Seven boys from Archway School are representing Great Britain in Fastpitch Softball U16 and U18, at the European Championships in Czechia this week.
The GB Softball teams are made up pupils Harrison Woodham, Fin Young, Alex Hawes- Nunn, Zach Howells, Jay Barwell, Noah Barret and Barney Reynolds.
Softball is a bat and ball sport originating from America and will be making a return to the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Harrison Woodham, who plays for the U18 team, began playing Softball at Archway School during PE lessons and soon caught the bug: “We had the amazing opportunity of playing in an adult league as a school team. Soon after playing with the academy, I was told that the fastpitch GB Men’s U18 were coming to Archway to do some training and that I had been invited. After that session I fell in love with fastpitch softball, and it became my dream to represent GB as a pitcher. That dream has become a reality as I was picked for the U18s. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I’ve received including our coach Mark Saunders, who I’ve learnt everything from and drives us to all the games.”
Swipe through Archway’s magnificent seven
The team has been fundraising to cover training, accommodation and travel costs to the European Championships. The target is £60,000 and so far they’ve raised just over £6,000.
Alan Le Marquand, who is the GB Men’s Under 18 Fastpitch Head Coach for British Softball Federation, has high hopes for the team: “I’m pleased for the players who have made the selection. Many have beenwith me for over a year, and it’s now exciting to take them to the Championships. We have more work to do before we leave. We came 4th in 2023, so the first target is to match that, but we believe we can do better this time around.”
Anyone wanting to sponsor the team, go to gofundme.com/f/GBSoftballMensYouth2026Euros
