GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L – Mother Nature nearly derailed an annual softball tournament in Grand Falls-Windsor.
“Sunday’s weather forecast caused us to have to redo the schedule on Friday (June 1),” said tournament organizer Jeffrey Power. “So we played most of the games, all but two, on Saturday (June 2). It was a long day.”
The third annual Team Budweiser Men’s Open Cash Tournament took place on June 2 in Grand Falls-Windsor at the Main Street Softball Fields.
Booster Juice from Clarenville defeated The Outsiders from Paradise 18-10 in the championship game, with the champions claiming the $1,000 top prize, and the runner-up netting $500. In total, 10 teams from across the province took part in the tournament. Power and his team, Team Budweiser, organized and ran the tournament but did not compete.
“They played in the rain at about five degrees I’d say,” Power said. “It was very cold. But we had a beautiful day. That particular day, we we’re laughing, saying we’ll get a sunburn during the day and a frostburn during the evening.”
Power said this year stronger teams registered for the tournament, which may have deterred some other teams from registering. The total amount of teams for the competition was down from 12 the first year and 16 in the second.
“This year we raised the prizes a little bit, and I don’t think it really helped our tournament,” Power said, “because it drew in a couple of these big teams.”
Power said at one point there was as many as 18 teams registered, with 10 ending up competing.
“Even then for Grand Falls-Windsor, that’s a pretty big tournament,” he said.
Ed Bennett, who played on Bennett’s Eavestrough, said the tournament went well.
“We were 3-0 in the round robin,” he said. “And we got knocked out by St. Anthony in the first round of the playoffs.”
Bennett said as long as the tournament is hosted, he and his team will take part.
“It’s all friends,” he said. “Everybody on the team, we all really enjoy softball. We play four nights a week, Monday to Friday. We’re always in every tournament that’s usually hosted. We play softball non-stop during the summer months”
Dave Canning is the fundraising manager for River Gold Community Group. He ran the canteen at the field for the organization. A member of the Michelob Ultra Stars, Canning and his team went 2-1 in the round robin.
“The game we lost, we lost by two runs, could have been anybody’s game,” Canning said. “Then we ended up making the playoffs.
“I don’t make any excuses, but I think we didn’t handle the weather very well, and we didn’t have a good game. And we got smoked in the first round of the playoffs.”
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