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NV hosts bantam 'A' B.C.s
Lisa Jorgensen
newsroom@nsnews.com
A feast of the province's finest girls softball players will congregate in North Vancouver this weekend for the bantam A girls provincial championships.
Hosted by the North Vancouver Girls Softball Association (NVGSA), the tournament will feature 12 teams from across British Columbia, but most will hail from the Lower Mainland.
"It's the top level for fastpitch," said NVGSA president Craig Knapton. "It's the second time we have hosted it."
The NVGSA last hosted a peewee provincial championship in 1998.
Players between the ages of 14 and 15 will hit the diamonds at McCartney Creek Park, a four-diamond facility, off Mount Seymour Parkway, starting on Friday.
As for the local team, it's the squad's first year at the bantam A level.
"I think we'll be surprised to win at all," said Knapton. "I think they plan to be in the middle of the pack but once you get on a roll you never know what could happen."
Overall, though, Knapton said he expects the host team will have a good showing.
Teams to keep an eye on are top squads the White Rock Renegades, Surrey Storm and Delta Heat.
"These teams compete through British Columbia and the United States West Coast and many girls will go on to earn university scholarships and also become future national team members," he said.
Action starts July 16 at 9 a.m. Opening ceremonies, which North Vancouver District Mayor and newly minted MP Don Bell and North Vancouver City Mayor Barbara Sharp and more will be attending, are set for 5 p.m. Dinner at the park and a skills competition will follow.
Tournament games run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 17 and start at 9 a.m. July 18. The finals will be played in the early afternoon July 18.
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