The Hammanskraal Tennis Club (HTC) held a parents meeting combined with an awards ceremony to honor members of the Hammanskraal Tennis Club.
The event was held at the Hammanskraal Tennis Courts at the Mandela Sports Complex on Saturday the 12/12/2020.
The event was held to acknowledge, recognize, and honor top tennis achievers in their respective categories in conjunction with the City of Tshwane.
The City provided the venue, chairs, tables, media backdrop, pull-up burners, table cloths, and sound system. The catering and medals were sponsored by Tlhatlha Attorneys.
The event was attended by over 70 players and 20 parents and presided over by Mr Matlhare, a parent of one of the players as the master of ceremonies.
The Awards were in the following order:
The Most Improved Player of the year
Mogomotsi Sekgobela
Ms Sekgobela started playing tennis in 2019 and played her first tournament at the Soweto Growthpoint Mini 1 where she finished the last position. That, however, never stopped her from playing. With enough coaching and perseverance, she played more tournaments and gained more experience. After the COVID-19 lockdown, Ms Mogomotsi played the GN Pro Kennex tournament where she reached the quarterfinals, and later she played GN Wilson Mini and finished 3rd. She then played the GN Grand Prix where she reached the semi-finals and finished 3rd.
She also played the Hammanskraal Championship where she won the girls under 12 category and played the Tshwane Hub Challenge and won the Girls under 12, which made her the number one girls under 12 player.
Team Player of the year:
Tshepiso Mooka
Mr Mooka started playing tennis just after the first hard lockdown. He is a dedicated player who puts his team members first. He is very committed to the game. On his first week, he volunteered to clean and pack up the storeroom making it easy for players and coaches to access equipment. He is the first player to arrive for practice and the last to leave as he arrives early to take equipment out and pack it back nicely after training.
Newcomer of the year
Mr Itumeleng Moses
Mr Moses started playing tennis in 2020 after Lockdown. He is a passionate and dedicated player who does not need to be pushed to reach his goals. He is one of the first players to arrive at the courts and the last to leave as he is eager to learn more strikes and new techniques. He played the Tshwane Hub Challenge and finished 4th in the under 10 category. He always challenges his team member old and young to social matches and has won 99% of those matches.
Players Player of the year
Mpho Jantjies
Mr Jantjies started playing tennis in 2018. He is a very quiet but dedicated boy. He prefers to do his talking on a tennis court with his play. He is the most humbled player at the club. He played the Tshwane Hub Challenge and finished second to his teammate. He is a good role model to the team who wins his games quietly.
Chairperson’s Award
Eric Matjiane
Mr Matjiane is a very focused player who also does the talking on the tennis court with his game. He played at the BNP Paribus and qualified to play at the regional finals where he and his teammates reached the semifinals and automatically qualify for the National Finals. He was playing position two in the team and won 90% of his matches. The team reached the semifinals at the Nationals and obtained position four. He also participated at the Tshwane Hub Challenge and won the boys under 14 category which made him the number one player for the boys under 14 category. He was selected to be part of the GN squad and the Tshwane Development center.
Lesedi Maluleke
Ms Maluleke is a very committed young lady with potential. She played the Hammanskraal Championships where she finished position two in the open section. Whenever the coaches are not around, she takes up the role of being a coach and office admin. She was one of the finalists at the Tshwane Women in Sports Awards for the School Sports Athlete of the year.
Gontse Phiri
Mr Phiri is one of the committed coaches who coaches the up-and-coming stars at the club. He coaches from Monday till Saturday.
Tshepang Chaane
Mr Chaane is the coach for Red Dot players which is the new group of players. He dedicates his time to teaching kids how to play tennis.
Special Recognition Award
Maimane Tlhatlha
Mr Tlhatlha is a committed chairperson who thrives at giving the kids an opportunity to reach their goals. Besides being a club Chairperson, he also coaches the Green Dot and tournament players. He assists all players with transport to get to tournaments and is passionate about tennis. He is the engine of the club and makes things happen.
