Category: Adult Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK1 BOX SCORES: WINDSOR @ HERTS RAPTORS

Windsor Bears at Herts Raptors
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Windsor Bears 6 7 4 0 5 9 31 21 0
Herts Raptors 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 7

Windsor Bears 31, Herts Raptors 0
Windsor Bears Herts Raptors
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Newbury lf 6 5 3 2 Bobby Gould 3b 3 0 1 0
Clift 1b 3 5 1 1 Tom Green 2b 2 0 1 0
Milner p 7 3 7 11 (t4) Chris Deacon rf-cf 1 0 0 0
Gible ss 7 4 2 1 Rob Jones 1b-ss 1 0 1 0
Mnikkinen c 4 3 1 1 Jeff Witter 1b-p 3 0 0 0
Morriss 2b-3b 10 7 5 5 Bryan Drummond p-cf 2 0 0 0
Neads cf 3 3 2 5 (t5) Jon Gamble rf 1 0 0 0
Swayne rf 5 1 0 2 Jim Arnott p-lf 2 0 1 0
Ken Pike ss-p 2 0 0 0
Simon Elkington cf-2b 2 0 1 0
Phil Gover rf-lf 2 0 0 0
Kal Dimitrov c 1 0 0 0
(t5) Ilya Dimitrov c 1 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 45 31 21 28 TEAM TOTALS 23 0 6 0

E: Bobby Gould(2), Tom Green(2), Ken Pike, Kal Dimitrov, Rob Jones. LOB: Herts
Raptors 5, Windsor Bears 9. 2B: Milner(3), Neads, Rob Jones, Jim Arnott. 3B: Milner,
Neads.

Windsor Bears IP H R ER BB SO
Milner W 6.00 6 0 0 0 8
Herts Raptors            
Bryan Drummond L 3.00 11 17 8 5 7
Jim Arnott 2.00 6 5 4 2 3
Ken Pike 0.67 4 9 6 5 0
Jeff Witter 0.33 0 0 0 0 0

HBP: by Bryan Drummond (Swayne). . . . . WP: Bryan Drummond(2). PB: Kal Dimitrov. T:
3:00. A: 45.
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.
by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK1 BOX SCORES: HERTS EAGLES @ MILDENHALL BULLDOGS

Herts Eagles at Mildenhall Bulldogs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Herts Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 5
Mildenhall Bulldogs 6 4 6 4 3 0 0 0 23 23 1

Mildenhall Bulldogs 23, Herts Eagles 2
Mildenhall Bulldogs Herts Eagles
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Chewy p 5 1 2 1 Iwan Evans rf-cf 3 0 0 0
Zip cf 5 1 0 0 Dave Hamilton lf 3 0 1 0
Lester lf 6 3 3 0 Bobby Gould ss 4 0 0 0
Perez 3b 6 4 3 2 Darrin Ward p-1b 4 0 1 1
Blide rf 6 4 4 2 Jonathon Lewys 3b 4 0 0 0
Steve 1b 4 4 3 5 David Baird 2b 1 0 0 0
Barry 2b 5 4 4 5 John Oliver 1b-rf 3 0 0 0
Jon M. c 5 2 2 0 Peter Kikel c 2 1 0 0
John B. ss 4 0 2 7 Paul Auchterlounie cf 1 0 0 0
          (t3) Aspi Dimitrov cf-p 1 1 1 1
TEAM TOTALS 46 23 23 22 TEAM TOTALS 26 2 3 2

E: Jon M., Jonathon Lewys(3), Bobby Gould, Peter Kikel. DP: Mildenhall Bulldogs 1.
LOB: Herts Eagles 5, Mildenhall Bulldogs 6. 2B: Blide(2), Perez, Chewy, John B.. HR:
Barry. SB: Lester(2), Chewy, Blide, Iwan Evans, Aspi Dimitrov. SF: Steve.

