Baseball masters do battle in Benoni
Benoni Northerns Indians Baseball Club was a hive of activity from Monday, September 30, to Saturday, October 5, when masters players from across the country gathered at the club for the 21st South African Masters Baseball Tournament.
The tournament drew 16 teams in total, from KwaZulu-Natal, Western Province, Easterns, Gauteng, South Western Gauteng and Northern Gauteng.
There were four elite masters teams, one junior masters’ team, four veteran masters’ teams and seven social masters’ teams in action during the week.
The elite masters final, on Saturday, October 5, was the biggest draw card, as the Easterns (Ekurhuleni) squared up against Western Province in an entertaining game that saw some fantastic baseball taking place.
The home team knew from the outset that they would need to hit big in order to win the game, but their coastal opposition proved too strong and went on to win 10-3.
Denis Birkett-Sharp, manager and coach of the Easterns team, said that despite the loss, the team did very well against a quality side.
“The age of our guys, compared to the oppositions average age, was a bit higher, so I believe that we held our own quite well,” he said.
“We were in with a shout right until the final few frames, but just could not get it right at the end.”
In the other finals on the day, Gauteng Bears won the Social Masters final against KwaZulu-Natal, while Western Province were the winners of the Veterans’ final against Northerns.
Alan Forrest, South African Masters Baseball (Samba) chairman, said the tournament was a great success and praised Benoni Northerns Indians Baseball Club for running the event so well.
“I was very impressed with the overall organisation and standard of the tournament,” he said.
He added that it is vital for Samba to keep the masters tournament going, as there is no other opportunity for masters players, some of whom are former provincial players, to compete at a tough level.
Forrest said Samba is looking to take the tournament, which will be hosted in Canada, even further next year by inviting international teams from countries like the US and Canada to participate.
