Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUE SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE. 2009 HONOURS ANNOUNCED

Saturday’s Herts Futures Tournament drew the second season of the Herts Baseball Little League to a close. 

 

It seems only a few weeks ago that the young Herts players reported for Spring Training at Northwick Park’s baseball batting tunnels.  Many new families joined the Herts Baseball family and the League grew from 4 teams last year to 6 teams this time around.  The standard of baseball being played increased tremendously.  The fans had the opportunity to see many home runs, terrific pitching, amazing plays, including a triple play, and much much more.  This was the year when a Herts Little Leaguer made his debut with the Herts adult teams.  Many more will be doing the same in 2010.  The Herts Little League started to officially score its league games just like they do in MLB.  Grovehill Ballpark hosted its first ever international baseball game when the Herts Little Leaguers came up against the Irish Wolfhounds.  We all remember the nail-biting final day of the season when the Herts Yankees came back from 4-0 down to win the title with 6 runs in the final inning.  Thousands of hot dogs and doughnuts were sold as the Little League set a new fund-raising record.  All profits will be going into developing baseball facilities at Grovehill Ballpark to make future Little League seasons even better.

 

Herts made its first appearance in the British National Youth Championships.  Written off by every opponent and placed as the outsiders, the Herts All Stars had to play 6 must-win games to be confirmed as the best team in British baseball.  One wrong step and the team would have been eliminated.  They kept going, knocking 5 teams out on the way to the final.  And what an epic final it proved to be. 

 

What will 2010 bring?  Be a part of it and join the Herts Baseball Family.

 

2009 HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE AWARDS

 

OUTFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Storm Frisby, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Lewis Green, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Charlie Owens, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

James Wells, Outfield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

 

INFIELD GOLD GLOVE

Zachary Longboy,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Blue Jays

Charlie Mayhew,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Yankees

Adam White,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Red Sox

Michelle Johnson,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cubs

Alistair Baird,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Cardinals

Tyler Sorters,  Infield Gold Glove, Herts Giants

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Aaron Witter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Blue Jays

Jose Morillo,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Yankees

Brett Sorters,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Red Sox

Mitchell Procter,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cubs

Lewis Auchterlounie,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Cardinals

Gage Petar,  Rookie of the Year, Herts Giants

 

BATTING CHAMPION

Lewis Paterson, Batting Champion, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Batting Champion, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Batting Champion, Herts Red Sox

Adam Smith, Batting Champion, Herts Cubs

George Owens, Batting Champion, Herts Cardinals

Alexander Deacon, Batting Champion, Herts Giants

 

CY YOUNG

Nickolas Martinez, Cy Young Award, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, Cy Young Award, Herts Yankees

Liam Green, Cy Young Award, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, Cy Young Award, Herts Cubs

 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP)

Kieran Manning, MVP, Herts Blue Jays

Marty Cullen Jr, MVP, Herts Yankees

Michael Davis, MVP, Herts Red Sox

Mikito Ariga, MVP, Herts Cubs

Jamie Brener, MVP, Herts Cardinals

Theo Longboy, MVP, Herts Giants

by AspiDimitrov

BLACK WIDOWS IN LEAD; ROOSTERS, DOGS IN SEMI-FINAL

The Black Widows have emerged top-of-the-heap after week two of the 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series.  After crushing the Blue Dogs 12-3 in the morning opener, they went on to hand the Red Roosters their first loss of the Series by a score of 12-7.  While this left the Roosters and the Widows each with a 3-1 record, the Widows mountainous run differential was just too steep for the Roosters to climb; although they beat the Blue Dogs 15-2 in the final match of the day, they would have needed another 16 runs scored to surpass the Widows and take first place.

BLUE DOGS 3 @ BLACK WIDOWS 12

In the morning matchup the Blue Dogs got off to an early lead off Widow hurler Mark Hoffman.  Although “the Hoff” quickly tallied a pair of strikeouts, a Widows error followed by a walk and a clutch single from Blue Dogs manager Andy Cornish brought the first run across the plate.

