Author: AspiDimitrov
FALCONS RELEGATED AFTER DRAMATIC EXTRA INNING PLAYOFF LOSS
Burgess Hill Colts capped a successful season in the BBF Leagues with promotion to the Premier Division, the top division in British baseball outside of the National League. The Colts, who finished second in Division 1 South, beat Herts Falcons 13-12 in a breath-taking extra-innings playoff on Sunday, Sept 10. Burgess Hill will take the place of the Falcons’, who finished one off the bottom in Premier Division South.
The result will sweeten the end of the Colts’ season after they reached the final of the Division 1 Final 4 on Sept 3 but fell to Northampton in the last inning. This time it was Burgess Hill who stole the victory late on, coming from 10-6 down after six innings to tie it and go ahead 12-10 in the top of the ninth before Herts forced extra innings with two tying runs in the bottom of the inning. The Falcons had already mounted an early-innings fight-back to take an 8-5 lead after the fifth inning. In the bottom of the ninth they loaded the bases twice to bring the score to 12-12 with a couple of RBI singles but could not bring home the winning run.
In the top of the tenth, the Colts’ Gary Still singled in Steve Cull to go ahead again 13-12. With the pressure on, Herts’ Aspi Dimitrov got agressive, leading off with a single and stealing second, then third base, but his path home was cut short as the three batters following him struck out at the mercy of young Colt Gary Davison, who struck out a total of 16 across his complete-game showing.
The defeat and return to Division 1 baseball halts the rapid progress the Herts Falcons have made over the past couple of years. Dimitrov said, “It is a major setback for our club but we are determined to work our way back and come back stronger next year.”
The Colts, meanwhile, are enjoying a speedy climb in the manner which Herts have exhibited previously. When Herts won promotion to the Premier Division in 2004, not long after joining the BBF Leagues, Burgess Hill were only just putting together a senior team from their successful junior programme.
report courtesy of www.baseballsoftballuk.com
PLAYOFF FEVER HITS HERTFORDSHIRE
It is Playoff-time again in the British Baseball Premier League as the Herts Falcons host the Burgess Hill Colts in a massive one-game playoff to decide which team will play in the Premier League in 2007.
Burgess Hill earned their place in the playoffs by finishing as Runners-up in Division One South. They now have the chance to sink the Herts Falcons back into Division One just 2 years after the Hertfordshire club won promotion to the Premier League.
The Falcons know all about the Colts’ danger man, Great Britain National Team pitcher, Gary Davison, as he has already faced the Herts Falcons’ second team in Division One this season. In his three games against Herts Falcons 2 he had an ERA of 0.00 as well as 2 homeruns, 8 RBI, .750 batting average, 1.750 slugging %.
The Herts Falcons have their own Mr October in Jim Denison. He was voted as the Falcons’ Most Valuable Player in 2005 and represents a home run threat every time he steps into the batter’s box. All eyes will be on his duel with Gary Davison. Last year Jim Denison was the Premier League Home Run leader with 7 homers. This year he is yet to hit the ball out of the park so the law of averages suggests that he is due a big hit in this deciding play-off game and that would be perfect timing for the Falcons.
Davison and Denison are the big guns for the two clubs, but, as is often the case, it could be someone completely unexpected who could make all the difference and swing the game in their team’s favour.
Tha game takes place at 2:30pm on Sunday, 10 September 2006, at the home field of the Herts Falcons in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. For directions click on the link below:
DIRECTIONS: www.hertsfalcons.co.uk/field/field.html
The 2006 Playoffs continue on the following Sunday, 17 September 2006, once again in Hertfordshire as the Guildford Mavericks take on Herts Falcons2, this time in the Division One playoffs.
2006 KYLE HUNLOCK SERIES PREVIEW
The long awaited 2006 Kyle Hunlock Series gets under way this coming Sunday, 20 August. The Series will separate the men from the boys so the heat is very much on.
