Unlike several of my ex-girlfriends, I feel it is important to give credit where credit is due…
…and tell you that the Bacardi Classics Softball Tournament was probably the event of the Summer.
Held over two gloriously sunny Sundays, Bacardi invoked the spirit of 1950s Cuba and brought a sizeable chunk of London’s (and some out-of-towners) bartending community together at Finsbury Park softball pitches.
The teams were provided with 50s era baseball uniforms, lashings of Hatuey beer and Bacardi rum, and thrown into a round robin softball tournament that would see the winning team bag an all expenses paid trip to Barcelona.
BarLifeUK were somewhat insultingly invited to join the ‘Old Timers’ team, captained by the venerable Jake Burger, along with a bunch of old lags who have clearly seen better days (Stu Hudson chief among them).
The Old Timers defied expectations and won their first two matches easily, earning themselves a place in the final. Captain Jake remarked at this point: “It’s not the years, it’s the miles”. This was supposed, I think, to refer to our expansive life experience helping us win the matches.
In actual fact, it was a prophetic remark; during the second innings of the final against JJ Goodman’s London Cocktail Club team, it was the miles that did for the Old Timers… There was simply no gas left in the tank, and a healthy first innings lead was soon caught and overhauled by the energetic young pups, who went on to win the final and the trip to Barcelona.
Bacardi really did put on a belter of an event, and spoiled both players and spectators with great food, rum, beer, music and a whole lot of fun.
I’m sure everyone in attendance would join us in saying a big thank you to Team Bacardi UK, and we can’t wait until the 2013 tournament kicks off.