Manchester Main Tournament 2012

On the 4^th and 5^th August the Birmingham Bobcats entered the Manchester Main Tournament.  Unlike earlier in the year the Bobcats chose to play in the REC grade rather than the Comp.  This was partially due to the Manchester League having some of the best teams in the country, but also it was an opportunity for the Bobcats to get some new kitties involved in tournaments and it was felt that their first experience should not be against first division players.

A new member of the team (but not new to softball) was Dan Langlands.  Dan heard about the Bobcats through ex-baseball colleagues and very quickly signed up with the Minotaurs for the BSL.  He has since become a dedicated Bobcat and he is not only attending every practice and tournament but he is also contributing to the administration of the club by producing articles and creating posters.  The Bobcats are incredibly thankful to him for all his efforts so far and we hope he remains an integral part of the club. 

Here is Dan’s account of the Manchester Tournament:

As one of the newest members to the Bobcat family I felt honoured to be picked to play in the Manchester Tournament. Although I’m not new to the sport I still felt nervous and wanted to bring my ‘A’ game for the team.

However when I got to the tournament I received a warm welcome from the team as if I had been there for years. That only helped my confidence and got me prepared for a tough tournament ahead.

 

Although the Bobcats didn’t win the tournament we still came 6^th out of 20 teams, even with some players that have never played in a competitive softball tournament before.

I put this down to a bunch of great people who came together to work as a team; helped by some great leadership from Kate Page-Smith, and makes me proud to be a member of the Bobcats Softball Team.

Dan Langlands

Here are some photos from the Tournament: