This article first appeared on www.telegraph.co.uk

 

The prince was given the honour usually reserved for presidents, politician and pop stars but did not disgrace himself despite his initial fears.

When asked how he felt before making his way to the pitcher’s mound the 25-year-old royal replied “don’t ask”, then joked “can I have a practice first?”.

 

Pointing towards his private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton he said: “He wants to bat against me.”

The prince appeared a little apprehensive when he finally walked out in front of the crowds and prepared to throw the ball to the catcher at the New York Mets’ Citi Field stadium in the suburb of Queens.

But he received a rapturous welcome from the near capacity audience of around 40,000 people who applauded and cheered as the prince was introduced.

He pointed at the Mets catcher Rod Barajas as if to warn him about the thunderbolt about to come his way.

Harry was wearing the local team’s blue baseball cap and a T-shirt supporting the Walking with the Wounded expedition.

The fundraising trek, which has Harry as its patron, will take a group of injured British servicemen on a gruelling trek to the North Pole next year.

The 25-year-old royal wound up his right hand to deliver the ball to Barajas, who was standing just behind home plate, and as he let go the pitch slammed into the sportsman’s glove and the crowd cheered wildly.

The prince took his cap off and wiped his brow in relief before running down the mound to shake hands with the catcher.

VIDEO: Click here to watch the Prince in action…Nice pitch! Atta boy Harry!

 

 

As advertised, the NBL Summer Classic turned out to be a true celebration of British Baseball. The event started at 10:00am and ended just as the sun was going down at 9:15pm. It had everything from home runs, strikeouts, spectacular plays and late inning drama, to hot dogs and the signing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the …ninth inning stretch.

HERTS RED SOX SETTING THE PACE

The Herts Little League teams opened the day. The Herts Yankees and the Herts Red Sox picked up convincing wins against the Herts Cubs (14-1) and Herts Cardinals (8-0), respectively. This set up a top of the table clash between the Red Sox and Yankees and the Red Sox came out on top 13-5. This means that they are now leading the league with the Yankees one game back on them, followed closely by the Cardinals in third after they beat the Cubs 9-0.

 

Click here to view full Little League report by reporter Tracey Manning

BLAZERS EXTEND WINNING STREAK

At the same time the National Baseball League action commenced on diamond 1. 2009 champions, Bracknell Blazers were the hot favourites to win the clash against the Croydon Pirates, but the team from South London had plans of their own. They kept fighting and it was only the loss of concentration at critical moments that cost them the game at the end. This was the tenth consecutive league win for the Blazers with a chance to move top of the table depending on the outcome of London’s evening game on diamond 2.

FALCONS SURVIVE LATE ARROWS ONSLAUGHT

The game between the hosts Herts and rivals Essex saw a record attendance for an adult league game in the history of Grovehill Ballpark. This was thanks to the loyal support from the Herts Little League families who had packed the spectator area on the first base side and it was their support right up until the bottom of the ninth inning that contributed to the win for the Falcons.

Before the start of the game the newly built second diamond was officially opened by Mike Penning, Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead, who was one of a the many supporters of the Grovehill Ballpark project. Others who supported the project include Dacorum Borough Council, Awards for All, BSUK, Sport England, PropertyLandeArchitercture, Royal Bank of Scotland and many others.

The ceremonial first pitch is usually thrown out by one or two celebrities. On this occasion there were 40 ceremonial first pitches and they were all thrown at the same time by 40 celebrities from the Herts Little League. The unlucky player who had the impossible task of catching all 40 balls at the same time was Falcons catcher, Andy Cornish. Ultimately he didn’t manage to catch any of them, which was not a good sign for Herts ahead of this vital league game.

The Falcons took a comfortable early lead. Kimiyoshi Saionji’s home run was followed by two home runs by Pete Kikel. Despite this the Arrows never lost hope and produced a sensational come back. Going into the ninth inning Essex were on the verge of claiming their first win of the season trailing 12-10 with runners on first and second base and the winning run at the plate. Richard Chesterton came through with the clutch hit. It went over the head of centerfielder Jamie Munn and all the way to the outfield wall. With the runner from first rounding third base and being waved home to tie up the game, the Herts Falcons needed to execute the relay perfectly, and they did. With a runner in scoring position the Falcons needed to get one more out and they ended the game in style, Pete Kikel striking out Lance Louw.

