A Return for the Lothersdale Rounders Tournament

Monday 29^th May 2023 was a remarkable and memorable day for the village of Lothersdale.  Beccy Durham was responsible for inspiring over a hundred villagers to get involved in a rounders tournament, either through organising, playing or watching. The sun shone, families and friends gathered, and the anticipation grew for the 11am start.

Over 60 players, aged 4 to 70+ gathered to form the blue, red, yellow and green teams, their nominated captains briefed them on the rules of rounders, and they were off.  Our very own sports umpire, Jude Willets, introduced herself and set the scene and expectations for a what was to be a fantastic display of knowledge and patience.  The fielders took position, the batters lined up, balls were bowled, bats flew, rounders were scored, and the fielders caught, dropped and ran their hearts out.

The pace was fast, momentum building, and the competitive edge kicked in. Teams swapped over before a break for refreshments, picnics and BBQs throughout the recreation ground. It wasn’t long before the whistle blew and the second half commenced. A friendly reminder from the umpire about the rules of the game and players were eager to get back to the game.

A few unexpected tackles, falls, knocks from the bat [Linda] followed with plenty of “oohs” and “arghhs” and clapping of hands from the supporters.  There was some truly excellent play from the younger members, bowling, batting, fielding and scoring rounders. Equally, the adults excelled with several balls lost into the beck or the next field.  Aches and pains were starting to show but the end was in siight. The whistle blew….. that was it, it was all over.

All that remained was a tally of the scores to decide on the winning team. During this anxious wait, Pete McNamara very generously served Pimm’s to all players; a wonderful gesture.  It was now time to present the 2023 Rounders Tournament Award to the winning team. Councillor Andrew Southern, who had been watching throughout, stepped forward and received a warm welcome from the crowd. After thanks and formalities, the winners were announced. The ‘Blues’ took the cup but everybody took the glory and pride of a fabulous village event.

An announcement of “free ice creams to all players” and the children ran! Packing away and clearing up started before players, friends and family made their way to the Hare & Hounds to soak up the remaining sun and for the winning team to enjoy complimentary Prosecco, courtesy of Darren Dunn and his team.  As teams shared their stories, achievements and memorable moments, it was very clear what a wonderful day it had been.

The day would not have been possible without Beccy’s passion, vision, hard work, and organising skills, Jude’s umpiring expertise, the teams who participated, the supporters, Space3 for the gazebo and score board,  Pete’s Pimm’s, Darren and his team at the Hare and Hounds, and Lothersdale Parish Council who kindly funded charcoal for the BBQ, Ice Creams and the Award. It was such an incredibly rewarding and satisfying event, a day that made you feel proud to be part of the village of Lothersdale, and one that brought so many people together to make memories for generations to come.

Let’s work together to make this an annual event!

Bev Whetstone