MUKURUKURU MEDIA PHOTO ESSAY
Diamonds in the rough – softballers bat away the odds for the love of the game
The lack of facilities, rock-hard pitch and other challenges are no match for these passionate softball players.
On a cold and windy morning, softball enthusiasts from the Limpopo Softball Major Men’s League gathered on a dusty pitch. The Naledi Spikes diamond in Monotwane village, Ga-Mashashane near Polokwane was the venue for this round of games.
It is nothing like world-renowned softball stadiums such as Lamson Park in the US, the Melissa Cook Stadium in France or the Turfhall Stadium in Cape Town.
The surface is rock-hard and dusty, there is no fencing around the pitch, there are no changing rooms or even a tap, and players and spectators make do with what’s available, using rocks for seating. The field is located along a busy main road near homesteads, creating a safety hazard for passers-by and motorists.
It did not matter that one team didn’t honour the fixture. The four that did – hosts Naledi Spiders, visitors Mankweng Pioneers and home-town rivals Seshego Cannons and Seshego Raiders – took to the field for a day of fun.
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Despite the challenges, the passion shown by the teams, which have players as young as 13, defied these daunting odds that continue to face many rural sports teams.
Softball remains popular in Limpopo despite the lack of facilities in the province. The Limpopo men’s softball team has been crowned champions of the Softball National Championship six times – in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
The good news is that the government has announced that a state-of-the-art, R90-million, five-diamond stadium is set for completion in Polokwane in 2022. But until then… DM168
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This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.
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