Tamworth teams set to take part as Country Champs come to town

The best under 18s and women's sides from across the state will descend on town this weekend, for what association president, Dave McMurray, expects will be a festival of high-level play.

"This is the first time we've hosted the Country Championships, so we need to make sure we get it right," McMurray said.

"I think we will, as far as being able to deliver a championships that they'd be proud of."

Roughly 500 players, support staff, and family members will come to town for the event.

Four teams will play in each division, with a Tamworth side to appear in both.

McMurray expects the locals to be competitive, but knows they face a stern challenge up against outfits from the ACT, Illawarra, North Coast, and Newcastle.

"You never know," he said.

"We're always proud of the people who put on the blue and gold uniform for Tamworth. It'd be fair to say they'll be up against pretty fair competition, especially from the bigger community areas.

"But having said that, you don't know until the day and you can only hope that we'll go alright."

The teams in each division will play twice on Saturday, with a third round game on Sunday morning. The two top-ranked sides from each will then proceed to the finals, which are scheduled for around noon on Sunday.

This weekend, McMurray hopes, will not only provide a veritable feast for baseball enthusiasts, but help to further the development of the local players involved.

"We're pretty excited that we've been able to get two teams into the comp," he said.

"And it all bodes well for the future development of baseball in Tamworth if you can play in competitions like that."

Additionally, McMurray hopes that some of the locals can impress with their performances this weekend and earn state selection, which he said would be "pretty good".

Baseball NSW elected to hold the Country Championships in Tamworth, McMurray said, because it has "probably the best country baseball facilities available".

Given its infrastructure, he added, it was "nearly a no-brainer" that Tamworth Baseball was able to secure the competition.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: