The second running of Maidenhead Softball Club’s Chicks with Sticks Tournament on Sunday 21 May at North Maidenhead Cricket Club featured eight female slowpitch teams competing in this one-day event.
This year three new teams entered -- RG, TV and Bracknell Scorchers -- to compete against returning teams No Balls, Lady Heath, Portsmouth Dodgers, Sticky Chavs and Maidenhead Softball Club’s own female team, the Diamond Squeezers.
Under glorious blue skies, the teams started off with a series of round-robin games to determine which teams would play for the Cup and the Plate. Competition was hard but friendly, with hitting and fielding that even surprised the resident cricket team. Games were made more interesting this year by having fencing on both fields.
Playoffs
The post-group stages worked out according to experience, with the three new teams plus the Diamond Squeezers making up the Plate competition, while No Balls, Lady Heath, Portsmouth Dodgers and Sticky Chavs competed for the Cup.
The Cup final was a repeat of 2016, but this time No Balls overcame Lady Heath 17-10 to gain revenge for their defeat in 2016.
In the Plate final, two of the new teams, RG and TV, fought out a close game, with TV finally winning 10-9.
The aim of the day was to provide an opportunity for female slowpitch teams to play out a fun, relaxed but competitive day of softball -- although Sticky Chavs did find way to relax between games and it wasn’t talking tactics!
