Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

Liverpool and Essex leading London Tourney standings

Herts catcher Andy Cornish applies the tag at home in the team's opening game of the 2011 London Tournament versus MK Bucks

This article written by Rob Jones, was first published on britishbaseball.org

 

Liverpool Trojans and the Essex Arrows lead the charge for the big prize at the 2011 London Tournament in Croydon. Both sides went undefeated on day one.

Meanwhile, Team France, Milton Keynes Bucks and Birmingham Maple Leafs won two out of two and will prove stiff competition on the second day of competition.

 Liverpool’s first victims were the Southampton Mustangs, essentially fielding their single-A side with a couple of upgrades. The Trojans won 14-4. Later they had a comprehensive win against Richmond, who had patched together a team in order to take part. A revamped combination of Flames, Knight and Dragons looks to be more of a threat in the Frank Brady Trophy on Sunday.

Essex Arrows also fielded an impromptu team – but it wasn’t weakened so much as strengthened. “Arrows Plus” is the way the club described it, as they recruited Adwin Alcantara from the Nationals as well as members of the Mildenhall Bulldogs. Essex beat Richmond 6-2 in one of the games of the day, before mercilessly crushing Southampton.

Saturday had begun with an international matchup, with Team France facing Zuidvogels from the Netherlands. The game saw the first home run of the weekend, with a Dutch player hitting a screaming line drive into the trees in right field on Diamond 2. But France ultimately took the win 4-2, and later came from behind to beat Essex Redbacks 6-3 to claim their spot for Sunday.

The Milton Keynes Bucks – last year’s national champions at single-A – had the most dramatic route through to the Sunday playoffs. After beating Herts convincingly in their first match, they were trailing Croydon Pirates II in the final stages of their next game. Somehow, they managed an extraordinary rally and as the rain fell harder they surged ahead 10-7. With the clock ticking on the game, Ernie Ayala induced three fly ball outs to secure the win.

The Maple Leafs secured two one-run victories, showing they can also come through in the clutch. The main competition is completed with Croydon’s other two teams – Pirates I and III – and the Essex Redbacks. The action starts at 9.45 on Sunday, with the champions due to be crowned at about 6pm. Competition will be just as fierce for the Frank Brady Trophy, with Richmond joined by Herts, Zuidvogels, Pirates II, Southampton and Latin Boys.

by Rob Jones

Hawks take two

AA-league South, July 3rd 2011

Another week and another win for the Herts Hawks, who are finally seeing good work pay off with victories.  Joint manager and spiritual leader Greg Bochan returned for the trip to Brentwood Stags, and was delighted to see that once again his players had brought their best game.

In both halves of a double-header, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead. In the first game, they then exploded for 6 runs in the third inning to put it beyond reach of the Stags. Perrie Sherman ended it in the fifth inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to secure a mercy rule victory 12-2.

Jim Arnott
Second-year player Jim Arnott is having a good season on the mound and at the plate

In the second game, it was the fourth inning which was the big run-fest. Five came across and although Brentwood managed to take this one the full distance, they never threatened. It ended 12-3.

Nick Russell was a master on the pitching mound once again. He pitched nine innings over the two games, allowing just four runs. Jim Arnott had a great game with the bat, finding a gap in the field every time he came to the plate, and he also picked off a runner at second to end the second game.

The Hawks now have four wins under their belt, and are on a three-game winning streak. On this form, their remaining schedule does not look daunting.  Instead it offers a good chance to push for a highly creditable .500 record — or even better.

The Herts Falcons were taking part in the National League’s second special event of the season, facing the London Mets at Richmond. It was a tough day for Herts’ top team, with base-running errors costing them dear in an otherwise decent performance. The Mets rolled to an 11-1 victory, with Darrin Ward taking the loss.

The Falcons now stand with a 2-12 record for the season. Coach Lee Manning is taking the positives though: “I think we are definitely getting stronger and I believe we are very close to getting a couple of wins. We had problems baserunning and that cost us runs. It was not a great day for us.”