But that was all the offence the Dogs would see until the fifth inning.  Hoffman settled down and pitched three scoreless innings, followed by two solid innings from Marty Cullen.  Altogether, Hoffman and Cullen wracked up 7 strikeouts with only 3 walks and 3 runs allowed on 6 hits.

The Widows offence was timely.  Marty Cullen went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI, and fellow-American Greg Bochan was 2-for-4 with an RBI.  Luis Goncalves and Arnie Longboy had a hit each, and both crossed the plate multiple times.  Newcomer Marcus Capper – while hitless – still scored two runs for the Widows.

BLACK WIDOWS 12 @ RED ROOSTERS 7

The Roosters had high expectations after hitting the field fresh at midday to face a (hopefully) game-weary Widows lineup.  Newcomer Mike Vasquez took the mound for the Red squad, but he surrendered 4 walks and 2 hits in the first inning, and his team committed 3 errors behind him.  Altogether that amounted to 7 Widows runs, which proved the difference in the game.

The Roosters fought hard to battle back, putting up crooked numbers in the second, third and fifth innings.  They were aided by a 2-for-3 performance from first baseman Dave Baird, but it was too little too late.  The Widows had the momentum.  Luis Goncalves went 2-for-3, Chris Barnes 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, and Amit Odedra came into the game in the bottom of the fourth inning and had a clutch 2-run single with a stolen base.

RED ROOSTERS 15 @ BLUE DOGS 2

The Blue Dogs failed to score a run until the final inning of this third game.  The Roosters were out of the gates early with a 2 RBI double from Jason Greenberg, who finished the day with a second 2 RBI double.  Young Liam Green was 1-for-1 with an RBI, and the mighty Edwin Alcantara went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.

The only Blue Dog RBIs came from Jonathon Lewys, who also delivered an inning of work from the hill allowing 2 runs on 2 hits.

The pitcher of the game was most certainly Pete Kikel, who upped the speed on his fastball by 5-10mph over game one, and walked away with 4 strikeouts in 3-innings of scoreless baseball.

WIDOWS AWAITING THEIR PREY IN WEEK THREE

After two weeks of Hunlock action, the Black Widows are sitting pretty.  They can rest up and watch the 2nd/3rd place action on Sunday morning to see which squad they’ll face in the ’09 Series Final.

The Blue Dogs have an uphill battle in store.  They’ve now lost to the Red Roosters by scores of 8-7 and 15-2.  If they hope to find their stride and coast into the championship game they’ll have to get by a resurgent pitching rotation of Pete Kikel, Dan Kerry and Mike Vasquez, who in particular will be looking for a solid rebound on the mound.  The Dogs will be aided by the emergence of late-coming teammates Nic Goetz and Jamie Munn, and returning sluggers Louis Hare and Riley Fisher, all of whom were missing from the week two action.

Which squad will emerge victorious?  It all comes down to 18 innings of riveting Herts Baseball.

GAME ONE

Blue Dogs at Black Widows
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Blue Dogs 1 0 0 0 2 3 6 6
Black Widows 3 4 3 2 0 12 9 5

 

Black Widows 12, Blue Dogs 3
Black Widows Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 2 1 0 Ken Pike ss 3 0 0 0
Arnold Longboy lf 3 1 1 0 Iwan Evans cf 3 1 1 0
Greg Bochan 3b 4 3 2 1 Jeff Witter p 1 1 0 0
Marty Cullen 1b 4 3 4 4 (t3) Reagan Wood 3b 2 0 1 0
Chris Barnes c 4 0 1 1 Kal Dimitrov c 2 1 1 1
Jose Morillo cf 2 0 0 1 Andy Cornish 1b 3 0 2 2
Mark Hoffman p 1 0 0 0 Jonathon Lewys 3b-p 1 0 1 0
Andrew Slater 2b 2 0 0 0 (b4) Nick Russell pr-p 1 0 0 0
Marcus Capper rf 2 2 0 0 Phil Crooks 2b 3 0 0 0
(b4) Tom Green rf 0 1 0 0 Perrie Sherman rf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Lin Yuchih rf 1 0 0 0
Nick Read lf 0 0 0 0
(t4) Paul Auchterlounie lf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 9 7 TEAM TOTALS 21 3 6 3

