Category: Hawks

by AspiDimitrov

BBC VIEWERS GET A TASTE OF HERTS BASEBALL

The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

GOOD WEEKEND FOR BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ON THE BBC

 

It was a good May Bank Holiday weekend for British baseball and softball on BBC national radio and television.

Softball on Radio 2

It began on the Friday Fixture slot on Simon Mayo’s Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 just before 7.00 pm.

This segment features sports that don’t get as much publicity as they deserve, and in a three-minute interview with sports reporter Matt Williams, Bob Fromer, BSUK Communications Consultant and GB Softball General Manager, was able to promote co-ed slowpitch softball as a participation sport and the GB Women’s Fastpitch Team for their achievement in qualifying for this summer’s World Championships in Venezuela despite receiving no public funding.

Baseball on BBC 1

Then, on the BBC 1 Breakfast programme on Saturday morning, their resident intrepid sports reporter Mike Bushell visited Herts Baseball Club to see what was happening and have a go.

The report covered the encouraging growth in British Baseball league teams this season and the developing youth programme at Herts, and Herts player-manager and GB Baseball General Manager Jason Greenberg was able to promote the current fund-raising drive to get the GB Baseball Team to this summer’s European Championships.

Given the general reluctance of mainstream media in this country to pay much attention to minority sports, the coverage this weekend was very welcome, and the BBC should be commended for providing it.

Click here for more photos featuring the Herts Little Leaguers and Mike Bushell’s tryout with the Herts Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

2010 OPENING DAY – “THE SHOW” IS ABOUT TO BEGIN

Article by Matt Smith, lead writer at www.baseballGB.co.uk

The 2010 National Baseball League (NBL) season gets underway this Sunday, April 18  British baseball’s premier division contains eight teams this year, including three teams new to the top tier.  Each club will play a 28-game schedule made up of four fixtures each against the other seven teams over a period of fifteen weeks.

The top two teams will automatically qualify for the National Baseball Championships (NBC), a double-elimination tournament scheduled for the weekend of September 4-5.  The teams finishing third to sixth will play single playoff games (3rd v 6th, 4th v 5th) to determine the other two entrants to the NBC.

The NBL promises to be a fascinating competition and there is a real sense of optimism that this season could be one of the most competitive we’ve seen for many years. The mixture of established NBL teams and newcomers should make for many intriguing storylines as the season unfolds.

Time to introduce the eight teams.

Courtesy of www.event-photos.co.uk
Bracknell Blazers (2009 NBL Champions) website

2009 will go down in British baseball history as the year in which the Bracknell Blazers broke their 17-year duck and secured a championship at the highest level for the first time. The Blazers finished third in the NBL regular season with a 14-10 record and stormed into the National Baseball Championships riding a five-game winning streak. A defeat to the London Mets in their opening NBC game meant that the Blazers couldn’t afford to lose again — and they didn’t. The Blazers won three games on the final Sunday, eliminating the Herts Falcons and Mets and then coming from behind to beat the Richmond Flames 16-4 in the Grand Final.

Although they’ve lost an important veteran in former Great Britain player (and Baseball on 5 pundit) Josh Chetwynd, the likes of the Trask brothers remain and having had a taste of success, they are sure to want to get to the NBC again and retain their hard-won title.

Opening Day: a doubleheader away to the London Mets.

Courtesy of www.event-photos.co.uk
Richmond Flames (2009 NBL runner-up and NBL regular season Champion: 17-7) website

Until destiny favoured the Blazers, 2009 looked like being the year of the Flames. Richmond finished the regular season with a 17-7 record after sweeping a doubleheader against the London Mets on the final day. The two wins brought them level with the Mets in the won-lost column, and because Richmond won the season series head-to-head against London, they took the NBL regular season title on that tiebreaker. The Flames then won their opening two games in the NBC to qualify for the Grand Final, only for the Blazers to bring their season to a crushing end.

That made it two straight Grand Final defeats. It’s a disappointing record for the Flames, but also shows that they have been one of the very best teams in the country over that period, a point emphasised by fielding the Most Valuable Batter (Ryan Bird) and Most Valuable Pitcher (Cody Cain) in 2009, as awarded by the Great Britain Baseball Scorers Association. Is 2010 the year that the Flames finally finish off their good work?

Opening Day: a doubleheader away to the Croydon Pirates.

London Mets (2009: 17-7) website

After winning back-to-back NBLs in 2007 and 2008, the London Mets fell just short of making it three in a row in 2009. The Mets lost some key players last year from their title-winning team, particularly towards the end of the regular season and for the NBC. Although it didn’t match up with their recent successes, a second-place regular season finish was still a very worthy achievement and the team based at Finsbury Park will be a threat once again in 2010.

