BDF IX Ladies Softball Club were crowned Champions of the Selebi Phikwe Softball Extravaganza.
The military side and the Defending Champions pocketed P25 000 first price for their sterling performance against seven top sides from the country at the Area 2 Softball Grounds.
The military ladies cruised through the tournament, winning all of their group stage games against Vikings and Scramblers to advance to the semi-finals, where they defeated Police IX 5-2 to advance to the finals.
Lying in wait were their long time nemesis Titans, whom they made light weight of, edging them 4-1 to condemn them to the second spot.
Titans walked home with P20 000, while third placed Police IX received P15 000 for their troubles.
On the men’s side, Police IX narrowly defeated the Defending Champions, Wells IX, 9 – 8, and took home P 25,000.
In an interview with the BDF IX ladies coach, Mothusi Shalobani, who made history by becoming the first BDF IX coach to win back to back Extravaganza title, he acknowledged that discipline was the catalyst to their good run.
“Another good factor is that we have veterans on our team who inspire and guide our younger,” he remarked.
“On the tactical aspect of the game, we bank much on our good to make things easier for our runners,” he said.
Shalobani further stated that he was pleased with how the competition proceeded, despite the poor attendance.
“Everything went well; the prize money increased from P 20,000 to P 25,000, indicating that the tournament is growing. The only thing I wasn’t thrilled with was the turnout, which may be attributed to a lack of softball league in the area and people’s dissatisfaction with the sport,” he concluded.
