06 Apr 2026

Police IX and Gatalamotho have been respectively crowned ladies and men National Easter Softball Tournament (NEST) 2026 champions. The champions walked away with P45 000.

Police IX ladies delivered a strong performance in their final game of the tournament and secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Titans.  On the other side, a  dominant display of power, teamwork and pure excellence from start to finish was enough to give Gatalamotho a 15-6 victory against Wells International.

From the first empire’s call of ‘come pitcher’, Titans were on song proving their mettle winning the first two innings.

Police IX had to dig deep and come up with an orderly, strategic and efficient batting and fielding game to come from behind and eventually seal the championship.

Credit to the catching heroics of Magdeline Mmapitsa and pitching instincts of Merriam Leave who marvelously combined in the final inning to strike out the Titans batting roaster and ensured Police IX triumph.

The duo of Mmapitsa and Leave were also crowned best catcher and pitcher of the tournament respectively earning themselves P1 000 each and anchoring a team that highlighted a golden era for Police IX ladies softball alongside their 2025 Selebi Phikwe extravaganza championship.

The men’s finals nonetheless saw an iconic Jwaneng derby as Gatalamotho stamped their authority over their Jwaneng rivals in Wells International.

The clash marked their first encounter in Gaborone for this tournament and it turned out to be a gloves off combat and a high-intensity showdown with both teams reliving the rivalry that dates back to yesteryears.

With Jwaneng bragging rights also on offer it was all to play for and both sides were a marvel to watch with the bat but also complimented their bating skills with some infield displays.

Nonetheless, Gatalamotho who had the last laugh with an emphatic victory and ended the day P45 000 richer.

Backed by some sterling pitching display from veteran Pamidzani Mazulungwa, Gatalamotho demonstrated a dominant display of softball and denied the youthful Wells any free base or home run hit.

Despite a spirited performance with the fielding spectacle by Wells, the game was for them perhaps lost in the first innings since they did not execute the pitching role to perfection which granted their opponents early runs. Meanwhile, Police IX men’s team walked away with the bronze medals and P20 000. END