Eight-team national level Softball league was started here on Friday to develop interest among the sport in the country.
Bad Bulls sports club organised the first edition of softball league, recognized by Delhi Softball Association and Indian Olympic Association, on Friday at the Saket sports complex.
The three day event, which takes place from Friday till 19th June comprises of eight teams — Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Kerala, Telengana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhatisgarh.
It was not an easy ride for the organisers as there is no proper facility and infrastructure available for the game.
“Only few grounds are there for softball in the country. So we faced a lot of difficulties arranging for the tournament,” said Anthony Vanarajah general secretary of Bad Bulls sports club.
The organisers further added that their focus is to promote the game and encourage the society to play the game more often.
“This league is our first step to promote this game, which we believe is equivalent to any other sport loved in our country. We are sure the more we reach out this game, the more it will be loved.” said Britto Stephen organising secretary and treasurer, Bad Bulls sports club.
One handed hero
Suffering from disability hasn’t stopped this man from achieving his goals. Abhijit Firke, from Maharashtra a softball national player has a handicapped left hand since birth, suffering with a short hand disorder, yet, he is one of the best players in the Maharashtra softball squad.
His ambition and will power towards his game has kept him motivated to achieve his goal. Abhijit has been struggling with this disorder since birth and used to face many problems in his earlier stages but that didn’t keep him down and he fought it like a warrior.
“I faced many problems because of my hand initially because every game is played with both the hands. But, I never gave up and worked upon it for couple of years on my hand, which helped me get a place into the Maharashtra team,” said an upbeat Abhijeet.
Firke throws and catches the ball with only one hand by changing and removing or wearing his gloves in the blink of an eye and also hits a home run using only his one hand.
He furhter praised his teammates for their continuous support.
“Whenever I was in the field, everyone in the team, including the coach, always supported and motivated me whenever I needed them,” he signed off.