Softball club championships

It was a display of a sea of colours as 15 of the country's top softball clubs marched around the oval flying high their provincial flags and the national flag to open the championships as well as celebrate 41 years of PNG's independence.

Present to officially open the championships was State Enterprises Minister, William Duma.

Duma, who is also the Member for Hagen welcomed the teams to the province.

"I've always been a strong supporter of sports in Western Highlands sponsoring sports like soccer, basketball and netball.

 A total of 15 softball teams, 5 women's and 10 men's will battle it out for the next three days at the Rabiamul Oval in what promises to be an all action packed weekend for softball fanatics.

Teams participating have come from Port Moresby, Madang and Wewak.

The stakes are high with major sponsor PNG Power supporting the tournament with cash prizes totalling K22, 000.

The main theme of the championships is: Pitch Against Illegal Connections.