Category: Adult Leagues

by AspiDimitrov

2004 SEASON REVIEW – FALCONS WIN PREMIER LEAGUE PROMOTION

Spring Training

After four long and painful winter months without baseball, the Falcons return for spring training. As in previous years everyone has that extra spring in their step, eager to dust-off their gloves and get to work and give it our best as we always do.

 

But there seems to be something different this time around. Cannot quite put a finger on it but the ball seems to be flying faster, the noise off the bat seems louder. No one says anything about it, but someone makes a good play in the field, and it is there, when players give each other that look that appears to say “let’s do it this year, let’s go all the way”.

 

The major change this year is that the club lost its manager, Stuart Boast. Following a terrible run of injuries Stuart was honoured at the end of the 2003 season with his number 9 shirt being retired forever confirming him as a true Falcons legend. Stuart would still be around to help in whatever way he can, but it is now up to 22 year old Lee Manning to lead the team forward.

 

It is obvious to everyone that Lee has taken his new position seriously and that he wants to succeed. His youthful enthusiasm and eagerness to work with the team has a positive effect on everyone and with advice from some of the more senior players we are certain that the team is in good hands.

 

Unlike other years the team decides to make the spring training as busy as possible and apart from the regular practice sessions the club sets up 5 exhibition games. The results are promising with a win against fellow Division 1 team Havering, a win and a loss against Premier League teams Milton Keynes Bucks and Richmond Knights, respectively, and finally losing two games against Bracknell of the Rawlings National League.

 

Field of Dreams

Before the start of every season the club makes a great deal of effort to make the necessary field improvements. Our magnificent council has once again agreed to provide the various building supplies which we require. However, upon arrival at the field those of us with little building experience looked at the field in horror as what seemed like 10 tons of RedGra (the material which covers around the infield diamond and around the bases) had been unloaded in the infield overnight. What are we going to do with all this RedGra? With some hesitation we turn to our teammates who have experience in such projects and we find some comfort as they nod approvingly in confirmation that this is exactly what we need. It seems hard at first but little by little the infield and the mound is relayed and levelled beautifully with a heavy machine which probably has a proper name but we just called it “the knocker”. The new bullpen mound is then constructed and we put the final touches by marking out the field with inch-perfect precision as if decorating a wedding cake.

 

Somehow, what 7 hours earlier appeared to be a messy construction site turned into a baseball temple. Everyone seems pleased and we spent the next hour just sitting on the hill overlooking left field admiring the sight. We did not have much to say, we just enjoyed the moment. Field of Dreams? Maybe, but we just call it Grovehill.

 

It’s Opening Day

Finally, it’s showtime and our first game takes us to Birmingham where we face one of this year’s expansion teams in Division 1, the Marston Green Maple Leafs. In the build-up to the game we are interested to find that the Maple Leafs team was initially founded during the Second World War by Canadian soldiers stationed nearby and that we will be playing on the same diamond which they played on half a century ago. It was a miserable wet day and on the way to Birmingham there is the worry that the game may be postponed. We are pleasantly surprised to understand that the Maple Leafs are just as passionate about baseball as we are. In an incredible human effort they had worked from 9am and somehow had managed to remove all the water which had flooded the infield.

 

Those who came to watch the game in the rain were not disappointed as the Maple Leafs put up a good fight in the early innings. Gradually the Falcons were getting in the groove and proved too good at the end winning 16 – 5. We started the season exactly in the way we wanted. All we had to do now was win 13 more games and we would be in the Play-offs.

 

Regular Season

Prior to our second game our club was joined by what proved to be one of the most influential players in the team. John del Borrello, an Australian who has had experience in the British League several years ago with the Croydon Pirates 1 in the National League. After taking several years break from the game John and his family had just moved to nearby St. Albans. It did not take long to realize that Del Borrello was the perfect man for the clean up spot in the batting order, filling the massive hole left after the retirement of Stuart Boast. Apart from the frightening power which he brought to the plate, he also provided a competitive edge which often got him in trouble with the officials, who will most likely be mentioning him at the next Umpires’ Clinic.

 

The Falcons machine was taking Division 1 South by storm and the team added a few more wins on the board against some tough teams including the very pesky Havering. They will most definitely be challenging for honours in the coming years with their very talented group of young and promising players.

