Guantanamo.- A new softball tournament, organized as part of the “Luminarias del Guaso,” Veterans’ League, got underway Sunday at the Vitilla Field, located at the intersection of 12 Sur and 2 Oeste in the city of Guantánamo.
Held in commemoration of November 19—Cuba’s Physical Culture and Sports Day—the tournament will be played in a double round-robin format. During the qualifying phase, each team is scheduled to play 10 games, with the championship final set for November 22.
The full schedule will be maintained only if Agropecuarios manages to complete its roster. Five or six players decided not to return to the team following the conclusion of the previous championship.
Should Agropecuarios be unable to field a team, each remaining squad would play eight games instead. The schedule would then need to be revised, either by assigning one team a doubleheader on each matchday or, alternatively, having one team receive a bye in each round.
ETECsa once again enters the competition as the favorite to finish in first place. Jamaiquinos, who challenged the telecommunications company for the top spot in recent years, have experienced a decline in form and have been comfortably outperformed by ETECSA in the latest tournaments.
The competition will also serve as a preparatory event, allowing the players to reach peak form ahead of the traditional “Copa Amistad” (Friendship Cup). Held annually in Guantánamo in December, the tournament features teams from Havana, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba, along with several local squads and, occasionally, teams from other provinces.
ETECsa and Eléctricos—who finished first and second, respectively, in the recently concluded “Copa 26 de Julio”—will open the tournament. Their game will be followed by a matchup between Jamaiquinos and Vitilla. The day’s schedule will conclude with Agricultores taking on Caciques.
