19 Jul 2022

 Titans women and Police IX men are the Selebi Phikwe Softball Extravaganza Champions, pocketing P20 000 each.

Titans thrashed Police IX  women 4-3 in a fiercely contested final on Monday.

The champions’ coach, Disang Selemoge, expressed delight at the commitment and determination displayed by his players from the beginning of the tournament.

He said the success of his team did not come on a silver platter as Police IX gave them a run for their money.

Selemoge explained that his team could have achieved many runs had it not been for mistakes players made.

Meanwhile, Police IX men’s determination and perseverance earned them a 9-6 victory over Wells International, a performance that thrilled the victorious coach, Tebogo Makacana.

He said in an interview that playing Wells was not easy, but the team’s resilience paid off.

He expressed happiness about the sterling performance displayed by his team even though two of his best pitchers were not part of the tournament.

“Two of our best pitchers were unable to take part in the tournament, but we sailed through until we reached the final,” Makacana said.

Runner-ups, Police IX women and Wells International men walked away with P18 000 each.

Sponsored by Selebi Phikwe Economic Development Unit to the tune of P300 000, the softball extravaganza started on July 16 to 18 at Mowana Ball Park with 16 teams participating, eight from the north and others from south.

Other sponsors were Selebi Phikwe Town Council and the host Comets softball team.

The extravaganza chairperson, Oeme Morupisi, said this year’s sponsorship was lower than the previous one because Komatsu, which was one of the main sponsors last time, pulled out due to financial constraints.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic had eroded most companies’ financial muscle across all sectors, hence the challenge for the local organising committee to find more sponsors.

However, he said they would continue to work hard to lure other companies to come on board in future. ENDS