By Ian Tomlin
It was a great weekend for two mixed GB Under-19 Fastpitch Teams at the Tournoi des Expos in Ermont, near Paris, on the weekend of 14-15 March.
GB2 won the tournament, and GB1 rallied from 6-0 down to win the plate competition.
Two teams
Following an enjoyable and beneficial visit to Paris last October for the Tournoi de Fleur, a mixed fastpitch tournament held to honour former GB Women’s Team player Fleur Edgerton, GB Under-19 coaches decided that a good way to start the new season would be to visit Paris again.
The occasion was the Tournoi Des Expos 2015 in Ermont, an ideal opportunity to give our Under-19 players some quality game time leading into the Great Britain Fastpitch League and the European and World Championships to follow later this summer.
For new GB Under-19 Men’s Team Head Coach Gareth Jooste, it would also provide an opportunity to look at some new players.
A decision was made to take two teams to the tournament – GB1 to be coached by Gareth Jooste and GB2 by Josh Peat. Two balanced sides were selected to allow a positive experience for all the new players in the squad.
Two groups
Ten teams took part in the tournament, divided into two groups of five.
GB1 was placed in a pool with host team Ermont, Le Havre, and two strong teams, Bat Paris and Limiel.
GB2 was to face Montigny, PUC, Herblay and the tournament favourites, Strasbourg.
Day One
On the first day, GB1 struggled with pitching and lost their opening game to Bat Paris by 12-6, then drew 6-6 with Ermont and ended the day with a 4-0 defeat to a very talented Limiel team. But the team was showing signs of improvement throughout the day and went into Day Two hopeful for better things.
GB2 started with a bang, beating Montigny 16-2 and the day got even better when they beat PUC 14-0. The team rounded off the day with a 13-0 win against Herblay.
The pitchers put in a great performance, with Josh Peat in Game 1, Amie Hutchison in Game 2 and George Blaskett in Game 3 all making it very difficult for the opposition.
While the teams that GB2 played on Day One struggled with their pitching, the general standard of their players was good and they provided useful opposition. The disparity in scores was down to excellent GB batting and baserunning along with dominant pitching, and it was great to see the new players in the team make their mark.
At the coaches’ meeting that night, it was felt that GB1 would have a better second day and that GB2 would face stiffer opposition. And that’s the way it was.
Day Two: Round-Robin
GB1 won their opening game against Le Havre on Sunday by a score of 10-4, finishing third in their group and qualifying for the plate completion.
GB2 faced Strasbourg, who were also 3-0 on Day One. Both teams were destined for the Cup competition, but topping the group could prove beneficial in the semi-finals.
Strasbourg’s pitcher was much quicker than anyone the team had faced so far, and the first six GB batters went down quickly while Strasbourg scored twice. But after a quick team discussion, GB went out with more confidence and slowly clawed the score back to 2-2.
In the final inning, GB2 scored two more runs to gain a fantastic 4-2 win to top the group.
Day Two: Semi-Finals
Both GB teams went on to win their respective semi-finals.
GB1 breezed through to the plate final, beating Montigny 9-1. Highlights were Robbie Studholme hitting his first fastpitch home run, Damon Brown’s pitching and batting and Rob Mosely’s excellent offensive contributions.
GB2 had a tougher semi-final and had to come from behind to beat Bat Paris 5-1.
The Finals
The finals were very special events for both GB teams.
GB1 got off to a poor start against Herblay in the plate final, and went 6-0 down. But after an amazing fight-back, GB levelled the score at 6-6 to take the game into extra innings. Herblay took a one-run lead in the top of the first extra inning, and the game looked lost when GB only had a runner on second with two out in their half of the frame. But the team held their nerve and came back to win 8-7, with Team Captain Chelsie Robison driving in the winning run.
This was a very fitting end, as Coach Gareth Jooste voted Chelsie his Player of the Tournament. Chelsie captained the team superbly on and off the pitch and gave 100% effort in every game.
For GB2, the Cup final was a rematch with Strasbourg. As in the earlier game, Strasbourg took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and GB struggled against a very good pitcher. However, two excellent defensive innings from the team, with great catches by Laura Harai, George Young and Alex Reynolds, created some belief.
Two GB runs in the fourth inning tied the game, and three runs in the next inning gave GB a 5-2 lead going into the closing stages of the game. However, Strasbourg refused to lie down and scored three runs in the next two innings to tie the score.
In the final inning, GB2 were one run down when player-coach Josh Peat took the game by the scruff of the neck. Josh reached first, and then a steal sign was put on by Assistant Coach Ian Tomlin. Emma Harris laid down a superb bunt, and while Emma drew the throw to first, Josh rounded third and headed home, diving in head first and just avoiding the tag.
A second run later scored in the inning, and with a slim one-run lead, the defense again put on a superb performance to contain the Strasbourg offense and win the game.
The celebrations were made even more special when the Tournament MVP award was given to Laura Hirai.
This was a fantastic tournament for all the Under-19s in terms of preparation for the European Championships in the Czech Republic for the Junior Men and the World Championships in Oklahoma City for the Junior Women.
Thanks
A special thanks goes to the people who made the trip possible:
GB1
Head Coach -- Gareth Jooste
Assistant Coach -- Lee Grafton
GB2
Head Coach -- Josh Peat
Assistant Coach / Team Manager -- Ian Tomlin
Travel Coordinator -- Jan Grafton
Drivers -- Robbie Robison, Robin Dickinson and Greg Neilan
Players
The players who did GB proud with their exemplary behavior and great play were:
GB1
Lucy Hall
Sian Wigington
Immy Thomas
Chelsie Robison (Captain)
Damon Brown
Rob Mosley
Robbie Studholme
Sam Grafton
Kai Benaim
Gareth Jooste (Player-Coach)
GB2
Grace Dickinson
Laura Hirai
Amie Hutchison
Emma Harris
George Blaskett (Captain)
Jack Neilan
Alex Reynolds
George Young
Ben Tomlin
Josh Peat (Player-Coach)
