GB WINS THIRD STRAIGHT GAME AT EUROPEAN SLOWPITCH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Thursday, July 10 -- With the wind howling around the Wide Lane Sports Ground at the University of Southampton this afternoon and threatening to tear the dugout and scoring marquees from their moorings, the GB Slowpitch Team notched up their third straight win on this delayed opening day of the European Slowpitch Championships with a 23-4 pounding of Slovenia.

It's already becoming clear that Slovenia and Jersey are going to fight it out for the wooden spoon in this competition, but the Slovenians never stop trying and cheering each other on, and they set GB down in order in the top of the first inning and then took a shock 1-0 lead.

But the fairy tale didn't last long as GB scored four runs in the second inning on home runs by Pete Nightingale and Lee Cornwall and then put 11 runs on the board in the third inning on 11 hits and four Slovenian errors. After that, it was just a matter of playing out the game until the mercy rule came into effect, which happened after six innings.

Dave Baird pitched this game for GB after Dan Spinks had started against Jersey and Ireland and kept things in control despite nine Slovenian hits, all of them singles. GB committed three errors but made the plays when it mattered, and Brett Gibbens led the GB attack with a grand slam home run and two doubles while Lee Cornwall had a home run, a double and a single and Pete Nightingale parlayed a home run, a bases-loaded walk, a single and a sacrifice fly into seven RBIs.

In the other game played after lunch, Ireland was sloppy but still outlasted Jersey 11-5.

Today's remaining games will give a better indication of the relative strength as far as the top three teams in the tournament, GB, Ireland and the Czech Republic, are concerned. The Czechs and Ireland will play just before the Opening Ceremony and the Czechs and GB right afterwards.

Schoolchildren from local schools, who have been having sessions over the past month delivered by BSUK Summer Coach and GB Women's Team player Karlene Headley-Cooper, turned up yesterday and had a training session in the rain, and children from a different school turned up today to train and then watch GB's victory over Ireland. There could be a whole new generation of young softball enthusiasts in the Southampton area by the time this tournament is over!