Aiming to knock it out of the park in Japan
Baseball is a sport that is certainly on the rise in South Africa, and Benoni is fast becoming a hotbed of talented young players.
Benoni residents Matthew Ware (17) and Christopher Bruyns (17) are two of the exciting prospects who will be representing the country later this year, when they travel to Japan to play in the 2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.
The tournament will be staged from Friday, August 28, to Sunday, September 6, in Osaka.
Ware, a Farrarmere resident and former Farrarmere Primary and Benoni High School pupil (now at the Training Academy School in Edenvale), started playing baseball in the u-12 age group, at the age of 11, at Benoni Northerns Indians Ball Club and now represents the Giants Baseball Club, in Edenvale.
The dedicated strike pitcher, whose average speed is around 80mph, has donned provincial colours for Gauteng and made his first appearance in green and gold in Kenya, earlier this year, at a continental tournament, where South Africa emerged victorious and subsequently gained automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Bruyns, a Morehill resident, former Arbor Primary School pupil and current St Benedict’s College pupil, also took up the game in the u-12 age group, at 11 years of age, and plays his club baseball for Benoni Northerns Indians.
He is also an Easterns player and earned his selection to the South African World Cup squad after good performances at the recent National Baseball Championships (NBC), in Boksburg.
Bruyns is on the roster as an outfielder, due to his terrific speed and ability in the outfield, quickness around the diamond and good catching skills.
He can also swing the wood quite well and can pitch if needed.
On his selection for the national side he commented: “It means the world to me to be selected, especially because I had to come back from injury to make the team.
“It was a lot of hard work and took a lot time to come right, but all the training paid off and I am really happy with my achievement.”
Ware said it is a “dream come true” to play for his country and wear the number 12 on the back of his jersey (his grandfather’s birthday and the day when he was first capped for South Africa).
Drawn in Group Two, with strong baseball playing nations such as Cuba (ranked three in the world), Chinese Taipei (four), Canada (seven), South Korea (eight) and Italy (11), the boys know that they are in for some tough encounters in Japan and are hoping to improve South Africa’s ranking with a solid showing and a few shock results at the tournament.
The team will have an intense training camp in July, before departing for Japan on August 25, with just two days to overcome jet lag and become acclimatised to the conditions.
The tour is 100 per cent self-funded and the team receive no support from government.
Funding is, therefore, difficult to obtain and any support would be welcomed.
For more information on the team contact Howard Ware on 083 258 5045.
