RADOTIN SK from Prague proved to be a cut above the rest as they cruised to victory at the weekend men’s open fastpitch tournament. The top Czech league outfit did not concede a game all weekend on the Beau Sejour diamonds. They went on to crush Sarnians Randy Paddle Rangers 12-0 in the final.

‘They stuffed us,’ said Rangers catcher Paul Vaudin.

‘They are a very good club side.

‘They brought over 15 players in all and that wasn’t their top side.

‘They were missing a couple of their top pitchers who were playing for the Czech Republic at the European Championships.

‘However, we got close to them in the round robin stage. We only lost 11-10.

‘They were one of the better sides we’ve seen over here.’

In the final, it was Radotin’s lethal pitcher Jaroslav Brenik who did the damage to Rangers.

‘They brought on a pitcher who we hadn’t played against before,’ said Vaudin.

‘He was a bit too quick for us.’

Apart from the east European team, the rest of the sides were near enough on an even keel.

Along with home teams La Grande Mare Giants and Plough Titans, London club Meteors and USAF Lakenheath Eagles from East Anglia also featured.

The honours were shared out during the group stages.

‘The standard was even,’ said Vaudin.

‘The games were very close. We got through to the semi-finals with only two wins.

‘People were beating each other all weekend, apart from the Czechs – they were head and shoulders above everyone else.’

A semi-final was still not cut and dry for the red-and-blacks after they had completed their round-robin games as they needed USAF Lakenheath to get the better of Titans to be sure.

‘We had to rely on another result to go our way,’ said Vaudin.

‘A lot hinged on the last round robin game between Titans and Eagles. It was won by Eagles, which was their first win off the weekend.

‘That sent Titans out of the competition, unfortunately for them.’

In Monday’s semi-finals, Rangers met Meteors who had come second. The London team had beaten them 3-1 earlier in the tournament.

But Vaudin’s men reversed that to book themselves a place in the final to face Radotin who had no problems overcoming Giants in their semi.

Unfortunately for Vaudin and his team, they could not keep up with the Czechs.

The tournament was also part of the Guernsey Softball Association’s 70th anniversary celebrations. A special reunion dinner took place on Sunday at St Pierre Park.

‘It was a fantastic weekend and there was a lot of hard work by organiser Curt Taylor,’ said Vaudin.

‘The reunion night was very good. There were some there who went back to the late 1930s, to when the association started.

‘Alf Ingrouille who was one of the initial softballers in Guernsey was there and he met with 14-year-old Adam Youlton, who is in his very first season.

‘That was what the evening was for.’

Taylor was also beaming about the tournament.

‘It was brilliant and everyone enjoyed it,’ he said. ‘It was great to see such a high standard of softball on the island.’