Their next opponents are the Mildenhall Bulldogs, who have had struggles of their own this year, so the Falcons will be looking to get back on track.

by AspiDimitrov

Herts Head for Croydon this Weekend

The International London Tournament is always an enjoyable event, on and off the field.

A Herts All Star team made up of players from the club’s three adult teams will be driving down South to Croydon for the International London Tournament this weekend, 9-10 July 2011.

There will be 15 other teams involved in the competition including teams from all corners of the United Kingdom as well as France and the Netherlands.

On Day One, Herts start the tournament with a game versus the MK Bucks (first pitch 12pm). This is followed by a game at 16:15 versus the hosts Croydon Pirates III.

If Herts clinch a top three place in their group after these two games, they will qualify for the upper bracket competition on Sunday. If they finish fourth or below they will be competing for the Frank Brady Trophy on the secodn day.

2011 London Tournament 1st day schedule

Saturday 9th July – all games are 1hr 45min duration or 7 innings

    Group 1   

 Start   Finish  Home                         v          Away             

 10:00  11:45   Southampton               v          Liverpool         Diamond 1     

 12:00  13:45   Richmond                   v          Essex Arrows  Diamond 1

 14:15  16:00   Liverpool                     v          Richmond       Diamond 2

 16:15  18:00   Essex Arrows              v          Southampton   Diamond 2

  Group 2   

 Start   Finish  Home                         v          Away

 10:00  11:45   Zuidvogels (NL)         v          France             Diamond 2     

 12:00  13:45   Essex Redbacks          v          Pirates             Diamond 2

 14:15  16:00   France                         v          Redbacks        Diamond 3

 16:15  18:00   Pirates                         v          Zuidvogels      Diamond 1

 Groups 1 & 2 the top 2 placed teams progress to the Winners Group + a possible wildcard (see note)

  Group 3   

 Start   Finish  Home                         v          Away

 10:00  11:45   London Metros           v          Latin Boys      Diamond 3     

 12:00  13:45   Maple Leafs                v          Pirates 3          Diamond 3

 12:00  13:45   Herts                           v          MK Bucks       Diamond 4

 14:15  16:00   Pirates 2 (Pilots)          v          Metros             Diamond 1

 14:15  16:00   Latin Boys                  v          Maple Leafs    Diamond 4

 16:15  18:00   Pirates 3                      v          Herts               Diamond 4

 16:15  18:00   MK Bucks                   v          Pirates 2          Diamond 3
Group 3 the top 3 placed teams progress to the Winners Group

WILDCARD NOTE: A single wildcard place will be given to the best 3rd placed team from either Group 1 or 2

by AspiDimitrov

Herts’ Outfield Maestro Engaged

2010 Herts Eagles Home Run Champion, Stolen Base King and Gold Glove Winner, Mahendra Prasad, has been officially engaged to Carit.  The celebration took place in Mahendra’s homeland, Sri Lanka. 

A very important event in the life of Mahendra and Carit, but despite this it seems like Mahendra has baseball on his mind.  In a message to Herts Falcons Manager, Lee Manning, Mahendra sent his best regards to everyone at Herts Baseball Club and ended his message with “Can’t wait to come back and play”.

He is expected to make his return shortly, which will be a big boost for the Herts Falcons who have been showing signs that they are going to battle right to the end and Mahendra’s return would give them that extra which they have missed while he has been away.

Click here for more photos.

by AspiDimitrov

Never Say Die

The Herts U17 All Stars came back strong in the second game at the Cobham Cougars

The Herts Under-17 All Stars may have had a tough introduction to the BBF Under-17 League in what is the first year ever for a Herts team in this age group, but the team is learning fast and their growth as a team has been evident on the field of play and on the scoreboard as the season has progressed.

They travelled to the picturesque setting of Cobham International School to face the Cobham Cougars who reached the Final in last year’s under-17 National Baseball Championships, losing to the London Mets.

In game one the Herts batters found it very difficult to cope with the Cougars starting pitcher. Despite managing to get six runners on base by earning a walk, there weren’t any hits to drive the runs in. Any solid contact that Herts managed to make with the bats ended up in the hands of the very capable Cobham defence.