 

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly until 9 May 2004. We will remember this date as one of the most painful days in Falcons history. The Brentwood Stags were our opponents that day. A team that we knew were by no means a threat in the play-off chase and which we had beaten easily in recent meetings. For 4 innings things went according to the form guide with the Falcons leading 8 – 1 at the start of the 5th. And then the unthinkable happened. A spectacular collapse in the Falcons’ pitching combined with 8 fielding errors allowed Brentwood to score 17 runs in 5 innings and win the game 18 – 13. The shock among us was such that no one could explain what had just happened. Was this some type of a “Babe Ruth” curse being cast on our club? We have to give a lot of credit to Brentwood who played out of their skins, although it was too painful to admit this at the time, especially as the Brentwood players were taking pictures of themselves and the scoreboard. In our search for clues we categorically concluded that our club must have been jinxed by the scoreboard which the club had introduced for the first time in that game. Well, that scoreboard was never used again by the club. Feelings are still running high so, as things stand, it is not expected that the scoreboard will be used ever again by the Falcons. Brentwood ended up bottom of the league in 2004 (only above two clubs which folded during the year) and this made it an even more painful loss for the Falcons.

 

That game proved to be a blessing in disguise for the team. We did not look back after that game and won the remaining 11 games finishing top of our division which took us to the promotion play-offs.

 

The Greatest Come Back in Falcons History

This run of 11 consecutive wins included one of the most emotional games in Falcons history in what proved to be the pennant deciding game against the favourites, Croydon Pirates 2. The stage was set, last game of the season, first versus second in the table.

 

The Falcons had beaten Croydon in the away game several months earlier and there was no fear. That is until Croydon took the field for their warm-up. All of a sudden among the Croydon Pirates appeared 4 or 5 seasoned Japanese and Korean players. Players we had not met in the previous meeting. The ball starts zipping across the field at what seemed like 100 miles an hour and these Croydon newcomers were looking like they were relatives of Ichiro, Nomo and Matsui. One of them was in fact their starting pitcher that day. Things were not looking good. Not even the “meat” of our batting line-up was able to make contact with the pitcher’s Nomo-like splitter. On top of that we were unable to contain their hitting, and we found ourselves trailing 13 – 0, with two outs in the bottom of the 4th inning. Our heads were down. Only a divine intervention could help us now.

 

And it did come in the shape of our own Japanese “wonder boy”, Shunji. Coming up to the plate there was hardly any sounds of encouragement from a demoralised Falcons bench. And then it happened. Shunji managed to hit one beyond the infield for a base hit and instead of settling for a single, to everyone’s surprise, Shunji decides to stretch it into a double. Seemed like a bad decision, but like a bullet Shunji dives into the dirt – He’s safe at second. Suddenly the bench is alive on its feet, shouting Shunji’s name, who picks himself up, dirty like a coalmine worker, punching the air with his fists. OK, we are still 13-0 down with two outs, and maybe there was a touch of sarcasm in the cheer from the bench, but that one play turned the whole game on its head –we could believe again.

 

That hit with 2 outs lead to 6 runs in that inning and another 9 in the next. We were back. The lead was gradually reducing and after more than 5 hours of play in the bottom of the eighth inning we scored 3 runs to take the lead 26-25. Sounds like an American football score, but that is just how crazy that game was. It was now up to our reliever Takashi Hirai to close the game, and he did it. In the greatest comeback in our history – Falcons win the pennant.

 

Play-Offs

Clinching the pennant in that crazy game was long forgotten. The play-offs were here – sudden death. It was time to play “October Baseball” – in August.

 

In the Play-Off semi-final we faced the Bournemouth Sharks, which was one of the top teams from the other division. In the build up to the game an 11-man strong Falcons delegation were sent out to Windsor on a spying mission to see our likely play-off opponents. Yes, 11 man is not exactly from the James Bond textbook of undercover spying, so we were easily spotted by the opposition, who were eager to inform us that they had actually spied on us earlier in the season and do not think we stand a chance in the play-offs.

 

To a certain extent they were right as Bournemouth turned out to be the best team which we faced in 2004. After a shaky start the Sharks pitcher settled down and the visitors from the south coast were taking control of the game with a lead of 6 – 4 in the top of the 4th inning. The Falcons had a real difficulty getting their offensive game going, while the Sharks seemed confident and always on the verge of a big inning.

 

It is often said that the post-season often gives birth to baseball legends. In 2004 the Boston Red Sox had David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe – The Falcons had Jim Denison.

 

Jim came in to relieve starting pitcher, 52 year old Paul Raybould, who had been the basis of the Falcons success all year-long and had given the team another 4 good innings to keep the team in the game.

