Two Bosmont ball clubs earn top trophies at SWGBA finals
Marks Park baseball ground hosts hotly contested finals
Three teams from South West Gauteng Baseball Association (SWGBA) played in the Plate and Cup finals on September 4.
Hosted at the home of Mustangs Baseball Club, a jam-packed Marks Park was bursting with friends, family and supporters alike. It was a perfect day for America’s pastime with the support, encouragement and banter adding to the wonderful atmosphere on the diamond.
Two Bosmont-based teams Raiders and Cobras would contest the Plate final. The local derby was an exiting and tough hard-fought battle, one Raiders went into as underdogs after a 20–4 thrashing by Cobras in a preliminary-round game a few weeks prior. Raiders would show up when it mattered, their motivation to turn the tables proving decisive as they earned the Plate with a 19–16 win.
Raiders took the initiative in the first inning by scoring eight runs and never looked back. Cobras uncharacteristically made some basic errors that would ultimately lead to their demise. Ali Basson, the Cobras starting pitcher did his best but couldn’t contain the Raiders batsmen, with Ziyaad Catterall relieving him late in the game.
Naziem Boomgaard from Raiders did a sterling job on the mound and with a determined team behind him let in a very few runs in the first couple of innings. When a few errors crept into the Raiders defence he was then relieved by The Closer, Ganief Sallie, to finish off the game. In a fateful at-bat, the game ended when Ganief struck out his twin brother, Latief in the final play of the game.
In the Cup final, Raiders Elite up against the Red Sox was a nail-biting, seesaw game that saw the lead change from one team to another in every inning but the youngsters from Raiders Elite showed their grit and determination winning in the final inning 8–7. Two of the Raiders Elite players received individual awards – Naseem Miller received catcher of the season while Ayanda Mtembu received pitcher of the season.
