RICHINGS Park Hawks have won the Windsor & Maidenhead Indoor Softball League despite a 46-16 defeat on the final day of the season.

Reading Blue Sox and Maidenhead Royals will both wonder what could have been had they repeated their end-of-season form at the start of the year.

However, it nearly was not to be for The Hawks either as three successive defeats saw them come close to losing the championship.

BA Flyers got action under way at the Cox Green Leisure Centre knowing that only a win against Maidenhead would keep their own title hopes alive.

The Royals have been in terrific recent form and, although their own championship hopes were over, they had been creeping closer to the leaders.

Maidenhead started the season with an inexperienced and youthful squad, but have gained sufficient experience to become a force to be reckoned with.

Their batting and fielding was exceptional and, despite The Flyers making a game of it, The Royals were victorious with a final score of 35-19.

Bracknell Scorchers then took on Marlow Mariners with plenty of pride to play for, particularly after Marlow’s solitary run win earlier this year.

This time Bracknell claimed the bragging rights as a young team who have developed so well all season claimed a 56-27 victory.

The Scorchers can take great credit for the way they have played this season, as both teams stuck with young and inexperienced players throughout.

Results may not have gone their way at the start of the campaign but the move paid off the end of the year.

After The Flyers defeat, Richings Park were effectively champions already, although Reading were hoping to dampen their title glory.

It took until game seven for The Blue Sox to get their first win of the season, but since then they have swept aside all before them.

The game was no different as Reading beat a slightly shell-shocked Hawks 46-16, a result that took them off the foot of the table for the first time.

It was still Richings Park who were celebrating though as they were crowned 2015 Windsor & Maidenhead Indoor Softball League champions.

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