Softball success snowballs for Falcons

The Falcons had mixed opposition as they took on Solent Sluggers, Portsmouth Zombies and Southampton Spitfires, as well as two squads entered by tournament hosts Brighton Beachcombers.

A relatively-experienced Falcons team started well, fielding against Brighton, but struggled to keep composure at bat. The Chichester side were uncharacteristically wild at the plate and slugged themselves into a hole in the early stages.

Jason Mercer pitched them back into it with a remarkable strikeout record while Ben Gottesman calmly steered them back on course with some breathtaking 5-3 throws to gun down opposition runners.

With Emma Brown taking up catcher position, extra bases were effectively off the menu for the Falcons’ opponents as she teamed up with Lucy Morris to shut down any attempts to steal home.

Following an interval and festive refreshments, the Falcons found themselves top of the group in the running for the tournament plate. By now they were soaring and mercilessly dispatched the Zombies and Spitfires as James Wheeler slammed a home into the back wall while Dave Morris went on to achieve a 100 per cent OBP for the day.

Emma Brown put the icing on the cake as she took advantage of several fielding mishaps on her hit, managing to hustle in for the day’s only in-the-park home run.

The Falcons ended with arguably their hardest fixture, against Brighton Black-Sox – but Nick Harris’ agility, together with Sue Fallon’s infallible glove, limited them to just a handful of hits.

The final standings were kept secret until the end-of-day presentation where it was announced the Falcons had topped their group, earning a well-deserved plate trophy.

Anyone who wants to try softball and join the Falcons should email [email protected]