2006 has been a tough year for both Falcons 1 and Falcons 2, with regular season win-loss records of 5-15 and 2-9, respectively. The Kyle Series provides a perfect opportunity for both teams to settle a long-running dispute as to who is better, Falcons 1 or Falcons 2.
Both teams go into the weekend missing several of their key players. Falcons 2 will miss their ace pitcher Paul Raybould for most of the Series due to his departure to
For Falcons 1 Louie Hare is likely to miss the Series with a recurring knee injury while Jason Greenberg will miss Games 1 and 2 as he is currently in Seattle on his honeymoon, however sources close to Falcons 1 have reported that in fact he is on an undercover scouting mission recruiting players for 2007.
Tickets for the Series are selling like hot cakes, however fans will be disappointed to hear that they will not be able to enjoy the much-anticipated performance of the national anthem by rock star and Falcons 1 outfielder, Justin Fung. In an embarrassing blunder organisers have admitted that they did not take into account Justin Fung’s pre-scheduled live concert in
Another disappointment is the fact that the traditional pre-game air force fly-by has been scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise. Despite this the fans can look forward to some great baseball.
HERTS FALCONS’ KYLE HUNLOCK PASSES AWAY
With great sorrow the Hertfordshire Falcons Baseball Club announce the passing of Kyle Hunlock, 22. He passed away after sustaining serious injuries in a tragic industrial accident in
Kyle joined the Herts Falcons for the start of the 2005 season and played until the end of his studies at the
From the day he joined the club, Kyle became one of us and he will never be forgotten by those who knew him.
Kyle was a fantastic baseball player who played the game with great passion and commitment. In the short period of time which he spent in the
During the Herts Falcons league game at the Richmond Flames on
Apart from playing for the Falcons, Kyle was also a member of the
Kyle's number 36 Falcons shirt has been retired and will be passed on to his family at the service.
Our heartfelt sympathy and condolences go out to Kyle's family.
FALCON’S WINGS CLIPPED IN THE BATTLE OF THE BIRDS
The Herts Falcons 2 have been the surprise team of the British Baseball Federation Division 1 this season. A new team full of rookie players, they finished their first full season in 3rd place, winning 10 games and losing 5.
Sunday was the Falcons last game of the regular season and they entered the game with the same record as their opponents, the Havering Cardinals. The Cardinals had the psychological advantage having beaten the Falcons twice already this season but the Falcons were confident coming into the game with a 6-game winning streak.
Veteran pitcher Paul Raybould started on the mound for the Falcons but was quickly in trouble against a very aggressive Havering batting line-up. The young Cardinals team were also quick on the base paths and soon put four runs on the board.
In the Falconsst inning, Rod Naghar lead off with a base hit and soon Herts had the bases loaded with nobody out. Unfortunately, the Falcons could not capitalise and ended the inning with only one run.
Raybould continued to struggle in the 2nd inning. His usual hard-breaking curveball was hanging in the breeze and Havering took full advantage scoring another 4 runs. In the 4th, Raybould was replaced on the mound by the Falcons ace reliever Larry Martillo.
The Falcons closed the gap dramatically in their half of the 3rd inning. Kal Dimitrov lead off the inning with a base hit and moved to second base on Peter Kikel’s single to right field. Rob Jones then walked to load the bases. Rod Naghar then blasted a two-run double to left-centre followed by a two-RBI single from Ross Davies. Davies later scored on a double from Stuart Boast.
Martillo went on to pitch 4 strong innings and by the end of the 7th, Havering’s lead had been cut to 13-11. In the Falcons recent winning streak, one of the biggest improvements the team had made was in their fielding. Suddenly, in the 8th inning, their fielding fell to pieces and they committed 5 errors to let the Cardinals score 3 runs. Herts responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th.
Perhaps it was the tension or tiredness from a long, hot game but again the Falcons fielded badly in the 9th. Three more errors allowed Havering to extend their lead to 20-13 and that was the final score-line as the Cardinals shut-out the Falcons in the bottom of the 9th.
Of Havering’s 20 runs, only 10 were earned (runs scored that were not the result of a Falcons fielding error).
