Annual Softball Cricket Competition serving Rotary’s programme

The 2013 edition of the Rotary Club South Independence Softball Cricket Competition bowled off last Saturday evening at the Arnos Vale Netball Complex.{{more}}

And, despite the marked decline in participation and enthusiasm over the last few years, current president of the club, Earl Crichton, told SEARCHLIGHT that the competition plays a critical role in the club’s fund-raising programme.

“….One of our main projects is the World Pediatric Project, in which we raise funds to send children to a hospital in Virginia, where the doctors there work for free to perform surgeries on kids which cannot be performed here, and to date we have sent over 100 kids on funds raised from these competitions and other fund-raisers; we use the funds to send these children,” Crichton said.

Referring to the softball competition as “a worthy cause”, Crichton reiterated the need for the support of more companies and that of the general public.

He noted that this year, the softball competition will run for three consecutive Saturday nights — September 28, October 5 and October 12.

Crichton also revealed that although only 11 teams had confirmed participation, an open invitation has been extended to another five.

“… We have 11 teams confirmed, but we are catering for 16, so we are hoping that another five can register and join us next Saturday,” Crichton said.

The 11 which have confirmed participation are Ruddy’s Electrical, the National Sports Council, C.K. Greaves, CWSA, Vinlec, St Vincent Brewery, Mustique Company, Bank of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Scotia Bank, ECGC and Voltz.

The organizers are hoping that with 16 teams, there will be four equal groups, with each group playing on a round robin basis.

Two teams from each of the groups will emerge from the preliminary phase to the quarter-finals.

The winners of the quarter-finals then go forth to the semi-finals, and the two victors in the last four will play in the finals.

The fun and family oriented softball competition involves teams made up of eight players, inclusive of two females. Each player must bowl a six-ball over.

Other rules involve two runs being awarded for hitting the perimeter fence, while any batsman who hits the ball outside the arena, is given six runs, but is also given out.

Additionally, two runs are given for each wide ball bowled, except in the last over, when it must be re-bowled.

Vinlec won the 2012 competition.(RT)