South African Baseball Union (SABU) president Marc Moreau heaped praise on the Boksburg Cardinals, Eastern Baseball Association and Gauteng Province Baseball Council for organising a successful National Baseball Championship.
The NBC was hosted at the Boksburg Cardinals Diamonds at Boksburg Stadium on behalf of SABU by the Cardinals and GPBC.
Moreau also sent his gratitude to the people of Ekurhuleni, saying their “quality volunteer work”, “dedication” and “commitment” was second to none.
“The people around here, you can’t thank them enough for the amount of dedication and commitment for organising a tournament like this,” he said.
“It was 12 days of hard work. Their volunteer work is unbelievable and the quality they produce is second to nothing. We are exceptionally blessed to have people who are prepared to go the extra mile for the game we love.”
The tournament started on April 1 with the juniors until April 5. The seniors followed from April 7 and concluded with a captivating final between Gauteng and Cape Town on April 11.
Moreau hailed the spirit shown by the local residents who, he said, made the tournament a spectacle and ensured it was a family affair.
“Every time we come to Boksburg, it gets better and better. It was a lot of hard work from the players and volunteers that the tournament is successful. It once again proved baseball is a game that brings people together.”
In line with SABU’s priorities of transformation, mass participation and gender equality, the tournament also saw women put on their raglan tees, trousers and cleats and take part in a game they love.
“It’s growing fast,” he said about women’s participation in the sport.
“There are opportunities. We want to grow the sport. We also believe we can become a major force in women’s baseball.”
Although women’s baseball globally is still in its infancy, with the strongest and most organised leagues in only a handful of countries, Moreau believes South Africa can become a force in the world.
“We believe we can be in the top 10 in the world. We’ve just won the Women’s Baseball 5s African Championships and we are now sixth in the world,” Moreau said.
The fields were a hive of activity for all 12 days of the tournament. Fans and parents surrounded the diamonds cheering on their favourite teams while local vendors also heeded the call as they created a food and craft market mood with all their wares and dishes.
“I’m always honoured to come here because I know they always put on a spectacle,” concluded Moreau.
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