Cobham’s pitcher was on the verge of pitching a complete game no-hitter. He needed to get just one more out to produce something very rare in baseball, but with two outs and a full count, Herts third baseman, Kyle Lloyd-Jones, launched the ball deep into right field for a stand-up double. Cobham’s pitcher was visibly disappointed, but judging from his performance he is expected to have many more opportunities in the future to record a no-hitter or perhaps even a perfect game. He did complete the game striking out the next batter. The final score was 12-0 and although this seems like a blow out, the Herts players performed very well defensively with only 4 errors in the game and pitcher Lewis Green improving on his strikes-to-balls ratio (50-40) and striking out 4 Cobham batters in three innings. With Zack Longboy away, Kyle Lloyd-Jones made his debut on the mound, getting the out which he needed with no earned runs.

Game two was a very exciting clash. Starting pitcher Liam Green had control problems in the first two innings and Cobham took advantage by scoring 7 runs. However, Herts came back into the game with their never-say-die attitude. Liam Green settled down and didn’t allow any more runs for the rest of the game. He walked 8 batters in the first two innings but after that nightmare start he walked only 1 and gave up only 1 hit. The Herts defence was working very efficiently behind him committing only two errors in the game – lowest of the season so far. Only three Cobham batters came up to bat in the third inning after an inning ending double play by Kyle Lloyd-Jones. In the fourth they retired the three batters even quicker with three consecutive groundouts, two went to shortstop Lewis Green and one to second baseman, Jose Morillo. This was the most effective inning for the Herts Under-17 All Stars of the year requiring only 5 pitches by Liam Green.

The performance of the Herts defence got the team fired up offensively as well. They started the third inning with back-to-back-to-back singles by Kyle Lloyd-Jones, Lewis Green and Jake Caress. Undoubtedly, the outstanding hitter for Herts was debutant, Charlie Boneham. Coming with a cricket background, this was his first ever game of baseball and yet he seemed so relaxed in the batter’s box despite facing some of the hardest throwing pitchers in the League. Boneham was involved in all three runs scored by Herts. He picked up an RBI in the third inning driving in Lloyd-Jones. In the fourth inning with Jake Caress on first base, Boneham drove the ball deep into right centerfield with a line drive for a stand up RBI triple. Having reached third base he then took advantage of a passed ball to come home and score the third run for Herts.

Herts went into the final inning trailing 7-3 and they managed to get Jonny Compton-Weight and Jose Morillo on base in that inning but the Cougars closer kept his composure and secured the win for Cobham.

Game 1 Box Scores (click to view)

Game 2 Box Scores (click to view)

ENGLAND’S EURO TEAM SWEEPS HERTS

With no league games scheduled for the Herts Under-14 All Stars the team took advantage by travelling together with the Under-17 Herts team to Cobham for a game against Team England which will be representing the country in this month’s Little League European Qualifying games in Poland. With many Herts players away, Coach Kent Peterson, gave some of the club’s Under-11 players an opportunity to get a taste of Under-14 baseball. There was always going to be a disparity between the two teams but it was a useful experience for the young Herts prospects.

The positive news for the Herts Under-14 All Star Team is that once the games in Poland are completed the team expects to be reinforced with the return of three players who will be very critical for Herts when they play in the Postseason Playoffs and National Championships in September.

by Rob Jones

The Hawks strike back

Richmond Dragons 16-21 Herts Hawks — Sunday 26th June, Connare Field

Another hard-earned victory is in the bank for the Herts Hawks. After last week’s epic struggles which ended in defeat, this week the Hawks came out on the winning side of another see-saw battle. They travelled to Richmond to face the Dragons, who came from behind to win when they visited Grovehill earlier in the year.

This time Herts set out their stall from the very start. Ilya Dimitrov got aboard with a walk, and then stole both second and third bases. He was finally driven home by Hunter Devine. That one run was the difference at the end of the first inning, and Hawks would never fall behind.

