THE 2018 edition of the SA Softball Masters Championships were held in Durban recently.
Masters Club teams representing provinces from all over South Africa and Botswana competed at Hoy Park baseball grounds.
The men’s round robin competition was very strong with nine teams competing. After defending champions Flames (Ekurhuleni) narrowly beat hosts KZN Royals 1-0 in the opening match, they never looked back and retained their title of SA Masters Champs. KZN Royals finished second despite an excellent defensive record of just four runs conceded in their eight matches. Kalahari Diamond Kings (Botswana) ended third.
The ladies competition saw 15 teams involved. After a close 0-0 encounter against Glenthorn (Western Cape) in their opening fixture, Falcons (Western Cape) were made to work hard to retain their title but were pipped to the post by Glenthorn on run difference. Glenthorn played newcomers to the tournament Westridge Yankees – who won their pool – in a thrilling final. Westridge boasted some experienced stalwarts in their team and came through beating Glenthorn 8-6. Diamonds (Botswana) ended third by beating Falcons for the bronze medal match.
The tournament culminated in a grand prize giving with nearly 500 guests and dignitaries in attendance. Durban’s Mark Olivier (KZN Royals) was awarded top batter of the men’s tournament with an 0.524 average. Kim Nicholson (Westridge Yankees), Candice Bull (Westridge Yankees) and Lindiwe Sibonyani (Cardinals) were joint top batters in the Ladies A Stream with 0.600 averages and Astrid Van Kesteren (Glenthorn) was top batter in the Ladies B Stream with an average of 0.769.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Berea Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
