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JAMAICA NAME 13 FOR ENGLISH-SPEAKING CARIBBEAN MEN’S SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
BY GERALD REID Observer writer
THE Jamaica Amateur Softball Association (JASA) has named 13 players who will represent Jamaica at the inaugural staging of the English-speaking Caribbean Men’s Softball Tournament (CEAST) from October 29 to November 2 in Nassau, Bahamas.
Head coach Uel Gordon, who also plays, says this is the first time they will be holding such a tournament in this region.
Gordon said that the tournament is opened to all the countries in the English-speaking region, but so far only four countries have confirmed their participation.
The countries so far confirmed are Jamaica, Cayman Islands Belize and host the Bahamas.
According to coach, the Spanish-speaking countries in this region have their own tournaments and championships as baseball and softball are their national sports.
Gordon added that the tournament will be a good test for Jamaica as they need a lot of competitions and exposure so that when invited to bigger overseas tournaments they are more experienced and can compete effectively.
He said the Bahamas are one of the strongest softball-playing countries in this region and can field more than one team at invitational tournaments. The last time Jamaican men participated in a tournament was in January of this year at the Fast-Pitch Tournament in Orlando, Florida.
Coach/player Gordon said the men’s team has been in training since January of this year and over the last three months they have stepped up their practice session from Mondays to Thursday and on Saturdays at Up Park Camp.
“We are, however, hoping that countries such as the United States Virgin Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and others will confirm their participation in order stage a good tournament,” Gordon said.
Belize is not from the English-speaking Caribbean region but usually compete in sports in this region.
Meanwhile, the players selected for the Caribbean Tournament are Troy McCaw, Oneil Donaldson, Anif Gordon, Uel Gordon, Delano Davis, Jason D’Oyle, O’Shea Gordon, Tredeau Francis, Bryan Sutherland, Ameal Douglas from Invaders Club, Martin Redwood and Quaver Stewart from the Mighty Cubs and Neil Henry from the Latinos.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s women’s last international competition was between July and August of this year where they participated in the Seventh Pan-American Women’s Softball Qualifier for the XIV Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games to be held next year.
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