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.

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 Cambridge infield came in and their outfielders played shallow. Up stepped Rod Naghar and he quickly worked a 2-2 count. On the next pitch, Naghar drilled a line-drive between the Cambridge pitcher and 2nd baseman enabling Martillo to score the winning run easily. Crossing the plate also gave Martillo his second win of the season (2-1).

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 Richmond to face the Riverdogs for the third and final time this season.

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. Richmond added a run in their half of the inning.

The Falcons added another run in the 7th. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Richmond finally started to get at Raybould who had pitched the whole game and was now tiring in the heat. Although they were losing 29 – 2, the Riverdogs fought to the end and some good hitting helped them score 5 more runs. Davies ended the game by fielding a hard hit ground ball and throwing the runner out at first base.

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.

In Division One the success story of the Falcons’ second team continued with a win at the Brentwood Stags 13-7. Another solid performance by Paul Raybould on the mound to pick up his fourth win of the season. This is the team’s third consecutive win, which keeps them in third place and in touch with second placed Havering.

League action resumes on 17 July when Falcons 2 take on the Richmond Riverdogs.

Following last weekend's heroic come-back, the Herts Falcons' second team met the Richmond Riverdogs, who before the start of the day were bottom in the Division 1 (South-North) table with a record of 9 loses and no wins. The game turned out to be anything but a foregone conclusion, the visitors from Richmond came out determined to end their winless record this year and took an early 7-2 lead. A good fight back from the Falcons put them right back in the game, only to lose momentum in the 6th and 7th inning when the Riverdogs delivered hammer blows to take a 22-17 lead.

However, for a second week running Falcons 2 showed great courage to come back and win the game in the bottom of the 9th (23-22). Pitcher, Paul Raybould, was awarded the Win after some solid work as a reliever in the final 2 innings. The winning run was driven in by 14 year old Short Stop, Peter Kikel who has been a revolution in his rookie year for the club.

Falcons 2 take a well deserved break next Sunday, 26th June, so the attention turns to Falcons who play a double header at home against the Cityslick Sidewinders in a 'must win' relegation battle, in the prestigious British Baseball Premier League.

The fans who attended this game received great value for money in a game that had everything – big hits, great fielding and pitching, heated arguments, an ejection, and a fantastic come-back that can easily compare to Liverpool's heroics in the UEFA Champions' League just a few weeks ago.

Falcons 2 looked dead and buried, trailing 14-3 in the 6th inning.

Nothing seemed to be going right for the team as the visitors from Brentwood started their premature celebrations in the 6th inning.

That seemed to fire up the Falcons as they produced one of the best come-backs in Falcons' history, winning the game 20-16.

The team is now in 3rd place in the standings and will welcome the Richmond Riverdogs at home next Sunday 19th June

Falcons 2nd team again came up short against a strong Havering team, whom they had lost to on the opening day of the season. They went down 33 – 10 at home, but look to gain another win next week as they travel to local rivals Essex Arrows.

Falcons 2^nd team again came up short against a strong Havering team, whom they had lost to on the opening day of the season. They went down 33 – 10 at home, but look to gain another win next week as they travel to local rivals Essex Arrows.