 

Jim went on to pitch a masterpiece. Over the next 4 innings he completely shut down the Sharks not allowing any runs. The game was turning into a pitching duel as the Sharks pitching staff also kept the Falcons quite and going into the eighth inning Sharks were still leading 6 – 4.

 

In the 8th, the Sharks managed to get 2 runs in after some very good clutch hitting and just like that it seemed like the Falcons season was to end in bitter disappointment. We were trailing 8-4 and not even the great pitching performance by Denison could save us. The game seemed beyond us. After all, we had not scored any runs in the last 6 innings.

 

To top it all off a heavy rainstorm came and over the space of 10 minutes completely flooded the infield. So apart from being almost dead and buried, we had to worry about the game being called and losing it as a result. The Falcons grounds crew had to go into action and quick. And they did. You will not see another grounds crew like the Falcons one that afternoon at any Major League ballpark.

 

The game was able to resume and in the bottom of the 8th inning we managed to score 2 runs and we were only 2 runs behind now. Top of the 9th and Denison shuts the Sharks down again.

 

Going into the bottom of the 9th this was our last chance. A tense situation not only for the players but for the loyal Falcons’ fans who were drenched but their voices were still going strong. Some members of the Falcons organisation who were stranded in other parts of the world were on the mobile phones receiving a play-by-play live commentary from the bench. Falcons first batter comes up, as a female voice from the Falcons area is heard saying – tonk it – well, not exactly. He sees 4 balls in a row and gets to first base. Maybe, just maybe we are still in with a chance. Second batter – walks. The Sharks pitching that seemed invincible was becoming shaky all of a sudden. Third batter – ball 4 – he walks. Fourth batter – sharp ground ball to third base. Third baseman knocks it down but cannot field it cleanly. Runner scores and everyone is safe. Bases loaded, no outs, winning run on second base with the Falcons biggest bat, John del Borrello coming up. The pitch, and a massive swing sends the ball deep in the gap in right centerfield for a hit. 1 run scores. Shunji, from 2nd base, rounding 3rd to score the winning run – 9-8 Falcons.

 

Everyone is on the field to start wild celebrations which go on through the night.

 

We were now through to the Play-Off final where we once again met the Croydon Pirates. On a beautiful summer day in Hertfordshire, Grovehill sees the largest crowd of the year and the Falcons did not disappoint winning convincingly 27-15.

 

The Falcons will be playing Premier League baseball next year.

 

Division 1 Final 4

As Play-Off Finalists the club had earned a place in the Division 1 Final 4 which sees the best from the South against the best from the North with the winner becoming National Champions at Division 1 level. It was hosted by the Halton Jaguars who together with their local council and the BBF had made a lot of effort to make it a very well organised and enjoyable event.

 

Apart from the Jaguars the second team from the Northern Conference was the Sheffield Bladerunners who came with a regular season record of 21 wins and no loses. We had to face them first and we had our work cut out for us. We just could not hit the Bladerunners’ pitcher, Tommy Booth, who actually pitched 3 games in 2 days. Curt Schilling pitching on 3 days’ rest with blood coming out of his ankle was kids’ stuff compared to what this guy did. Anyway, we found ourselves trailing and despite a late rally lost the game 11 – 4. We lost but left our mark on the game in true Falcons style, when the umpire crew ejected the entire team from the dugout. So we had to make a new home for ourselves in the cosy surroundings of a muddy hill, in a wooded area, 30 yards from the field.

 

After the game we found that the Bladerunners also like a drink after a game as we met them in a nearby pub. They certainly were a nice bunch and we hope that we will meet them again at some point in the future.

 

The loss against Sheffield meant that we needed a win against the hosts, the Halton Jaguars in order to meet Sheffield in the final. It just was not to be. Despite a late home run from John del Borrello we lost in a closely fought game 9 – 6.

 

Two games – two losses. We made the conclusion that playing north of the 53rd parallel just does not suit us so we quickly headed back south looking forward to 2005 in the Premier League.

 

End of Season Awards Night

2004 was one of the most successful years in the club’s history and the club’s Awards Night was a happy occasion.

 

The race for the MVP award was a close one between the Falcons’ best hitter, John del Borrello and the club’s Japanese sensation, Shunji. Both had collected most of the other awards earlier in the night and it was time for the big one – the MVP award – which is voted for by all the members of the club.

 

Apparently, when Shunji was submitting his vote he made a pledge to win the MVP award in the upcoming 2005 season. Shunji did not have to wait until next year, as he picked up the 2004 Most Valuable Player trophy.

