Softball back in Jwaneng after two years
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday April 8, 2023 06:00
The chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Joel Ramolemana told Mmegi Sport that preparations for the tournament went according to plan. “Softball is a tradition for Jwaneng. Everyone is excited about the tournament that has not been happening due to the COVID-19. We are now back and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Jwaneng,” he said.
Ten men's and eight women's teams have qualified for the tournament. Ramolemana said they have not invited teams outside the country, especially South Africa, as it has always been a norm.
He said the last edition of the tournament was played in 2019 and making a comeback means they have to gauge what they have before inviting international teams. He said the intention is to turn Jwaneng into a sport hub especially since other sporting codes such as football are successful. He added that hosting teams, Gatalamotho and Wells International are powerhouses in local softball.
“The mine is one of the sponsors of this tournament. On top of that, Jwaneng mine assistant general manager, Goitseone Gadifele said the tournament should benefit small businesses so that they can take care of their families.
They will be allowed to sell during the duration of the tournament. That is the empowerment we want as organisers,” he said. The Easter tournament is sponsored by Debswana Jwaneng Mine, Barloworld Equipment, Storkfork Health, Blagus Civil and Mining Services Meanwhile, one of the teams from Francistown, Scramblers, has made a comeback after its last stint in 2018. Scramblers captain, Matshelo Masake said they are fired up ahead of the tournament after both men's and women's teams were knocked out of the preliminary stages in 2018. “We are training hard, sharpening our skills so that we go further in the competition. We are going to play against the best teams; we should also step up,” he said. Police IX chairperson, Diketso Gaborone said they are preparing well and looking forward to a tense tournament.
He said during the elimination stage, Police men's and women's sides won all their matches. “We did not get any scare during the eliminations because we started training back in February. So, it was an easy elimination tournament for us. Our teams won all their fixtures,” Gaborone said. The women’s section defending champions is Police while Wells are the men's title holders. The tournament champions will walk away with P20,000 (men and women), P15,000 first runner-up, and P12,000 for the third spot.
All the teams will receive prize money, with the 10th-placed men's team going home with P6,000. In the women's category, the team placed last will get P7,000. There are individual prices for the most valuable player (MVP), best youngest player, best batter, pitcher, and catcher. Participating teams: Men: Wells, Gatalamotho, Panthers, Police IX, BDF IX, Vikings, Carats, Rail Giants, Scramblers, and Raptures. Women: Wells, Police, Titans, BDF IX, Vikings, Carats, Ghetto Yankees, and Scramblers.