Category: Adult Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 3 BOX SCORES: BRACKNELL BLAZERS @ HERTS FALCONS

Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 6 3
Herts Falcons 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 5 1

Bracknell Blazers 5, Herts Falcons 2
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Mike Trask p 2 1 1 0 Kimiyoshi Saionji lf-2b 2 0 1 0
Shane Wagner c 4 0 0 0 Carlos Casal 2b-ss 4 1 0 0
Ed Jefferys 1b 3 0 0 0 Jason Greenberg c 4 0 0 0
Ryan Trask 2b 3 1 2 2 Andy Cornish 1b 4 0 0 0
Damian van Nieckerk 3b 2 0 0 0 Dan Kerry p-rf 3 0 2 0
Leigh Cohie ss 4 0 1 0 Marc Martinez ss-3b 4 0 1 0
Jamie Ford lf 3 1 1 0 Nick Goetz 3b-p 4 0 0 0
Henry Collins cf 4 0 1 0 Jamie Munn cf 2 0 0 0
Gordon Shepherd rf 3 2 0 0 Iwan Evans rf-lf 2 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 28 5 6 2 TEAM TOTALS 29 2 5 0

E: Mike Trask, Damian van Nieckerk, Henry Collins, Carlos Casal. DP: Bracknell
Blazers 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 9, Bracknell Blazers 10. SB: Ryan Trask(2), Damian van
Nieckerk, Mike Trask, Jamie Ford, Kimiyoshi Saionji, Dan Kerry, Iwan Evans. CS: Mike
Trask, Ed Jefferys, Jamie Munn.

Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Mike Trask W 8.00 5 2 0 5 6
Herts Falcons            
Dan Kerry L 5.00 3 5 3 10 4
Nick Goetz 3.00 3 0 0 1 1

HBP: by Mike Trask (Dan Kerry). WP: Dan Kerry(4). PB: Jason Greenberg. Balk: Dan
Kerry. T: 2:45. A: 145.

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 3 BOX SCORES: HERTS RAPTORS @ LONDON MARAUDERS

Herts Raptors at London Marauders
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Herts Raptors 1 1 1 2 0 5 5 8
London Marauders 15 6 7 2 1 31 16 1

London Marauders 31, Herts Raptors 5
London Marauders Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
H Player 1 p 6 4 4 4 Iwan Evans cf 1 1 1 0
H Player 2 c 4 5 3 5 Ken Pike ss-p 2 1 1 0
H Player 3 1b 7 4 3 2 Jeff Witter 1b-ss-p 3 0 0 1
H Player 4 2b 4 3 0 0 (b1) Ilya Dimitrov ss-cf 1 1 1 0
H Player 5 3b 5 2 1 4 Phil Gover 3b 3 0 2 1
H Player 6 ss 4 2 1 2 Tom Green 2b 0 1 0 0
H Player 7 lf 3 3 1 0 William Belbin c 3 0 0 0
H Player 8 cf 2 5 1 1 Chris Deacon 1b-p-cf 1 1 0 0
H Player 9 rf 6 3 2 1 Robert Crouch lf 3 0 0 0
Jon Gamble rf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 41 31 16 19 TEAM TOTALS 18 5 5 2

E: H Player 2, Jeff Witter(3), Ken Pike, Iwan Evans, Phil Gover, Tom Green, William
Belbin. LOB: Herts Raptors 6, London Marauders 12. 2B: H Player 1. 3B: H Player 3.
SB: H Player 4, H Player 5, H Player 7, H Player 9, Ken Pike(2), Iwan Evans, Ilya
Dimitrov.