 

Every year the club likes to award a member of the club with an award to mark an act of sheer stupidity. This year it was John del Borrello. First he broke the record by being nominated in four of the 8 nominations in total for this award. Out of these four nominations the clear winner was John’s actions causing the farce at the Division 1 Final 4 event where the umpire crew ejected the whole team from the bench area, sending them to stand on a muddy hill a long distance away from the field, instead.

 

2005

Plans are already in place to ensure that the club maintains the momentum and manages to survive in the tough world of Premier League baseball. Over the winter months the club has undergone an expansion process and 2005 will see the debut of the Herts Hawksnd Team who will be competing in Division 1.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS FALCONS FAIL AT THE FINAL HURDLE

The Herts Falcons, having won their division, and gained promotion to the Premier South, faced the top two teams from Division 1 North this last weekend 18th/19th September.

The tournament to determine the first ever division 1 National Champion was reduced to a final 3 after Croydon Pirates 2, who were the other representative from the South, withdrew. This meant a round-robin tournament, with the Falcons facing Sheffield Bladerunners and the host team, Halton Jaguars. The two teams with the best records would then contest the final.

The Falcons made the long trip north in good spirits, having had an excellent season, and were determined to continue that form.

 

Saturday 18th – Sheffield Bladerunners @ Herts Falcons

The game on Saturday afternoon deemed the Falcons the home team, facing an undefeated Sheffield team, who had won earlier in the day against Halton. With John Delborello starting on the mound backed up by an impressive infield quartet of John Oliver, Shunji Kakutani, Geoff Hare and Lee Manning with Andy Cornish behind the plate, they were expecting a competitive game.

Unfortunately, that message did not get through to the Bladerunners, as they managed to get to Delborello early on, and plated runs through each of the early innings. On the mound for Sheffield, Tommy Booth managed to keep the Falcons bats quiet, as the excellent season-long hitting performance from the Falcons deserted them. Fly balls were hit straight to Sheffield fielders, whilst Sheffield managed to find the gaps in the Falcons field. The Falcons were kept off the scoreboard until well into the game, with Manning scoring the first of their 3 runs.

Some interesting strike calls from the home plate umpire continued to frustrate the Falcons, and one such call resulted in the farcical removal of the entire team from the dugout. Whilst no player was actually ejected from the game, only players preparing to bat were allowed in the dugout.

Paul Raybould replaced Delborello on the mound in the 6th inning, and managed to shut down the Bladerunners, keeping them scoreless through the next two innings. However, it was not enough and the Falcons went down 10 – 3 in 7 innings.

 

Sunday 19th September – Herts Falcons @ Halton Jaguars

The Sunday morning game saw the previous days’ two losing teams battle each other for a place in the final and a chance for revenge over Sheffield.

With Raybould starting on the mound, it was hoped that the Falcons could get out to an early lead, hold the Jaguars, and reach the final later in the afternoon.

It started promisingly, as Falcons batters were able to reach base more often than in the previous day, and the Jaguars’ bats were shut down over the first couple of innings as the Falcons took a 3 – 0 lead. However, they were again frustrated later in the game as fly balls continually seemed to find fielders, with the Jaguars’ centre fielder Nick Bustin grabbing 4 or 5 outs over the game. Some untimely errors from the Falcons fielders allowed the Jaguars to score consistently over the next 3 innings, to lead 7 – 4 going into the 5th.

The Falcons pulled to within 2 in the 5th courtesy of a Delborello home run to centre field that also scored Raybould, but the Jaguars again scored, and going into the final 7th inning 9 – 6 down the Falcons needed 3 to make the Jags bat again. Unfortunately, the first two batters went down in order, and although Oliver reached base, Kakutani hit a deep fly ball to centre field to end the game.

 

An otherwise successful season ended on a disappointing note for the Falcons, as they lost both games. They will look forward to a new season next year in the Premier South division, although it will be tough going. The club will be actively recruiting during the off-season, so anybody interested is welcome to contact the club for further details. 

 

written by Paul Auchterlounie

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS WIN DIVISION 1 SOUTH AND PROMOTION TO PREMIER LEAGUE

In the biggest game of their nine year history the Falcons proved their readiness to move up to the Premiership of British baseball.  Theirs was an emphatic win over this season’s nearest rivals the Croydon Pirates. The teams have played two closely fought games in this years regular season with the Falcons were victors both times.

