Richmond clinched the 2011 Herts Spring League Championship in the Majors Division, while the Milton Keynes Bucks were crowned Champions of the Minors Division.

Twenty teams played 46 games over the last three weekends as part of the annual Herts Spring League competition. This was the final rehearsal for the teams from the British baseball leagues before the start of the new baseball season.

Over the years the teams have become accustomed to the unpredictable weather during this Spring competition, but this year, and this weekend in particular, the games were played in weather conditions which we can expect only in the height of summer.  Temperatures were as high as 23^oC and the barbeques were out in force around Grovehill Ballpark in Herts.

Once the first pitch was thrown it was all about the baseball and we were not disappointed.  Both the Majors and Minors Finals were decided by a one-run difference and everyone was kept on the edge of their seat right to the end. 

In the Majors Division the Richmond Flames clashed with the newly formed Southern Nationals.  At the end, the 2010 National Champions, Richmond, came out on top with a dramatic 6-5 win.

In the Minors Division Final, we saw a repeat of the 2010 Single-A National Final between the Milton Keynes Bucks and the Guildford Mavericks.  The game was played at exactly the same venue in Hemel Hempstead and again turned out to be a classic match-up.  The MK Bucks were once again victorious, but it took everything they had in their tank to win 11-10.

The remaining teams in the competition also played their final games.  Herts Falcons, Lakenheath Diamondbacks and Mildenhall Bulldogs played in a three-way playoff to determine the Bronze medallists in the HSL Majors.  Each team won one and lost one so it came down to who conceded the fewest number of runs in these games.  On the basis of that rule Mildenhall was confirmed as the winner of the 3^rd Place Playoff.  Lakenheath finished fourth and the Herts Falcons fifth.  Bracknell finished 6^th. Essex Arrows secured 7^th Place after an impressive 11-8 win against their old rivals, the Southampton Mustangs.  The Sidewinders beat the Herts Hawks 10-4 to finish fifth in the HSL Minors.  Ahead of their first season back in the British baseball leagues, the Cambridge Royals won convincingly against the Leicester Blue Sox. Finally, despite a late fight back by the Herts Raptors, the London Marauders came out on top 13-10.

All attention now turns to next Sunday’s Opening Day of the 2011 British baseball season.  If the Herts Spring League is an indication of what we can expect this year then we are in for one of the most exciting seasons in recent times.

For full details of the scores in the final weekend of HSL action visit the official HSL website.

The group stage of the 2011 Herts Spring League was completed in dramatic fashion at the weekend with battles for positions in both the Majors and Minors Divisions. 

In Majors A Richmond clinched first place after maintaining their unbeaten record with wins over Southampton (5-0) and Herts (1-0).  Herts Falcons’ 18-2 win over the RedBacks secured second place for them.  The Bracknell Blazers finished in third place despite a catastrophic last inning collapse against the RedBacks.  The boys from Essex were trailing 6-0 going into the last inning but came out like mad men with their baseball bats in the bottom of the inning to win 7-6.  Bracknell bounced back with a 4-1 win over Southampton. 

Richmond’s opponents in the HSL Championship game required a careful mathematical calculation as three teams in Majors B Division ended up with the same number of wins.  Ultimately the Southern Nationals clinched on the second tie-break rule which states that the team which has conceded the fewest number of runs in the direct games amongst the tied teams will be placed first. 

In the Minors Division the Championship game will be between the Guildford Mavericks and the MK Bucks, after both won all of their group games.  This would be a repeat of the 2010 Single-A National Final when the two teams produced an classic pitchers’ duel. 

For full list of scores from the group stage and the final group standings you can visit the official HSL website. 

This sets up an exciting schedule for the Finals this weekend with games taking place at Richmond and Herts.  Ideally, the Final would be played at Herts but by virtue of Richmond being scheduled to host games at their field this weekend it was logistically difficult to stage the Final anywhere else. 

Before the battle – Herts and Southampton clash in the HSL Majors (Group A) 

Baseball returned to ballparks around the South East with the start of the 2011 Herts Spring League (HSL).  18 games were played at Herts, RAF Feltwell and Richmond. 

MAJORS (GROUP A) 

First up were the teams in the HSL Majors Group A and the most eagerly awaited game was 2010 National Championship rematch between Bracknell and Richmond.  The Flames came out on top once again and the 11-2 score line was strangely similar to last year’s 10-1 win. There were several new faces in the Richmond line-up and it looks like they will be very valuable additions to the Richmond roster this year.  Earlier on Saturday Richmond picked up another convincing win against the Essex RedBacks. 

Another team to get off to a perfect start in the Majors Group A are the Herts Falcons.  The HSL hosts started their Spring Training campaign with an 8-4 win against the Southampton Mustangs and followed that up with an 11-9 come-from-behind triumph over the Bracknell Blazers.  With Richmond and Herts going into the final group games with a 100% record it sets up an exciting prospect of the group being decided in the direct game between the two teams at 5pm next Sunday, 3 April 2011, at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The other teams, and Southampton in particular, are not out of the race and they may have something to say about that. 

MAJORS (GROUP B) 

The Southern Nationals who earlier this week were confirmed as one of two new NBL teams for 2011 had a dream start in the HSL with two wins.  They first overcame the GB Juniors National Team by a score of 10-0.  They followed that up with another shut-out win over the Mildenhall Bulldogs, but this time it was a much closer encounter decided by one run.  The GB Juniors were then involved in a real pitchers’ duel with the Essex Arrows, which the Arrows won 1-0.  Richard Chesterton driving in the winning run.  All the games in Group B of the HSL Majors were played at RAF Feltwell which is the home of the Mildenhall Bulldogs and the Lakenheath Diamondbacks, the latter also being confirmed as an NBL expansion team for the upcoming season.  These two teams faced each other on Sunday but the game ended in a 5-5 tie.  This will certainly be an interesting rivalry to follow in this year’s NBL. 

