The Tribune

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force Floaters have once again proven to be the standard bearer of slow pitch softball in the Bahamas after winning their third consecutive championship in the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association (BGDSA) league.

After having their streak of 17 consecutive championships snapped in 2009, the Floaters have now won three consecutive championship crowns by sweeping the Police Interceptors with three straight games in the best-of-five format.

The Defence Force Waves took the women’s crown after sweeping the Police Royals in three straight games at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

Establishing its supremacy as a dynasty, the RBDF Floaters has now won 27 out of 33 BGDSA championships contested since the league’s inauguration in 1979.

This is the fifth consecutive year both male Police and Defence Force teams have met in the finals.

After defeating the Defence Force ‘B’ Team (Cannons) the Interceptors appeared to have met their match in the finals. The offensive power in the Floaters lineup was evident from top to bottom, resulting in multiple home runs from almost every batter during the series. Veteran player Dencil Clarke continues to prove that he hasn’t lost his swing, while younger players like Tamico Gibson and Renaldo Russell gave the fans a glimpse of a future filled with promising young players.

The RBDF Waves seem to play at their best when everything is on the line. After placing runner-up to the pennant winning Police Force Royals in the BGDSA regular season series, both teams advanced to the championship round.

The Waves turned the tables around and swept their law enforcement counterparts in three straight games to capture the 2012 BGDSA championship in the women’s division, having also won in 2010.

Winning their second title in three years, the RBDF Waves were determined to recapture that magic after falling short last year.

Veteran winning pitcher Maryann Ferguson’s performance was simply outstanding, holding the Royals’ batters at bay.

Mary ‘Cruise’ Edgecombe, who was injured last year and the early part of this season, provided the spark her teammates needed in the series.

With a strong defense and timely hitting, the Waves were able to jump out front in each game and kept the Royals from having that big inning. “We had lots of setbacks and challenges this year,” said team captain Vernetta Evans. “There were players who were either injured or deployed on official duty and in between all that, the league had to reschedule games due to unforeseen circumstances like the weather and funerals. But we were hungrier for the championship, so we just went out and took it. We have lots of young players on the team, so we are looking to be around for a while with our eyes set on more championship trophies.”