 

As was expected according to form the Falcons bats out-powered the Pirates early on. The Falcon’s batting line up seems to have no weak links this year with the entire order able to produce hits. By the end of the third inning the Falcons were 7 runs to 2 up.

 

The Pirates were not prepared to go quietly and over the next innings steadily caught up. By the time the Falcons came to bat in fourth inning the Pirates had pulled the game level at 7 all. In a tense half inning the Falcons only managed to produce 2 runs leaving two runners stranded on base. The Pirates were back in contention.

 

During the fifth inning the pitching strengths began to have an effect. The Falcons had relieved starting pitcher Takashi Hirai with season new comer Jim Denison. The Pirates were forced to continue with rapidly tiring pitcher Saranello. The result was immediate; the Pirates could not hit Denison’s fastball and left the fifth empty handed, whilst the Falcons racked up a massive 9 runs. All the Pirates could do was replace Saranello with the catcher Lee Antonio. This seemed to upset the balance of their team and the Falcons capitalised.

 

The sixth inning followed the same pattern; the Pirates managed to squeeze in two runs but once again the Falcons battery stepped up and hit another nine runs. Every single batter got on base and all but one scored.

 

The game was now beyond Croydon’s reach at 27 runs to 9, but they put up a spirited performance in the 7th  inning. They needed to score 8 runs to avoid the automatic 10 run slaughter rule and continue the game into the full nine innings. They hit the Falcons for 6 runs. It was not enough. The final play of the game saw pitcher Jim Denison easily throw out Jeff May at first base. The game was over. The Falcons had finally earned their promotion.

Their last promotion chance had been in 1999 against the Richmond Flames where they narrowly missed out in the bottom of the ninth inning, a defeat they have spent the last 5 years working hard to put right. This year’s promotion was a fitting end for a strong side that under new manager Lee Manning has only lost one league game all season.

 

The Falcons started the celebrations in true baseball fashion by soaking Manning with the contents of the team ice box, cheered on by the largest crowd of supporters the Grovehill team has ever seen. The celebrations carried on into the night – another Falcon tradition!

 

Playing for the Falcons: Andy Cornish, Paul Raulbould, John Del Borrello, Jim Denison, John Oliver, Shunji Kakutani, Geoff Hare, Aspi Dimitrov, Paul Auchterlounie, Lee Manning, Takashi Hirai,  Eddie Sierocinski, Dave Hamilton, Kal Dimitrov, Rod Naghar, Mark Houchin, Jacob Kikel

 

written by Paul Auchterlounie

by AspiDimitrov

DRAMATIC FALCONS FIGHT BACK IN THE 9TH TO WIN PLAYOFF SEMI-FINAL

The Herts Falcons battled the elements and a well drilled Bournemouth Sharks team last Sunday, 29th August, in their most important game of the season…so far.

The promotion playoff semi-final, between table-topping Herts and a Bournemouth team who finished second in the other half of division 1, started in overcast weather at 2pm.

Starting pitcher Paul Raybould and the Herts defence held them scoreless in the first inning, and the Falcons quickly staked out a 4 run lead in their half of the first.

However, the normally potent bats of the Falcons were mis-firing all through the line-up, and Bournemouth slowly pegged them back, as they proceeded to bring in runs over the next 3 innings, to take a lead 6-4 part way through their half of the 4th inning. Raybould was replaced on the mound by American Jim Denison, who held the Sharks to just those 6 runs across the next 4 innings. They managed to sneak in 2 runs in the 8th inning, to leave the Falcons down by 4 with just 2 innings to play.

The elements came into play in the Falcons half of the 8th inning, when a fierce rainstorm delayed the game, the teams leaving the field and waiting out until it stopped after about 20 minutes. Some ground maintenance was required to remove as much water as possible from the diamond, before the game could continue.

The rain delay seemed to affect the Sharks more than the Falcons, as their replacement pitcher Lawson found it hard to find the strike zone, and the Falcons scored two to make it a 2-run game.

A scoreless 9th for the Sharks, with them unable to catch up with the heat thrown by Denison from the mound, and the Falcons had their chance.

8th batter Aspi Dimitrov was walked on 4 pitches, as again Lawson was not able to find the strike zone.

9th batter Lee Manning was also walked on 4 pitches, and then lead-off hitter Shunji Kakutani was thrown 3 more balls before Lawson was finally replaced on the mound by the first baseman. Another ball, and the bases were loaded with no outs, 2 runs needed to tie, three to win. Takashi Hirai, a replacement for Paul Raybould in right field, hit a sharp ground ball to third base; the Sharks third baseman unable to field it cleanly meant Hirai reached first base, the run scored, and still no outs.

