“Opening Day” in the BBF leagues in 2025 has been more of a marathon than a sprint. But all 7 of the Herts adult teams are now on the track, and are up and running.
The last of them to taste action were the Herts Hawks in Double-A, this past weekend. They were quick out of the blocks with a sweep of their double-header against the Oxford Kings. Lee Manning got the 5-4 win in extras in Game 1, after Ken Pike scattered 5 hits and struck out 4 in his 6+ innings.
Young GB star Ben Peters got the W in a more comfortable 11-5 win in Game 2. He was backed up by 3 RBIs from another bright talent, Seb Greenberg – who had scored the winning run in the first game. The Hawks have a blend of youth and experience which could deliver big things.
Perhaps the biggest drama of the weekend was the Herts Harriers, also in Double-A, getting their second win of the year with an astonishing comeback against Latin Boys. Going into the final half inning of Game 2 they were down 16-6. After getting roughed up in Game 1, you might expect heads to drop. But a string of walks, and hits from Mike Cresswell and Natasha Romoff, set the stage for Lee Dunn to drive a walk-off single and set off cheers and even screaming among the fans.
The Herts Ravens got their first win of the season, taking Game 2 of their double-header at home to the Formosa Islanders. The Ravens had endured a baptism of fire in Double-A after moving up, taking on last year’s defeated finalists Richmond Dragons on back to back weekends. Now on a more level playing field, the Ravens battled in 2 games against the Formosa Islanders. Veteran Darrin Ward got the pitching W, while Sonam Lama keyed the offense, with 3 RBIs.
Herts Toucans, who have marked Herts’ return to the NBL after a year away, continued their solid season with a sweep away at the Croydon Pirates. Josh Marriott hit a home run in Game 2, to follow his triple in Game 1. The Toucans had kicked off their season – on actual Opening Day, three weeks ago – with a win over the Sheffield Bruins and currently stand 3-3. Masa Hasiguchi has 31 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched, and leads the league in both categories.
The last of our teams in action this past weekend were the Herts Raptors in Single-A. They travelled to Milton Keynes to face the Bucks, last year’s defeated finalists. The Raptors made a great showing against such a tough opponent, with 12-7 and 9-6 defeats. Abdul El Hamri gave a gutsy performance on the mound in the second game as he learns his pitching craft, striking out four — and he also got on base 4 times to help his own cause, and drove in 2 runs.
The Raptors had got their win in the bag a couple of weeks ago, taking their first game against the Herts Eagles. But in a happy bit of symmetry for the club, the Eagles then got their first win in the second half of the Herts derby double-header, 18-13. Boran Sahin was their star on that day, and the Eagles get to taste action again next week as they go to Milton Keynes.
Like the Eagles, the Herts Cardinals in Triple-A have also had a slow start to their 2025 schedule. They’ve had just the one fixture, a double-header against last year’s semi-finalists the London Metros. They suffered narrow defeats – including a 14-13 walkoff in Game 2. The Cardinals’ season doesn’t crank into real action until mid-May.