15 teams from around the country came down to Grovehill Ballpark in Hertfordshire for the sixth annual Herts Futures Tournament.

Horsham started the day with wins against the London Mets, Bracknell Blazers, Northstar Polecats and then ended in a tie against national runners-up, Herts Harriers. That put them into pole position going into the final game of the day between Herts and London. Herts needed to win to have the same win-loss record as Horsham, but had to do so without conceding any runs because on the tournament’s tie-break rule the tied team with the fewest runs allowed would be the winner. If Herts managed to do this they would still end up tied with Horsham with both teams having conceded 6 runs each, therefore the winner would have to be decided by a toss of a coin in front of a record crowd.

Knowing this, Herts took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, but it was all about whether their defence could shut down the Mets. The team from London needed a win to leapfrog Herts into second place so there was a lot on the line for them too. A lead-off hit into right field put a runner on third base at which point the public announcer confirmed that this runner represents the winning run for Horsham, who were not involved in this game but their players, coaches and fans had gathered on the hill on the third-base side of the diamond cheering on that Mets runner.

To the delight of the Horsham Hornets, the London Mets runner came in to score giving them the HFT U17 title. The Mets went on to score 4 more runs to win the game 5-4 and clinch the runner-up spot pushing Herts into third.

In the Under-14 contest the LYBL Bulldogs were still feeling the pain of losing to the Mets in that dramatic National Championship semi-final 7 days ago which the Mets won after extra innings. The Bulldogs had their revenge in the direct clash with the Mets winning 3-2. They went on to win their two other games of the day to finish the day unbeaten and win the Under-14 HFT title. London Mets finished second, London Sports third. The Herts Cardinals were fourth, but despite this they took a lot of positives out of the day including a 2-run home run by Ben Jones, the first in his career, as well as debuts for 5 new players who enjoyed their first baseball experience and are already looking forward to the 2014 season.

Despite no BBF national Under-11 competition, there were a record number of Under-11 teams entering the HFT, which is a good sign for the future of British baseball. Perhaps this is the right time for the BBF to consider adding the Under-11s to the 2014 national championships next September.

With two wins out of two games in the group-stages, Richmond and Herts won their respective pools and clashed in the Final. Richmond came out on top winning 5-0. All 5 of their runs came tanks to home runs – a 4-run home run followed by a solo inside-the-park homerun later in the game.

Click to view scoreboard and final standings.

After the event, Herts Futures Tournament Director, Aspi Dimitrov, commented that “the club has had fantastic feedback from so many people involved in the event and we hope that it will give a boost to all youth programmes and they can use this momentum as they prepare for next season.” He added that “we must thank all the teams, players, coaches, umpires, scorers, parents, fans, the amazing retail team, event staff and everyone else involved. Without them this event would not be possible.”

Herts Baseball Club has announced that the 2013 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, 21 September 2013.

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 15 teams entering the competition, which makes it the largest youth baseball event in the United Kingdom. Herts Baseball Club Board Member, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase we will have to consider ways of expanding the venue as last year we were close to reaching the venue’s capacity.”

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. It is the only baseball facility in the country which features two purpose-built full-size baseball diamonds, both with permanent outfield walls. Over the last few 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 for the Under-14 and Under-11 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.

The 2012 youth baseball season ended in style with the Herts Futures Tournament (HFT). A record 16 youth teams from across Southern England descended on Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead for a day packed with baseball action.

The event opened with the U17 National Final. The London Mets and Cobham Cougars have been dominating the U17 league, meeting in the final of the last two seasons. On both occasions the London Mets came out on top. The two teams met again in what was built as the clash of the titans. Cobham came from behind to win it 7-3. Everyone expected the headlines to be made by the towering starting pitchers of the two teams, Kazuma (Mets) and Chad Munger (Cougars), but it could be argued that the game turned on a play by the smallest player in the game, Connor Dellapena. The Cobham right fielder turned a double play to end a Mets rally and then the Cougars jumped in front and held on for a memorable win.

After the final the Mets went on to play in the Herts Futures Tournament seeking redemption. They met the Horsham Hornets in the Semi-Final and came back from a 4-1 deficit to clinch a walk-off 5-4 win. In the other Semi-Final the SoNo Stars overcame hosts, Herts, who almost pulled off a late comeback putting the tying run on first base, but SoNo held on for a 4-2 win.

Eager to erase the memories of the loss against Cobham earlier in the day, the Mets clinched the HFT U17 title after a closely fought game with the SoNo Stars.

In the U14 division London Sports proved to be the outstanding team of the tournament. They were the only team to complete the day with a perfect record 3-0 overcoming the Essex Redbacks, Horsham Rays and the London Mets.

London Sports completed a very successful end to the baseball season by also clinching the HFT title in the U11 division. They had to battle hard for it as Herts and Horsham pushed them to the end.

Click here for HFT scoreboard and standings.

Note for fans: One of the lottery runner-up cash prizes has not been claimed yet. Herts Baseball Club is looking for the holder of lottery ticket number 294. If you are the ticket-holder please contact Herts Baseball Club

A record 16 teams will be in action at the 2012 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 22 September 2012. In addition, it has been confirmed that the BBF U17 National Final between the London Mets and the Cobham Cougars which was rained out last Sunday, will be added to the HFT schedule which will mean that this could be a record crowd for a youth national final.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: ” We are very pleased that the BBF approached our club to add the U17 Final to the event programme.  It is the biggest game of the youth baseball season and it is an honour to add it to the HFT. It is an extra treat for those who are coming for the HFT”

The action begins at 10am and continues into the evening.  To view the games schedule click here.

Traditional Baseball snacks will be on offer including hot dogs, big league chew, home made cookies, Krispy Kreme Donuts and much more.

Host Herts Baseball Club welcome new players at any time of the year.  Aspi Dimitrov, said: “Any children aged between 6 and 16 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to take part in this record breaking event.”

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.  Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club.  It is the only baseball facility in the country which features two purpose-built full-size baseball diamonds, both with permanent outfield walls. The venue recently hosted the National Baseball Championships which is Great Britain’s equivalent of MLB’s World Series. During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added for the Under-14 and Under-11 age groups.

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

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