Softball fanatics have hailed the successful staging of the recent Gugu Hire Cars Softball Tournament in East New Britain province. The four- day tournament held at the original home of softball in Rabaul town- the Queen Elizabeth Park from Sept 28th to Oct 1, attracted 21 teams from around the province. In a bid to revive the code in Rabaul, the Rabaul Softball Association (RSA) decided to stage the tournament. In the Men’s grand finals, Starbase Ivarak defeated Paveks Kikila Cats 9-6 after completing the 7th inning. Starbase Ivarak team from Kokopo district bagged K2, 000 while the runner-up Paveks Kikila Cats settled with K1, 000. The Women’s grand final score saw Island Hawks defeat Manolos 14-3 on Mercy Rule on the 5th inning. The winners Island Hawks went home with K2, 000 while Manolos received K1, 000 for their efforts.Other awards for Most Disciplined Teams went to Paveks Kikila for the Men’s and Mix-mate G-man for the Women’s. The tournament was also graced with veterans in the likes of Esau Vinarang pitching for Starbase Ivarak, Mesach Topia playing for Paveks Kikila Cats, Ishmael Marnapal playing for MSC, Rosa Maira playing for Sea Bruk Cardinals, Pauline Kaputin pitching for Manolos, sisters-Baiai Tevita and Elsie Tevita laying down the pitcher-catcher combinations for the Island Hawks. Young softballers were privileged to learn a thing or two from these veterans. RSA Interim Executive Chairlady and tournament director, Bernadette Payoe said following the conclusion of the tournament, the RSA Interim Executive Committee will decide on options to commence season proper or corporate softball. The RSA were grateful for sponsorships received that enabled the tournament to be successfully staged. They are: Major sponsor Gugu Hire Car, a local hire car and construction company who earned the naming rights for the tournament- (Gold Sponsor with K10, 000). Minor sponsors include Mengen Limited, Jacom Building Construction Limited, Coastal Shipping Company, EQF Band and Tropicana Ltd.