Saturday 28 July – It’s just under a week before the 2018 WBSC Women’s World Championship begins, and for the GB Women’s Fastpitch Team, it will be a week of ceremonial occasions, training, bonding, exhibition games and chances to sample Japanese culture.
During the week leading up to the tournament, the team is staying at the Estolle Hotel and Tennis Club in Sammu City, and things kicked off on Thursday 26 July with a grand presentation at Sammu City Hall, where the team met the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and other dignitaries, along with local business people who have invested to support the city in hosting the GB Team.
After speeches and the presentation of gifts to the team, GB Head Coach Rachael Watkeys responded on behalf of the team and presented gifts in return.
After that, the team had a two-and-a-half hour training session and then lunch before warming up to play the Josai University Softball Team.
This turned out to be a good tight game. GB had pre-planned rotations for both offense and defense throughout the game so that everyone got on the field, and this will be the same for all remaining scrimmage games.
After the team got back to the hotel, there was an organised Japanese lesson which the players thoroughly enjoyed, with students from local schools and universities providing small-group tuition on phrases in Japanese.
GB Team Manager Simon Mortimer said, “All in all, it was a good day. Our hosts have been brilliant and have been extremely generous in their support of us. We have been warmly welcomed by everyone and have already picked up a fan base with the local Council and universities. Apparently, the Mayor is a good luck charm, and he will be supporting us!”
Friday
On Friday, the team played a scrimmage game against Chinese Taipei. Again, it was a close game, with the GB Team rotating players at scheduled points, and the coaches were pleased with improvements already made from the day before and with the general progress and spirit of the team.
However, plans were forced to change for Saturday because of an approaching typhoon, with training sessions moved indoors.
Looking ahead
After training and fitness sessions on Saturday, and weather permitting, the team will attend a local Summer Festival featuring a stand-up meal Matsui-style.
On Sunday, the team will play a doubleheader against the University of Alabama, one of the top teams in American college softball, at the Sammu Baseball Complex.
On Monday, the team will conduct training sessions with local students, and then some kind of cultural excursion is planned.
Tuesday will include a morning exhibition game against Tokai University, followed by team activities.
On Wednesday 1 August the team will move to the Narita View Hotel and will play an exhibition game against the Netherlands, followed by a practice session. That evening, the team will hold an official press conference at the Green Tower Hotel.
On Thursday 2 August, the tournament will get underway, with a Technical Meeting and then the Opening Ceremony, after which a single game will be played between Japan and Italy.
On Friday 3 August, all teams will begin play in the initial round-robin phase of the tournament, and GB will play Canada at the Zett A Ballpark at 12.30 pm local time.
For more details on GB’s round-robin schedule, plus a full list of the team and staff, click here.
Clearly, this is not going to be just another softball tournament – it’s going to be an amazing adventure for everyone involved!