Mildenhall Bulldogs IP H R ER BB SO
Chewy W 8.00 3 2 1 5 8
Herts Eagles            
Darrin Ward L 4.00 19 20 10 2 2
Aspi Dimitrov 3.00 4 3 3 0 0

HBP: by Darrin Ward (Steve). . . . . WP: Chewy. PB: Peter Kikel(2). T: 2:45. A: 60.
by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK 1 BOX SCORES: HERTS FALCONS @ HERTS EAGLES

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

Herts Falcons 7, Herts Eagles 1
Herts Falcons Herts Eagles
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 1 0 0 Iwan Evans cf 2 1 0 0
Carlos Casal rf 3 2 2 0 Dave Hamilton lf 2 0 0 0
Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b 3 2 1 0 Brandon Deal 2b-ss 2 0 0 0
Andy Cornish c 3 2 2 2 Darrin Ward p 2 0 0 0
Peter Kikel p 2 0 0 1 Lee Manning c 2 0 0 0
Marc Martinez lf 3 0 0 0 John Oliver 1b 1 0 0 0
Nick Goetz 3b 2 0 0 0 Nick Russell ss 0 0 0 0
Marty Cullen 1b 2 0 1 0 (b3) David Baird 2b 1 0 0 0
Jamie Munn cf 2 0 0 0 Paul Auchterlounie rf 1 0 0 0
Mahendra Prasad xh1 2 0 0 0 (b3) Jonathon Lewys rf 1 0 0 0
          Greg Bochan 3b 2 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 7 6 3 TEAM TOTALS 16 1 0 0

E: Nick Goetz, Brandon Deal(2), Nick Russell(2), Darrin Ward, Lee Manning. LOB: Herts
Falcons 4, Herts Eagles 6. 2B: Andy Cornish, Marty Cullen. SB: Carlos Casal(2), Marty
Cullen, Brandon Deal, Dave Hamilton, Iwan Evans.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Peter Kikel W 5.00 0 1 1 4 6
Herts Eagles            
Darrin Ward L 5.00 6 7 1 1 2

HBP: by Peter Kikel (Brandon Deal), by Peter Kikel (Darrin Ward). . WP: Peter
Kikel(2). PB: Lee Manning(2). Balk: Peter Kikel. T: 1:45. A: 120.
by AspiDimitrov

HSL WEEK1 BOX SCORES: HERTS FALCONS @ MK BUCKS

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

Herts Falcons 9, MK Bucks 6
Herts Falcons MK Bucks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves c-ss 3 2 1 1 Tom McVay p-xh4-ss-2b 2 1 0 0
Carlos Casal 2b 5 1 2 2 Olly Calcutt lf-ss 2 1 0 2
Kimiyoshi Saionji rf 4 0 1 0 Tam Tachinawa c-lf 3 0 0 0
Andy Cornish lf-c 4 0 0 1 Jim Kerr 3b-c 3 0 1 0
Marty Cullen 1b-p 4 1 1 0 Ilawa 2b-xf6-3b 3 1 1 0
Peter Kikel 3b-1b 2 1 1 0 Jon Reynolds cf-xf6 3 2 2 0
Marc Martinez ss 3 1 1 1 Tommy Lloyd ss-p-cf 3 0 2 1
(t5) Mahendra Prasad lf 1 1 0 0 Chase White xh7-1b 3 0 0 0
Jamie Munn cf 4 1 1 1 David Lloyd rf-xh5-p 2 0 1 1
Nick Goetz p-3b 2 1 0 0 Bryan Clarke xh1-p 2 0 1 0
          John Tyas xh2-xh1-2b-1b 1 0 0 0
          Rhys Bowey xh3-xh2-rf 1 1 0 0
          Ernie Ayala xh4-rf-p 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 32 9 8 6 TEAM TOTALS 30 6 9 4

E: Carlos Casal(2), Marc Martinez, Jim Kerr(2), Olly Calcutt, Tam Tachinawa, Tom
McVay, Tommy Lloyd, Chase White. LOB: MK Bucks 7, Herts Falcons 9. 2B: Carlos Casal,
Peter Kikel, Luis Goncalves. SB: Jamie Munn(2), Luis Goncalves, Nick Goetz, Jon
Reynolds(3), Tommy Lloyd(2), Tom McVay, Olly Calcutt, Jim Kerr, Ernie Ayala. CS: Luis
Goncalves, Tommy Lloyd.

