Saturday in the sun

Fiona and her Voodoo pen

Shower on Sunday

You're benched

Ben

Amy

Kristina batting

Photos of BA tournament

Mike contemplates just how good Selma's brownies really are

Baron Samedi 'what a mouthful!'

(Injured) Ichiro calmly looks on in the rain

Baron Samedi's Voodoo instruments- remember don't let the drum get wet!

Captain Seth working on the lineup

Mike is definitely 'The Man' for getting the team the gazebo. Great for getting out of the sun (and as it turns out, the rain!)

Sonic Boom re energises after a couple of hyperspeed runs earlier in the day

The lovely Miss Loco. Even the rain can't dampen her spirits

Tee Hee happy that the sun has come out

Sonic Boom and Miss Loco stuffing their faces

Mojo does his best Dr Evil impression

Selma showing us her baking skills are top notch

We Voodoos give the the Godzillas a run for their money, check out the park bench under the colour coordinated team gazebo.

Luis complete with his new 'lucky' green belt

Seth shows us how it's done.

Seth complete with slide mark on shirt from his heroic head first dive into 2B

Unstoppable Voodoos finish third in Grandslam 1

Baron Samedi wrote:

The unstoppable and almost unbeatable Voodoo softball machine batted andfielded their way to third place in the GrandSlam I tournament in Chiswick on the weekend of 2-3 June.

It was already scorching when the Voodoos assembled at Duke's Meadow at 8.30am on Saturday morning, but forward-thinking Mike had come prepared with a fantastic team gazebo, which was ceremonially hand-woven by witchdoctors using the sinews of the Voodoos' enemies and infused with their tears. It provided welcome shade all day and a place for the Voodoos to convene to plan their opponents' downfall. Dedicated and injured co-captain Seth plotted furiously there for the whole of Saturday.

The first game was against the Kamikazees. The Voodoos started strongly, scoring five runs in the first innings. Co-captain Lance and superstar Luis did several good hits and Lance pitched well. Second baseman and ball magnet Stu was possessed by spirits and shouted unearthly words of encouragement throughout. In the end it was a fairly easy game for the Voodoos, and they won by 12 runs to 2.

The next game was against the Cheetahs, a tough team with a penchant for violence. The Voodoos got off to a slow start, being shut out in the first innings, but fought back like injured tigers in the next innings, scoring an amazing eight runs. Wise woman Morag offered words of advice to team mates in between stepping up to smash the ball and Gavin hit like a softball demon. That eight-run innings sealed their victory, and the final score was 11 runsto 5 (or 6).

Next up to face the Voodoo machine was the Mob in the first of three back-to-back games. The sun was at its zenith and the Voodoos were approaching the height of their softball powers. The Voods were in controlfor the whole game, going three runs ahead and increasing the lead as the game wore on. The Mob scored two in the first innings but were unable to score any more runs thanks to staunch Voodoos defending. Left fielder Fiona did a good catch. Outfielders Mike and Luis plucked balls from the air like apples. First basewoman Tanya was unstoppable in hitting and fielding. Pitcher Jen stayed cool throughout and struck out several players. The gamefinished 8-2.

Meteors 3 were next on the Voodoo hitlist. The Voodoos won convincingly against Meteors 3 at LSF First Ball and were hoping for a repeat performance. Meteors were ahead by three runs for the first two innings, but the Voodoos had a fantastic third innings, batting round the order and scoring 11 runs. Ben pitched well and Selma stayed cool at the plate and did a great hit. They could have carried on for hours, but realised they needed to get out to avoid running out of time and the score reverting back to the last innings, which would have meant victory for the Meteors. So unselfish Kristina, who had scored two runs (as did Luis, Mike and Stu), sacrificed herself by getting the final out to ensure victory for the Voodoos.

Saturday's final game was against TV Tigers. The Tigers made offerings ofchocolate and fruit to the Voodoos, which were greatly appreciated. Gavin was a formidable shortstop, Mike scored three runs and Jen did well on first base. However, it seems that the offerings appeased the enraged Voodoo spirits, and the game finished with a draw, 11 runs apiece.

Lance, Seth, Jen and Stu were unable to come on Sunday, but Sergio and Amy were present and hungry for victory. However, the Voods only had the bare minimum squad of 10 players. Tired, weakened and sunburned, the team started their Sunday morning with one of the toughest games of the tournament against Raiders Gold. Ben stepped up to the challenge of the pitcher's mound and scored one of the three runs the team managed to get. Third basewoman Fiona got some good outs, as did left fielder Amy, but the game ended 12-3 to Raiders Gold.

