On Saturday 12th April 2025, the Belfast Sliders made the journey to ALSAA in Dublin for the annual Softball Ireland Brian Walshe Cup – the unofficial start to the Irish softball season.
The Sliders were placed into Group D, along with the Belfast Cubs, Average Joes and Renegades, spending the whole day camped at Diamond 5 in the far reaches of ALSAA (at least we got a good view of the planes coming in to land at Dublin Airport!). You can see the outcome of the group games below.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs | 16 | 19 | 6 | 0 |
| Sliders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renegades | 0 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 10 |
| Sliders | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sliders | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Average Joes | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Unfortunately the Sliders were unable to secure any wins in the group stage, although came close on two occasions. This resulted in them playing off against the fourth-placed team in Group B, the Navan Dragons, to determine who would progress to the wooden spoon final.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragons | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Sliders | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
Sadly this was not the Sliders’ tournament, and they headed home with no wins under their belt. However, we still celebrate our achievements during the day:
- Laura-Lu attended her first ever softball event, securing several hits and defending home plate excellently throughout the day.
- Ciaran, following his 2024 Home Run Champion (Male) title, has secured an early lead on the Home Run leaderboard with 2 home runs.
- Hot on his heels, Camryn and Michal both secured a single home run each.
- Claire is now early leader in the Home Run Champion (Female) leaderboard with 1 home run.
Now the Sliders can look onwards and upwards to the Softball Ulster Start of Season Tournament, due to be held on Saturday 10th May 2025.