Matt Johnston at bat
Matt Johnston was an offensive powerhouse for the Hawks

Dimitrov and Devine would keep up their contributions in the field, too. The Herts infield was widely praised for keeping Richmond in check, and Devine and the veteran first baseman Jeff Witter turned two double plays. Witter also made a diving catch, as the Hawks list of heroes grew ever longer.

In fact there were just ten Herts players to go round, and one of them got injured, so on a baking hot day they all knew there was no choice but to stick with it and bring their A-game. Last week’s MVP Andrew Slater once again was a towering presence, while Ilya Dimitrov complemented his speed with two doubles to centre field and four runs. Matt Johnston also racked up impressive offensive figures on the day, hitting.500 and getting 3 RBI’s. Team-mates said he was “on fire” on the base paths.

This is not to say that Richmond rolled over. These two clubs have a long history of tough battles, and this game remained tight throughout. The visitors led 8-7 after five innings. The Dragons tied it up at the bottom of the seventh, after holding the Hawks scoreless for the first time.

But the Herts pitching did its job. Nick Russell, who pitched his full nine innings last week, was the starter again this time and kept Richmond off balance. His stuff was said to be electric. Jim Arnott, last year’s phenom in the Raptors, replaced him late in the game and kept the Richmond bats in check. Herts pitchers were charged with a total of only 6 walks but 9 strikeouts, and excellent ratio.

It was 16-14 going into the final inning, and everything was on the line. Herts chose this moment to match their biggest inning of the game, putting five runs on the board to build a vital cushion. Richmond were able to pull back two runs, but it was never going to be enough. The Hawks ran out 21-16 winners.

This had been another fine team performance. Even those who did not have gaudy stats contributed an enormous amount – outfielder Dave Hamilton picked up 5 walks with his patience at the plate, while the reassuring presence behind the dish, Kal Dimitrov, gunned down a runner at second to end an inning.

The team’s managers, Greg Bochan and Andy Cornish, could not be in Richmond to witness the latest Hawks victory, but they were blown away by what their team had done. They even joked that maybe they should stay away more often.

by Rob Jones

A ball in the hand

If you want evidence of how hard this game is, look no further than the fact that I managed to pitch two scoreless innings for the Raptors last Sunday. Think about it. The Southampton Mustangs, unbeaten so far this season and powering through the Single-A league, were faced with my medium-paced unwavering strikes, and they still couldn’t get a run. Sure, they could hit the thing. But putting a round bat on a round ball and depositing it in a space where no fielder was standing? That’s much harder.

A proper pitcher in action
The Hawks' Nick Russell, a proper pitcher in action

I doff my cap to Theo, who comfortably hauled in two fly balls to centre field, and to Zach, who was equally sure-handed with a pop-up to second base. I also thank myself for improving on the fielding performance I turned in when I pitched against Guildford. This time two hits came my way. I caught the first one, a pop-up in foul ground. Then when a batter mis-hit a dribbler just a couple of feet in front of the plate I picked it up cleanly, cycled through my potential plays in my head until I found the right one, and threw to first for the out.

My experience of pitching was once again a complete blast. In the absence of our usual starters, stand-in manager Arnie very sensibly went for an open-house approach — anyone who wanted to have a go was invited. Arnie himself pitched the first three innings, before giving way to Theo, and then me. Theo throws a harder and heavier ball than me, and it moves more, but I guess I got luckier with the fielding!

I felt a little more comfortable on the mound this time around, and heeded my own advice to try to mix it up a little bit. Any Southampton batters reading this might laugh (please do it quietly) but there was a curve in there somewhere. It felt good to have a pristine match ball in my hand, with proper seams so you could feel what you were doing. I need to throw all my pitches with a bit more conviction, but you can’t beat the feeling of getting up there on the mound and getting results. If I ever hit a home run I will let you know how it compares, but so far pitching a scoreless inning is a winner!

