The North West Series is one of BaseballSoftballUK's Development initiatives, providing playing opportunities for players in the North of England and Scotland who have fewer opportunities to visit the National Baseball & Softball Complex at Farnham Park. Last Saturday, 3 February, was the first North West Series event of the year, with players converging at the Soccer Factory in Rochedale for the Single-Sex Tournament.

The Single Sex tournament plays an important role for players and teams at the beginning of each year, providing an opportunity for players to stay or get back in shape along with the social and fun aspect of playing with friends in a single-sex environment. The Soccer Factory, home of the North West Series, was chosen as a central location for players who live in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland to benefit. Many teams also use the tournament as an opportunity to recruit and train new players, and those who have not played softball are highly encouraged to attend a North West Series event - this weekend's competition saw three new players to the sport come join in!

This past weekend's tournament also provided the first opportunity for teams to play against the competition they’ll face off against in different tournaments and league play throughout the summer. Each of the participating teams played 11 games - three times against each opponent, followed by semifinals and finals - on Saturday. The final table was:

Male Category

  1. Latinos – captained by Adam Hugill
  2. El Cartel – captained by Dan Strayer
  3. Hammerheads – captained by S. Shearer
  4. One Hit Wonder – captained by Jack Rains

Female Category

  1. Mavs – captained by Sherry Kenyon
  2. Chaos – captained by Katie Flannagan
  3. Meerkats – captained by Sonia Hine
  4. Stinging Lytham – captained by Natalie Fox

The next North West Series Indoor Tournament is on the 24 February at the Soccer Factory. New players, and players who have not played in a long time, are particularly encouraged to come along and attend! Register here.