Wednesday 20 June 2012

The Draft

Monday 18th June was the evening of ‘the Draft’.  The captains of the Birmingham Softball League, who were appropriately dressed in suits, gathered to equally divide the members of the Bobcats to create the Harborne Hammerheads, the Minotaurs, the Weasels and the Roosters. 












After weeks of scouting and preparation the captains were primed and the draft began.  In a serpentine fashion each team chose their members, with only a few disputes. However, at the end of the meeting everyone was happy with their team and looking forward to the first game on Thursday.
The results of the draft are:

THE HARBORNE HAMMERHEADS
Captains: Sapin Patel and Chad Famer
Alhieza  Dela Paz
Brian Dela Paz        
Chris Williams
Daniel Paine
Habib ul Haq           
Jack Crosby
Jhune Ordona         
Kiri Coxon
Maria Francis
Natalie Barton
Sadie Buls    

THE MINOTAURS
Captains: Kate Page-Smith and Quentin Young
Amy Maddocks
Dan Clarke
Emily Mitchell
Hayley Shaddick
Laura Holmes         
Luke Millar              
Matt Grigg
Mike Rodger
Neal Robinson
Reinout Mildner
Ursula Hammond
Will Lintern
                       
The ROOSTERS
Captains: Jim Kent and Meg Gallahan
Becky Hughes
Dan Smith
Debbie Evetts          
Dylan Crosby           
Ellen Welsh
Gillian Broodhead
Jayne Welsh
Jeff Nash
Jonathan Stonehill
Jonathan Wilkes
Ross Woodhouse
Trent Nash

THE WEASELS
Captains: Pete Burgess and Tad Ukai
Alex Levine
Cara Rose
Davide Rubino
Drew Swainston     
Ed Jones
Justin Evans            
Kate Miller   
Laura Nicklin
Nicole Chalmers
Richard Dumbill     
Sarah-Louise Collins         
Victoria Bodman

Tuesday 19 June 2012

The Birmingham Softball League


On the 21st June the Birmingham Bobcats will host the first Birmingham Softball League (BSL).  The ‘league’ is a development programme intended to provide game experience to an increasing membership, add an exciting competitive element to training and as a pilot for a potential official league based in Birmingham.  

The BSL consists of four teams created from the Bobcats; The Roosters, The Minotaurs, The Weasels and the Harborne Hammerheads.  Each team is captained by two coaches who will offer individual training and coaching throughout. The enthusiasm for the league really took off after Jim Kent, media guru for the Bobcats, designed logos for each team and made the league a reality.  

The league will take place over six weeks with two timed games every Thursday, finishing with a semi-final and final in the fifth and six week.

The league has already attracted new members to the club and is appealing to new audiences.  With the help of BSUK, the Bobcats hope this year’s development venture will pave the way for an official league in Birmingham next year.  It is certainly an ambition worth striving for. 

TourCats Cologne 2012

Following the success of the last year’s tour to the Netherlands, the TourCats embarked upon another incredible journey, this time to Germany.  

 
The TourCats were established in 2011 as a touring arm of the Birmingham Bobcats, with the intention of visiting a different country each year to introduce slow-pitch softball to other nations.  This year the TourCats included three members of the Leeds Terriers an as a result it established a new precedent for future TourCat tours to include any BSF registered player within its membership.  


Contact was first made with the Cologne Cardinals/FunCards in October 2011 - with the help of Google translation.  A tournament was soon devised by Simon Thull (Cologne FunCards) and Kate Page-Smith (GB TourCats) for 26th May at Circlewood Stadium in Cologne.  In addition to the TourCats and the Cologne FunCards there were two other German co-ed fastpitch softball teams - the Mulheim Mavericks and the Aachen Aixplosives.  Prior to the tournament none of the German teams had played slow-pitch softball, but were very keen to try it.  


In addition to introducing slow-pitch softball to Europe, the TourCats also aim to strengthen team bonds, enhance player’s skills and confidence and to give all members the opportunity to play for their country – an opportunity which is not often available to those who are not extraordinary, experienced athletes.  This is probably the most influential factor in the Tour.  Regardless of a players skill this responsibility increases their ability and the TourCats success, both on and off the field, are living proof that success is not just about athletic prowess.  


 
To enhance the team experience the TourCats set off from Birmingham on Thursday 24th May in two cars for an extraordinary evening in Ghent involving pirates, barges, gnomes, castles and fruit gins.  Three members of the team decided to try wondering off - they won't be doing that again!  





 Unsurprisingly it was a rather slow start the next day, but after some sightseeing the TourCats resumed their journey to Cologne.  Once checked in, the team headed to a fantastic mineral spring water spa in the centre of the city in preparation for the big day. 




 
The day had finally arrived and kitted out in their new GB uniforms the TourCats headed to Circlewood Stadium to meet their opponents.  As none of the German teams had played slow-pitch before, the TourCats’ pitcher Dylan Crosby gave each team an introduction into slow-pitch pitching, while Elli Lane and Steph Bicker provided some useful tips on batting and catching.  This was a wonderful moment in the progression of slow-pitch softball into Europe and the willingness and amicability of all the teams to learn and teach this variant of the game was a highlight of the Tour.  



 
Although half of the TourCats had never played together before, it did not affect their performance. In temperatures averaging 36°C their first game against the Mulheim Mavericks ended victoriously at 21-2.  The first to score a home run in the Tournament was Jim Kent.  






 
To provide a ‘level playing field’ it was decided that the next game against the Cologne FunCards would consist half fast-pitch and half slow-pitch.  This was certainly a game-changer and the end result was 9-6 to the FunCards.  Reverting back to slow-pitch the final game of the day was against the Aachen Aixplosives who played some astonishing slow-pitch softball, especially as it was their first attempt.  After a tense, exhilarating game the TourCats won by 10-6.







 
In honour of the TourCats the FunCards held a party that evening, providing the perfect end to a fabulous day.  The atmosphere throughout the entire tournament was one of friendship, mutual respect, willingness to learn and good humour.  The openness between the teams was inspiring and at the end of the day there were no divisions between teams or nationalities; it was just a group of likeminded, enthusiastic softball players. 


 A bond has been made between these four teams and plans are in the making for repeat tournaments in Birmingham this autumn and Cologne next spring. However, the world is literally the TourCats oyster and in a few months the destination for TourCats 2013 will be announced.   A big thank you must go out to the organisers of the tournament principally Simon Thull, Monica .. and Michael Paffrath. Finally the tour would not have been a success without the TourCats, Jim Kent, Chris Williams, Elli Lane, Pete Burgess, Steph Bicker, Dan Smith, Dylan Crosby, Joe Cybaniak, Ed Jones and Kate Page-Smith.  They truly were great ambassadors for the sport and for the country.

Karaoke Central

Not only do the Bobcats play softball, but as it turns out – they also sing!  Our latest ‘after training drink’ venue, the Proverbial holds a Karaoke night on Thursday evenings and faced with such temptation how can the Bobcats resist.  After a preliminary singing session, the Bobcats took control of the stage (covered in mud and blood, while everyone else was in the finest clubbing gear).  Pete and Dan blew everyone away with Ghostbusters, Quentin showed everyone his True Colours, Dylan flaunted his magnificent Chocolate Salty Balls – with assistance from Dan and Pete, and Kate operatically bellowed for a Big Spender.  Videos have been taken so get ready for the upcoming Bobcat Channel – it is going to be prime time!