Click here for box scores and images from the Essex vs Herts game.

SOUTHAMPTON IMPRESSIVE WIN

Southampton Mustangs maintained their strong recent form by dispatching the slumping Mildenhall Bulldogs with ease in the day’s only one-sided victory. The majority of Mildenhall’s players work at the airbase in Cambridgeshire and their team was significantly weakened by the absence of the majority of their roster due to an emergency military exercise. Despite this Southampton did produce an impressive performance to pick up another good win.Chuck Druelson pitched the win, with Oscar Sierra clubbing a home run.

LONDON STILL TOP THE LEAGUE

The showpiece game of the day was the match-up between London and Richmond. A large crowd had gathered at the new diamond to watch this eagerly anticipated clash, and then the storm came resulting in a rain-delay. This did spoil the occasion slightly but when the game was restarted it did not affect the quality of baseball with both teams producing a real classic. The Londoners broke out early, cashing in on a number of Richmond errors. The Flames managed to claw their way back, only to fall just short. Jason Roberts claimed the win, pitching a complete game that required over 200 pitches, with Kyle Hickson adding a home run for the Mets.

 

For full NBL report and reaction from the teams click here.

Images from the NBL Summer Classic.

 

Presenter David Croft previews this Saturday's NBL Summer Classic on BBC London Radio.

 

This year, British Baseball is introducing several special events as part of the league schedule, and the first of these, the NBL Summer Classic, will take place this Saturday, June 5.

All eight teams from Britain’s top league will come to the same venue and each team will play one nine-inning game. Since these games are part of the league schedule, the outcomes could have a crucial effect on the race for the post-season.

The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark, the home of the Herts Falcons in Hemel Hempstead. The venue has undergone major building work in the last two years, and last month the club unveiled its brand new second diamond. As a result, Herts is now able to stage these large national events.

With this event taking place on a Saturday, it is rare opportunity for AAA, AA and Single-A league teams to make the trip to Herts for a day packed with top-quality baseball.

STARS OF THE FUTURE LEADING OFF

The day will begin at 10.00 am with youth league games involving the six Herts Little League teams.

Combining youth and adult league games as part of the same event is unusual in British Baseball, but it is expected to be an effective way to bring baseball communities together, increase attendances and make events more vibrant and enjoyable.

Bracknell (9-1) v Croydon (4-6) on Diamond One at 12:00

The NBL action starts at noon as the 2009 Champions Bracknell Blazers take on the Croydon Pirates. Bracknell goes into the game with an impressive nine-game winning streak. The resurgent Croydon Pirates split their doubleheader with the Herts Falcons last Sunday, which puts them in fourth place in the standings. Can they cause an upset against the Blazers?

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Maikel Azcuy (Croydon) leads the league in home runs after his grand slam on Sunday at Herts, his fifth home run of the season.

Brendan Cunliffe (Bracknell) has been an RBI-machine for the Blazers so far this year. He hits for average (BA .500) and for power (3HR and Slugging .929). He leads the league in RBIs (13).

 

 

Essex (0-10) v Herts (3-7) on Diamond Two at 13:45

Neighbours Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons will resume their long-standing rivalry on Saturday. Essex have been showing signs of revival and they will probably target their game against Herts as a perfect opportunity to record their first win of the season.

On Sunday, Herts returned home after a painful six-game road trip and ended their losing streak, coming back from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to win against Croydon.

Two of Herts’ key pitchers are on the disabled list and the question is whether those players who are healthy can keep the team in touch with the pack. Despite their bad starts, both teams are still in the running for playoff places, and they will be desperate to pick up a win on Saturday and put their seasons back on track.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jeon Sungwon (Essex) is tied for the lead for most base hits (15) so far this season in the NBL.