Opening Day: a doubleheader at home against the Bracknell Blazers.

Courtesy of www.event-photos.co.uk
Herts Falcons (2009: 12-12) website

The Herts Falcons had a very creditable first season in the NBL in 2009 following their promotion as 2008 AAA League champions. Nobody knew quite how they would cope with the step-up in standard, but winning three of their first four games helped to settle any nerves they may have had and they ended up qualifying for the NBC with a .500 record. After holding their own and proving they belong in the top tier, the Falcons will try to push on in 2010.

Opening Day: a doubleheader at home against the Southampton Mustangs.

Croydon Pirates (2009: 0-24) website

Nobody likes to see a former great crash to earth with an undignified thump, but that’s the fate that befell the winless Croydon Pirates last year. Back-to-back champions in 2004 and 2005 and losing finalists in 2006 and 2007, the Pirates’ 5-19 regular season record in 2008 had already called time on their excellent run and 2009 put the nails in the coffin. Croydon saw a lot of their championship-winning players depart and struggled to replace them, resulting in the team forfeiting a number of games in 2009 due to a lack of NBL-standard players. The only way is up and the Pirates' organisation will now be focused on laying the foundations for a team capable of emulating the glorious 2004-2007 era.

Opening Day: a doubleheader at home against the Richmond Flames.

Essex Arrows (2009: 25-0 in the AAA South) website

The Essex Arrows are one of three teams making their NBL debuts this season. Their perfect regular season record at AAA level last year made them prime contenders to join the top tier and they duly accepted the BBF’s invitation. But 2009 didn’t end in quite the way the Arrows had hoped. Although they extended their winning streak to 26 games by defeating the Liverpool Trojans at the AAA NBC, they were then knocked out of the event by losing to the Harrogate Tigers and Southampton Mustangs. The end couldn’t mar an excellent season and with over 25 years of history, impressive developments at their ballpark and a flair for publicity, the Arrows should be a great addition to the NBL.

Opening Day: a doubleheader at home against the Mildenhall Bulldogs.

Photo courtesy of SA Images
Southampton Mustangs (2009: 21-5 in the AAA South) website

Like the Arrows, the Southampton Mustangs earned a spot in the NBL by rising to the top of the AAA ranks in 2009. The Mustangs put together a very strong season, making it all the way to the AAA NBC Grand Final before falling short to the impressive Harrogate Tigers (champions of the Northern Conference). Their efforts to prepare for the 2010 season received a slight setback when scheduled games against the Bracknell Blazers and Richmond Flames were cancelled in Week 2 of the Herts Spring League; however, they were able to play a couple of games in the tournament and will return to Herts for their regular season Opening Day.

Opening Day: a doubleheader away to the Herts Falcons.

Photo courtesy of SA Images
Mildenhall Bulldogs (2009: AA Champions) website

The Mildenhall Bulldogs made their debut in the BBF leagues last year and they certainly made an instant impact. Alongside fellow United States Air Force (USAF) team Alconbury Braves, the Bulldogs stormed the Midlands League and made their way to the AA NBC. There, the Bulldogs dispatched the Manchester A’s 10-6 in the semi-final and then defeated the Braves 8-1 to win the Grand Final at their first attempt. The Bulldogs' quality was recognised when they were invited to make the big leap right up to the NBL, by-passing the AAA level in the process. Their 2009 form and 2010 Herts Spring League results, including a narrow loss to the Herts Falcons and a 14-3 victory over the Mustangs, suggest that they will not be overawed by the competition.

Opening Day: a doubleheader away to the Essex Arrows.

Photo courtesy of SA Images
Further details

Full details on the NBL competition can be found on the BBF website. All four of the doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at midday (Game Two in each case is scheduled to start at 14.30) and details of the venues can be found on the websites of the Arrows, Falcons, Mets and Pirates.
by AspiDimitrov

OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS IN THE 2010 HSL ANNOUNCED

 

 

Over the three weeks of the Herts Spring League we saw fantastic baseball, great plays, dramatic wins and explosive hitting. The HSL has announced those players who stood out from the rest.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP)

Shannon Henry (Leicester Blue Sox) – The undoubted star of the HSL delivering in a big way with his bat and also on the mound in the Final against the Sidewinders to pick up the dramatic win and the title for Leicester. His batting stats over the four HSL games were: 3 singles, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 14 RBIs, batting average of .643 and slugging 1.357.

BEST PITCHER – Brandon Blide (Mildenhall Bulldogs) – allowed only 2 earned runs in 13 innings over the course of the HSL (ERA 1.38, K 21).

