BELMONT Softball Club is celebrating one of its most successful years with players selected for higher honours, highlighted by three Australian representatives.
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Leading the trio is 16-year-old Josh Banks, who is on the cusp of selection in the Australian Junior Steelers side for the 2020 Junior Men's World Championships in New Zealand in February.
The side will be finalised after the under-18 Men's National Championships at Blacktown in December.
Banks was also part of the NSW under-17 side this year and was picked for the Australian under-17 side that competed in the under-23 National Championships at Brisbane in July.
He was also in the NSW All Schools side and in May was named in the All Australian Open School Boys Team after competing in Canberra.
Banks' training schedule is a mixture of strength and conditioning, fitness, and specialised fielding and batting work in Newcastle and Sydney a number of times through the week.
Earlier this year, Grace Wrixon, 17, competed in the under-17 Girls National Championships, where she won the pitching award.
After the tournament, she was named in an under-18 Australian development side to tour the US.
Wrixon trains up to three days a week and travels to Sydney regularly to train with representative sides.
Carly Jones, 13, has only been playing for two years but has represented the Hunter at both primary and high-school level. She was picked in the under-14 Aussie Diamonds squad and toured New Zealand in April.
The trio are eager to share their knowledge with new members of Belmont Softball Club, which has opened registration for the upcoming season.
The club competes in Newcastle and District Softball Association competitions each Saturday over summer at Stevenson Park in Mayfield West.
Surf winners
A BOYS surf team from Belmont-Swansea Surf Life Saving Club has been named Surf Life Saving NSW's Sports Team of the Year.
The under-17 board relay team of Nick Stoddart, Kye Taylor and Josh Murphy were awarded with the honour at a presentation on Saturday.
The trio won both the NSW and Australian Title state title as well as a host of lead up carnivals in that event during the surf season last year.
The boys are now nominated for the National Sports Team of the Year award which will be awarded on the Gold Coast in November.
