Baseball Tournament- Galloways Gladiators

An image of three Galloway Gladiators at the Baseball Tournament, smiling, holding baseball bats.

Galloways Gladiators Make Their Tournament Debut in Hartlepool

On Saturday, three members of the Galloways Gladiators, Becky, Lorraine, and James, set off bright and early at 6am for their very first baseball tournament in Hartlepool. Accompanied by Mike, who kindly volunteered to drive, the team escaped Lancashire’s sweltering 30–32°C heat for the cooler East Coast, where temperatures stayed between 19–21°C.

The tournament kicked off at 10am with four teams competing: Hartlepool Monkeys, Sheffield Strikers, Liverpool Blind Trojans, and a composite team made up of our Gladiators and three players from Manchester Vibe.

Our first match was against Liverpool – a tough, experienced team with several Team GB players. We held strong and came away with a solid 0–0 draw, which we were thrilled about. After a short break, we watched Liverpool take on Sheffield in a tight match that ended 2–1 in Sheffield’s favour.

Next, we faced two back-to-back games. First up was Hartlepool, where despite a 5–0 loss, we played with confidence and strong teamwork. Immediately after, we battled Sheffield in what turned out to be a thrilling and close game, narrowly losing 1–0.

While we didn’t take home any wins, our debut tournament experience was hugely positive. We competed fiercely, demonstrated great team spirit, and even managed to get some top players out. For a new team, keeping games tight and showing determination against seasoned squads was a real achievement.

Final scores on the day: