Category: Youth Leagues

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

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUERS START PREPARATIONS FOR 2010 BASEBALL SEASON

 

 

 

After the long cold winter the Herts Baseball Little League players returned to the ballpark for the first Spring Training session in preparation for the 2010 season. Apart from returning members, the Herts Little League welcomed many newcomers and all the signs indicate that this will be another great Little league season in Hertfordshire.

As usual at this time of the year the coaches put the players through their paces with a selection of drills focusing on the fundamentals of baseball. There was even time for a quick game and the coaches of the teams were some of the more experienced Little Leaguers. Some of them may be just 11 or 12 years of age, but they certainly sent a message to the Little League coaches who appeared very concerned about their job security.

The Herts Baseball Little League will be announcing more details about the 2010 season shortly.

 

FINAL TOUCHES – SECOND DIAMOND READY FOR BASEBALL

 

While the Little Leaguers were going through their pre-season preparations on the main diamond, Herts Baseball members were fine-tuning the second diamond. With the pitching mound built to MLB specifications and the anchors for the basis firmly in place, the field is now ready for baseball. The most valuable volunteers (MVVs) of the day were Tom Green, Greg Bochan, Marc Martinez, Lawrence Green and Kal Dimitrov.

The first official game which will be played on the second diamond is expected to be a Herts Little League game, while the first adult league games will take place on 23 May when the Herts Hawks play against the Sidewinders and the Herts Raptors take on Tonbridge.

 

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

SAM DEMPSTER ELECTED TO THE WHITBY SPORTS HALL OF FAME

MLB Envoy Sam Dempster, will be an inductee to the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame in Canada on April 24.  Over the years the members of Herts Baseball Club, young and old, have had the privilege to work with Coach Dempster and he has become a part of the Herts Baseball Family.  Herts is in a very good position to know exactly why Sam Dempster is being elected to the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame.

Herts Baseball Club congratulates Coach Dempster and is grateful for his incredible contribution to the club’s growth and success.

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

 


MLB Envoy Coach Sam Dempster has been coming to the UK as a Major League Baseball Envoy since the summer of 2004, and after each summer spent teaching the British baseball community the “Dempster” way of doing things, Sam has returned to Canada to resume as Head Baseball Coach at Durham College in Ontario.

But on April 24, Coach Dempster will receive a signal honour: induction to the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame at the college.

Deserving Candidate

“Sam is truly deserving of this honour,” said Ken Babcock, Durham College Athletic Director. “His involvement with baseball on many different levels for the past 30 years is extraordinary. From youth minor ball, to his key role in the birth of high school baseball in the Durham Region, to his stellar career as head coach of the Durham College varsity baseball programme to his work as a Major League Baseball scout and also worldwide ambassador for Major League Baseball’s International Envoy programme, Sam has impacted thousands world wide. I can’t say enough about Sam Dempster as a person. He is simply one of the special ones.”

BSUK Regional Coach and GB Cadet Head Coach Will Lintern said, “The ‘Dempster Way’ can best be summarised by the quote he often puts at the end of his emails: ‘If you want to leave footprints in the sand, wear work boots’. Sam Dempster has been an absolute work horse, travelling the length and breadth of the UK to coach kids and adults of all abilities. Many clubs have benefited from the experience and knowledge that Sam has imparted on the baseball field, but no group of players have learned more about the game of baseball than those who have played on the Great Britain Cadet National Team.”

Since Will Lintern became Cadet Head Coach in 2008, Sam Dempster has been one of the team’s assistant coaches at two European Qualifier Tournaments where GB placed second and fifth and has instructed at numerous Cadet camps and practices.

In Canada, Sam Dempster has been the only coach that the Durham College men’s baseball programme has ever known. For the last 18 seasons as Head Coach of the Lords, Dempster has been instrumental in guiding the programme to its current level of excellence.

The team has only had one losing season in those 18 years, and since 1995, the team has qualified for the Ontario Championship finals in all but one year, while Dempster has gone on to compile an impressive overall record of 257-177 and a conference record of 169-108.

The Lords have won the CIBA Ontario Conference championship five times, including four straight wins from 2005 to 2008. Durham’s first conference championship came in 1999.

MLB Award

In January of 2007, Sam Dempster was awarded the Julio Puente Envoy International Coach Award by Major League Baseball at the American Baseball Coaches Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. The prestigious award is presented by MLB for unselfish, dedicated and passionate work in growing the game of baseball.

In addition to his lead role at Durham and his summer work in the UK, Coach Dempster is also an associate Canadian scout for Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and was previously a scout for the New York Yankees. He has also co-organised the Ontario Best Ever Clinic for many years and has assisted the Team Ontario programme both north and south of the border.

