The final weekend of play decided the promotion / demotion spots and who would get to the Nationals Championships.
H20 won the 2026 NSL in a thrilling finale in which for possibly the first time since the leagues conception, three teams were all in with a possibility of winning with one round of fixtures remaining.
H20 never looked the favourites at any point, especially after succumbing to a one run defeat to Pioneers after the first game of the weekend effectively putting them three games back of the Pioneers and 1 game back of the Windsor Knights.
However despite a tough set of fixtures, the wins kept coming for H20 who played in a relaxed manner. Generally through strong defence and consistent scoring, it gave the team the opportunity to be in with a shout though if other results went in our favour.
The Knights delivered the first blow of the weekend on the Saturday afternoon, defeating Pioneers, which put the Pioneers two games ahead and Knights one ahead. All teams won the first two rounds on the Sunday morning and this effectively put Pioneers top of the table.
This is where the tables turned though. With two games each to play, H20 needed the Knights to drop at least one game, and Pioneers to effectively lose both (or lose and draw). The odds seemed remarkably low but as the tension rose this can do remarkable things in softball. As the penultimate round of fixtures came in, The Mob had pulled off an excellent victory against Pioneers and the Chromies stole a fixture against Knights.
The final round of games was not easy for any of the three teams. H20 were playing the Chromies, Knights were playing the Legends and Greensox were up against Pioneers. A three way tie would have given the Pioneers the win, which is how it stood.
H20 could only control the game in front of them which turned out to be one of our best defence/offence games of the season. As our game started slightly later than the others, we saw the scores filtering in and the Pioneers and Greensox had drawn 12-12 giving H20 the opportunity to retain the NSL. The Knights continued their consistency in beating Legends for the final round leaving H20 and Knights on 18-4 records but a 2-0 win loss record between the teams gave H20 the edge with the Pioneers half a game back.
It was a thrilling finale to the NSL season. One which has probably never happened before since the league started. Pioneers and Knights played out remarkable campaigns and it’s fair to say that ten of the twelve teams could win on any occasion.
H20 will be joining Legends at the Euro Cup in 2027 but with an immediate focus on the 2026 Nationals.
NSL2
Tempest Softball Season Summary
After being relegated last season, Tempest began the year in NSL 2 with a clear goal: not only to earn promotion, but to win the league.
The season started with a significant rebuild, as seven new players joined the squad following the departure of several long-standing members who either returned to America or moved on to other teams. Despite the changes, the team quickly found its rhythm, putting together an impressive 6–1 record on the opening weekend and giving us a strong platform to build from.
We followed that up with another 6–1 weekend in June, putting Tempest into joint first place heading into the final weekend of the season. We then made the perfect start to the July weekend, winning our first five games to secure the NSL 2 Title on the last game of the day
Having achieved the goal we set at the beginning of the season; the celebrations were understandably strong; So strong in fact that multiple players were a bit bleary eyed for the first game on Sunday leading to our now customary one loss off the weekend
Winning the league is a fantastic achievement, particularly after relegation last season and the changes to the squad over the winter. The team showed consistency, resilience and a real determination to bounce back stronger.
Notable events of the course of the season include: Alexa hitting tempests first ever SBH over the fence Hr. Robin pitching a shutout and brad managing to kick the ball back in to the air for a catch after initially dropping it.
Now, with the NSL 2 title secured, Our attention turns to Nationals in September, where we will be looking to finish the season in style and complete the league and Nationals double.
Nathan Barratt – Tempest Captain
Tempest (winners) & Blitz Havoc promoted to NSL1
Terriers & Naturals demoted to NSL3
"Bristol Bees have had so much fun season and everyone has put in 110%.
The opposition has been amazing. We've had many fantastic games with no clear cut winners leading to many draws and wins and losses by only 1 run. It always felt like we had to play our best and never give up. We were always keenly following the results of the other games as they were coming in.
As captain I am very proud of how we have gelled as a team and supported each other this season to help us achieve promotion. The hive is very much alive, and we're absolutely buzzing about the promotion to NSL2!
Buzz buzz!!"
Cardiff NSL
As captains, we couldn't be prouder of this incredible team. Every single player who represented us across the three NSL weekends has played a vital part in this success. It has been a true squad effort from start to finish. Simply competing in NSL 3 is an achievement, but to finish top of our group with an outstanding 16 wins from 22 games across the season is something truly special.
More than the results, this team has shown the rest of the country exactly what Cardiff softball is all about—playing with skill, determination, smiles,laughter and an unwavering team spirit.
Onwards and upwards to NSL 2! Bring on the 2027 softball season—we can't wait to see what this amazing team can achieve next.
NSL Nationals will be played at Farnham on the weekend of September 5th & 6th 2026