowls for the Disabled
The Boksburg Bowling Club co-hosted the South African National Championships of Bowls for the Disabled with the Delville Bowling Club which ran between June 15 and 21. The latter club hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the annual tournament.
Damian selected for national rugby league squad for qualifier
Red-hot TW Boksburg Rugby Club midfielder Damian Diedericks flew out to Australia as part of the South African National Rugby League squad, which will play a world cup qualifier in July 2019.
East Rand United clubhouse revamped
The Reiger Park outfit’s club house had repairs to it underway after the building was vandalised by residents of Joe Slovo informal settlement as they highlighted their frustrations about poor service delivery in the area and allegedly went on the rampage before setting the clubhouse alight.
July
Van Rooyen, SA Students edged in final
Despite missing out on the big prize at the 2019 Napoli Summer Universiade Games in Italy when they lost 15-12 to Japan in the final, it’s been a great rugby year for Boksburg sevens star Eddie van Rooyen.
Van Rooyen, who stars as a hooker for the SA Students side, found himself representing his country in Europe following a gruelling past year of rugby which had him convinced that he wouldn’t make it to the international stage.
Boksburg sensei named Ekurhuleni Karate Federation chairperson
The New World Shotokan (NWS) Dojo Boksburg head instructor, sensei Takis Chaniotakos, was voted the new chairperson of Ekurhuleni Karate Federation.
An epic ride of 1 600km on a bicycle to Bloubergstrand
Plantation resident John Goddard (58) was left a very satisfied man when he finally completed one of his life’s goals, which was to complete the 1 000 Miler from Thaba Trails in Johannesburg to Bloubergstrand in Cape Town on his third attempt.
August
East Rand United clubhouse up-and-running
Following a lengthy period which rather caused inconvenience for Reiger Park sporting codes, including rugby, cricket and hockey, the clubhouse at the Graveyard in Reiger Park finally reached completion to its repairs. The property was vandalised during a protest.
ERU, main sponsor part ways
Valke Peregrine League giants East Rand United were dealt a big blow following the announcement that the club’s main sponsor in the last four years, Phakisa Holdings, will no longer be sponsoring the club.
Erasmus, Team SA break All-Africa Games records
Parkrand swimming star Douglas Erasmus and his Team South Africa relay teammates smashed two records on their way to three gold medals at the 2019 All-Africa Games hosted in Morocco between August 19 and 31.
September
Young swimmer brings home 12 gold medals from junior champs
CBC Boksburg swimming superstar Kian Keylock competed in a total of 12 races and won them all during the KZN Seagulls Winter Short Course Championships.
Fitness model Willemse bags a silver medal at SA Extreme
Willemse competed in the Bikini Fitness over 1.72m and the over 35 (age) categories and finished as the runner-up in both divisions at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) SA Extreme event in Cape Town.
French rugby club shows former Boksburg player the door
French club Stade Francais wielded the axe on South African lock forward Hendré Stassen, who hails from Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen, after he failed a doping test.
October
Travis Howell named the first team Player of the Season
Boksburg Rugby Club long-serving front-rower Travis Howell was named the first team Player of the Season during the club’s end-of-year awards ceremony held at Prince George Park on the evening of October 26.
Football club gets a second vets team
The Boksburg Football Club registered its second veterans team which comprises players 35 and above and plies its football in the Easterns’ second division.
Cindy Willemse beats the odds to compete on stage again
The Advertiser reported on Boksburg fitness model Cindy Willemse who participated in the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) SA Extreme event in Cape Town, where she won silver.
However, before SA Extreme, the athlete was absent from the sport for a number of years.
When the Advertiser had a chat with her about her hiatus from the stage, Willemse pointed to a battle against bad health beginning in 2017 and how she has managed to overcome mounting odds to compete once again.
November
Anthony celebrates defending world karate title
Local karate superstar Christopher Anthony became a two-time world champion when he recently successfully defended his crown in Tokyo, Japan, during the Karatenomichi World Federation (KWF) World Cup.
Tenza steps down as BAC chair
Just a year after creating Boksburg sporting history by becoming the first black chairperson of the Boksburg Athletics Club (BAC), Benzi Tenza decided not to be part of the running for a second tenure at the club’s top seat.
December
Bodybuilder Rudolf back on top
Local pro bodybuilder was crowned champion at the 2019 World Fitness Federation (WFF) Asia Pacific in his bodybuilding pro division in India.
BCC chairperson named Player of World Indoor Masters World Cup
Boksburg Cricket Club chairperson Bruce Forbes was named Player of the Series (PS) following an impressive run at the World Indoor Masters World Cup that recently took place at the Montague Arena in Cape Town.
Old Boys go down with a fight against tough Kempton
Brilliant Kempton Park defeated a brave CBC Old Boys outfit by 34 runs in a battle of the titans in the year’s ultimate Eastern Premier League encounter at CBC on December 1.
