41ST ANNUAL RICHMOND ROUND-ROBIN--MAY 29-31, 2010
ALL TEAMS SCHEDULED EIGHT OR MORE GAMES
NO TEAM IS ELIMINATED UNTIL IT LOSES ITS LAST GAME
UNLIMITED RUNS AND/OR UNLIMITED HOME RUNS
NO ONE CALLED OUT FOR HITTING A HOME RUN
TEAMS FROM 10 STATES IN 2009 EVENT
**THE BEST TOURNAMENT IN THE EAST**
IN ASA DIVISIONS, WHERE HOME RUN LIMITS ARE USED, ALL FAIR BILLS HIT OVER THE FENCE IN EXCESS OF THE LIMIT WILL BE A WALK WITH RUNNERS ADVANCING ONLY IF FORCED. NO ONE IS CALLED OUT FOR HITTING A “HOME RUN” BALL.
DIVISIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS OFFERED IN 2010:
ASA Men’s C -- Unlimited runs and four home runs.
WLST Men’s Class D - 25 run limit and unlimited home runs.
ASA Men’s D -- Unlimited runs and two home runs.
WLST Men’s Class D - 20 run limit and unlimited home runs.
ASA Men’s E -- Unlimited runs and no home runs.
WLST Men’s Class E - 15 run limit and and unlimited home runs.
ASA Co-Rec D -- Unlimited runs and two home runs.
WLST Co-Rec D -- 20 run limit and unlimited home runs.
In 1970 over the Memorial Day weekend a new tournament format was introduced to Central Virginia with the first Richmond Round-Robin. Teams were divided into eight team brackets and each played the other seven with the winners advancing to a double-elimination playoff. Teams were scheduled to play at least seven games rather than the single-elimination and double-elimination tournaments that were prevalent at the time.
The first event drew 32 teams and at its peak the tournament had as many as 424 teams. Teams have come from Florida, Canada, California, everywhere in between, and even a military team from Iceland. Players have included super bowl quarterback Stan Humphries, NBA star Dell Curry, and a couple of unknown Canadian players who have played in the National Hockey League. One assistant tournament director, Tracy Woodson, later won a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Several national championship softball teams have been a part of the tournament’s history.
There will be three classifications in men’s play and one in co-rec play, each with two divisions, one called ASA using home run limits and the other WLST using run limits. Teams can choose between home run limits or run limits.
Although the tournament is no longer a huge event in terms of the number of teams, there is no other tournament anywhere that offers teams more games, fairer competition, and more opportunities to play against teams from other states. A new name for the event should be “The World’s Greatest Softball Tournament.”
For additional information and updates, please visit our website: www.softball.net or call Ann Taylor or Frank Taylor at (804) 266-8317.