London Charity Softball League: meet The Cup finalists!

Meet the grand finalists for the 2017 Harris Hill Cup!

There are less than 24 hours to go before the big one, the humungous happening that charity softballers across London, the brilliant committee, all of us at Harris Hill, Bluestep Solutions, Snap/RNB Group and frankly, the entire world have been waiting for: yes, the London Charity Softball League grand finals!

All week we've been catching up with the teams who've made it to the final hurdle and today meet the contenders for the grandaddy of them all, The Harris Hill Cup!

It's shaping up to be a fierce - but friendly - battle as league veterans Mind take on the tremendously-titled Tits'n'Tache, the only 2016 finalists (and winners, no less) to have made it all the way again this year!

Last year they took home The Plate, and now they're back for The Cup, but can the determined state of Mind stop them walking away with the entire crockery set?

It's almost quite literally a battle of boobs (and brawn) versus brains, so will we finally find out which is best? Over to the team captains!

Liam McNeilly, Mind

How long have you been involved in the league?
Forever!

What's been your highlight of the season so far?
Winning our super-tense playoff with Shelter with a home run felt pretty sweet.

Friendliest team you've played?
It's been lovely to play our supposedly more serious knockout games in an especially great spirit this year. Shout outs to RGS and RNLI - those guys are great. We also played Tits'n'Tache in our group and get on well with them, so I think we're pleased for one another to meet again in the final!

Funniest moment of the season?
The Allies' lip-sync video. Hands down.

Who's been your MVP this year?
We've taken to calling Kelly Drewry MVP because of how often she got it. It started to get a bit embarrassing at one point actually. The soon-departing Tom Pollard has been racking them up in the knockouts though. Cy Young's got nothing on him.

What do you think has got you to the final?
Our team mantra is 'channel the vagina'. And we've had some very funny looks when that's been overheard this year. But it's just about not trying to be the big guy and doing the simple things really well. It's served us well.

Lastly, what are your expectations for the big finals night?
Lots of beer and beige food, that's for sure. After last year's finals we had one of our more debauched karaoke sessions - my version of 'West End Girls' is a team favourite - followed by beer from teacups in an unlicensed Chinese restaurant until 2am. I'm expecting nothing less of us this year. It'd be nice to win our game, too.

Mark Fox, Tits'n'Tache (Coppafeel and the Movember Foundation)

So who exactly are Tits'n'Tache?

It's actually two charities. Tits represents Coppafeel, the breast cancer charity. Tache represents the Movember Foundation, the men's health charity.

What makes it such a successful relationship?

We both want to save lives through educating people to check themselves. Be that by checking boobs, testicles, going to get your prostate checked or by simply checking in with a friend when times get tough. But ultimately, it's all about having fun and doing good.

What are the three things you love most about softball?
It's just one thing. Getting together with amazing people to laugh and have fun.

Highlight of the season for you?
Our best moment was beating BHF in the semi-finals. We were up against it with the day we were playing but everything came together and the team did themselves proud. Such an incredible night.

Best/friendliest team this year? 
Everyone in our league were lovely, but the game against NSPCC was a highlight. Super friendly, super fair and super fun.

Best catch?
Alex Fudge. Semi-finals vs BHF. Third innings. Second out. A high hit into left field and he sprinted to get there, and never should have made it. He managed to get a glove on it, flick it over his head and catch it in the other hand behind him as he was still running full pelt. What a moment.

And lastly, what are you hoping for from the finals night?
Lots of glitter. Lots of hugs and lots of Hotline Bling!

Big thanks to Liam, Mark and all the teams who've filled us in on all the latest this week, and don't forget you can follow the more of the finals frenzy over on the league's Twitter feed.

All that remains is to wish the very best of luck to all the players, organisers and supporters for tomorrow: let's hope for a spot of sunshine, may the best team/s win, and whatever happens we'll be ready with the refreshments at the brand new Harris Hill bar - see you there!

Team Harris Hill