I recorded a less welcome first for the season by striking out in my first at-bat. It had to happen sometime, especially since I started this article by saying how difficult it is to get a hit. At least it was a swinging strikeout on a full count. Southampton’s pitcher is not overpowering but the ball has some zip on it, and a little bit of slide, and he is pretty accurate. I think he gave up 6 walks in the end, but he struck out 6 of the first 8 batters and you can’t really argue with that. I got a single later, and a couple of walks to nudge up my averages, but we need to string together some more good at-bats to get runs against teams like this.

This was an odd game for the Raptors, as we stood little real chance of winning. But it was all played in a pretty relaxed atmosphere and I think we had fun. Jose and Zach, two of our talents for the future, selflessly took turns as the umpire and did a fine job. They also ribbed each other mercilessly about it. Everyone had a good crack at the game, with some good hits and good catches. Don’t get me wrong — we all want to win! I look forward to the blog when that happens.

by Rob Jones

Drama in Defeat at Herts

Vince Lombardi was right — winning isn’t everything. But he was wrong when he said it was the only thing. Two of the Herts baseball teams showed that an enormous amount can be gained from commitment, and heart, and even from just having fun. Herts did everything except win, but still had a lot to show for their day.

The Hawks and the Raptors were both in action Grovehill on Sunday 19th June, and the AA side was involved in two titanic battles against the Essex Redbacks II.  Both teams have struggled to get results this season, and this was an evenly-matched contest.  The first game was always close, and ended 12-8 to the visitors, with Nick Russell taking the tough loss.

Kal and Paul
Kal Dimitrov greets Paul Auchterlounie after his sac fly

The second game looked as if it was going to be a disappointing blowout. The Redbacks scored ten runs in the first inning, and led 16-4 at one point. By their own admission, they had visions of a mercy rule victory. But the fourth inning suddenly saw the Hawks offense blossom. Andrew Slater got things going with a hit. Ilya Dimitrov stepped up behind him and slapped a confident line drive to right field, before speeding round to second base. He challenged the defense and won, taking third before scoring. Ali Hall and Ralph Bartholomew got aboard, too, and Essex seemed not only rattled but overwhelmed.

As for Herts, they seemed to well up with self-belief. Matt Johnston, whose playing time has been cut by a move away from the area, burst out of a batting slump to notch a hit, one of two on the day.  Paul Auchterlounie clouted a textbook sacrifice-fly to bring home Kal Dimitrov, and when the Redbacks finally managed to get Andrew Slater out, he still brought in a run when he grounded out.  By the end of the day he had got on base 7 out of 8 times and was acclaimed as the MVP.

However, all offensive explosions come to an end, and with the lead cut to four the Hawks now took their fielding positions. Essex were not cowed by their experience in the fourth, and they battled back. Runners got aboard as Nick Russell’s extraordinary arm finally began to fall off.  Slater helped limit the damage, throwing his body in the line of fire to tag a runner at third.  Ilya Dimitrov made athletic saves at first base, and the sky high morale looked as if it could carry Herts all the way.  That man Slater came in as relief pitcher in the sixth, and registered back to back strikeouts, and later a scoreless seventh. The tying run for Herts came to the plate in the nail biting finale — but it was not to be. The game ended 25-22, but it was clear to all involved that this had been a great team effort and a great performance.

Matt in motion
Matt Jonhston swipes third

Earlier on Grovehill’s other diamond, the Herts Raptors had an experience which was similar in many ways, and yet utterly different. They faced one of the league leaders in Single-A, the Southampton Mustangs. The Raptors were fielding a patchwork team, because the game had been rescheduled at the last minute, and so they had little hope of beating their powerful visitors. The final result of 21-3 was definitive.  And yet the Raptors played with verve and tenacity.

The first inning was unusually quick for a Raptors game. Three of the Herts batters struck out, with no runs scoring, but then when spot-starter Arnie Longboy took the mound he also limited the Mustangs to just one run. Shortstop Liam Green secured all three outs, flashing both leather and his impressive arm.

