Category: Herts Futures Tournament

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Record-breaking 21 teams to compete for the HFT titles this Saturday

21 teams will be in action at the 2018 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 22 September 2018.  This is a new record for the tournament so Herts Baseball Club will have to stat looking into how to expand the venue somehow.

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 9:00am and the Finals will be played at around 4:30pm. To view the games schedule click here.

 

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 4 and 17 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including chilli dogs, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball teams have started entering the 2018 HFT

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2018 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 22 September 2018.

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. The number of teams entering the tournament has been going up. The highest number of entries which we have managed to accommodate in previous years has been 20 teams. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.

The event brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for all the age groups.

This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-17, Under-15, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-8 age groups.

For more information about the event, how to enter your team in the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams in time for the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Rob Jones

The (Herts) Future is now

Seventeen baseball teams, comprising around 200 players and coaches, descended upon Grovehill ball park on Saturday for another fantastic day of baseball at the Herts Futures Tournament.

This is the biggest annual youth event in the sport in the UK, which has been staged every year since 2008.  Competing teams came from as far afield as Leicester and Brighton this year — with a good helping of Herts in there, too.

There were wins shared around in the four age categories, with Herts, Brighton, London Sports and the London Mets all getting a share of the spoils. Full results can be found on the Herts Futures pages of our website.

The day began in a warm but cloudy fashion, with Herts Under-13 and Under-17 teams playing the first games at 9:30 in the morning.

The Opening Ceremony then saw all of the players and coaches lining up to be introduced. London Sports sent their Thunder and Lightning and Storm; the London Mets were there; the Forest Glade Redbacks; the Leicester Blue Sox; and a combined Under-8 force of the London Capitals and Mets with Brighton, and even a sprinkling of Northants Centurions!

A queue of baseball talent stretched along the first base line, and there were high fives and fist bumps for everyone — including our excellent umpires Darrin Muller, Blake Taylor, Mike Wakelam and Rich Brown.

The Herts Red Kites had the best of it in the Under-17 category, capping an excellent year for them under their coach Andrew Fulford.  The Under-13 league was a tight contest with the Brighton Fireballs and London Mets coming out tied on top of the table — after tying their own game. Tie-breaking rules on runs conceded gave the title to the Mets, but both sides put on an excellent show.

In the younger age groups, London Sports showed their prowess, winning both pools of the Under-11 competition. The Thunder and Lightning then faced off in the final, won by the Thunder. This year’s Under-8 competition saw Herts and Leicester taking on a mix of the Mets, Capitals and Brighton. The teams — and the watching parents — had a great time and the three-way mash-up team won both their games to secure a win.

The sun shone by the afternoon, and Herts volunteers did great work serving cheesesteaks, chili-dogs and donuts to the hungry masses. Many people also took this last chance of the year to snap up baseball merchandise and equipment.

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2017 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball.

Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on TV and online.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2018 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

17 teams to compete for the HFT title this Saturday

17 teams will be in action at the 2017 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 23 September 2017.

UNDER-17

Three teams will play a league format facing each of their opponents. The team finishing top will be the U17 HFT champion.

U17 TEAMS
Forest Glade RedBacks (U17)
Herts Red Kites (U17)
London Mets (U17)

UNDER-13

Five U13 teams will play each of their opponents in a league format. The team finishing on top of the standings will be the 2017 U13 HFT Champion.

U13 TEAMS
Brighton (U13)
Herts (U13)
Leicester Blue Sox (U13)
London Mets (U13)
London Sports Storm (U13)

UNDER-11

The six U11 teams have been divided into two pools of three teams. They will play a game against each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U11 HFT Championship.

U11 (POOL A) TEAMS
Forest Glade RedBacks (U11)
Herts (U11)
London Sports Thunder (U11)

U11 (POOL B) TEAMS
Leicester Blue Sox (U11)
London Mets (U11)
London Sports Lightning (U11)

UNDER-8

The three U8 teams will play each of their opponents in a league format. The team finishing on top of the standings will be the 2017 U8 HFT Champion.

U8 TEAMS
Brighton/Mets/Capitals (U8)
Herts (U8)
Leicester Blue Sox (U8)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 9:20am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 4 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including chilli dogs, maple syrup cheese-steaks, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

British baseball teams have started entering the 2017 HFT

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2017 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 23 September 2017.

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. Last year was a record year for the HFT with 20 teams entering the competition, which makes it the largest youth baseball event in the United Kingdom. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.

The event brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for all the age groups.

This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-17, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-8 age groups.

For more information about the event, how to enter your team in the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams in time for the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts, LYBL and London Sports are the HFT winners

This was another fantastic Herts Futures Tournament with 20 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division Herts Kites had their revenge over the London Mets who beat them in an epic National Championship Semi-Final six days earlier.  Herts won 10-4 on this occasion and with a win over London Sports won the U17 division of this year’s HFT.

UNDER-13

Herts and LYBL finished top of their respective groups, but in the final LYBL proved too strong for Herts winning the U13 HFT championship convincingly.

UNDER-11

LYBL and London Sports were both unbeaten in the group stages.  The Final was a closely fought encounter which London Sports won 2-1

UNDER-8

The youngest age group saw players aged 4 to 7 from Herts, Leicester, London Mets and London Sports. London Sports and Leicester met in their final game of the day both with a 100% record.  Their head-to-head clash ended in a 13-13 so both teams finish in first place.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

2017 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2017 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2017 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

20 teams heading to the Herts Futures Tournament this Saturday

20 teams will be in action at the 2014 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 17 September 2016.

UNDER-17

Three teams will play a league format facing each of their opponents. The team finishing top will be the U17 HFT champion.

