The 2006 champions of the women's division, the Ballerup Vandals pose with their trophies and medals. (Photo courtesy of Danish Softball Federation)

WINNERS CROWNED IN DENMARK
2006-10-12

The Danish National Championships have recently concluded with familiar winners being crowned. Held in Kastrup, the fast pitch tournaments capped off the 2006 season for men’s and women’s club teams.

Eight women’s teams competed in the 1st division this year. In the first half of the season all the teams played each other in two games. The top four teams then played each other in two games in the last half of the season. The number one and number two ranked teams met in the gold final in the National Championships; number three and number four met in the bronze game.

The gold final was a best-of-three series, with the Ballerup Vandals sweeping the Odense Giants, 7-0 and 6-3. Aarhus won the bronze, defeating Hoersholm, 6-4.

Led by Anne Brolev’s .625 batting average, Ballerup defended the title for the fourth year in a row, while in the men’s division the Stenlose Bulls won the championship for the second year in a row.

Seven men’s teams competed in the 1st division in 2006 (there are three men’s divisions in all). Four teams – the Bulls, Hurricanes, Penguins and Vandals – were determined on the basis of the results of games in a Wild Card weekend that enabled all teams to make it to the semi-finals. In the end, Stenlose won the best-of-three series against the Hoersholm Hurricanes, winning the first and third games by 4-3 and 2-0, having lost the second game, 8-1. The Alleroed Penguins won the bronze, defeating the Ballerup Vandals, 4-2.

European Softball Federation (ESF) President Mike Jennings, who is also an International Softball Federation Vice President/Europe, was present at the Championships. He announced the acceptance of Danish Softball Federation Treasurer Guller Eriksen into the ESF Hall of Fame. Eriksen has worked in softball for 25 years, as President, Vice President, and currently Treasurer in the Danish Federation and as a member of the ESF Board of Directors and currently as Secretary of the ESF Technical Commission.

(left to right) ESF President Mike Jennings, Guller Eriksen, & Danish Softball Federation President Bo Orla-Jensen