BEST RELIEVER – Pete Kikel (Herts Falcons) – pitching a no-hitter against the Herts Eagles

BEST CLOSER – Henry Collins (Bracknell Blazers) – picking up the save in the Final against the Herts Falcons.

CATCHER – Jon Mabie (Mildenhall Bulldogs)

FIRST BASE – Tim Elkins (Herts Eagles)

SECOND BASE – Oscar Sierra (Southampton Mustangs)

THIRD BASE –Perez (Mildehall Bulldogs)

SHORTSTOP – John Blose (Mildenhall Bulldogs)

LEFT FIELD – Dan Kerry (Herts Falcons)

CENTERFIELD – Mike Trask (Bracknell Blazers)

RIGHT FIELD – Chris Porter (Essex RedBacks)

BEST PLAY OF THE HSL – John Oliver (Herts Eagles) making a diving catch in right field to stop a Mildenhall rally.

Note: The nominations above were based largely on statistics from the games played at Herts therefore they do not fully reflect the outstanding individual and team performances in the games played at Ham Ground in Richmond.

 

by AspiDimitrov

BRACKNELL AND LEICESTER TAKE THE TITLES IN THE HERTS SPRING LEAGUE
The final weekend of the 2010 Herts Spring League on April 10-11 was blessed with glorious spring weather and fine baseball at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and Richmond Baseball and Softball Club's field in Ham.
Majors Division

At Hemel Hempstead, Bracknell Blazers captured the Majors Division title by scoring early runs and then holding off the Herts Falcons for a 5-2 win. Mike Trask started for the Blazers, who used four pitchers on the day, combining for five hits and five walks but no earned runs.

Dan Kerry started for Herts and took the loss in a five-inning stint that saw him give up only three hits — but 10 walks proved his undoing.

Ryan Trask had two hits and two RBIs for Bracknell, who served notice that they won't surrender their National Championship title easily in the expanded National Baseball League (NBL) that begins play on April 18.

In the battle for third place in the Majors Division, Mildenhall Bulldogs also made a statement of intent about the coming season by thrashing the Southampton Mustangs 14-3. Both teams have been newly-promoted to the NBL for the 2010 season.
  The Bulldogs took an early lead with three runs in bottom of the first inning, but Southampton soon cut that back to 3-2, and then 4-3.

But six Mildenhall runs in the bottom of the fourth inning put the Bulldogs on the road to an easy win.

Mildenhall first baseman Perez had a homer, a double and six RBIs to lead their attack, wile pitcher Brandon Blide struck out 14 Mustangs in nine innings while surrendering just five hits.

  
Fifth place in the Majors Division went to one of the BBF's new teams this year, Essex Redbacks, who defeated Herts Eagles by 12-7, while Richmond Flames took seventh place with an 11-4 win over the Milton Keynes Bucks.
Majors Division Placings
1 – Bracknell Blazers
2 – Herts Falcons
3 – Mildenhall Bulldogs
4 – Southampton Mustangs
5 – Essex RedBacks
6 – Herts Eagles
7 – Richmond Flames
8 – Milton Keynes Bucks

Minors Division
  The tightest games of the weekend were in the Minors Division, and you'd go a long way to find a more exciting game than the title decider between the Leicester Blue Sox and the Sidewinders.

The Sidewinders led 10-2 after three innings and 15-5 after three, and the title was surely theirs.

But then the Leicester charge began. Six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning certainly chopped the lead, but a Sidewinders run in the top of the seventh meant the Blue Sox still needed five in their last at-bat to tie and six to win. Surely they couldn't stage that kind of rally again…?

Well, they could and did! Six more runs poured across the plate in the bottom of the seventh and Leicester had a wildly improbable triumph.

In a game of 33 runs, Shannon Henry was the pitching saviour for Leicester, holding the Sidewinders to just one run over the final two innings in relief of Richard Hu. Shannon also chipped in with three hits and four RBIs, while Oscar Martinez and Richard Hu had three RBIs each for the winners.

Third place in the Minors Division went to the Windsor Bears, who defeated Richmond Dragons by a score of 18-2.

Guildford Mavericks captured fifth place with a 13-12 squeaker over Herts Hawks, while a bad day for Herts continued (they had four teams in the Majors and Minors playoffs and all of them lost) when London Marauders crushed the Herts Raptors 31-5 to win seventh place.
Minors Division Placings
1 – Leicester Blue Sox
2 – Sidewinders
3 – Windsor Bears
4 – Richmond Dragons
5 – Guildford Mavericks
6 – Herts Hawks
7 – London Marauders
8 – Herts Raptors

All photos by Soody Ahmad.