Luis Goncalves (Herts), a 16-year-old shortstop, has been phenomenal with both bat and glove in his second season in the NBL.

Southampton (4-8) v Mildenhall (4-6) on Diamond One at 15:30

Despite finding themselves second from bottom in the standings, the Southampton Mustangs have quietly been producing some very impressive performances against the top teams in the league. Saturday’s game against the Mildenhall Bulldogs is the first of five upcoming games which they will see as must-win to put them right back in the race for the post-season.

After winning their opening four games, Mildenhall have suffered six losses in a row. Can they turn their season around against Southampton? They will go into the game with confidence, in the knowledge that just a few weeks ago they came out on top against the Mustangs on the same field in the final week of the Herts Spring League.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Charles Truelson (Southampton) may not have a 90 mph fastball but he more than compensates for that with control and movement. He has picked up two of the four wins for the Mustangs so far this year with an ERA of 5.40.

Jon Mabie (Mildenhall) is one of the toughest catchers in the league and a perfect example for young players of what it means to give 100% on every play. He has a batting average of .389 with 5 RBIs.

London (11-1) v Richmond (7-3) on Diamond Two at 17:00

This is undoubtedly the game of the day. The first-placed London Mets are bringing back memories of their championship-winning seasons in 2007 and 2008. However, after a slow start, the Richmond Flames are back to their best and on Saturday we will find out if they can stop the Mets.

This is billed as the main event of the NBL Summer Classic this Saturday and the other games have been scheduled to finish in time for all those attending to gather around the brand new diamond at Herts for this unmissable clash.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jason Roberts (London) leads the league in wins (5) and strikeouts (38).

Ryan Bird (Richmond) is the 2008 and 2009 MVP.

SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, JUNE 5

10:00 – Herts Little League games: Yankees @ Cubs, Red Sox @ Cardinals, Tornadoes @ Crocs (Diamond 2).

11:30 – Herts Little League games: Red Sox @ Yankees, Cubs @ Cardinals, Crocs @ Tornadoes (Diamond 2).

12:00 – NBL: Croydon Pirates @ Bracknell Blazers (Diamond 1).

13:45 – NBL: Herts Falcons @ Essex Arrows (Diamond 2).

15:30 – NBL: Mildenhall Bulldogs @ Southampton Mustangs (Diamond 1).

17:00 – NBL: Richmond Flames @ London Mets (Diamond 2).

VENUE

Grovehill Ballpark is located at Washington Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6NH.

For a map and directions, click here.

For more details please contact Herts Baseball Club via the official website.

Photos by:

— event-photos.co.uk

— www.hp2photographic.com

 

This weekend will see history made at Grovehill ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, as the new second field hosts its first games. The Herts club has existed since 1996 but now, for the first time, it will have two specially constructed baseball diamonds. Only a handful of British clubs can boast such excellent facilities. This will allow two of the club’s four adult teams to play simultaneously, and allow as many as six Little League games to take place at once. That will mean Herts can host even more major events, such as the end of season National League playoffs.

The first action on the new diamond will be when the Little League players start their season this Saturday, May 22nd. The competition involves 6 teams of kids playing 16 games each, culminating in the League Finals held at Grovehill on 7th August. The Yankees are the reigning champions from the last two years – can anyone else take their crown this year? The top performers from the Little League will then be chosen to play for the Herts All Stars at the British National Championships. Last season, the Herts team finished as runners-up after a memorable, heart-wrenching 1-0 ballgame against the London Mets. Boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 14 can join the club at any time, and they could the star of this year’s campaign.

 

The adults will get their turn on the new turf on Sunday. The Herts Hawks will be the men in the history books, christening the field with a game against the Sidewinders of north London. Later in the day, the Herts Raptors will take on the Tonbridge Bobcats. This moment in history has been made possible by the generous support of many organisations — the sport’s governing body, BSUK; Awards for All; Sport England; Dacorum Borough Council and Dacorum Sports Network – as well as the Royal Bank of Scotland and our valuable sponsor, BMW Scotthall Watford. The players themselves have also put in enormous amounts of hard work.

 

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