Lusaka 1 won the first Zambia U-18 Baseball5 National Championship, outscoring the first team of the Southern Province in the final, 2-0 (13-7, 13-3). In the third-place game, Copperbelt 2 beat Lusaka 2, 2-1 (7-1, 3-8, 4-3).
The four provinces, namely Central, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Southern, are represented by two teams each. The eight participants were split into two groups and played a three-game opening round.
In the preliminary round, Lusaka 1 topped Group 1 with an undefeated record, followed by Southern 1 (2-1), Copperbelt 1 (1-2) and Central 1 (0-3). Lusaka 2 were unbeaten to claim the top spot in Group 2, while Copperbelt 2 (2-1) finished second, Southern 1 (1-2) and Central 2 (0-3) fourth finished third and fourth, respectively.
Lusaka 2, Copperbelt 2, Southern 1 and Lusaka 1 won the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals, while the eliminated teams competed in a placement round.
Copperbelt 1 beat Southern 2 in the fifth-place game, 2-1 (9-0, 6-11, 12-9). Central 1 beat Central 2, 2-1 (6-13, 10-9, 5-1) to finish seventh overall.
Final standings
- Lusaka 1
- Southern 1
- Copperbelt 2
- Lusaka 2
- Copperbelt 1
- Southern 2
- Central 1
- Central 2
Before the event, the WBSC trained the 12 local officials who officiated the 24 games.
David Kalunga (Lusaka) earned Best Player honours. He is part of the All-Star team of the tournament together with Meek Kakumby (Southern Province) and three female players: Selina Banda (Lusaka), Precious Yeyenga (Southern) and Towela Nafukwe (Copperbelt). Theresa Hamusiya (Southern Province) earned the Best Coach award.
Victor Banda, the treasurer of the National Olympic Committee, participated in the closing ceremony.
"The tournament proved a success," commented WBSC envoy instructor Andrea D'Auria. "The Lusaka Province started competition earlier, and I believe they would finish first and second, but the overall level was good, so we had a little surprise."
"The delegates of the four provinces expressed their amazement and wonder. They now have the tools to organise quality competitions all year round. The long-term plan of the National Sports System Project would be to establish Baseball5 as one of the major sports in the country," said D'Auria on final note.
The tournament served as a preliminary roster selection for the Zambia U-18 Baseball5 National Team.
The U-18 National Championship represents the completion of a massive Zambia Baseball5 development project launched by the WBSC in December 2022.
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