Sunday 14th April 2024

Tangier Field, Portsmouth

With the grass laden with dew, but the sun poking through, the Solent Softball League kicked off the outdoor season with the annual Firstball Tournament at the home venue of Tangier Field in Portsmouth.

Ten teams braved the outdoors after a prolonged period of poor weather and were rewarded with a warm and sunny morning for four round-robin games for two groups.

The top two teams in each group progressed to the Gold Semi-Finals with the Itchen Knicks and Portsmouth Dodgers both winning to meet each other in the final. The reigning league champions took the win.

The third and fourth teams played in the Silver Semis. The Southsea Sharks and Southampton Spitfires beat the mashup Sealicanes and Vikings respectively to face each other in the double-s final.

With the weather turning cold and blustery, the newly promoted Sharks took the victory in the Silver Final.

The Bronze Final was played between the bottom two teams, with the Portsmouth Pirates defeating the Redbridge Raiders in the Bronze Final.