North West Teeball Championships return to Paraburdoo

For the first time in almost two decades, teeball clubs travelled to Paraburdoo for the Pilbara’s annual regional teeball tournament last month.

More than 600 people attended the North West Teeball Championships on several ovals in Paraburdoo on September 20-22, with teams visiting from Karratha, Wickham/Roebourne, Hedland, Tom Price and Newman.

The seniors and juniors divisions were both won by Wickham/Roebourne Teeball Association and the Hedland Red Sox took out the intermediates.

Paraburdoo’s intermediate team was awarded the competition’s Ros Jones Shield for best sportsmanship.

In a new addition this year, the championships also featured a MP70 baseball tournament run by Perth Heat players Jesse Williams and Sam Kennelly to introduce older children to the sport as a possible next step up from teeball.

Event organiser and Paraburdoo Teeball Club committee member Tracey Cooper said competitors had shown great skill and sportsmanship throughout the event.

“All the kids did really well and showed great sportsmanship over the weekend and there was great camaraderie amongst the towns as well,” she said.

“A lot of people are involved in teeball year after year, so there are a lot of long-term friendships made, both with the kids and adults involved.”

This year’s championships marked the first time in 19 years the event, which rotates between Pilbara towns, had been hosted by Paraburdoo.

Ms Cooper said the town had only been able to host the event because of the completion of the Paraburdoo Sports, Fitness and Community Complex, which opened in June, and the support of local clubs and businesses.

She said the championships had been the biggest sporting event in Paraburdoo in some time and a major achievement for its teeball association to host.

“We always tend to send kids to the North West Teeball Championships wherever they are, but I think having it in their home town meant they were able to showcase where they were from, which was really exciting for them,” she said.

“Our kids have never experienced what it’s like to have the privilege of being the host kids before, so they were pretty proud to have that over the weekend.”