MINORS (GROUP A) 

The Sidewinders swept their opponents aside in style.  They first took care of the Richmond Knights with a 24-2 win and followed it with a 23-2 victory over the London Marauders. Earlier in the day Guildford beat the Knights in a thrilling 7-6 ballgame. This would suggest that the race for first place in this group is between the Sidewinders and the Guildford Mavericks, but Sidewinders are expecting to be missing many of their players in week two which may open the door for all the other teams to get back in the race. 

Essex RedBacks running over the Leicester Blue Sox on Sunday 

MINORS (GROUP B) 

Group B in the Minors section of the HSL got off to a great start with a very high quality game between the Milton Keynes Bucks and the hosts Herts Hawks.  This was a rare encounter between AA Midlands and AA South teams which was a good opportunity to see how these two regions compare.  The Bucks took an early 2-0 lead but the Hawks were always in contention.  Thanks to good pitching and defence by both teams, this was a fast-moving and crisp game of baseball.  The Hawks mounted a come back with two runs in the late innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Bucks won it 3-2 with a 6-inning game completed within one hour and thirty five minutes, which is unusually fast for a AA game. 

MK Bucks maintained their perfect record with a 8-0 win over last year’s HSL Minors winners, the Leicester Blue Sox.  This group remains nicely poised after the Essex RedBacks’ minor league affiliate also ended the day with two wins and no losses.  Their first win was against Leicester and the second against the Herts Raptors who made an incredible came back from 15-5 down in the final inning to take a 16-15 lead, but in the bottom of the final inning the RedBacks struck back driving in the winning run on a sacrifice fly to right field with one out. 

The HSL action continues next weekend with the final group games taking place at the ballparks in Herts, Essex and Richmond.  For full details visit the official HSL website. 

The biggest pre-season baseball tournament in Britain is back. Commencing on 26 March, the Herts Spring League will see a record 20 teams travel from as far afield as Leicester and Southampton to hone their skills and compete for the title. Organised by 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.

THE TEAMS

As in previous years, teams from the British NBL, AAA, AA and A Leagues will be placed in the Majors and Minors Divisions, based on the team rankings going in to the new season.  This time around, the HSL will also feature the Great Britain Juniors National Team as they prepare for the international schedule in 2011.  They will face NBL opposition throughout so it will be a beneficial competition for Will Lintern’s men.

Bracknell has dominated the HSL winning the Majors Division two years in a row.  Will any of their opponents manage to dethrone them this year?  They open the 2011 HSL with a mouth-watering clash against the Richmond Flames in a repeat of the 2010 National Baseball Championship Final.  The HSL Majors division is packed with teams of the highest calibre including most of the NBL teams.  This includes the Lakenheath Diamondbacks and the Southern Nationals which the BBF is expected to add to the ever-expanding National Baseball League (NBL).  Similar to the Mildenhall Bulldogs, the Lakenheath Diamondbacks are made up predominantly of US air force personnel stationed in East Anglia so they are expected to be a very tough opponent. 

The HSL Minors will once again see some off the best teams from the British AA and A Leagues and, as always, it will be fascinating to see how teams from the Midlands will fare against their Southern counterparts.  The Leicester Blue Sox won it last year in a dramatic final against the Sidewinders and they are back to defend their title.  There will be two new teams in the Minors groups – the Cambridge Royals who were recently resurrected and will enter the British Leagues this season as well as a second Essex RedBacks team who are proving themselves as a fast-growing force in British Baseball.

With so many teams entering this year the Majors and Minors are divided into several groups and at the end of the group stage the teams will go head to head in the HSL Finals to determine the overall standings and the 2011 HSL Champions. 

THE VENUES

The action will be spread across three weekends – starting on Saturday, 26 March and ending on Sunday, 10 April – and at four excellent venues, Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Ham Ground in Richmond, Townmead Field in Essex and RAF Feltwell which is the home of the Lakenheath Diamondbacks. 

Herts Baseball President, Aspi Dimitrov was delighted with the surge in interest: “We have once again broken the previous year’s record with 20 teams entering the HSL, but Herts Baseball Club would not have been able to satisfy this demand without the other organisation who have so generously agreed to host HSL events at their own ballparks. Richmond, Lakenheath and Essex have been so supportive and professional over the last few months and our club is very grateful to them.”

GET THE KIDS INTO THE GAME

The HSL may be a tournament for adult players (14 and over), but Herts Baseball Club will be looking to get the youngsters involved as well. Saturday, 26 March will be an Open Day for boys and girls aged between 6 and 16 who may be interested to give baseball a try.  They will be able to join in with the other players from the Herts youth teams for an intensive and fun day of baseball.

It will start at 10:30am at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (click for map and directions) and is absolutely free and open to everyone. Baseball equipment will be provided.  After play the youngsters and their parents can stay and enjoy baseball of the highest quality including the Herts Falcons vs Southampton Mustangs and the British Champions, Richmond Flames vs Bracknell Blazers. 

If the event has to be postponed due to rain, this will be announced on the Herts baseball Club website. If in doubt, contact the club or check the website before you set out for the Ballpark.

EXCITEMENT BUILDING UP

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.

The opening weekend will feature games at Herts, Richmond and RAF Feltwell. For a full games schedule and other HSL details please visit the official HSL website .