Shoalhaven Mariners' country championships campaign struck out by COVID-19 lockdown

Scheduled to be held at Berkeley's Fred Finch Park from October 2-4, the championships were set to feature a Shoalhaven Mariners women's team for the first time ever.

But due to the extended Greater Sydney lockdown, Baseball NSW admitted it had no choice but to cancel this year's carnival.

"After consultation with our stakeholders, given the ongoing COVID lockdown, the high infection rate and the likelihood this will now be extended well into September, a decision has regrettably been made to cancel this year's junior and women's country championships," a Baseball NSW spokesperson said.

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"If the current lockdown does continue, we would not be able to hold these championships in Illawarra.

"Even if the lockdown is lifted, based on previous experience, there is likely to be ongoing significant restrictions with numbers attending sporting events, which would prevent the championships going ahead anyway.

"Rather than risk teams losing deposits or being left out of pocket with travel and accommodation expenses, we have decided to make a decision now rather than wait until the next announcement at the end of August.

"We sincerely regret any inconvenience and disappointment caused by this announcement however we have made this difficult decision in the best interests of all concerned."

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While these athletes, including Nowra's Stephen Pearson who was in the Illawarra under 18s side, won't get the chance to return to the diamond, there is still optimism the 2021 Baseball Illawarra will complete its campaign in some capacity - not earlier than from August 29.

"The competition committee is considering how best to structure the remainder of the season, including regular season and finals," a Baseball Illawarra representative said.

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