 

E: Chris Barnes, Marty Cullen, Mark Hoffman, Marcus Capper, Ken Pike, Jonathon
Lewys, Phil Crooks. LOB: Blue Dogs 7, Black Widows 8. 2B: Marty Cullen, Luis
Goncalves, Kal Dimitrov, Andy Cornish. 3B: Greg Bochan. SB: Mark Hoffman, Marcus
Capper, Chris Barnes, Marty Cullen, Nick Russell(2), Andy Cornish, Iwan Evans, Paul
Auchterlounie. CS: Mark Hoffman, Andy Cornish.

 

Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
Mark Hoffman 5.00 6 3 1 3 7
Blue Dogs            
Jeff Witter 2.00 4 7 2 4 0
Jonathon Lewys 1.67 3 4 2 2 2
Nick Russell 0.33 2 1 0 1 0

WP: Mark Hoffman. PB: Kal Dimitrov. T: 2:00. A: 69.


GAME TWO

Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Black Widows 7 0 0 2 3 12 10 4
Red Roosters 0 2 2 0 3 7 7 6

 

Black Widows 12, Red Roosters 7
Black Widows Red Roosters
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Luis Goncalves ss 3 3 2 0 Aspi Dimitrov 3b-lf-2b 1 2 0 0
Arnold Longboy lf 2 2 1 1 Peter Kikel ss-p 2 1 1 1
(b4) Amit Odedra lf 1 1 1 2 Edwin Alcantara dh-3b 3 0 0 0
Carlos Casal 3b 2 1 0 0 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 0 0
Marty Cullen p-1b 3 1 0 0 David Baird 1b 3 2 2 1
Chris Barnes c 2 1 2 2 Dan Kerry cf 3 1 1 0
Bart Schouwenaars cf 4 1 1 0 Rob Jones lf 1 0 0 0
Mark Hoffman 1b-p 2 0 0 0 Hunter Devine 2b 2 0 1 0
Andrew Slater 2b 2 1 1 1 (t5) Ilya Dimitrov rf 0 0 0 0
(t4) Greg Bochan 2b 1 0 0 0 Ben Alway rf-lf 2 1 1 0
Tom Green rf 2 0 1 1 Mike Vasquez p-ss 2 0 1 0
(t4) Stuart Boast rf 1 1 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 12 10 7 TEAM TOTALS 22 7 7 2

 

E: Luis Goncalves, Carlos Casal, Bart Schouwenaars, Mark Hoffman, Peter Kikel,
Hunter Devine, David Baird, Jason Greenberg. DP: Black Widows 1. LOB: Red Roosters
3, Black Widows 6. 2B: Luis Goncalves, Arnold Longboy, Dan Kerry. SB: Chris
Barnes(2), Carlos Casal(2), Marty Cullen(2), Luis Goncalves, Arnold Longboy, Amit
Odedra, Aspi Dimitrov(3), David Baird(2), Mike Vasquez(2), Dan Kerry(2), Hunter
Devine, Ben Alway. CS: Chris Barnes.

 

Black Widows IP H R ER BB SO
Marty Cullen W 3.00 4 4 1 1 2
Mark Hoffman 2.00 3 3 3 2 1
Red Roosters            
Mike Vasquez L 3.00 4 7 0 4 3
Peter Kikel 2.00 6 5 3 4 3

WP: Mark Hoffman. T: 2:00. A: 69.