OTHER HSL LINKS

Full HSL Scoreboard and links to box scores

Group Standings

HSL League Leaders

HSL Batting Stats

HSL Pitching Stats

HSL Running Stats

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 3 BOX SCORES: HERTS HAWKS @ GUILDFORD MAVERICKS

Herts Hawks at Guildford Mavericks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Herts Hawks 0 0 0 3 2 2 5 0 12 13 5
Guildford Mavericks 7 3 0 0 1 2 0 0 13 14 4

Guildford Mavericks 13, Herts Hawks 12
Guildford Mavericks Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
H Player 1 p 5 2 2 1 Ilya Dimitrov cf-xh3-2b 5 1 0 0
H Player 2 c 5 1 1 1 Mahendra Prasad 3b-rf 2 1 0 0
H Player 3 1b 4 2 1 0 Hunter Devine ss 4 1 0 0
H Player 4 2b 4 3 1 0 Mark Hoffman 1b-p 5 1 4 2
H Player 5 3b 4 2 2 2 Perrie Sherman c 3 1 1 1
H Player 6 ss 4 1 2 3 Tim Elkins xh1-1b 4 1 2 1
H Player 7 lf 5 1 2 0 Iwan Evans lf 4 2 1 1
H Player 8 cf 4 1 1 1 Robert Crouch rf-xh4 3 1 1 1
H Player 9 rf 4 0 2 1 Ken Pike 2b 1 0 0 0
(b3) Liam Green 2b-xh1 2 0 1 1
Greg Bochan p-3b 3 2 0 0
Nick Russell xh2-cf 4 1 3 2
TEAM TOTALS 39 13 14 9 TEAM TOTALS 40 12 13 9

E: H Player 5(2), H Player 4, H Player 9, Hunter Devine(4), Greg Bochan. DP:
Guildford Mavericks 1. LOB: Guildford Mavericks 10, Herts Hawks 12. 2B: H Player 5.
3B: H Player 1. SB: H Player 4(2), H Player 1, H Player 8, Iwan Evans(4), Greg
Bochan(3), Mahendra Prasad(2), Ilya Dimitrov, Robert Crouch.

Guildford Mavericks IP H R ER BB SO
H Player 1 W 8.00 13 12 7 8 6
Herts Hawks            
Greg Bochan L 4.00 13 10 3 1 6
Mark Hoffman 3.00 1 3 2 4 2

WP: H Player 1. T: 2:48. A: 69.
by AspiDimitrov

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH HEARTBREAK FOR BULLDOGS

The Herts Falcons clinched top spot in their Herts Spring League group in the most dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth with two outs in the deciding final game against the hard-hitting Mildenhall Bulldogs. This sets a mouth-watering HSL Final in the Majors division against the 2009 British National Baseball League Champions, the Bracknell Blazers on Sunday, 11 April.

The Bulldogs eased their way to a comfortable 12-2 win against the Milton Keynes Bucks earlier in the day which meant that the final group game between the Bulldogs and the Falcons would determine the group winner. The visitors from Mildenhall managed to take the lead early in the game, but Herts kept coming back to tie the game in the third and dramatically in the bottom of the eighth when newly-recruited Sri Lancan national team centerfielder, Mahendra Prasad, ripped a two-out single into right field to drive in two runs. With two outs and the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth Carlos “the Jackal” Casal managed to get to third with his trademark aggressive running, stealing second and then third after getting on base on a hit by pitch. With Casal representing the winning run on third base, all eyes were on Falcons player-manager Jason Greenberg who stepped into the batter’s box. Deep into the count Greenberg made solid contact with a fastball. It seemed that the ball was taking an eternity to come down as the Mildenhall centerfielder was comfortably waiting under it to take the game into extra innings. Most of the fielders were already heading to their bench when the unthinkable happened. The ball popped out of the centerfielder’s glove and Carlos Casal came home to score and win the game for the team from Hertfordshire. After the initial few seconds of joy in winning what was a fantastic game of baseball, the Falcons players visibly tried to subdue their celebrations in an effort to avoid rubbing salt into the wounds of the Bulldogs. Freakish moments like this do occur in the wonderfully unpredictable game of baseball. This may have cost Mildenhall the game and a place in the HSL Championship Game, but on a positive note for them, the law of averages would suggest that they will not make another error like this for a very long time especially judging by their accomplished defensive performance. This, in many ways, is bad news for all the other NBL teams. The HSL games have shown that Mildenhall will be a major player in this year’s National Baseball League.

The weather played havoc with the HSL games in Richmond on Saturday, which means that the Bracknell Blazers finished top of Majors-A group on conceding less runs per game than Southampton. The Blazers will meet the Falcons in the HSL Championship game in the Majors Division. The game will be played at Grovehill Ballpark at 4pm on Sunday 11 April.