U17 TEAMS
Herts Kites (U17)
London Mets (U17)
London Sports (U17)

UNDER-13

The seven U13 teams have been divided into two pools of 4 and 3 teams. They will play in a league format, facing each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U13 HFT Championship.

U13 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U13)
London Mets (U13)
London Sports (U13)
Northampton Centurions (U13)

U13 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton (U13)
Essex All Stars (U13)
LYBL Bulldogs (U13)

UNDER-11

The six U11 teams have been divided into two pools of three teams. They will play a game against each of their opponents in their pool. The teams which finish top of their pool will play in the Final for the U11 HFT Championship.

U11 (POOL A) TEAMS
Herts (U11)
Leicester Blue Sox (U11)
London Sports (U11)

U11 (POOL B) TEAMS
Brighton/London (U11)
Forest Glade RedBacks (U11)
LYBL Bulldogs (U11)

UNDER-8

The four U8 teams will play each of their opponents in a league format. The team finishing on top of the standings would be the 2016 U8 HFT Champion.

U8 TEAMS
Herts (U8)
Leicester Blue Sox (U8)
London Mets (U8)
London Sports (U8)

The opening ceremony will take place at 10:30am. The first games begin at 9am and continue into the early evening. To view the games schedule click here.

“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said club president, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 4 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this event.”

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, chilli dogs, big league chew, Krispy Kreme Donuts and more. Imported baseball merchandise will also be on sale at the Herts Baseball shop.

The HFT has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2016 Herts Futures Tournament details announced

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2016 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 17 September 2016.

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. Last year was a record year for the HFT with 20 teams entering the competition, which makes it the largest youth baseball event in the United Kingdom. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.

The event brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for all the age groups.

This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-17, Under-13, Under-11 and Under-8 age groups.

For more information about the event or if you require details about how teams can enter the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams in time for the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact Herts Baseball Club.

by Greg Bochan

8th annual Hert Futures Tournament – Great Weather – Great Baseball – Great Britain

With teams attending from all over the country; from as far as Halton in the North, Essex in the East, Brighton in the South and High Wycome in the West; Herts Baseball Club hosted its eighth annual futures tournament at their home ground, Grovehill Ballpark, on Saturday 26th September.

With 20 teams between the 4 age groups (U19’s, U14’s, U12’s and U10’s), a record for the futures tournament, a full day of baseball was on the agenda. To compliment this mammoth day the weather was wonderful with clear skies and warm temperatures, ideal for playing baseball.

In the U19’s Herts fought off a resilient Halton team to win its first ever Futures tournament crown, with a walk off win 3-2.

In the U14’s LYBL retain their crown winning both their games in the final series.

The U12’s again had LYBL take the top prize after dominating in the final series taking both games decisively.

London Sports won the U10’s after narrowly beating the Mets in the championship game.

The day was fantastic and massively enjoyed by all, the Herts concession stand recording its busiest ever day and nearly running out of its famous Chilli Dogs. The raffle proved very popular with players and parents alike trying to win some unique autographed baseball memorabilia kindly donated by BSUK.

Herts would like to thank all the teams who participated for making it such a special day, along with the umpires and all the Herts volunteers who worked tirelessly on the day to make it the great success that it was.
Can’t wait for next year!

The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) has been held every year since 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams of all age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Bulldogs, Mets and Redbacks are the 2014 HFT winners

This was a record-breaking Herts Futures Tournament with 17 teams entering the four different age divisions.

UNDER-17

In the Under-17 Division the national champions, LYBL Bulldogs, didn’t show any mercy as they swept their opponents winning all four of their games. Their game against the Herts Harriers proved to be the deciding one. Both teams went into the game with 100% records and the HFT title on the line. Five Bulldogs came home in the first inning without reply to complete a perfect day for them. Herts Harriers managed to put that loss behind with a 4-0 win over the London Mets in the final game of the day to take the second place in the Under-17 standings.

UNDER-14

For the first time in the seven-year history of the competition all four teams in the Under-14 division ended up with identical win-loss records. The tie had to be broken on the “fewest conceded runs” rule. This meant that the LYBL Bulldogs secured the Under-14 HFT title as their team had allowed only 2 runs in their 3 games. London Mets and London Sports were in joint-second-place with 5 runs allowed. The Herts Cardinals conceded 11 so they had to accept forth place despite having the same won-loss record as the winners.

UNDER-12

The number of runs conceded was also the deciding factor in the Under-12 Division Pool A. The LYBL Bulldogs allowed 3 runs fewer than the Horsham Yankees and reached the final where they met the London Mets in a repeat of the National baseball Championship Under-12 Final. This proved to be a pitchers’ duel ending with a score of 0-0 which meant that the Mets were the Under-12 HFT Winners as they had a better win-loss record over the course of the competition.

UNDER-10

This was the first year that Under-10 teams entered the HFT and they produced arguably the most enthralling games. The Redbacks overcame the Mets in their best of 3 series to win it.

Click to view the full scoreboard and standings in all divisions.

GET YOUR PERSONALISED PHOTOS

The HFT was covered by DE Photo and participants can get their personalised photos, framed or otherwise, by visiting the HFT photo gallery (click to view)

2015 BASEBALL SEASON

The Herts Futures Tournament has rounded off the 2014 British youth baseball season in style. Teams up and down the country will now have to somehow survive the winter months without baseball. Thankfully Major League Baseball is about to enter its most exciting phase and we can follow the drama of the postseason on tv.

Players of all ages can contact Herts Baseball Club with a view to signing up for the 2015 season or giving baseball a try when the teams return to the ballpark in the new year.