Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
Gunners Softball Club are aiming for a comeback in a bid to revive the popularity of softball which had its heyday in the early 1980's in the Sultanate.
Their first mission is to conquer the Club Shell Lutong Fastpitch Softball Carnival 2005, which will be held at the Shell Recreation Lutong field, Miri, Sarawak from June 25-26.
The club, which began their training two months ago, are sending an experienced, strong squad of 18 players to the championship. The Gunners will play against Wolf in game one, followed by Sunset Batters and St Jo this Saturday in their attempt to qualify for the semifinal and final on Sunday.
The Gunners were given a shot in the arm when the club secured the sponsorship of club jerseys from MVision Cinemas and Silverseal. A handover ceremony was held at the Empire Cinema last Wednesday.
Receiving the jerseys on behalf of the Gunners was the club captain Wan Mohd Thambrin Shah bin Hj Suhali, while Managing Director of MVision Pg Hj Mohd Noor Arifin and Managing Director of Silverseal Md Hj Sahbaruddin Pehin Hj Jaya represented their respective companies.
The captain thanked the sponsors and expressed his gratefulness for their support and that of the Youth and Sports Department and the Brunei Amateur Baseball and Softball Association.
Present to witness the ceremony were the guests of honour, Youth and Sports Assistant Chief Officer Mariam Ulat, Brunei Amateur Baseball and Softball Association Secretary General Pg Hj Jambol Pg Hj Sulaiman, Brunei baseball coach Mr Do Hyung Kim and Nur Iffah Natasha Sofea Abdullah @ Adelyn Prudente of Youth and Sports Department.
The club, formally known Young Gunners, were established in 1981. The Gunners were the last team that other teams would want to face at that time. The club performed well across the region and even finished fourth in the Chulalangkon Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in 1988.
The club earned fame when they conquered the Singapore International Open in 1994 and finished in second place the following year.
Most of the club's players were selected to represent Brunei in SEA Games in 1984, 1987 and 1997. The Brunei Softball Team, which fielded mostly Gunners players, also took part in the Asean Championship in 1988 in Manila, Philippines and in 1995 in Singapore.
The Brunei Softball Team also did well in other major regional competitions, winning bronze medals in the 1992 and 1994 Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia.
The Gunners are now back with high enthusiasm and have gathered several veterans from those days with the aim of re-introducing the sport to Brunei.
With the help of the Brunei Amateur Baseball and Softball Association, the club will be hosting a softball carnival soon and introduce the basic knowledge of softball to the local schools.
Pg Hj Jambol called on those who are interested in joining the carnival or setting up new teams to contact the association at fax number (2671717) or his mobile (8721717). The new teams can be coached or practise together with the Gunners at Ong Sum Ping field.
Meanwhile, the association urged any local baseball enthusiasts or teams to take the opportunity to learn the game from coach Do Hyung Kim while the coach is here till the end of July. They can also contact the association via the numbers mentioned above.
http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/June05/240605/bb_sports03.htm
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