The third annual Chichester Softball Tournament on Saturday 11 April was a resounding success, raising over £900 for the Aldingbourne Trust, which supports people with learning disabilities to reach their potential across Sussex.
Hosted by Chichester Falcons Softball Club at the University of Chichester, the tournament attracted six teams from the Solent League and beyond.
Returning to defend their title were the Vampire Batters from Crawley, and they were joined by the Brighton Beachcombers and new entrants Maidenhead Softball Club, plus Solent League regulars Portsmouth Dodgers and Solent Sluggers. The Chichester Falcons themselves filled the sixth slot and play got under way on time despite light rain early in the morning.
To help see the teams through, there was hot food, a raffle, music and a softball-themed coconut shy, providing the softballers with a little light relief from the furious pace of the one-hour timed games.
The action
The Portsmouth Dodgers wasted no time getting ahead of the pack early on, despatching the Vampire Batters in their first game while the Sluggers and Falcons struggled to find their feet in the early stages.
As the rain cleared, the sunshine made for a pleasant day of softball played in good spirits but with a hotly competitive edge. Beachcombers and Maidenhead rallied during the afternoon but by now the Vampire Batters were soaring, putting up the highest score of the day in toppling the Beachcombers 21-8. The Falcons flapped hard but couldn’t catch a break until their final round-robin game where they defeated the Sluggers 9-6.
The final pitted the Dodgers against the Vampire Batters, but the undead softballers had too much for the plucky Portsmouth side and picked up the Cup for the second year in a row.
Prizes and thanks
The teams gathered at the end of the day for the prize-giving ceremony and a short presentation from Sue Joy from the Aldingbourne Trust, who explained how the £920 raised would help develop the Trust’s Country Centre and build new facilities for their clients.
As always, the tournament was dependent on the hard work and generosity of numerous individuals. Special thanks go to Perry Northeast (University of Chichester), Mike Ford (The Softball Shop), Lewis Harding, Colin Cobden and Chloe Court (Waitrose Chichester).