London Marauders IP H R ER BB SO
H Player 1 W 5.00 5 5 3 8 6
Herts Raptors            
Jeff Witter 3.00 5 3 3 2 3
Ken Pike 1.33 4 13 9 7 1
Chris Deacon L 0.67 7 15 4 5 0

HBP: by Chris Deacon (H Player 4), by Chris Deacon (H Player 8). , by Ken Pike (H
Player 4). . . . WP: H Player 1(5), Chris Deacon(4). PB: H Player 2(3), William
Belbin(4). T: 2:45. A: 0.
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

HSL WEEK 3 BOX SCORES: HERTS EAGLES @ ESSEX REDBACKS

Herts Eagles at Essex RedBacks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Herts Eagles 0 4 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 7 11 6
Essex RedBacks 1 1 0 0 3 0 7 0 0 12 11 6

Essex RedBacks 12, Herts Eagles 7
Essex RedBacks Herts Eagles
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Chris Porter cf 4 3 4 1 Tim Elkins 1b-rf-lf 5 1 3 2
John Read p 5 0 1 2 Iwan Evans lf 4 0 1 0
Sheldon Smith ss 5 1 0 0 (t8) Hunter Devine rf 1 0 0 0
Ty Porter rf 4 2 2 1 Brandon Deal 3b 3 1 1 2
Matt Jenning 1b 5 2 0 0 Mahendra Prasad cf 4 0 1 1
Stuart Harper-Horn 3b 1 0 0 0 Jonathon Lewys 2b-p-ss 4 1 0 0
(t3) Sean Briscomb 3b-rf 4 1 2 2 Ilya Dimitrov rf-c 3 0 1 0
Ian Colvin 2b 4 1 1 0 Andy Cornish c-1b 4 1 2 1
Marcus Gooday lf 3 1 0 0 Aspi Dimitrov p-xh1 3 1 1 0
Vince Warner c 4 1 1 2 Greg Bochan ss-p 3 1 1 0
Nick Russell xh1-p-2b 4 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 39 12 11 8 TEAM TOTALS 38 7 11 6

E: Sheldon Smith(2), Stuart Harper-Horn(2), Chris Porter, Marcus Gooday, Jonathon
Lewys(3), Iwan Evans, Tim Elkins, Nick Russell. DP: Essex RedBacks 1. LOB: Essex
RedBacks 7, Herts Eagles 7. 2B: Andy Cornish, Brandon Deal. SB: Chris Porter(2),
Sheldon Smith, Marcus Gooday, John Read, Vince Warner, Ian Colvin, Ilya Dimitrov. CS:
Tim Elkins. SB: Ilya Dimitrov. SF: Brandon Deal.

Essex RedBacks IP H R ER BB SO
John Read W 9.33 11 7 2 1 8
Herts Eagles            
Nick Russell 4.00 4 4 1 2 0
Greg Bochan 2.00 3 2 2 1 1
Jonathon Lewys L 1.00 3 5 2 1 1
Aspi Dimitrov 1.00 1 1 0 0 1

PB: Ilya Dimitrov, Andy Cornish. T: 2:47. A: 54.
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

HSL WEEK 2 BOX SCORES: MILDENHALL @ HERTS FALCONS

Mildenhall Bulldogs at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Mildenhall Bulldogs 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 9 3
Herts Falcons 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 7 4

Herts Falcons 5, Mildenhall Bulldogs 4
Herts Falcons Mildenhall Bulldogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Marc Martinez lf-3b-ss 4 1 0 0 Brandon Blide 3b-p 5 1 1 0
Carlos Casal 2b-1b-3b 4 1 0 0 Barry ss 5 1 2 1
Jason Greenberg c 4 0 0 0 John Blose 2b 3 0 1 1
Dan Kerry p-cf 3 0 1 0 Kyle lf 4 0 0 0
Brandon Deal ss-1b 4 1 2 0 Carlos rf 3 0 1 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf-2b 4 1 2 0 Castro p 1 0 0 1
(t6) Mahendra Prasad rf-lf 2 0 1 2 (b4) Sen-Yi 3b 3 0 1 0
Nick Goetz 3b-p 2 0 0 0 Berk cf 2 0 0 0
(t7) Peter Kikel 1b-p-rf 3 0 1 0 (t4) Zip cf-rf 2 0 1 0
Jamie Munn cf-lf 2 1 0 0 Jon Mabie c 3 2 1 0
(t8) Aspi Dimitrov rf-p 1 0 0 0 Chewy 1b 1 0 0 0
(t4) Steve 1b-rf 3 0 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 33 5 7 2 TEAM TOTALS 35 4 9 4

