Soft Spot for Sport – Andrea Fox
Juice FM’s Andrea Fox likes playing ball
The Americans love taking British sports and mucking around with them. Take American football for example: a bit like football, a bit like rugby, not as good as either.
I thought softball was similar. A bit like rounders, baseball and cricket. Ok, maybe not much like cricket but you get the idea. Even those of us with nightmarish memories of P.E. lessons hold a soft spot for that summer favourite: rounders. So when a local softball captain contacted me on Twitter, inviting me to join a softball session I thought, “Great, an opportunity to reminisce about rounders.”
Turns out I was wrong though, softball isn’t the poor cousin of rounders and has quite a following in the UK already. Softball is similar to baseball, but the ball is a bit, you guessed it, softer (so less painful if you get a ball to the shin) and also a bit smaller, the pitch is smaller too, and the pitcher throws underarm so it’s a bit slower.
Jon Sayer used to play league softball in Sussex. He wanted to set up a fun group to play his favourite game and helped set up the Brighton & Hove Softball League and Hove Tuesday Ball Club, so called because they practise every Tuesday and play both softball and baseball. Jon has been steadily building a healthy rivalry with other local teams, but was proud to say they won the Brighton and Hove softball league in 2011. Not bad for a team which has only been around since 2010. They even have plans for a new baseball and softball facility currently under construction at Waterhall playing fields in Patcham.
And so, on a great and wet Tuesday I found myself in Dyke Road Park for softball practice. I enjoy saying that in an American accent, a lot. To my surprise the group even contained some real Americans, who’ve relocated to Brighton. In the field behind the tennis courts I joined the group of around a dozen, not even the full membership, which was smaller than normal thanks to the weather. First up we were paired off for a bit of catching practice, and my first experience of the softball glove. It’s a massive webbed leather thing, and the trick is to catch the ball in the webbed section, and clasp your hand in to keep the ball from dropping out. Despite not moving my feet enough to get to the ball (my excuse was the long wet grass) I seemed to do ok at catching.
Buoyed by my success, next up I was on to throwing practice. This didn’t go so well. I got the hang of holding the ball on the seem, in order to give it the correct ‘spin’ and at least sixty per cent of my throws travelled in the right direction. But it turns out I’ve got a weak throw and pathetic wrists. Who knew? I blame genetics. Even after quite a considerable bit of practice I was still not lobbing the ball fast enough, but no time for extra practice as it was on to batting!
Everyone was of a good standard but very welcoming of my beginner’s skills, even once we starting fielding, and I kept standing in the wrong place and throwing the ball too short. But the best bit was saved for last as I picked up the bat and stepped up to the plate (patch of grassless mud). The large metal bat was heavier than I expected it to be, as I sliced through the air totally missing the ball. Second attempt and the same happened again, but third time’s a charm and I managed to whack the softball about three metres in front of me. But the ball wasn’t that soft! As it ricocheted off the bat it reverberated down my arm and hands, leaving me yelping rather pathetically. I guess that’s why they are sponsored by Shoreham Chiropractic Clinic. Still, it was a softball success!
Everyone I met at Hove Tuesday was lovely and the ethos is everyone is welcome, whether you’ve played before or not. They have male and female players aged 14 – 50 playing on the same team, and there aren’t any drills; the idea is to have fun and play games, and, if the recent run of form is anything to go by, win the games. They’re looking for new players of all abilities so check it out if you fancy some American rounders in the summer sunshine. www.hovetuesday.co.uk
Dan Gasser and Foxy Monday to Friday from 6am
