The maiden Greater Accra Baseball and Softball Association (GRABSA) baseball tournament ended successfully at Tema on Saturday.
The event attracted juvenile community clubs from Accra and Tema and entertained the guests with their skills in the exciting twin game of baseball and softball.
Member of Parliament(MP)for Tema Central, Mr Yves Hanson-Nortey performed the first pitch to set the ball rolling.
Mr Hanson-Nortey who doubles as the Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture, was pleased with the turnout and talents displayed at the event.
He was optimistic that the sport would win laurels for the country if proper investments were channelled into the game.
“Baseball and softball is a global sport that could win laurels when developed. I want to appeal to the nation’s sports agencies to support the sport which is currently thriving in the constituency and the country at large,” he stated.
The Tema Central MP urged companies in Tema and its environs to offer support to GRABSAto start the development and promotion of the sport in Ghana, commencing from Accra where its roots are deeply players.
He hinted the gathering about plans to construct a multipurpose sports stadium at the Community 7 Park which is currently being occupied by traders.
On her part, the MP for La Dade-Kotopon Constituency, Madam Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, added that the game was essential to the growth of children as it helps develop their minds and bodies.
“With the little I have seen on the field, the nation can participate in the upcoming Africa Games and win medals with the right preparations,” she said.
She urged GRABSA to step up and challenge them to expand to give the sport a national dimension.
Chairman of GRABSA, Mr Hugo Banzini thanked the dignitaries for the support and urged the players to work harder because the tournament would mark the beginning of greater things to come.
He expressed the association’s commitment to ensuring the growth of baseball and softball in the country.
By VICTOR BUXTON