E: Dan Kerry(2), Brandon Deal(2), Brandon Blide, John Blose, Zip. DP: Herts Falcons
2. LOB: Herts Falcons 8, Mildenhall Bulldogs 11. 2B: Dan Kerry, Brandon Deal,
Kimiyoshi Saionji, Brandon Blide. SB: Carlos Casal(2), Jason Greenberg, Brandon
Blide, John Blose, Kyle, Sen-Yi. CS: Dan Kerry.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Dan Kerry 3.00 1 2 1 5 3
Nick Goetz 3.00 4 1 1 0 2
Peter Kikel 2.00 4 1 1 0 2
Aspi Dimitrov W 1.00 0 0 0 2 1
Mildenhall Bulldogs            
Brandon Blide L 5.67 5 3 2 1 7
Castro 3.00 2 2 0 2 1

HBP: by Castro (Jason Greenberg). . , by Castro (Jamie Munn). . . . . . , by Brandon
Blide (Carlos Casal). WP: Nick Goetz, Peter Kikel, Castro. PB: Jon Mabie. T: 2:49. A:
102.
by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 2 BOX SCORES: MK BUCKS @ HERTS EAGLES

MK Bucks at Herts Eagles
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
MK Bucks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 9
Herts Eagles 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 1 0 7 10 3

Herts Eagles 7, MK Bucks 1
Herts Eagles MK Bucks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Iwan Evans lf-xh9 4 1 1 0 Jon Reynolds cf-xh7 3 0 0 0
Aspi Dimitrov 3b 4 1 1 0 Tam Tashikawa c 3 0 0 0
Brandon Deal ss 4 3 1 0 Ben Alexander ss 3 0 0 0
Darrin Ward p 4 1 2 3 Olly Calcutt lf-xh6 3 0 1 0
Louis Hare 1b 3 0 1 1 Bryan Clarice rf-xh9 2 0 0 0
Jonathon Lewys cf 3 1 1 1 Tom Lloyd p-xh2 2 0 0 0
Paul Auchterlounie c 3 0 0 0 Jim Kerr 3b 2 0 1 0
Tim Elkins rf-xh5 3 0 1 0 Kawa Tadashi 2b-xh4 2 0 0 0
Rodney Naghar 2b-xh6 3 0 1 0 Chris White p-1b 2 0 0 0
Nick Russell xh1-lf 2 0 1 0 Dave Lloyd xh1-lf 2 0 0 0
Lee Manning xh2-2b 3 0 0 0 Ernie Ayala xh2-1b 2 1 1 0
Mahendra Prasad xh3-rf 2 0 0 0 Geoff Finning xh3-cf 2 0 0 0
John Oliver xh4 3 0 0 0 Simon Felstead xh4-2b 2 0 0 0
          Chris xh5-rf 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 41 7 10 5 TEAM TOTALS 32 1 3 0

E: Aspi Dimitrov, Brandon Deal, Paul Auchterlounie, Jim Kerr(3), Ben Alexander(2),
Geoff Finning(2), Chris White, Simon Felstead. LOB: MK Bucks 4, Herts Eagles 14. 2B:
Louis Hare. SB: Brandon Deal(2), Rodney Naghar(2), Darrin Ward, Nick Russell. CS:
Aspi Dimitrov, Ernie Ayala.

Herts Eagles IP H R ER BB SO
Darrin Ward W 9.00 3 1 0 0 9
MK Bucks            
Tom Lloyd L 4.33 5 5 0 0 5
Chris White 3.67 5 2 0 3 3

HBP: by Chris White (Mahendra Prasad). . . T: 2:40. A: 89.
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.