Herts Falcons IP H R ER BB SO
Nick Goetz W 5.00 7 4 3 1 5
Marty Cullen 2.00 2 2 1 1 0
MK Bucks            
Tom McVay L 3.00 2 2 1 5 2
Tommy Lloyd 2.00 4 4 1 1 3
Ernie Ayala 2.00 2 3 1 0 1

HBP: by Tom McVay (Kimiyoshi Saionji), by Nick Goetz (Olly Calcutt). . . . . , by
Marty Cullen (Rhys Bowey). . WP: Marty Cullen. PB: Luis Goncalves, Tam Tachinawa(2).
T: 2:45. A: 80.
by AspiDimitrov

RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR THE HERTS SPRING LEAGUE

Article by Rob Jones

The biggest pre-season baseball tournament in Britain is back, and this year it is even bigger and better than ever. The Herts Spring league will see a record 17 teams travel from as far afield as Leicester and Southampton to hone their skills and compete for the title. Organised by the Herts Baseball Club, it’s Britain’s very own version of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues currently under way in the US, and it signals that the season is just around the corner.

Herts Baseball Club President Aspi Dimitrov was delighted by the surge in interest: “Every year we have had more teams wanting to play in the HSL. It’s fantastic to have another big jump in the numbers, and I think it’s going to be a great competition.“ He added: “We are also pleased to confirm that BarrysTickets.com have continued their association with Herts Baseball Club and have just been confirmed as the Official Sponsor of the 2010 Herts Spring League. The financial contribution which they are making will be used to improve and maintain facilities at Herts Baseball Club so that all teams coming to play at Herts can benefit.”

Last year’s winners Bracknell will be returning to defend their crown, led by their star slugger Ryan Trask. In 2009, their victory in the HSL was a springboard to taking the National League title, and top teams this year will be hoping to emulate that feat. Bracknell’s opening HSL game is a mouth-watering clash with the Richmond Flames in a repeat of the 2009 National Baseball Championship Final. Ryan Bird’s Richmond Flames will be battling them hard and the host team, the Herts Falcons, will count on flame-throwing Dan Kerry (pictured) to keep the offenses in check. The big guns will be joined by teams from all levels of the British game, including the current AA Champions, the Mildenhall Bulldogs, and the reigning masters of the British Single-A League, the Leicester Blue Sox.

The action will be spread across three weekends – starting on Saturday, 27 March and ending on Sunday, 11 April – and at two excellent venues, Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, and Ham Ground in Richmond. The clubs will be split into two groups, HSL Majors and HSL Minors, based on the team rankings going in to the new season – NBL and AAA teams will be joined by the expansion team the Essex Redbacks in the Majors; the AA and A teams will make up the Minors. The winners of two mini-leagues will then go head to head for the Championships.

The Herts Spring League adds a competitive edge to Spring training. It’s the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players – which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting, it’s a chance to size up your rivals for the year ahead. It’s the first big challenge and the first big excitement of the baseball year. Don’t miss it.

 

Visit the official HSL website for more details.

by AspiDimitrov

FIELDS OF DREAMS

For the average person, pulling on a baseball glove or clubbing a home run would be an exciting novelty. So, for those us who get that thrill regularly, what novelty provokes similar excitement?  The answer, it seems, is a mini-digger and a dumper truck.  On a bright Spring Saturday, some of the finest talent that Herts Baseball Club has to offer turned out to help prepare our brand new field, and touch up our existing diamond for the season ahead.   They could barely contain their glee at two life-size Tonka toys to play with. One of them told me that when the call for volunteer drivers went out, his hand had never gone up so quickly.  But this was not just about sandpit play on a grand scale.  This was serious work.  The machines were there to dig out the areas around the three bases, home plate, and the pitchers' mound on the new field, so that several enormous piles of sand and gravel could be poured in.  Marty Cullen, Lee Manning and Dave Westfallen took turns at the controls, taking strides towards turning one small patch of Hemel Hempsted from plain old grass, to a magical baseball diamond.  The germ of the idea was planted years ago; the turf was laid last autumn in a blaze of wet weather glory; and in just a matter of weeks, it should be hosting Herts games. The second field will give the club the room it needs to run four adult teams, as well as a burgeoning Little League project, throughout 2010 and for many years to come.

