Blood, sweat and cheers: Diamonds finish third at Disco Ball
It was a scorching day at Farnham Park as the Diamonds came third out of 16 teams in a successful day at Disco Ball.
The day got underway in unfortunate circumstances as Paul Severn attempted to catch a ball with his face in the warm up – a bit of blood, but no major damage was done thankfully. Mascot Sherlock Holmes was looking forward to the action so exuberantly, he had to be taken for a walk to calm down.
The Diamonds were quickly out the box in the first game with Chris Flynn, Vijay Chauhan, Tali Ozen and Jill Thorlacius all amongst the hits as the Diamonds ran out 23-2 winners over Running Bases. Some hits by Chris were so long he was able to enjoy a Saturday afternoon stroll around the bases. A special mention goes to Eddy Verbeek who won the first of two games pitching in an immaculate display.
Next up was a game against the aptly named Golden Sombreros. The team was changed around to give everyone new experience - thanks to the versatility of Leanne Reynolds, Jill Thorlacius and Lorna Wilson who expertly filled in a number of positions throughout the day. The weather was heating up so much that a sombrero was probably better headwear than a baseball cap. However, it was the Diamonds who adapted quicker in the early innings with Tali Ozen hitting a huge homerun which left the stunned Sombreros looking as if they’d sat on a cactus. Both Kimberley Angell (two runs batted in) and Charlee Iceena got base hits to give the Diamonds a healthy 8-5 lead. The Sombreros fought back well in the last inning but lost on the count back much to our relief.
A third game against the Bombers saw the Diamonds slip to 15-7 defeat. However, the good news came through that we had won the group and were through to the semi final – cue opening the beers and ciders! The heat was so intense that even Sherlock Holmes had calmed down, only occasionally popping up from his prone position to growl at a passing hound.
The semi final was a tough match up against an excellent Disco Inferno side. Some big hitting from Vijay Chauhan and a homerun by Paul Severn wasn’t enough to prevent a 14-4 defeat. It was no disgrace though as Disco’s fielding was only surpassed by the complexity of their sock-wear.
So that left a third place playoff against the Parraneers and the Diamonds saved the best until last with a brilliant 10-0 performance. Carl Billson rounded off a fine all-round display with a sensational double play to pick off a base runner after his catch. Pitcher Craig Holmes made a number of fine catches from pop-ups and then took an unbelievable line-drive catch that no one else even saw. Once it was confirmed he was still in possession of three balls, everyone applauded.
So all in all a great day out in the sun. Thanks to Craig for captaining the team so well. Thanks also to Lorna, Tali and Jill for filling in at short notice and doing the Diamonds proud. And thanks to Jon, James and William Reynolds for their excellent support – all wearing Diamonds shirts of course!
