TWO Trafford brothers have been selected for the Great Britain Under-19 men’s Fastpitch softball team for next month's European Championships in Prague.

Eighteen-year-old Jonathan Downes, or JD, is joined in the squad by younger sibling Dan, aged 15, that will head to the Czech Republic at the end of July.

JD is doing his A-levels at Urmston Grammar School while Dan is studying for his GCSEs at Wellacre and both play in the Manchester (Slowpitch) Softball League for the Tigers Softball Club – as well as also playing football, cricket and hockey from a young age.

Dave Wareham from the Manchester Softball League, who has Dan and JD, in his Tigers team, told the British Softball League website: “The selection of Dan, JD and others from Manchester for the GB Under-19 Men’s Fastpitch squad is a tribute both to their own talents and also to all the hard work they have put in over the last few months.

“It’s doubly hard for people based in the north of England to get selected because of the lack of any opportunity to play fastpitch softball locally.

"The travelling backwards and forwards they have to do to attend training and GBFL games is hard on them and on their parents and it’s great that the effort has paid off and so many of the guys will get the opportunity to represent their country.”

Softball is played with either Fastpitch or Slowpitch and is similar to baseball.

Currently, the majority of Fastpitch is played in other countries, with Slowpitch the most common in Britain.

With a healthy presence of Slowpitch softball in the Manchester area for a number of years, teams across four divisions play at Parrs Wood and the Manchester University grounds (Wythenshawe) on set evenings each week with players from all over the North West travelling to participate. 

Luis Arrevillagas, North West development manager for BSUK, said: “It is great news for me in two ways.

"Professionally, we have had a push for the last two years to try to get Fastpitch started here in the North West and it has proven challenging.

"We wanted to bring a team to the GBFL last year but Slowpitch seemed to get in the way.

"However, since last year, when we set up a few indoor sessions and brought the academy to Manchester, we have had so many people helping out.

“We had a determination to make it work from the likes of Annie Downes, the mother of the Downes brothers, and the person who really pushed for the academy, and from Paul Cooper and Ian Tomlin – the coaches who travelled to Manchester to help out.

"Jo Malasani, BSUK’s Fastpitch development officer, organised and delivered the academy here and Dave Wareham was always willing to help, as were the parents of many of the boys.

“We can’t wait to see these boys play for GB and pave the way for Fastpitch in the North West.”