Over on the original field, the work was less dramatic but no less important. The grass had to be edged neatly, the new Redgra spread evenly, and the mound repaired lovingly, so that it can remain a Hertfordshire landmark. Baseball fields are rare enough in the UK — a field with a full, cut-out infield is even more rare, and with a bit of maintenance it can be a thing of beauty. So Greg Bochan, Mark Hoffman and Phil Hynes were among those who helped it become reality. They used the more mundane tools of shovel and wheelbarrow to five the field a facelift. In the course of the day, more than two dozen baseball  stars put in their time as volunteer groundsmen. This has been the scene of many Herts triumphs — let's hope it can be even better looking when the next triumph comes around.

by AspiDimitrov

BBF ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH THE #1 BASEBALL BRAND IN THE WORLD

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

LONDON (11 February 2010) – The British Baseball Federation (BBF) has signed a contract which confirms Rawlings as the official ball of British Baseball. Six major baseball suppliers were invited to take part in the bidding process. All of them submitted very competitive offers and Rawlings were confirmed as the winner. The contract will run until December 2010.

Rawlings is the number one baseball brand in the world and has been setting the trend in baseball technology since its establishment in 1887. It is because of Rawlings’ dedication to baseball that the “Annual Rawlings Gold Glove Award” bears the name of Rawlings. The Rawlings Gold Glove Award has been presented to players for fielding excellence since 1957. Rawlings sponsors more than half of the current MLB Players. Among them are the world’s biggest baseball stars who are also some of the best paid athletes on the planet. This includes players like Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols (pictured), Derek Jeter, Jose Reyes, Chase Utley and many others.

The Rawlings ROLB model will be designated as the official ball of the National Baseball League (NBL). It features the revolutionary Extra Innings Technology™ (EIT). The patented polymer layer repels moisture, both liquid and vapour, which improves performance and makes it longer lasting compared to traditional baseball technology.

The ROLB1 model will be the official ball of British Baseball’s Minor Leagues (Triple-A, Double-AA and Single-A Leagues) and the Under-16 League. The BBF will also recommend the ROLB1 ball for its Under-13 Competitions.

“It is a tremendous boost for British Baseball to be starting this partnership with the world’s number one baseball brand. The contract represents great value for our member clubs and we look forward to working closely with Rawlings to ensure that they too benefit from this partnership,” said a BBF spokesperson. This news comes just weeks after the BBF announced impressive growth in the number of teams joining the British Baseball leagues which was followed by the news that the National Baseball League will be expanding in 2010.

“Rawlings is looking forward to working with the British Baseball Federation and the Baseball and Softball Shop to bring the latest baseball products, innovations, and technologies to the UK,” said Ralph Robert, Rawlings Director of International Sales. “The BBF is continually working to expand their organization and remain dedicated to promoting Rawlings as the leading baseball supplier in the world.”

The official ball will be supplied to British Baseball clubs by Rawlings’ distributor for the United Kingdom, The Baseball and Softball Shop Ltd. They are one of the largest suppliers of baseball and softball equipment in the UK. Apart from supplying the Rawlings balls for official BBF competitions, British baseball clubs and players can also count on the widest range of Rawlings products including fielding and batting gloves, bats, apparel and footwear, field equipment and more. The Baseball and Softball Shop will be able to offer absolutely any Rawlings product to its customers around the UK. This contract confirms them as BBF’s preferred baseball equipment supplier. Information on how to buy Rawlings products can be found on www.baseballandsoftball.co.uk

by AspiDimitrov

BASEBALL TEAMS GEAR UP FOR HERTS SPRING LEAGUE

Fans of Major League Baseball suffer over the long winter season but with Spring just around the corner everyone is getting an uplifting feeling that the start of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues will signal the return of baseball. British Baseball is no different and over the last three years teams in Southern England have had their very own Grapefruit League to look forward to.

