TAMWORTH Baseball Association (TBA) hits on a new format this weekend.
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The TBA will suspend its regular first grade competition to run a 2015 TBA Charity League.
It is based on similar lines to the Tamworth District Cricket Association’s (TDCA) Tamworth Premier League Twenty20, a 20 over-a-side competition played between four franchises of a Friday afternoon at Riverside.
The TBA Charity League isn’t a shortened version of the game, rather a four-team franchise league where four teams have been framed from the current Warriors, Gunnedah Giants, Cavaliers and Cougars clubs.
Each of the four new teams – Chandlers Tree Service, Psarakis Accounting, Mick Martin Electronic Security and Firefly Finance – will adopt a charity.
Winning team at the end of the new series wins the prize pool for its charity.
“We’ll be fining clubs a dollar for things like each strike out,” TBA’s Robert Chandler said.
“Hopefully we’ll finish with a good pool for charity.”
It, like the TDCA’s Twenty20, is also a vehicle for improving camaraderie at the Field of Dreams.
The Twenty20 helped Tamworth’s representative cricket teams play better together in major rep games and was a big part of Tamworthwinning its first SCG Country Cup.
It will also enable some baseballing stalwarts to become a bigger part of the current season.
“Blokes like Basil Penrith, Timmy Stein, Peter Lemming and Shakey (Robert Handsaker),” Chandler said.
“They’ve all been on the periphery but will be able to be part of the coaching of each side.
“And we want to produce a lot more community spirit down there after having had such a great June Baseball Carnival.
“We’ve also got a few outsiders playing.
“Mick Alldis is coming down from Armidale to play.
“He’s also looking at getting a team together to play in next year’s Tamworth first grade.
“NSW development officer Gary Everson is also going to be here on the weekend.
“He’ll hold a few clinics and do some coaching.”
Games start from 2.40pm at the Field of Dreams tomorrow, with Chandlers Tree Service playing Firefly Finance and Mick Martin Electronic Security tackling Psarakis Accounting.