Mildenhall will meet the Southampton Mustangs in the Bronze medal game. To determine 5th and 6th place the Essex RedBacks will play against the Herts Eagles, who bounced back on Saturday with a 7-1 win against the MK Bucks in which Darrin Ward pitched a complete 9-inning game allowing only 1 run and 3 hits.

LEICESTER CRUSH WINDSOR AND HERTS TO CLINCH PLACE IN THE HSL MINORS FINAL

Despite losing to the Thames Valley Bisons in week one of the HSL, the Leicester Blue Sox knew that they still had a mathematical chance of finishing top of the group, but they needed to win two games in a row. Their first test was against Windsor and they passed it with flying colours. Next up were the Herts Hawks and although they kept in touch for five innings, they ran out of steam and the Blue Sox took advantage to win convincingly 24-13. Slugger Shanon Henry continued to impress with a home run which went deep over the right field wall. He is 5-for-11 (.545) so far in the HSL with two doubles, two triples and a home run (10 RBIs). The win went to the versatile Richard Hu who got on the mond in the fourth inning to settle the Leicester nerves with the game tied 10-10.

To determine the 2010 HSL Minors Champions, they will play against the Sidewinders who kept up their 100% record with wins against Richmond and Guildford on Sunday.

For more information about the Herts Spring League visit the official HSL website links below:

HSL Scoreboard and Schedule (links to box scores are available for all games played at Herts)

HSL Group Standings

HSL Stats (League Leaders)

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 2 BOX SCORES: LEICESTER @ HERTS HAWKS

Leicester Blue Sox at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Leicester Blue Sox 3 3 1 3 3 6 5 24 13 4
Herts Hawks 2 3 3 2 0 0 3 13 11 11

Leicester Blue Sox 24, Herts Hawks 13
Leicester Blue Sox Herts Hawks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Jez Goddard 2b 3 6 0 0 Hunter Devine ss 5 3 1 0
Lynden Sedgwick cf-c 4 3 1 1 Amit Odedra lf 5 2 2 1
Shanon Henry p-ss 5 4 2 7 Rodney Naghar p-2b-rf 4 2 2 1
Adam Brown 1b 5 1 1 2 Paul Curtis 1b 5 1 1 0
Richard Hu c-p-ss 6 4 4 5 Kal Dimitrov c 4 1 2 2
Dave Burke 3b 5 1 2 1 Perrie Sherman 2b-p 4 1 1 0
Mark Meredith ss-cf 5 0 1 0 Liam Green 3b-p 4 0 1 1
Paul Williams lf 6 1 1 1 Tim Elkins cf 2 1 1 0
Matt Crawshaw rf 1 1 0 0 (t4) Rob Jones cf 1 0 0 0
(b4) Paul Monk rf 2 2 1 0 Ilya Dimitrov rf-2b-3b 1 2 0 1
(b6) Tom Treharne rf 0 1 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 42 24 13 17 TEAM TOTALS 35 13 11 6

E: Dave Burke(3), Mark Meredith, Perrie Sherman(4), Hunter Devine(2), Liam Green(2),
Paul Curtis, Rodney Naghar, Ilya Dimitrov. DP: Herts Hawks 1. LOB: Herts Hawks 8,
Leicester Blue Sox 8. 2B: Richard Hu(2), Shanon Henry, Dave Burke, Rodney Naghar. HR:
Shanon Henry. SB: Shanon Henry(3), Richard Hu(3), Jez Goddard(3), Dave Burke(2), Ilya
Dimitrov, Kal Dimitrov, Amit Odedra.

Leicester Blue Sox IP H R ER BB SO
Richard Hu W 3.67 3 3 0 0 6
Shanon Henry 3.33 8 10 2 5 6
Herts Hawks            
Rodney Naghar 3.00 5 7 3 3 4
Perrie Sherman L 3.00 7 12 3 2 4
Liam Green 1.00 1 5 3 3 2

HBP: by Rodney Naghar (Dave Burke), by Shanon Henry (Ilya Dimitrov). , by Richard Hu
(Perrie Sherman). . , by Perrie Sherman (Lynden Sedgwick). , by Liam Green (Lynden
Sedgwick). WP: Shanon Henry(4), Richard Hu(2), Perrie Sherman(3), Rodney Naghar, Liam
Green. PB: Lynden Sedgwick(2), Kal Dimitrov. T: 2:45. A: 67.
by AspiDimitrov

A NEW PEARL IN THE CROWN OF HERTS BASEBALL

 

As the adult and little league baseball seasons approach, Herts Baseball Club is one of several clubs in the country unveiling a new baseball diamond and improved baseball facilities.