Organised by Herts Baseball Club, the Herts Spring League (HSL) adds a competitive edge to Spring training. The HSL is the time for managers to work out their winning formula going into the BBF league season. It is an opportunity to evaluate existing and newly recruited players. Which players will earn a spot in the pitching rotation and who will be batting where in the batting order? Who will make the first team and who will have to work their way up with the minor league teams? Not forgetting scouting your opponents. These are just some of the questions which will have to be answered during the upcoming HSL.

This is the third year of the competition and it is expected to be the best yet. In the first year of the HSL in 2008 ten teams took part. In 2009 due to overwhelming demand, the league had to expand. 13 teams played 21 games over three weekends at three different venues – Grovehill Ballpark in Herts, Ham Ground in Richmond and the £100,000 purpose-built baseball facility in Harlow. In fact demand was so high that two other teams had to be turned away as there simply were not enough fields to stage all the games.

The 2010 HSL will be played over three weekends commencing on Saturday, 27 March and ending on Sunday, 11 April. Teams will be placed in two divisions, HSL Majors and HSL Minors, based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. HSL Majors is expected to include BBF teams from the National and AAA Leagues, while HSL Minors is expected to include BBF teams from AA and Single-A.

Last year the HSL Champions were the Bracknell Blazers and they went on to become the 2009 British National Baseball League Champions, so the more superstitious teams in the league will have an extra incentive to win the HSL this time around.

 

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES TO THE HSL: Monday 15 February 2010.

 

Teams are currently submitting their entries for this year’s Herts Spring League. For more details on how to enter and a copy of the 2010 HSL Pack contact Herts Baseball Club.

by AspiDimitrov

THE SNOW IS GONE. HERTS BASEBALL PLAYERS REPORT FOR SPRING TRAINING

This Sunday, the Herts adult teams reported for training for the first time in 2010.  Over the next nine weeks the players will be going through the process of regaining their physical fitness, restoring their arm strength and conditioning their bodies.  Every imaginable aspect of baseball will be covered to get the players ready for fielding, hitting, pitching, base-running and performing at their optimum level in their respective positions. 

 

After this, the teams will play their first games of the year in the Herts Spring League (HSL), which is the British equivalent of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in America.  The HSL is played over three weekends starting on 27 March and ending on 11 April.  This is the last chance for the British Baseball teams to fine-tune their game plans before the 2010 British Baseball League season commences.

 

Spring Training always brings the excitement of meeting the new players who will be wearing the Herts jersey in the coming season and it was pleasing to see that around twenty five percent of the players in this first training session of the new season were newly recruited members, so even at this early stage it seems as though Herts will have strength in depth going into the 2010 season. 

 

New players are able to join Herts Baseball Club at any time.  The Club welcomes new players regardless of their baseball abilities and experience – from complete beginners to experienced ball players.  Male and female players aged 14 or above are eligible to play in the British Adult Baseball League, while boys and girls aged between 5 and 16 have the opportunity to join the Herts youth programme and play as part of the exciting Herts Baseball Little League.  For more details contact Herts Baseball Club.

 

This Sunday’s session was held at the John F Kennedy School in Hemel Hempstead and, as soon as the weather becomes suitable, the players will be returning to Grovehill Ballpark, which has undergone significant developments since the end of the 2009 season, including the resurfacing of the second diamond and the installation of the backstop (pictured above).  These projects were made possible thanks to the support of Dacorum Borough Council, the Dacorum Sports Network, BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), as well as other supporters of the club, including its many youth and adult members.

 

Click here for more images from Grovehill Ballpark.