Back to Britain

This summer, Sam Dempster will return to his role as an assistant role with the GB Cadet National Baseball Team, helping to deliver an enhanced regional practice schedule. The plan is for Sam to run one regional practice in the North and one in the South each week for both the Junior and Cadet teams ahead of their respective European Qualifying tournaments.

Will Lintern said: “Having Sam on the coaching staff is not only a great asset, because I know he will push both the players and the other coaches to excellence, but it also a tremendous privilege and honour to work with a coach of his calibre.”

 

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

HERTS BASEBALL AWARDED £500 GRANT FOR COACH EDUCATION

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a £500 coach education grant by the Hertfordshire Community Foundation.  This is the first funding secured by the club for the purposes of training new Herts coaches.

The award will pay for a two-day Level 1 coach education course run by BaseballSoftballUK (BSUK), the national development agency for British baseball.  The Foundation grant will enable eight club members to attend the training programme, undertake a practical assessment and, if successful, earn their entry-level national coaching certification as “Assistant Baseball Coaches”.

Five of the Herts candidates will work directly with the Herts Little League.  David Baird, Carlos Casal, Tim Elkins, Matt Johnston and Marc Martinez will form a significant portion of the 2010 coaching staff for the Herts youth programme.  They will instruct Little League practices, manage and assistant manage squads on game days, and spend time coaching in local area schools and helping the club to build rapport with other youth sport outlets.

The other three Herts attendees are coaches in the adult programme.  Andy Cornish (2009 Hitting Coach) will be joined by newly-elected managers Chris Barnes (AAA Eagles) and Kennet Pike (A Raptors).

Herts Baseball Club is hosting the BSUK-taught course at a local school on Saturday 13 and Saturday 27 February.  Part of the £500 in HCF monies will pay for the venue hire costs, while the rest will cover the course attendance fees for all eight coaches.

In a related development, the Herts adult and youth programme directors have also been awarded coach education bursaries for 2010.  Marty Cullen (Herts Little League Commissioner) and Jason Greenberg (Manager of the National League Falcons) are both completing a Level 3 baseball coach candidacy this spring.  Cullen has been tendered £150 by the Dacorum Community Trust toward his course fees, while Greenberg has received £135 from the CCPR-endorsed Torch Trophy Trust.  Level 3 is the highest tier of formal UK baseball training with course modules and assessments covering every aspect of the sport and spread out over six months' time; the Level 3 course fees total £275 per candidate.

“Herts Baseball Club would like to extend sincere gratitude to the Hertfordshire Community Foundation, the Dacorum Community Trust and the Torch Trophy Trust for their generous support,” said Greenberg.  “Since 2008, Herts Baseball has seen unprecedented growth as the Little League has expanded to include more than 100 children and the adult programme has more than doubled in size, now with a team in each league of the British Baseball Federation.  Coach education is a major goal for our club in 2010, and these grants allow ten coaches to expand their credentials and knowledge base at very little personal expense.  It is – in a word – fantastic.”

The increased number of certified coaches should allow Herts Baseball Club to finalise their ClubMark accreditation, unlocking further opportunities to fundraise and recruit new players.

Hertfordshire Community Foundation exists to tackle deprivation in Hertfordshire and beyond.  It is currently the largest non-statutory grant giver into the county and in the last year (2008/09) has awarded more than £1 million in grants to charities and community groups.  The HCF £500 fund was part of the Comic Relief scheme, which endeavours to enable local people to create lasting change in their communities.

The Dacorum Community Trust is a charity dedicated to helping those most in need within the Dacorum area, by managing and distributing money it raises locally from individuals, companies and organisations.  The Trust was officially launched in 1976.  It was one of the first Community Trusts to be set up giving advice and support to other Community Trusts who have been set up all over the country.

The Torch Trophy Trust has its origins in the 1948 Olympics held in London. Before every Olympic Games a torch relay is organised from Athens to the Host City. Following the 1948 Games, the Torch designed for the last leg of the Relay into Wembley Stadium was presented to the Trust.  TTT provides small Bursaries to assist volunteers in sport and presents Awards to individuals who have been identified as making an outstanding contribution as a volunteer in their chosen sport.

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

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE. 2009 HONOURS ANNOUNCED

Saturday’s Herts Futures Tournament drew the second season of the Herts Baseball Little League to a close. 

