There was sun, softball and success in equal measure this past weekend for the Aries and Bombers teams at the 2019 Cotswold Spring Softball Tournament.

With the Bombers and Aries using the tournament for some much needed pre-season practice after little to no softball since last year, both teams joined squads from Coventry, Stroud, Bristol and Cardiff for an eight team tournament hosted at Archway School in Stroud.

Bombers were placed in Group A with local team Costwold Chaos, Welsh side Valley Wet Sox and Bristol Division One team Scorgs. Aries found themselves in Group B with hosts Archway Thunder, the Coventry Blitz and Cardiff Red Sox.

Group A started the tournament off and the Bombers were first up against Valley Wet Sox. Things initially started well and the Bombers were able to keep pace with the Wet Sox both with their batting and fielding for the first few innings. However, by the middle of the game the Wet Sox’ experienced hitters began finding the inexperienced fielders to build a big lead that proved to be insurmountable.

While the Bombers rested it was Aries turn to take the field against the hosts Archway Thunder. Despite some solid fielding throughout the game, it was not enough to prevent the young side from finding the gaps in the field and from gaining extra bases with quick and smart base running. Aries could not seem to get their bats going and a single run in the last inning was the only offensive highlight of the game.

The Bomber’s second game saw them face local side Cotswold Chaos. A big first inning by batting round the order and everyone settling into their fielding positions led to a much more competitive game than the first. However, the Bombers could not replicate their first inning batting performance and the Chaos slowly built up a game-winning lead that could not be clawed back.

Aries hoped to get their bats going against a well-disciplined Coventry Blitz team in their second game to go with their earlier fielding performance. Despite some good individual batting performances, Aries couldn’t get it going together as a team to generate enough runs. Taking full advantage of bright sun right into the outfielders eyes, Coventry’s big hitters blitzed the outfield and came away with the win.

The Bombers were aiming for a win in their last group game and found themselves against Bristol team Scorgs. The Bombers bats quietened down in this game and their relative inexperience in the field showed as the experienced Scorgs batters took full advantage. The Scorg’s experience in the field meant the Bombers could not make a comeback and were handed their third loss of the tournament.

Also aiming for a win in their last group game, Aries faced off against the Cardiff Red Sox. A morning’s worth of batting seemed to have worked as the Aries’ hitters began to time the ball better and put together some small but consistent run totals in each inning. The fielding continued to be tight all round and the Red Sox hitters couldn’t find the gaps through the infield nor ground against the Aries outfield, limiting their total runs and allowing Aries their first victory in a narrow win.

This victory meant Aries finished third in Group B and would play the fourth-place team from Group A in the plate semi-final. That team turned out to be none other then their Swindon league mates the Bombers.

With the alcohol flowing freely in the hot spring sun, an immensely fun, friendly and relaxed plate semi final ensued. As the weather hottened up, so did the Aries bats. The runs flowed as freely as the alcohol as the Bombers struggled to score many of their own, probably due to said Alcohol! Without much of a change in events by the end of the game, Aries had built up a big lead and everyone enjoyed a joint, Swindon-based three cheers at the end of the game.

The Red Sox won their plate semi-final against The Cotswold Chaos which meant Aries would face a rematch of their final group game in the plate final.

With most of the Bombers sticking around to support their league mates, Aries won the toss and took to the field. The Red Sox scored three runs in the first inning and seemed like they would be the offensive threat they suggested they could be in the first meeting.

A big first inning offensively from the Aries batting lineup calmed some nerves and some sharp fielding kept the Red Sox off the board for the next few innings. The Aries hitters kept up their scoring from their last game and their big hitters even lost some balls over the fence in left field. The Red Sox threatened a comeback in the middle innings but once again solid fielding kept them from producing a big inning throughout the rest of the game while the Aries runs continued.

In the end a comfortable win in the plate final saw Aries come away with some silverware but most importantly, both Swindon teams gained some pre-season experience, had fun and supported each other along the way.