The baseball diamonds at Kindley Field at Southside, St.David's, were the scene of electrifying League play-offs on Saturday as this year's Youth Athletic Organisation (YAO) baseball season drew to a close.

Sponsored by the Argus Group, the league is open to anyone aged 4 to 15 and features 28 teams of different levels that play every Saturday from April until June.

The final games of the tournament saw the Blue Jays claim the championship title in the Rookie League.

In the Little League play-offs, the Yankees took home the first-place trophy, while victory belonged to the Mets in the Senior League, after a tense battle against the Phillies. A prize-giving ceremony followed the championship games, with trophies presented to the 360 participants from the 2009 season on Saturday June 20, by Michelle Brock Jackson, vice-president of Group Insurance at the Argus Group.

The Group has sponsored the league since 1998.

She said: "Our heartfelt congratulations go to all of this year's winning teams and participants for a superb season.

"Argus is proud to continue to sponsor the YAO Baseball League as it is an excellent way for young people to stay active while having a lot of fun".

Stefan Stecko, President of the YAO Baseball League, said the contribution from Argus was valuable to the league's success.

"The sponsorship from Argus, now in its 11th year, means a great deal to us," he said.

"It ensures that we are able to keep our fields up to acceptable standards, assist with travel expenses for overseas games and provide overall support to keep the league strong and successful."

He added that in addition to having fun, participants gain important skills.

"Players learn the value of teamwork; meet new friends and parents get involved so it becomes a family activity, too.," he said. "The league helps to bring a higher standard of baseball to the island as well as the opportunity for some players to play internationally."

Last year the Little League competed in Bonaire for the Caribbean Championships; this year they will be travelling to Curaçao for the Caribbean Regional Championships.

The league is a charter member of Little League Baseball Incorporated, the world's largest organised youth sports programme.

Players are divided into four groups, according to age: the T-ball teams, ages four to six; the Rookie League, ages seven to nine; Little League, ages ten to twelve; and Senior League, ages thirteen through fifteen.

Registration for the 2010 season will start in January.