But the Voodoo spirit was unshakeable. They had faith in themselves and inthe deities watching over them. And that faith was repaid with a terrific victory against Raiders Blue, who the Voodoos beat at LSF First Ball. TheVoodoos scored seven runs in the first innings. Morag batted well and made several crucial outs at second base. Miss Loco Kristina showed steely discipline at the plate. Luis got a home run and speedy Ben powered round the bases. Sergio scored three runs. The team was 10-5 ahead and scored afurther six runs in the final innings, which were discounted as time ran outand the score reverted back to the last innings.

The last round robin game of the day was against Common People, who the Voodoos had beaten at the GB Slowpitch Open tournament a few weeks previously. However, these particular Common People were not as common asthe previous ones, and they proved to be a tough team. The Voodoos scored three runs in the first innings but were unable to notch up any more. It was not their greatest game and the final score was 8-3 to the CPs. The final reckoning for the Voodoos was five wins, one draw and two losses,a result which was good enough to propel them into third place overall inComp C. They reached the Comp C Trophy semi-final against Common People. It was a second chance to defeat the Common People nemesis. No team has ever beaten the Voodoos twice and lived to tell the tale. Team spirit anddetermination was strong. However, this game was even tougher than the last one. The team played well - Kristina got on base every time she stepped upto bat. Fiona did a fantastic hit and Ben and Gavin hit solidly. In spite ofthis, the Voods' scoresheet remained blank, although Sergio was unlucky not to score after being obstructed at home plate. The Voods were 9-0 down but Fiona reminded the team that they had scored more than 9 runs in one game before and the team never gave up. Unfortunately in spite of this unerringself-belief they were unable to get back into the game and the final score was 9-0.

And so another successful tournament for the Voodoos came to an end. For the second time this season, they finished third (or maybe fourth) overall. If this is what the Voodoos can achieve in only their first season playing together, the world of softball must be trembling with fear to imagine the havoc they will wreak on their opponents in a year's time, in ten years' time, and in an eternity's time.

Miss Loco said:

Dearest Team, VOODOOS WERE UNDEFEATED IN THE GRAND SLAM ON SATURDAY!!! What an amazing day we had. Well done to everyone and hope you are not going to suffer too much tomorrow morning. Seth, Lance, Stu and Selma: We really missed you today, guys. Although all of us were totally knackered, we won one game and lost 3, but we still enjoyed ourselves. Resh, thanks for coming to see us!!!! I have taken lots of pictures of you guys, but I will get some sleep first and send them during the week. :-)

"I BELIEVE IN VOODOOS, I DO, I DO!!!!! Kristina xxx

Ichiro said:

Just to echo Kristina's "big-up" to the voodoos.

To remain undefeated on Saturday was a great achievement. I've played in a number of tournaments with different teams and I've never been part of a performance like that before, especially given that we had 3 gruelling games in a row during the sizzling afternoon. Kudos to all.

Sunday proved to be a bit hard going with Jen not able to make it due to illness and Miss Loco missing her loco ( :-] ) ahead of the 9am start. We did manage to pinch a player from SPAM and field a hastily arranged line up for the first game, but it was a bit too much to ask to pull out a win against Raiders Gold. However, we had a solid win over Raiders Blue (even with a six run inning wiped out due to the count back rule).

We ended up finishing an excellent 3rd in the round robin (out of 9 teams), but unfortunately, with just the 10 of us, we basically ran out of gas during the semi-final (myself especially, after limping around with a dodgy hamstring for the last 2 and a half games!).

Highlight of the weekend? Mike bringing the gazebo is beaten into second place by that 12 run inning against Meteors 3.

Thanks again to Seth for his organisation. It was commented that it did seem a bit weird on Sunday without either Seth or Lance there (our own personal yin and yang of Voodoos softball). Also thanks to Ben for his captaincy on Sunday, to Sergio for bolstering the male numbers, and, well, to everyone for being willing to switch things around and keep the spirits up.

This has been an excellent start in our first few tournaments together and we are only going to get better, so plenty to be encouraged about!

Look forward to seeing you all soon, Gavin

Tee Hee wrote:

Another excellent write-up Fiona!! Well done everyone on another excellent tournament. I know we all want to get even better though, so how about a practice either this Sunday or next? I would prefer the next but will go with the majority. 11o'clock in Regent's Park as usual followed by lunch at the EdinboroCastle. See you Friday also with Mrs Tee Hee.

Selma wrote:

Well done everyone....I am proud to be called Voodoo......Loved Fiona's take on the tournament...you're in the wrong job Fi......

