Masters’ tourney a home run for city

THE 2023 Victorian Masters Baseball Carnival is being held in Ballarat with the first pitch to be thrown this morning, Friday, 24 March.

Between 450 and 500 players over the age of 35 are expected to play across six diamonds on the Prince of Wales Park and Ballarat High School sites.

The carnival’s grounds infrastructure manager Greg Quayle said the tournament is free for anyone to enter and watch, and organisers are expecting it to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars for the local economy.

“It will be a very high standard of baseball,” he said. “Some of the guys who are playing in the 35s and 45s have played for Australia.

“This year we’ve organised to have the Baseball Victoria umpires come up to Ballarat and use the Victorian Masters Baseball Carnival as a training exercise.

“Twenty umpires will be taking part, and it’s a great social tournament for them to learn at.”

Ballarat High School’s two ovals have been hired by organisers and have been converted to baseball fields with temporary drop-in mounds and bases.

“This is something that’s never been done before in Ballarat, and if it’s successful, it’s something we could do at Alfredton Recreation Reserve, because we’re currently limited by our number of grounds,” Quayle said.

The local Alfredton Baseball Club women, and Wombats men’s team, will play throughout the tournament, with Ballarat Royals Baseball Club and Alfredton members providing catering.

A City of Ballarat grant has funded the purchase and installation of pergolas and netting on the BHS ovals. There are four fields set up at Prince of Wales Park.

Visit facebook.com/groups/vic.masters for more information including the program.