Over the last 3 years the club has been on a relentless mission to create the best facilities in British Baseball. Last month the club reached a major landmark by completing the creation of the second diamond at its home ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. This project was made possible thanks to funding from BSUK as part of the facilities grant awarded to Herts last year as well as funding from Dacorum Borough Council and separate Herts fundraising projects and donations from Herts members and supporters.

The funds were invested in constructing a backstop, creating the infield clay areas, pitching mound, as well as a cut-off drain to improve the drainage in the infield. The funding was also used to repair the infield on the first diamond. The icing on the cake is the two scoreboards, one for each of the diamonds, which must be the biggest and best scoreboards in living memory in British Baseball.

All of this makes Grovehill Ballpark the only baseball venue in the country which has two high standard baseball diamonds with permanent outfield walls.

The venue will be a tremendous boost for the Herts youth baseball programme. The expanded facility increases the capacity to six little league diamonds which will enable the club to accommodate the growing number of teams in its Little League and especially when hosting events like the Herts Futures Tournament.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from Dacorum Borough Council, BSUK and all of the club’s members and supporters without whom this would not have been possible.” He added: “These facilities will benefit not only the residents of Hemel Hempstead and Hertfordshire, but the whole British Baseball community as teams from across the country come to Grovehill Ballpark to take part in league games, tournaments and other events. Our only concern is that rumours are being spread on the internet that a Bracknell Blazers jersey was secretly buried under the home plate to cast a Bambino-like curse on our Club”.

The Herts Little Leaguers will probably be the first to grace the second diamond in the middle of May when the new grass is expected to be all set for baseball. With the Southern Adult League schedule published a few days ago it has been confirmed that the first official adult league game on the second diamond will be on 23 May when the Herts Hawks host the Sidewinders. Herts Baseball Club has not yet confirmed the date when the facility will have its official opening. The club is hoping to bid for one of the NBL special events which are scheduled in June as announced by the British Baseball Federation and, if they are awarded that event, then it could be the ideal occasion to mark the official opening of the new facility.

This project is ongoing and it will continue for many years to come. What’s next? Dugouts? Grandstand? Floodlights? One thing is certain. Herts Baseball Club has proven that there are no boundaries to what its members can achieve with the support of its partners and supporters.

by AspiDimitrov

BBF PUBLISHES 2010 SEASON DETAILS AND SCHEDULE

 

The Brtish Baseball Federation has issued details of the 2010 League Season.  It is set to be another exciting season for all four Herts baseball teams in each of the four leagues of the British Baseball league structure.

 

The Club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, open the National Baseball League (NBL) season on Sunday, 18 April, at home against the Southampton Mustangs who are one of the three expansion teams entering the NBL this year. The Herts Eagles will start their AAA-League campaign on 25 April with a trip to the Bristol Badgers, who will have building work at their field in the second half of the season, so they will play all their home games in the first half of 2010. On the same day the Double-A Herts Hawks travel to the Essex Archers.  This means that the Hawks will be one of the first teams to play at the revamped Townmead Field in Waltham Abbey.  The fouth Herts team, the Raptors start the season on 18 April making their longest trip of the year to Southampton where they will face the Mustangs.

 

The following are additional details about each of the BBF leagues in 2010.

 

2010 ADULT LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

 

The BBF Adult Leagues have made tremendous progress recently and going into the 2010 season there are positive news in all departments. The number of teams entering the league has grown from 45 to 51 teams (13% increase). This includes nine new teams entering the BBF leagues (the leagues they will be playing in are shown in brackets):

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers III – A (South)

 

· Chelmsford Clippers – A (South)

 

· Essex RedBacks – AAA (South)

 

· Glasgow Baseball Association – AAA (North)

 

· Horsham – AA (South)

 

· Leicester Blue Sox II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Poole Piranhas – AA (South)

 

· Tonbridge – A (South)

 

 

The BBF has just concluded a contract with the number one baseball brand in the world, Rawlings, confirming them as the official ball supplier of British Baseball. New baseball fields are starting to appear on the British Baseball map, with the Essex RedBacks, the Chelmsford Clippers and Herts Baseball Club unveiling new diamonds this season. Existing baseball venues are being improved by clubs receiving grants from BSUK and other organisations, as well as carrying out separate fundraising projects. Essex is one of the clubs which will be unveiling its improved facilities including an impressive grandstand with a 150-seat capacity. Baseball clubs are putting emphasis on increasing publicity by working closely with regional and national media organisations which is starting to generate a lot of interest from new players who want to get in the game and former players who want to get back into baseball.