GAME THREE

Red Roosters at Blue Dogs
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Red Roosters 2 0 3 8 2 15 12 3
Blue Dogs 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 1

 

Red Roosters 15, Blue Dogs 2
Red Roosters Blue Dogs
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Aspi Dimitrov 1b 4 1 1 0 Nick Russell ss-p-2b 3 1 1 0
(b4) Ben Alway lf 0 0 0 0 Paul Auchterlounie c 2 1 1 0
Liam Green 3b 1 4 1 1 Tim Elkins 2b 2 0 0 0
Mike Vasquez ss-cf 3 2 1 2 (t4) Ken Pike ss 1 0 0 0
Edwin Alcantara cf-p 3 3 3 2 Jonathon Lewys p-ss-3b 3 0 1 2
Jason Greenberg c 3 2 2 4 Iwan Evans cf 1 0 1 0
Dan Kerry 2b-1b 3 1 2 2 (t4) Perrie Sherman cf 2 0 0 0
Peter Kikel p 3 0 1 2 Kal Dimitrov 3b 1 0 1 0
(b4) Rob Jones ss 0 0 0 0 (t4) Andy Cornish lf-1b 1 0 1 0
Ilya Dimitrov lf-2b 3 0 0 0 Jeff Witter 1b-p 1 0 0 0
Chris Martin rf 2 2 1 0 Phil Crooks rf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Nick Read rf 1 0 0 0
Reagan Wood lf-p 2 0 1 0
TEAM TOTALS 25 15 12 13 TEAM TOTALS 21 2 7 2

 

E: Aspi Dimitrov, Ilya Dimitrov, Paul Auchterlounie. LOB: Red Roosters 4, Blue
Dogs 6. 2B: Jason Greenberg(2), Mike Vasquez, Edwin Alcantara, Aspi Dimitrov, Andy
Cornish. SB: Edwin Alcantara(2), Jason Greenberg, Aspi Dimitrov, Dan Kerry, Peter
Kikel, Chris Martin, Liam Green. CS: Peter Kikel.

 

Red Roosters IP H R ER BB SO
Peter Kikel W 3.00 3 0 0 2 4
Edwin Alcantara 2.00 4 2 2 0 3
Blue Dogs            
Nick Russell 2.00 2 3 3 0 3
Reagan Wood 1.67 5 6 5 3 1
Jonathon Lewys 1.00 2 2 2 0 0
Jeff Witter L 0.00 3 4 2 0 0

HBP: by Jonathon Lewys (Liam Green), by Jonathon Lewys (Dan Kerry). . , by Nick
Russell (Liam Green), by Nick Russell (Edwin Alcantara). , by Reagan Wood (Chris
Martin). . WP: Jonathon Lewys, Nick Russell. T: 2:00. A: 69.

by AspiDimitrov

LONDON DO THE DOUBLE AT HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT


 


London’s two teams won the Bronco (U13) and Rookie (U10) Divisions at the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament sparking wild champagne celebrations.


 


This was the second year of the Herts Futures Tournament which organised by Herts Baseball Club, based in Hemel Hempstead.  The number of teams entering the event increased from 8 in 2008 to 10 teams this year and it brought record number of fans to Grovehill Ballpark.


 


MINORS DIVISION


The Minors Division (Under-10s) proved to be just as exciting.  In an effort to give sufficient playing time to the large number of Rookie players, the double-elimination tournament format, similar to that used at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year) was adopted.  The two Herts teams in this section battled hard but came just short against the well prepared teams from Horsham and London.


 


Arguably the best two games of the whole tournament were produced by the Horsham and London Rookie teams.  The first was won by Horsham 1-0, but in the all important Final it was London who managed to deliver the clutch hits to win the Trophy.


