The British Airways Tournament, which also doubled as a National Softball League event this year, was played on the weekend of June 16-17 in a mixture of sunshine and showers at the BA Concorde Club in Cranford, near Heathrow Airport.
A record number of 31 teams took part in A-grade, B-grade and C-grade competitions, necessitating the use of additional fields across the road from the Concorde Club at Cranford Community College.
Results
A-GRADE
Cup Winner: H2O
Runner-up: Pioneers
H2O defeated Pioneers 16-2 in the Cup Final.
Plate Winner: Dragons
Runner-up: Slammers
MVP's for the A-Grade final were Stewart Butcher (H2O) and Kim Akehurst (Pioneers).
Pictured: Gunning down a runner - Chetan Shah BA Flyers
B-GRADE
Cup Winner: Chargers 8
Runner-up: Seawolves 5
Chargers defeated the Seawolves 8-5 in the Cup Final.
Plate Winner: Raiders Gold 13
Runner-up: Chalfont Phoenix 11
Raiders Gold defeated Chalfont Phoenix 13-11 in the Plate Final.
Pictured: B Cup Winners - Chargers
C-GRADE
Cup Winner: Leeds Terriers
Runner-up: Richings Park Red Kites
Leeds Terriers defeated the Richings Park Red Kites 22-3 in the Cup Final.
Trophy Winner: Rhythm Royals
Runner-up: Blitz
Rhythm Royals defeated Blitz 6-3 in the Trophy Final.
Plate Winner: Vampire Batters
Runner-up: Chalfont Flames
The Vampire Batters defeated the Chalfont Flames 8-7 in the Plate Final.
Pictured: C Cup Winners - Leeds Terriers
Spirit of Softball award
Each year at the BA Tournament, the Paul Sadler Spirit of Softball Award is given to the team that embraces the fun spirit of the competition. The award is in honour of Paul Sadler who was a Steward at the Concorde Club and sadly passed away during the tournament some years ago.
This year the award was presented to The Voodoos.
Pictured: Paul Sadler Spirit of Softball Award - The Voodoos