 

It seems only a few weeks ago that the young Herts players reported for Spring Training at Northwick Park’s baseball batting tunnels.  Many new families joined the Herts Baseball family and the League grew from 4 teams last year to 6 teams this time around.  The standard of baseball being played increased tremendously.  The fans had the opportunity to see many home runs, terrific pitching, amazing plays, including a triple play, and much much more.  This was the year when a Herts Little Leaguer made his debut with the Herts adult teams.  Many more will be doing the same in 2010.  The Herts Little League started to officially score its league games just like they do in MLB.  Grovehill Ballpark hosted its first ever international baseball game when the Herts Little Leaguers came up against the Irish Wolfhounds.  We all remember the nail-biting final day of the season when the Herts Yankees came back from 4-0 down to win the title with 6 runs in the final inning.  Thousands of hot dogs and doughnuts were sold as the Little League set a new fund-raising record.  All profits will be going into developing baseball facilities at Grovehill Ballpark to make future Little League seasons even better.

 

Herts made its first appearance in the British National Youth Championships.  Written off by every opponent and placed as the outsiders, the Herts All Stars had to play 6 must-win games to be confirmed as the best team in British baseball.  One wrong step and the team would have been eliminated.  They kept going, knocking 5 teams out on the way to the final.  And what an epic final it proved to be. 

 

What will 2010 bring?  Be a part of it and join the Herts Baseball Family.

 

2009 HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE AWARDS

 

OUTFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Storm Frisby, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Lewis Green, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Charlie Owens, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

James Wells, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

 

INFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Zachary Longboy,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Charlie Mayhew,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Adam White,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

Michelle Johnson,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

Alistair Baird,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cardinals

Tyler Sorters,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Giants

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Aaron Witter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Blue Jays

Jose Morillo,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Yankees

Brett Sorters,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Red Sox

Mitchell Procter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cubs

Lewis Auchterlounie,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cardinals

Gage Petar,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Giants

 

BATTING CHAMPION

Lewis Paterson, Batting Champion, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Batting Champion, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Batting Champion, Herts Red Sox

Adam Smith, Batting Champion, Herts Cubs

George Owens, Batting Champion, Herts Cardinals

Alexander Deacon, Batting Champion, Herts Giants

 

CY YOUNG

Nickolas Martinez, Cy Young Award, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Cy Young Award, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Cy Young Award, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, Cy Young Award, Herts Cubs

 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP)

Kieran Manning, MVP, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, MVP, Herts Yankees

Michael Davis, MVP, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, MVP, Herts Cubs

Jamie Brener, MVP, Herts Cardinals

Theo Longboy, MVP, Herts Giants

by AspiDimitrov

LONDON DO THE DOUBLE AT HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT


 


London’s two teams won the Bronco (U13) and Rookie (U10) Divisions at the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament sparking wild champagne celebrations.


 


This was the second year of the Herts Futures Tournament which organised by Herts Baseball Club, based in Hemel Hempstead.  The number of teams entering the event increased from 8 in 2008 to 10 teams this year and it brought record number of fans to Grovehill Ballpark.


 


MINORS DIVISION


The Minors Division (Under-10s) proved to be just as exciting.  In an effort to give sufficient playing time to the large number of Rookie players, the double-elimination tournament format, similar to that used at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year) was adopted.  The two Herts teams in this section battled hard but came just short against the well prepared teams from Horsham and London.


 


Arguably the best two games of the whole tournament were produced by the Horsham and London Rookie teams.  The first was won by Horsham 1-0, but in the all important Final it was London who managed to deliver the clutch hits to win the Trophy.


 


MINORS DIVISION















































DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Minors (G1)

Herts Jr Raptors

3

London Rookies

10


Minors (G2)

Horsham Rookies

10

Herts Jr Hawks

3


Minors (G3)

(Winner G2) Horsham

1

(Winner G1) London

0


Minors (G4)

(Loser G1) Herts Raptors

13

(Loser G2) Herts Hawks

7


Minors (G5)

(Winner G4) Herts Raptors

2

(Loser G3) London

9


Minors (Final)

(Winner G5) London

1

(Winner G3) Horsham

0


  


 


 


MAJORS DIVISION


In Group 1 of the Majors Division (Under-13) all three teams found themselves with identical win-loss records, with each team having one loss and one win in the group games.  This meant that the Tournament’s tie-break rule had to be applied and the team with the lowest number of runs conceded was declared the winner.  This was Bracknell with only 9 runs conceded while Brentwood and Herts finished second and third with 12 and 15 runs conceded respectfully.  This may have been really harsh on both Brentwood and Herts but this is the reality of Tournament baseball.  Every run counts and on this occasion Bracknell’s team came out on top.


