Photo / Counties Baseball Facebook

It has been a tough start to the Baseball New Zealand U19 National Club Championships for local side Counties at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga.

The Counties team has lost both of its opening day games to heavyweights Bayside and Howick and face an impossible task of making it out of pool play.

They will now play Central City in their final pool match on Friday but are consigned to playing in the consolation bracket with only the top two sides from each pool of four progressing to the championship bracket.

The tournament ends on Monday.