The 2014 season has been moving towards a climax in many leagues around the country, with league and divisional winners being decided. Below is a round-up of the latest news from leagues around the country.
Solent Softball League
by Sefton Chatfield
The Solent League has entered the final weeks of the season with both divisions all but wrapped up. The OAPs have yet to lose a game, and unless they lose their remaining three and the Knicks win their last four, the Division One title will belong to the OAPs (again).
Division Two is pretty much the same, with the Hursley Hurricanes also yet to lose with three games left, and the only team close to having a chance to catch them are the Chichester Falcons. Again, the Hurricanes would need to lose their remaining three and the Falcons win at least four of their remaining five to take the title.
The Division One relegation battle, however, is a totally different affair, with four teams still in the dogfight for survival. The Sharks have only one win so far this season with three games left, the Killa Whales have 11 points, the Sluggers 14 and the Dodgers 15.
Solent teams have had mixed success at tournaments this year. The highlight was the Solent B-grade team Stringrays reaching the final at Diamond 1. Having already played at the Windsor First Ball and all three Diamond tournaments, and with development teams having played at the British Airways Tournament and the Windsor Invitational, Solent teams will also be attending the “Let the Girls Play” tournament and the Co-ed Slowpitch Nationals among others.
A great success for the Solent League this year has been the recently-started Chichester Falcons youth fastpitch programme. Every Monday evening, the coaches put the players through their paces as they learned every aspect of the fastpitch game. According to Coach Dave Morris, “The programme is going really well, we're all really enjoying it and it is very rewarding.” Sessions will be running throughout the summer – for more information, visit http://youthsoftball.co.uk/ or email chichesterfalcons@gmail.com
The Solent Lastball on the weekend of 20-21 September will again be a two-day split affair this year. With the league still looking for a suitable home to host a full two-day event, the tournament will have a B-grade day on Saturday (Compball), and a C-grade day on Sunday (Recball). If you are looking to enter, please visit our facebook pages – ‘Solent Recball 2014’ and ‘Solent Compball 2014’ – for more information. There are a few spaces left for a good day of softball to end your season.
Windsor and Maidenhead League
by Andrew Scott
With a 26-9 win over the Wildcats, the waiting game was finally over as Chalfont Phoenix were officially crowned as the Windsor and Maidenhead Softball League's Division 1 champions. The victory was Phoenix's 11th consecutive win in the league, making them truly worthy champions.
While the championship race may be over, there is still plenty to play for, with the race for second place hotting up between the Windsor Knights and BA Jets. Currently the only thing separating the two sides is the Knights' 17-2 win over the Jets on the opening day of the season. Even the second head-to-head between the two sides did nothing to separate them further, as the game produced the only draw across the league all season.
Further down the table, Richings Park Eagles and Maidenhead Royals are battling it out for fourth place, a battle made all the more exciting by the Royals' 10-9 win over the Eagles, a result that put them within one point of their rivals. At the bottom of the table, Chalfont Flames finally put a win on the board with a 17-2 victory over the Wildcats.
In Division 2, the RG Blue Sox could theoretically be caught by the Maidenhead Rebels, the only other team in contention. But the Rebels are six points behind with six to play for. With the Rebels playing the Blue Sox in the next game, all the latter needs to do is turn up to be declared champions.
While the title itself may be a foregone conclusion, the race for second place is getting very interesting, with only four points separating Maidenhead in second place and Bracknell Scorchers in fifth place.
Both divisions have provided exciting clashes this season, with some close competition between teams all across the league. With two games remaining, there is still more to come.
East Midlands Softball League
by Jane Keywood
The first half of the season – where all EMSL teams fight for a place in the top half of the league – is at an end.
The Sheriffs were the undisputed leaders, winning all of their 11 matches, which is an amazing achievement.
The top half of the league for the remainder of the season will be: Sheriffs, Brewers, Redbacks, Pyros and the Leicester Royals.
Fighting it out in the second half of the league will be the Tigers, Alea Alleycats, Misfits, Royal Knights and the Beavers. Good to luck, as ever, to all the teams.
We also say goodbye to two teams for the rest of the season, as the Nottingham Swingers and Pyros Juniors, who are university and school-based teams, enjoy their summer holidays!
A number of teams from the East Midlands League have been taking part in tournaments across the country, with varying degrees of success but always having great fun!
At the Single-Sex Nationals, the East Midlands had success across the board. The Bunnies won the Women's Gold Competition, Pulse won the Men’s Silver trophy, the Sheriffs won the Women’s Bronze competition, the Pyros were runners-up in the Men's Bronze section, and the Pink Panthers lost in the semi-final of the Women's Silver.