John Delborello, who had been masterful behind the plate, stepped up, and hit a fly ball to right centre field, that landed between the two fielders. That brought home Manning from third and Kakutani from second, and the Falcons triumphed with a final score of 9 – 8.

 

The Falcons now look forward to their promotion final against Croydon Pirates, who overcame Windsor 29 – 28 in the other semi-final. The Falcons hold the slight edge, having beaten Croydon twice in the regular season. However, this is the playoffs, where anything can happen, as was shown on Sunday.

The Falcons also qualify for the division 1 Final Four tournament in Halton, Lancashire on the weekend of September 18 / 19th. This places the two top teams from the South against the top two from the North, to determine the National Division 1 champion. So, it seems that even at this late stage, the Falcons still have everything to play for.

 

written by Paul Auchterlounie

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS LOOK TO CLOBBER SHARKS IN PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL

British Baseball Federation

Division 1 Play-off Semi-Final

2pm, Sunday, 29 August 2004

Grovehill Field, Hemel Hempstead

 

It’s play-off time for the Herts Falcons Baseball Club.  The prize – a place in the prestigious British Baseball Premier League. 

 

There is no doubt that this Sunday’s game against the Bournemouth Sharks would be the most important game of the season so far for the Falcons.  It will determine whether who will be part of the Division One Play-off Final, the gateway to the Premier Baseball League.

The Falcons, who won the title in their Division One section, face the Bournemouth Sharks, who ended runners-up in their division.  Up to the last few weeks of the season the Bournemouth Sharks were the favourite to finish top, but a determined effort in the final stretch by the Windsor Royals meant that the Falcons will have to contend with the strong hitting Bournemouth team.

 

In the upcoming battle, the Falcons will mainly count on the hitting power and defensive cohesion that has grown within the team throughout the season.  At the same time, new pitching and batting talent has been added to the roster, promising an exciting game.

The men to watch for the Falcons:

 

Paul Auchterlounie – the club’s leading run-generator, leading in runs batted in.

Lee Manning – the Great Britain under-25 player who has battled through injury to come back very strong with the bat and the glove for these critical months of the year.

 

Jim Denison – one of the most exciting signings in recent history for the Falcons, since the days of Falcons legend Stuart Boast.

 

In the last few months of the season an increasing number of fans have been attending the Falcons’ home games, enjoying the often tense baseball atmosphere and having a picnic, and you can join them for this all-important play-off semi-final on Sunday, 29 August 2004, at Grovehill Field, Hemel Hempstead.  First pitch is at 2:00 pm.

by AspiDimitrov

GREATEST COME BACK IN FALCONS HISTORY

 

1

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Final

CroydonPirates

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The Division leaders Herts Falcons faced their nearest rival Croydon Pirates 2. Victory for the Falcons would make them divisional champions and secure the home advantage for the post season playoffs.

 

The first inning saw Croydon score 4 runs off of Falcon’s pitcher Paul Raybould. The Falcons batters got off to a shaky start, unable to hit Croydon’s fast Japanese pitcher Masa Ishi. Croydon continued to bat well for the next two innings. Their ability and experience showed as they scored a further 4, assisted by errors from the Falcons infield and outfield. By the end of the third inning things were looking bad for the Falcons. They failed to score and only three runners had managed to get on base. By the time Croydon had batted in the 4th the score was 13 runs to nothing. The Falcons needed to get a grip on the game before it slipped out of reach.

 

The Falcons 4th inning offence saw their batters come to life. As Ishi’s pitching became tired and more erratic, the falcons stepped up a gear and began to hit. Shunji Kakutani got a two base hit. He was backed up with further doubles from Andy Cornish and Lee Manning to score 6 runs.

 

The 5th Inning saw John Oliver pitching for the Falcons. Combined with good infield support, Croydon were held to just one run. Croydon struggled to find a relief pitcher for Ishi and the Falcon’s punished the weak pitching, scoring a huge 9 runs  to take the lead 15 to 14. Suddenly the tight game everyone had expected from the two best teams in the division was in progress.