Longboy’s honeymoon ended quickly. In the second inning a series of walks and doubles helped Southampton score 8 more runs. Arnie did help his own cause in the third inning with a triple to left field, bringing in Rob Jones from first base. He then scored himself on a single by Theo Scheepers. The Raptors loaded the bases, but by then there were 2 outs, and the Mustang’s Dave Wrigley struck out Jose Morillo to end the threat.

With Southampton 12-2 ahead and cruising after three innings there was little hope of a rally, but Herts kept fighting. Jones scored another run on another Longboy hit — and the pitcher/manager ended the day going 3-4 with the bat.  Senna Ashida, who had not played at all this season due to college commitments, reached base every time he came up to bat, and also put away a fly ball in left field.

Raptors had a satisfying end to the game by putting up donuts in the sixth and seventh innings. Excellent defense backed up the second relief pitcher of the day, Rob Jones — Zach Longboy and Theo Scheepers made solid catches, and the pitcher handled two of the plays himself.  Everybody would have preferred a win, but this was a fine effort against a formidable opponent.

by AspiDimitrov

Mask Cam at Grovehill Ballpark

On Sunday, 29 May 2011, BaseballGB writers, Matt Smith and Joe Gray, chose the Herts Falcons versus Croydon Pirates NBL game as their game to watch for the weekend. Apart form the baseball action from around the leagues on that weekend, Matt’s weekly British Baseball Beat included a very enjoyable report from the game at Grovehill Ballpark.

Among Joe Gray’s many roles in British Baseball is Project COBB and during the second game of the doubleheader Joe attached  a small camera to the catcher’s mask of Croydon catcher, Matt Schwartz.  Below you will find a link to that video which is a rare opportunity to see baseball from that angle.  It has been a long time since we have seen “Mask Cam” on ESPN or Fox.  The ending of the video below illustrates the potential risk involved so perhaps damage to equipment is the reason for this.

by AspiDimitrov

Losing Streak Over

Darrin Ward hit his second home run of the season and picked up the win for the Herts Falcons to end their 6-game losing streak

There was a very visible relief on the faces of everyone connected with Herts Baseball on Sunday.  The club’s top team, the Herts Falcons, finally broke the curse that has been hanging over the team since the Opening Day of the season.

The team went into the game against the Croydon Pirates bottom of the NBL standings with no wins and six losses.  They got off to a perfect start taking a commanding lead early.  Darrin Ward pitched a complete game allowing only 1 earned run on 4 hits, striking out 3.  Ward also contributed for the Falcons win offensively.  He went 2-for-4 which included a 2-run homerun deep over the wall in left centerfield and against a blustery wind blowing in from left field.

Alexander von Rosenbach also hit a 2-run home run in the sixth inning, but by then the Falcons had the game in the bag leading 10-3, and that’s how it ended.

Game 2 promised to be a much tougher encounter with Croydon starter Tim Ssali taking the mound.  Croydon were leading 2-1 going into the bottom of the third, when Herts broke out with a game-changing 7-run inning.  They didn’t look back after that and won with a final score of 13-3.  Troy Linton, from Berkhamstead, had another good day causing havoc every time he stepped up to bat.  Louis Hare also stood out going 3-for-3 in game two, with 1 RBI.  But Hare will probably be more pleased with his work on the pitching mound. Like Ward, he allowed only 1 earned run and he also showed a lot of composure with bases loaded and no one out to ruin the Pirates’ hopes.

This is the first time that the Falcons win two games in a row since 18 April 2010 when they swept the Southampton Mustangs at home.  A 6-game losing streak was ended on Sunday and a 2-game winning streak was started.  How quickly things can turn in baseball.  Can the Falcons keep the winning streak going?  The odds are against them as next they will face the London Mets who are the hot favourites for the title. The game will be part of a National Baseball League event at Grovehill Ballpark involving six NBL teams. 

NBL DAY AT GROVEHILL BALLPARK, SUNDAY, 5 JUNE 2011

11:00 Essex Arrows v Lakenheath Diamondbacks

12:30 Herts Falcons v London Mets

14:00 Southern Nationals vs Mildenhall