 

 

National Baseball League (NBL)

 

The NBL has been expanded from 5 to 8 teams. The new members are the Essex Arrows, the Mildenhall Bulldogs and the Southampton Mustangs. The British Baseball Federation’s decision to expand the league will not only bring excitement to the NBL in 2010, but the hope is that the three clubs will take advantage of this unique opportunity to continue their growth and development and create vibrant baseball communities in their regions.

 

 

The following is the NBL line-up in 2010:

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers

 

· Croydon Pirates

 

· Essex Arrows

 

· Herts Falcons

 

· London Mets

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs

 

· Richmond Flames

 

· Southampton Mustangs

 

 

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 15 weeks (13 double-headers and 2 single games as part of NBL Special Events – see below for more details)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: teams finishing in first and second place progress automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth will have to win in a single 9-inning playoff game to progress (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AAA-League

In a change from the 2009 structure, the Northern Conference has been divided in two, with the top 6 teams forming the AAA (North) League. In AAA (South) Essex and Southampton may have moved up to the NBL but in their place the BBF has approved the addition of the Bracknell Blazers II, the Kent Mariners and the Essex RedBacks, which is a new club in Essex comprising adult and youth teams entering the league for the first time.

AAA (North)

· Glasgow

· Halton

· Harrogate

· Liverpool

· Manchester A’s

· Menwith Hill

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 14 weeks (14 double-header)

AAA (South)

· Bracknell Blazers II

· Bristol Badgers

· Essex RedBacks

· Herts Eagles

· Kent Mariners

· London Metros

· Oxford Kings

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: The team finishing in first place progresses automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing second and third will play a single 9-inning playoff game to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA-League

This season the AA League has a structure which resembles that of MLB in that it has several separate sub-divisions of five teams. A total of 20 teams from every corner of the country are part of the AA League line-up and with a MLB-like postseason format the season in the AA is expected to bring a lot of excitement.

AA (North)

· Bolton

· Humber

· Manchester Torrent

· Oldham

· Sheffield

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

AA (Midlands)

· Birmingham Maple Leafs

· Leicester Blue Sox

· Leicester Blue Sox II

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II

· MK Bucks

Number of regular season games per team: 20 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (8 double-header and 4 single)

League Format: Teams play 5 games against each of their opponents (2 double headers and 1 single game).

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC. Teams finishing in third and fourth place progress through to the A-League postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool A

· Croydon Pirates III

· Horsham

· Poole Piranhas

· Windsor Bears

· Thames Valley Bisons

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool B

· Brentwood Stags

· Essex Archers

· Herts Hawks

· Richmond Knights

· Sidewinders

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A-League

The A-League will also have two sub-divisions of five teams and the top two teams in each of them will qualify for the postseason where they will be joined by teams finishing third and fourth in AA (Midlands) and AA (North). The A-League (South) welcomes three new teams to the line-up this season – the Chelmsford Clippers, Tonbridge and Bracknell Blazers III.

A (South) Pool A

· Bracknell Blazers III

· Guildford Mavericks

· Richmond Dragons

· Southampton Mustangs II

· Tonbridge

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A (South) Pool B

· Braintree Rays

· Chelmsford Clippers

· Herts Raptors

· London Marauders

· Old Timers

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

Special Events

This year British Baseball will introduce several special events as part of the league schedule. The objective is to start to turn our league games into a real celebration of baseball which will not only enhance the enjoyment of players but will add a sense of occasion. This is expected to generate interest from the general public and attendances at our events are expected to rise.

As our clubs continue their development and improve their facilities in the next two or three seasons, they will have the capabilities to turn every one of their league game days into special events. This will be a gradual process which will have to start at the NBL level where the clubs are in a stronger position to execute this. AAA, AA and A teams that make progress and show that they are capable of staging such events will move up the leagues and the hope is that in time all teams at all league levels will be in a position to turn their regular season game dates into special events.

The BBF Special Events which are being introduced this season are listed below. Most of these events will be subject to a bidding process and clubs from all parts of the country are able to submit their bid to host them. Full details of how clubs can apply to host these events will be provided in the coming weeks.

The BBF Adult and Youth League Commissioners will be considering ways of combining both adult and youth games as part of these BBF Special Events, if possible, in order to make them even more vibrant. This would be fantastic for club spirit.

NBL Independence Day Weekend

Date: Saturday, 3 July 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue requires two baseball diamonds.

Format: All 8 NBL teams come to the same venue and play one single game each as part of their regular league season. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

NBL Summer Classic

Date: Saturday, 5 June 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue does not necessarily have to have two baseball diamonds so clubs with one diamond can bid for this event.