 

The 6th inning saw Croydon revive a little scoring 4 runs to the Falcons 2 to regain the lead 18 to 17. By the 7th Croydon began to exploit the Falcons pitching and they began to pull away. They had already scored 3 runs when a controversial foul ball decision gave them a further 3. The Falcons stepped up to the plate and matched them with strong hits from Oliver, DelBorrello, Naghar and Manning. Entering the 8th inning the score was 24 to 23 to the Falcons. Takashi Hirai took to the mound for the Falcons and limited Croydon to just one run. The Falcons middle order batters performed well, Kakutani scored in one run then Dimitrov’s hit gave the Falcons another two. The score now stood at 26 to 25 to the Falcons going into the 9th and final inning. All they needed to do was hang onto the lead for victory and they succeeded, Hirai’s excellent pitching and strong defense from the field meant that Croydon went empty handed for the first time in the game. The final out was made by right –fielder Rod Naghar. Victory and the divisional title was with the Falcons.

 

The Falcons will now have home advantage for the post season play-offs where it  is likely they will face Bournemouth or Cheddar.

 

Playing for the Falcons: A Cornish, P Raybould, J Del Borrello, J Oliver, S Kakutani, E Sierocinski, T Hirai, A Dimitrov, M Houchin, R Naghar, L Manning.

 

written by Jo Sierocinska

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS TOO STRONG FOR STAGS

The Herts Falcons assured themselves a playoff spot last Sunday, 18th July, with an emphatic 42 – 8 win over Brentwood Stags, gaining revenge for their only loss, inflicted by Brentwood earlier in the season.

 

The Falcons bats started working from the very first inning, with starting pitcher Paul Raybould getting it started with a looping hit between the infield and outfield. A stolen base and a walk issued to John Delborello allowed John Oliver to bring home Paul. This first run was quickly followed by runs for the remainder of the Falcons lineup, the highlight being a 2 run Home Run for catcher Andy Cornish. Paul Raybould became the 9th batter to cross the plate, for the second time in the inning.

 

That proved to be the end of the scoring in the first inning, as John Oliver became the third out of the inning.

 

Although the Stags’ leadoff hitter was able to reach first base, he was soon picked off trying to steal second, and the next two hitters were caught in the outfield; by Aspi Dimitrov in centre, and Dave Hamilton in right field. Score after 1 inning 9 – 0 Falcons.

The second inning continued in the same vein as the first had for the Falcons bats, as they again batted round the order, with 10 runs crossing the plate. Again holding the Stags scoreless the Falcons had given themselves a comfortable 19 run lead after the first two innings.

The third inning saw Andy Cornish lead off with his second HR of the day, which was followed two batters later by John Oliver depositing a pitch over the outfielders head for his only HR of the day.

Shunji Kakutani scored the fourth run in the inning, and that was it for the Falcons. Brentwood finally got on the board in the third, as a Paul Raybould pitch was deposited deep over left field for a solo HR.

The Falcons bats kept on pounding the Stags pitching, as another 7 runs were scored in the fourth inning, the highlight being a first HR of the season for manager Lee Manning. A scoreless Brentwood half inning and the 4th inning score-line read 30 – 1  in Falcons favour.

Just two runs were scored by the Falcons in the fifth, with another pitch being deposited over the outfield by Shunji Kakutani for his first HR of the season. The Stags replied with a 3 run HR of their own and they managed to outscore the Falcons in an inning for the first time in the game.

The sixth inning again saw the Stags take the honours, as the Falcons were held to just 3 runs, and they scored 4 of their own.

The seventh inning, however, reverted to form as the Falcons continued the slug fest.  The replacement of Dave Hamilton by Sean Young in right field did not have any adverse effect, as the runs continued to add up. Lee brought home Paul Auchterlounie and Sean for two runs; Lee himself scored on Mark Houchin hit, who also scored on a John Delborello single. After a John Oliver single moved John D to third, up stepped Shunji, who deposited a pitch over the leftfielders’ head for his second, and the Falcons’ sixth, HR, scoring three runs. The game finished with a scoreless half inning for Brentwood, who to their credit never let their heads drop and competed on every play.

 

The game included one of the rarest achievements in baseball.  The Falcons player/manager, Lee Manning, completed a “cycle” which consists of hitting a single, a double, a triple and a home run.

 

With a playoff place now guaranteed, the race reaches its climax for the Falcons. Next Sunday (25th July) they host the second placed Croydon Pirates, the only other team who can claim first place in the division. A win will see the Falcons secure first place, and home field advantage for at least the first playoff game; a loss will leave it out of their hands, relying on the Pirates’ results in their remaining fixtures. 

 

Starters @ Brentwood: A Cornish, P Raybould, J Oliver, S Kakutani, J Delborello, L Manning, P Auchterlounie, A Dimitrov, D Hamilton.