 


 


 


 


 


MAJORS (GROUP 1) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Herts All Stars

4

Bracknell Blazers

9


Bracknell Blazers

4

Brentwood Bucks

5


Brentwood Bucks

6

Herts All Stars

8


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 1) STANDINGS


TEAM

W

L

%

F

A

RunDiff


Bracknell Blazers

1

1

0.500

13

9

4


Brentwood Stags

1

1

0.500

11

12

-1


Herts All Stars

1

1

0.500

12

15

-3


 


In Group 2 it all came down to the final game where Horsham and London met.  Having won their previous games against the Tonbridge Bobcats, they both knew that only a win can take them to the Final.  In dramatic fashion London came out on top 3-2.


 


MAJORS (GROUP 2) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


London Mets

11

Tonbridge Bobcats

7


Tonbridge Bobcats

1

Horsham All Stars

7


Horsham All Stars

2

London Mets

3


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 2) STANDINGS


TEAM

W

L

%

F

A

RunDiff.


London Mets

2

0

1.000

14

9

5


Horsham All Stars

1

1

0.500

9

4

5


Tonbridge Bobcats

0

2

0.000

8

18

-10


 


The tense battle in Group 1 seemed to have taken its toll on Bracknell and they found it difficult to compete against a hard hitting London team which kept putting runs on the board and won the Final convincingly.  Horsham won the Bronze Medal game against Brentwood, and Herts overcame Tonbridge to finish sixth overall, which seemed very harsh on them given the fact that they won two out of three games over the course of the day.


 


MAJORS (FINALS)





























DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Majors (5th/6th)

(G2-3rd Place) Tonbridge

7

(G1-3rd Place) Herts

10


Majors (3rd/4th)

(G1-2nd Place) Brentwood

4

(G2-2nd Place) Horsham

10


Majors (Final)

(G2-Winner) London

18

(G1-Winner) Bracknell

0


 


The event was part of Herts Baseball Club’s fundraising effort for the development of the best baseball facilities in the country at its ballpark in Hertfordshire.  It was supported by Herts Baseball Club’s fantastic partners Dacorum Borough Council, BSUK and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.


 


           


 


More images from the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament


(Opening – Presenting the teams)


(Minors Games)


(Majors 1st Games)


(Majors 3rd Games)


(Majors Finals)

by AspiDimitrov

A THIRD HERTS TEAM MAKES LATE ENTRY IN HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT


Due to high demand, one more team has been added to the Herts Futures Tournament lineup this Saturday, 26 September 2009.


 


 


There will now be a third Herts team which will be added to the Minors Division, where four teams will now play in a double-elimination format used at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and at the British National Baseball Championships (NBL and AAA).


 


This means that the number of teams in this year’s event will be ten, two more than last year.


 


The following is the updated schedule and tournament format.


 


 


 


 



MINORS













































































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT

11:00

Field3

Minors(Game1)

Herts Jr Raptors

 

London Rookies

 

1hr timed

11:00

Field4

Minors(Game2)

Horsham Rookies

 

Herts Jr Hawks

 

1hr timed

12:15

Field3

Minors(Game3)

Winner (Game 2)

 

Winner (Game 1)

 

1hr timed

12:15

Field4

Minors(Game4)

Loser (Game 1)

 

Loser (Game 2)

 

1hr timed

13:30

Field3

Minors(Game5)

Winner (Game 4)

 

Loser (Game 3)

 

1hr timed

15:00

Field3

Minors(Final)

Winner (Game 5)

 

Winner (Game 3)

 

1hr timed

 


MAJORS (GROUP 1)














































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT

11:00

Field1

Majors (G1)

Herts All Stars

 

Bracknell Blazers

 

1hr timed

12:15

Field1

Majors (G1)

Bracknell Blazers

 

Brentwood Bucks

 

1hr timed

13:30

Field1

Majors (G1)

Brentwood Bucks

 

Herts All Stars

 

1hr timed

MAJORS (GROUP 2)














































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT

11:00

Field2

Majors (G2)

London Mets

 

Tonbridge Bobcats

 

1hr timed

12:15

Field2

Majors (G2)

Tonbridge Bobcats

 

Horsham All Stars

 

1hr timed

13:30

Field2

Majors (G2)

Horsham All Stars

 

London Mets

 

1hr timed

MAJORS – FINALS














































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT

15:00

Field4

Majors-5th/6th

Group2 (3rd Place)

 

Group1 (3rd Place)

 

1hr timed

15:00

Field2

Majors-3rd/4th

Group1 (2ndPlace)

 

Group2 (2nd Place)

 

1hr timed

15:00

Field1

Majors-Final

Group2 (Winner)

 

Group1 (Winner)

 

1hr30min

Directions to Grovehill Ballpark


For more information about playing baseball with the Herts youth and adult teams go to www.hertsbaseball.com and contact Herts Baseball Club.