Finding a Team Mascot

Number 1

Number 2


Number 3


In the couple of tournaments that we have taken part in so far, there has been a feeling amongst many of the team members that something has been missing. We have the softball equipment (including a new voodoo green team bat), we definitely have the team spirit, and since the GB Open we even have our spanking new team shirts (thanks Resh :-) ). The one thing that we have been missing (apart from the sacrificial chicken, but hey that's another story!) is our very own team voodoo doll as a team mascot!

So here is a quick survey of what is available online:

No. 1= High on the scary scale (it's face reminds me of the Batman villain Scarecrow) and due to it's woolen construction it's probably pretty easy to impale with a stick. Possible downside? With it's own hanging loop it looks like it might be tempting to hang it up on a car rear view mirror (instead of furry dice?!), which could get a bit distracting for team members who are driving to tournaments.

N0.2= Low on the scary scale, it in fact looks more like a Japanese Manga cushion cover. It definitely does gain plus points for being nearer to the Voodoo green we have for our team colour.

No.3= Highest of the three on the scary scale, due to fact that one can impale it with multiple knives all at once! However, there's no getting away from the fact that it's clearly designed for kitchen use, and it may be a bit excessive (and possibly illegal) to take that many knives to a softball tournament.

Perhaps we can have a team vote on what one to get as a team mascot (or if anyone else can find a better one, I'm open to suggestions)

Sonic Boom Nickname

I chose the Voodoo name 'Sonic Boom', due to my love of running around the bases in a speedy manner (although those of you who saw me at Indoor this winter may argue it's sometimes more Forest Gump style!). I got the inspiration from reading about a US Air Force jet, RF 101 C, nicknamed the Voodoo. At a spare moment at the library last week, I looked into the plane's history a little deeper and it turns out that it flew in the UK, at the RAF Upper Heyford base (in Oxfordshire). The base had its own crack, fast-pitch softball team, called the Upper Heyford Skykings. The players even had the holy grail of UK softball, a proper dirt infield. Lucky them.
Match report from 70's

Voodoo's 3rd/4th @ GB Slowpitch Open

Seth Batting against Retro's


Jen Pitching against Thunder


Sonic Boom Taking Off after a hit


Baron Samedi said:

There were celebrations and smiley faces all round on Saturday 19 May, when the Voodoos notched up their best result so far this year, a fantastic third place in the C-grade Trophy at the GB Open tournament in Chiswick.

The team had a rocky start to the day when their first game against Raiders Gold did not quite go according to plan, with players missing and confusion and chaos reigning on the pitch. Even the sudden appearance of the long-awaited Voodoos shirts, which were hand-stitched by Haitian high priestesses and infused with magical secretions, failed to improve the game situation, although everyone looked much more attractive in the stylish lime green and white T-shirts. The game ended in a loss for the Voodoos, although there were many moments of outstanding play, such as Amy’s catches in left field and, er, some good hits and stuff.

The Voodoos’ next game was against the friendly Finsbury Dazzlers. Sneaky Agwe (a former Dazzler) was full of useful insider information on the team and individual players. The Voodoos batted and fielded well, and Camille made a spectacular tag at home plate to secure victory by one run for the team.

The final round robin game was against the unpredictable Common People. The Voodoos were ahead for much of the game, but the Peeps managed to hang in there and the game finished even stevens with a draw. The Voodoos finished second overall in their group.

On to the next round, and the Voods were up against the Retros, who to everyone’s surprise had resurrected themselves for the purposes of this tournament, and had hired two GB players to bolster their threadbare squad. Meanwhile, Voodoo shortstop Sonic Boom proved he was one of the greatest shortstops in the tournament with some fantastic plays. In the battle of the Greens v the Oranges, the Greens emerged to fight another day. It was a crucial game but the Voods were up to the task and played their most successful game of the day. The Retros’ fielding efforts were no match for the Voodoos’ batting power, and the team batted round the order, scoring at least nine runs or something in one innings alone. The game ended with the Voodoos thrashing the Retros by five runs.

While the Retros walked off in despair and disarray, the Voodoos threw themselves into the Trophy semi-final against the mighty Clapham Thunder with gusto, although by that time they were one man down and had to play six women and four men. Pitcher Jen stepped up to the challenge and performed brilliantly. Alas, the excellent Thunderers eventually emerged from the battle victorious, although their nerve was shaken and they were bruised and battered from their encounter with such supernatural softballers.

