By Geoff Smith

Unity preparing to host western ball tournament

Jul 21, 2016 | 12:00 PM

The UK Royals softball team are hoping the second time is just as lucky.

The team hopes to defend its title when it hosts the Western Canadian under-21 Women’s Softball Championships in Unity during the August long weekend.

The Royals, a tournament team made up of players from Wilkie, Kindersley, Macklin and Asquith, have been having a good year, according to coach Don Robertson. He said the team won a tournament in Red Deer and finished first in its side at a tournament in Leduc, Alta. The Royals also placed fourth at a Regina tournament, and won two games in Saskatoon before the event was cancelled due to rain.

Robertson said the team’s defense and pitching are sound, and players are learning to think for themselves.

“The sooner they learn the game, and that’s what these kids have done, they learn the game, they learn to steal on their own, they know when a pop fly is going to be in, that’s the way we’ve tried to teach, and they’ve responded quite well,” he said.

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The Royals will be up against the Saskatoon Lady Diamondbacks, the Earl Grey Heat and the Moose Creek Jays from Saskatchewan; the Irma Tigers and Strathmore Thunder from Alberta; and the Manitou Bandits from Manitoba.

Robertson hopes for good crowds to cheer them on, despite the 8 a.m. start for two of their games.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a good crowd, because I know there’s some people who have got over 25 (guests) coming to their houses,” he said.

The tournament is set from July 29 to Aug. 1 at the diamonds in the regional park in Unity.

Geoff Smith is battlefordsNOW’s News Director, business and agriculture reporter. He can be reached at gsmith@jpbg.ca or tweet him @smithco.