The line-up against the Czech team was ready. The round-robin, quarterfinals, and semifinals were all successful for our young 15U French national team.
The game was called in the 5th inning with the score tied at 4-4.
However, the technical committee, due to the rain delay, decided based on the round-robin standings that the Czech Republic was declared the winner of this competition, leaving France as the European Vice Champions.
Sports bring emotions, success, and frustration. The latter is manageable when it’s due to injury, lack of preparation, or a clearly dominant opponent. It’s sometimes harder to bear when the officiating seems to have given a subjective advantage. But even in those cases, you can swallow it.
For the young 15U French national team, this is a frustration that will undoubtedly linger in their minds with a sense of helplessness, inability to counter, and therefore, injustice. What if the rain hadn’t stopped the game? What if the rain had stopped the game when France was leading?
Regardless, let’s salute the outstanding performance of this team, which dominated throughout the tournament. Let’s salute Florent RIEP from the Wallabies de Louviers for winning the best batter trophy. Let’s salute their qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