Format: All 8 NBL teams play one single game each as part of their regular season similar to the NBL Independence Day Weekend event or, in order to enable clubs which have only one diamond to host these BBF Special Events, the event can be split into two smaller events with 4 teams playing a single 9-inning game each at one venue and the other 4 teams doing the same at a different venue. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

The Postseason Playoffs

The postseason of all four Leagues (NBL, AAA, AA and A) involve playoff games on the weekends of 21 and 28 August 2010. The BBF will consider ways of bundling playoff games together to turn them into larger and better attended events. An example of a Playoff event could include the following games at the same venue and on the same day:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

28-Aug-10

10:00

TBC

AAA

AAA South (3rd)

AAA (South 2nd)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

13:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (5th)

NBL (4th)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

16:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (6th)

NBL (3rd)

9 innings

National Baseball Championships (NBC)

The NBC brings together all of the best NBL, AAA, AA and A League teams from around Great Britain to one venue. This is the climax of the season and is the most prestigious event on the British Baseball calendar. See Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details.

Other Events

As part of the process of creating the league schedule in the Southern Adult Leagues where there is a large number of multi-team clubs, we have selected a few dates where several teams from the same multi-team clubs can all play their league games at the same venue. Throughout the season teams from the same club have limited opportunity to spend time together as their league schedule usually sends them to different locations on a given weekend. The objective of this trial is to bring large baseball communities together and enhance club spirit. These events are experimental and there is no requirement to apply for them. It is up to the clubs concerned to determine to what extent they wish and are capable of utilising these dates as larger promotional/fundraising events. If this experiment is successful we will look to increase these events as much as possible in future seasons. The following is an example of one such event involving multi-team clubs:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

25-Jul-10

11:00

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

12:00

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

13:30

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

14:30

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

16:00

Herts1

A (South)

Bracknell Blazers III

Herts Raptors

9 innings

Another example is combining league games with other events. For example, the Essex Archers are scheduled to play their AA home game vs Thames Valley on Saturday, 26 June 2010 , while the Essex Arrows will play their home NBL game against the Croydon Pirates on the following day Sunday, 27 June 2010. This is done to coincide with the Waltham Abbey Town Show attracting more fans and generating publicity for Essex Baseball Club and British Baseball in general.

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK1 BOX SCORES: THAMES VALLEY @ HERTS HAWKS

Thames Valley Bisons at Herts Hawks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Thames Valley Bisons 1 4 1 3 2 1 12 11 8
Herts Hawks 4 5 1 0 1 2 13 8 5

Herts Hawks 13, Thames Valley Bisons 12
Herts Hawks Thames Valley Bisons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Rodney Naghar 3b-ss 4 1 2 0 Oza p 3 3 1 2
Simon Langton ss-p-2b 4 1 1 1 Chris B. c 4 0 2 2
(t3) Phil Crooks 2b 1 0 0 0 Ian H. 1b 4 1 2 1
Paul Curtis 2b-1b 3 1 1 0 Matt O. 2b 4 1 2 1
Amit Odedra lf-cf 3 2 1 1 Lionel O. 3b 4 0 0 0
(t5) Matt Johnston cf 1 0 0 0 Andy S. ss 3 1 1 1
Tim Elkins cf 2 2 0 0 Ramon S. lf 2 2 0 0
(t3) Arnold Longboy lf 2 0 0 0 Dave P. cf 3 2 1 1
Ilya Dimitrov c-ss 3 3 0 0 Ben W. rf 3 2 2 1
Mark Hoffman p-1b-c 3 0 3 4          
(t5) Kal Dimitrov c 0 1 0 0          
Robert Crouch rf 3 0 0 0          
(t3) Steve Nippress rf 1 0 0 0          
Greg Bochan 1b-3b-p 4 2 0 0          
TEAM TOTALS 34 13 8 6 TEAM TOTALS 30 12 11 9

E: Ilya Dimitrov(2), Paul Curtis, Rodney Naghar, Mark Hoffman, Lionel O.(2), Andy
S.(2), Ian H., Oza, Chris B., Ramon S.. LOB: Herts Hawks 7, Thames Valley Bisons 8.
2B: Rodney Naghar. 3B: Oza. SB: Ilya Dimitrov(3), Simon Langton, Amit Odedra, Greg
Bochan, Oza(2), Ian H., Ramon S., Matt O., Ben W..

Herts Hawks IP H R ER BB SO
Mark Hoffman 2.33 2 6 4 7 3
Greg Bochan W 2.00 7 3 2 1 3
Simon Langton 1.67 2 3 1 0 2
Thames Valley Bisons            
Oza 5.33 8 13 2 2 15

WP: Mark Hoffman(4), Simon Langton, Oza(5). PB: Ilya Dimitrov(3), Mark Hoffman, Chris
B.(4). T: 2:45. A: 89.