So the Falcons ended their season on a disappointing note and it also marked the final league game for Paul Raybould in a Falcons uniform. In addition, it was probably long-time Falcon Stuart Boast’s last ever game. Stu retired from the team last year with a serious knee injury but has made a few guest appearances this season. He’ll be undergoing an operation soon which could result in him not being able to play again.
On the positive side, many of the young new players have shown great improvements during the season and although finishing 3rd was a terrific achievement, the team will be looking to do better next year.
| PITCHING | BF | R | ER | IP | H | HR | SO | BB | IBB | WP | HB | BK | GS | GF | CG | W | L | SV |
| PAUL | 22 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| LARRY | 33 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 12 | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| BATTING | PB | AB | 1 | 2 | 3 | HR | SO | SH | SF | BB | HBP | OBE | FC | LOB | RBI | GWRBI | R | SB | CS |
| ROD | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 3 | 2 | – |
| ROSS D | 6 | 5 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 3 | 3 | – |
| PAUL | 5 | 3 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – |
| JASON | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| STUART | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| EDDIE | 6 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – |
| LARRY | 6 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – |
| KAL | 6 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 3 | 4 | – |
| PETER | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – |
| MARK | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ROB | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| ANDY | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – |
FALCONS 2 WIN A THRILLER AGAINST LEAGUE-LEADING MONARCHS
On the back of a four game winning streak, the Herts Falcons hosted league-leading Cambridge Monarchs on an unusually pleasant day in Hemel. Starting pitcher Paul Raybould (5-2) immediately gave up 2 runs in the 1st but the Falcons responded with 2 in their half thanks to a 2-RBI double by clean-up hitter Stuart Boast.
The game remained tight through the early innings with Boast adding another double and a 2-run RBI homer over the left field fence. The Falcons finally started to dominate and entered the top of the 7th with a 12-7 lead. At this point, reliever Larry Martillo took the mound.
The Falcons had a 16-11 lead going into the 9th and some clutch hitting by the Monarchs and a couple of fielding mis-cues allowed them to tie the game.
Martillo lead off the bottom of the 9th and got hit by the pitch. He went to 2nd base on a passed ball and then onto 3rd on a ground out by Rob Jones. With a runner on 3rd and one out, the
FALCONS DEVOUR THE RIVERDOGS
Less than a month ago, the Herts Falcons second team were given a fright by the Richmond Riverdogs but in an amazing comeback, managed to win 24 – 23 at the Falcons home ground in Hemel. On Sunday, the Falcons travelled to
Holidays and injuries meant the Falcons were down to 8 and a half players with starting pitcher Paul Raybould passing a pre-game fitness test but still hobbling on an injury he received to his right foot two weeks ago in Brentwood. In the blistering heat and on a rock hard field, the Falcons scored 2 runs in the top of the first inning. Shortstop Ross Davies started the game with a single to left field. Solid defence saw the Riverdogs go scoreless in their 1st inning.
Raybould helped his own cause with a solo home run over the right field fence to lead off the 3rd inning. By the end of 4 innings, the Falcons had a 6 – 0 lead. Again, some excellent fielding kept the Riverdogs from scoring.
The Falcons bats got as hot as the weather in the 5th and some clutch hitting by Eddie Serocinski, Dave Hamilton, and 14 year-old Peter Kikel helped the team to a 12 – 0 lead. The Riverdogs finally put a score on the board in the bottom of the 5th.
In the 6th, the Falcons went wild by scoring a massive 16 runs. Virtually everyone in the team collected a hit including Sean Young, Rob Jones and Jason Sarfi-Annin.
The Falcons added another run in the 7th. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th,
It was one of the Falcons best performances of the season both with the bat and in the field. Particular mention must go to catcher Kal Dimitrov who was faultless behind the plate, a regular base-runner throughout the game, and added his own brand of humour to a game played by both teams in good spirits.
Next Sunday the Falcons 2 are at home to the Havering Cardinals.