One of Jersey’s travelling softball teams kicked off the outdoor season in style last weekend after securing first place during a tournament in Manchester.
Bean Machine faced some close competition over the two-day competition, but managed to bag a full house of wins in all five first-round games on Saturday.
On Sunday, the team lost to closest ranking team, the Titans, by just three runs.
Another loss to the Screwballs placed the Jersey players second in the table ahead of the semi-finals, which they went on to win against Loughborough University’s Tanks.
The final then brought together the top two teams, with the Bean Machine facing the Titans once more – offering them an opportunity to settle the score from earlier in the day.
After taking an early lead, the Beans held their composure when the opposition attempted a comeback.
But after achieving some much-needed runs, the Beans began to make strides and their opponents struggled to make a dent in the score difference.
The Bean Machine secured the win and returned to Jersey with the tournament trophy.
Amanda Halford and Rob Duckett were named as the team’s “most valuable players” during the competition.
Ric Sousa, founder and captain of Bean Machine, said he was “delighted” to have come away with the win.
“Everyone rose to the challenge and showed the competition how strong we can be together,” he said.
“I’m incredibly proud of each player and their achievements, and look forward to the next challenge.”
The next off-island tournament for the Bean Machine will be the Windsor Invitational Tournament in July.