Laramba Women Victorious in NAIDOC Week Softball Competition

With the cancellation of the Annual Softball NT Championships due to COVID-19 restrictions, Softball NT held a NAIDOC week competition with eight teams from across Central Australia, including South Australia. The competition was the first annual NAIDOC Mparntwe Shield, and Central Desert Regional Council (CDRC) were represented by ten Laramba women.

Community members from Laramba travelled to Alice Springs to compete in the tournament, held at the Jim McConville softball fields on 14 November 2020.

Playing in extreme heat, the team played two round robin games, defeating Docker River in the first game 6 – 5, then defeating Amata in the second game 5-2, with a spare innings.

Central Desert were the winners of the Grand Final, with Laramba women defeating MacDonnell Regional Council in the final 7-3, with a spare innings. The team worked well together in trying conditions, and the smiles and celebrations after the final ‘out’ were well deserved. The team were presented with the NAIDOC Mparntwe Shield, and each player received a gold medal for their performance.

The team came together for a team dinner on Saturday night to reflect on the day, and share stories from what was a successful trip for the group.

CDRC would like to thank Softball NT for delivering the event and to the other teams for their friendly and supportive approach to the competition.

Main photo: Alicia Tilmouth.

The CDRC softball team members from Laramba.

Simona Tilmouth.