That marked the end of the Voodoos’ day of softball, but they were happy with their performance and performed their customary ritual dance and chant (“I DO believe in Voodoo – I DO! – I DO!”) to thank the ancient Vodou deities for watching over them and helping them reach such dizzying heights of success. Thankfully the traditional Voodoo ritual of sacrificing the weakest player was deemed to be unnecessary on this occasion and the team went to the pub instead.

Seth said:

We arrived in Chiswick, killed some chickens and came third! We started in complete disarray with 9 players and lost to Raiders Gold, beat the Dazzlers 9-8, drew with the Common People, coming second in the group. We didn’t even need to use our ‘buy-back plays’ (too complicated to explain!). We beat the Retros in the qualifier by 5 runs (despite them playing 2 GB players!!!), much to Baron Samedi's delight, and finally lost to the Thunder in the semi.

So third place overall was a great improvement on Slough. Highlights were Camille tagging out the runner trying to score the tying run at home to get the third out, and end the game against the Dazzlers, Tee Hee and Jen pitching in the wind and changing balls, and Witch Doctor delivering the shirts.

Big thanks to Witch Doctor for getting and carrying the shirts and to Tee Hee, Witch Doctor, Mike, Mojo for lifts

Tee Hee said:

Apart from the first game, we put in a great performance at the GB Open. We just needed to get there on time and it would have been even better!

Agwe said:

We can’t really say we came third! There are two semi finals so there is a loser from the other semi and we should play them to see who came third – we were either third or fourth! - if being technical.

Mike said (after seeing himself in the team photo):

Hat hair! I need a haircut.

Miss Loco said:

I hope everyone enjoyed Chiswick on Saturday as much as I did, and can't wait for the next tournament. Big thanks to Witch Doctor for the best t-shirts ever, Sonic Boom for sending the pics and Seth for organising everything.

Voodoo's @ Diamond Tournament Series 1

Seth said:

Fellow Voodoo’s

We came we played we got wet. Very wet. For those that missed it the Voodoo’s time in the diamonds tournament was spent getting very damp especially on the Sunday. So wet that the last game was called off!!!

Overall we had some good moments mainly Res and Kristina keeping everyone sprits high during the rain and mud. A very strange triple play V the Lions, Luis hitting several home runs at ease, Jen getting a home run with her first at bat for the team and many other exciting moments. However the Voodoos gods decided that didn’t like us and for some reason we couldn’t seem to win a game - with the best result a draw V Raiders. Next time must remember to sacrifice some chickens.

Big thanks to Res, Mike, Stu, Lance, Gavin for the lifts

Tee Hee said:

Bad weather, bad results….but not a bad performance! Very unlucky not to beat Raiders Blue, ran the Dirty Dozen close and should have beaten Raiders Gold. If we can iron out those little errors then we’ll start to win some games. Our batting was good – Mike learned a new technique, Selma developed ‘cataracts’ and Morag made it home! Selma tried to catch the ball with her mouth and Seth tried to crawl (through a pitcher’s legs) to first base…some of the ‘comedy’ moments of the weekend.

As Sonic Boom says, let’s hope for better weather next Saturday – we’ll be looking good in our new kit and Resh, don’t forget the chicken! I’ve been told it’s a fun tournament so the memory of Slough will be long forgotten!

Mojo said:

I did not enjoy the Softball
I did enjoy the people, and we still had some fun

Sonic Boom said:

A hearty thanks to our pitchers over the weekend who had to put up with swirling winds and varying degrees of rain. Well done for hanging in there, in very tough conditions.

Guest Voodoo Tania said:

Hi all,
Just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to play. I had a great weekend. Pity about the rain on Sunday. Anyway, thanks and hope to see you on the diamond again soon.

Voodoo's 4th @ LSF First Ball

Seth said:

Saturday was a great day out. .

Started the day playing the Japanese Godzilla's had one bad inning and lost. Then went on to beat the Raiders and Meteors 3. If it hadn't been for the hamburgers at Lunchtime we might have beaten Italian Suede and made the final. As it was we lost and then went into a hit out v Common People who had more energy then we did and scored more runs.

So at the end we came fourth out of eight not bad for a bunch of first timers. Everyone played well and everyone had there moments. I remember Morag getting every out in an inning and Stu hitting a grand slam home run. Big thanks to all the people who gave lifts and to Jo for the cakes.

Tee Hee said:

Well done to all who played on Sat and thanks to our guest players, Pam, Duncan and Sefton. For a new team to beat the likes of the Meteors was no mean feat, and we can only get better!

Another highlight I remember was Seth hitting a home run from a ball that was at least 6 feet high and was it Duncan who got a double play?

Roll on the Diamonds tournie.