Replacements: M Houchin (for A Cornish 4th inning), S Young (for D Hamilton 7th inning).

 

written by Paul Auchterlounie

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS TAKE ANOTHER SCALP

written by Jo Sierocinska

 

Line Score

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

FIN

Havering Bengals

3

0

1

0

3

0

1

7

0

15

Herts Falcons

1

0

0

6

2

5

2

4

X

20

 

This Sunday’s game was a top of the table clash. First placed Herts Falcons hosted the second placed Havering Bengals at Grovehill.  Both teams were clearly aware the play-offs are only weeks away and this extra dimension added to the competitive atmosphere.

 

Havering had the first turn at bat. Their first batter, Savill,  getting on base with a solid hit. He wasted his early advantage by promptly being picked off by Falcon’s pitcher Raybould when he tried to steal to second base.  Havering responded quickly to this inauspicious start by getting two more runners on base who were then brought in by Dawson’s  a home run to score three runs. Neat Falcon outfield work limited the damage to the three runs. Now batting, the Falcon’s faced Havering’s fast pitcher Aaron Giles-Wyatt.  Unable to handle his speed they only squeezed one run home.

 

Both teams worked hard defensively over the next innings. Neither allowing a run to score in the second.  Both teams had batters strike out neither  seemed able to adjust to the opposition’s style of pitching;Raybould’s slow dying curveballs versus Giles-Wyatts heated fastballs.  The third inning saw Havering manufacture one run whilst the Falcons were shut out, striking out twice.  They entered the 4th inning with the score 4 – 1 in Havering’s favour.

 

Fortunately for the Falcons, the Havering batters seemed reluctant to learn lessons about stealing bases with Paul Raybould on the mound backed up by his strongest infield: Cornish, Oliver, Kakutani, Del Borrello and Manning. For the third time a Havering runner was caught off of his base trying to steal. This time it formed part of a double-play. They scored no runs.  Bottom of the  fourth inning the score was still 4 –1 to Havering. The Falcons needed to score to get back into the game. An early error by the Havering shortstop put John Oliver on base. Then the Falcon’s batters stepped up a gear. Finally managing to get a hold of the fast pitcher they batted through the order; six batters got hits, six runs were scored. The challenge was back on.

 

Havering responded to that challenge in the fifth inning when J Ling slammed in another three run home run. In answer to that The Falcons punished fielding mistakes and wild-pitching to claw in two runs. The inning ended with the score 7- 9 in the Falcon’s favour.

 

Once again Havering’s aggressive base running tactic backfired. Sneesby was caught trying to steal second. They did not score. The Falcons piled on the pressure scoring five runs as Havering struggled to find a relief pitcher. The Falcon’s appeared to be cruising. By the end of the 7th inning they had come to within 2 runs of a “slaughter rule” victory with the score 16 to 18.

 

Manager Manning brought in a new pitcher to hopeful sew up the game in the 8th inning. Oliver has been a safe choice of pitcher all season, but failed to perform and allowed his first earned runs of the season.  Havering had scored four runs with no outs. The Falcons had lost their grip on the game. Del Borrello stepped in to pitch. Three more runs were given up before the end of the inning. Havering had got it back to a one run game 16 – 15 but in the process had retired two players through injury.  The middle of the Falcon’s batting order comfortably earnt four runs in the 8th. They backed it up with tight defence in the 9th to clear the danger and claim the victory 20 runs to 15.

 

The Falcons have cruised most of the season so far. Havering posed a real threat and it was hard to predict how they would respond to the pressure. This victory will have reassured them as they enter their last two games of the regular season, they are both difficult fixtures.

 

Playing for the Falcons were:  Cornish, Raybould, Naghar, Del Borrello, Oliver, Kakutani, Sierocinski, K Dimitrov, Auchterlounie, A Dimitrov, L Manning.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS WIN AFTER VIKINGS FORFEIT

The Herts Falcons got another win on Sunday with the minimum of effort – Sileby Vikings cancelling the game just 2 hours before the scheduled start time. This was not completely surprising, as the Vikings had cancelled their two previous road games prior to the date with the Falcons.

 

So the Falcons sit atop Division 1 South – Red halfway through the season with just one loss. With the next victory guaranteed through an already forfeited fixture against the Shropshire Pumas, they will look to close out the latter half of the season in a similar vein, starting on the road against Essex Arrows 2 on Sunday 27th June.