 


MINORS DIVISION















































DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Minors (G1)

Herts Jr Raptors

3

London Rookies

10


Minors (G2)

Horsham Rookies

10

Herts Jr Hawks

3


Minors (G3)

(Winner G2) Horsham

1

(Winner G1) London

0


Minors (G4)

(Loser G1) Herts Raptors

13

(Loser G2) Herts Hawks

7


Minors (G5)

(Winner G4) Herts Raptors

2

(Loser G3) London

9


Minors (Final)

(Winner G5) London

1

(Winner G3) Horsham

0


  


 


 


MAJORS DIVISION


In Group 1 of the Majors Division (Under-13) all three teams found themselves with identical win-loss records, with each team having one loss and one win in the group games.  This meant that the Tournament’s tie-break rule had to be applied and the team with the lowest number of runs conceded was declared the winner.  This was Bracknell with only 9 runs conceded while Brentwood and Herts finished second and third with 12 and 15 runs conceded respectfully.  This may have been really harsh on both Brentwood and Herts but this is the reality of Tournament baseball.  Every run counts and on this occasion Bracknell’s team came out on top.


 


 


 


 


 


MAJORS (GROUP 1) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Herts All Stars

4

Bracknell Blazers

9


Bracknell Blazers

4

Brentwood Bucks

5


Brentwood Bucks

6

Herts All Stars

8


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 1) STANDINGS


TEAM

W

L

%

F

A

RunDiff


Bracknell Blazers

1

1

0.500

13

9

4


Brentwood Stags

1

1

0.500

11

12

-1


Herts All Stars

1

1

0.500

12

15

-3


 


In Group 2 it all came down to the final game where Horsham and London met.  Having won their previous games against the Tonbridge Bobcats, they both knew that only a win can take them to the Final.  In dramatic fashion London came out on top 3-2.


 


MAJORS (GROUP 2) RESULTS

























VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


London Mets

11

Tonbridge Bobcats

7


Tonbridge Bobcats

1

Horsham All Stars

7


Horsham All Stars

2

London Mets

3


 







































MAJORS DIVISION (GROUP 2) STANDINGS


TEAM

W

L

%

F

A

RunDiff.


London Mets

2

0

1.000

14

9

5


Horsham All Stars

1

1

0.500

9

4

5


Tonbridge Bobcats

0

2

0.000

8

18

-10


 


The tense battle in Group 1 seemed to have taken its toll on Bracknell and they found it difficult to compete against a hard hitting London team which kept putting runs on the board and won the Final convincingly.  Horsham won the Bronze Medal game against Brentwood, and Herts overcame Tonbridge to finish sixth overall, which seemed very harsh on them given the fact that they won two out of three games over the course of the day.


 


MAJORS (FINALS)





























DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 


Majors (5th/6th)

(G2-3rd Place) Tonbridge

7

(G1-3rd Place) Herts

10


Majors (3rd/4th)

(G1-2nd Place) Brentwood

4

(G2-2nd Place) Horsham

10


Majors (Final)

(G2-Winner) London

18

(G1-Winner) Bracknell

0


 


The event was part of Herts Baseball Club’s fundraising effort for the development of the best baseball facilities in the country at its ballpark in Hertfordshire.  It was supported by Herts Baseball Club’s fantastic partners Dacorum Borough Council, BSUK and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.


 


           


 


More images from the 2009 Herts Futures Tournament


(Opening – Presenting the teams)


(Minors Games)


(Majors 1st Games)


(Majors 3rd Games)


(Majors Finals)

by AspiDimitrov

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME! 2009 HERTS FUTURES TOURNAMENT THIS SATURDAY


On Saturday, 26 September 2009, Herts Baseball Club will stage the second annual Herts Futures Tournament.  The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and will once again include the best youth baseball teams in Southern England.


 


This year the Tournament will be split into two divisions.  The Majors Division will include Bronco teams (10 to 13 years of age) and the Minors Division for Rookie teams (7-10 year olds). 


 


In the Majors, 6 teams will be placed in two Groups of 3 teams.  They will play against each of the other two teams in their Group.  The two group winners will play against each other to determine the overall tournament winner.   The group runners-up will play for 3rdand 4th place, while the teams finishing third in the groups will play against each other to determine who will finish in 5th and 6th place overall.  In the Minors Division, four teams will play in a double-elimination format used at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and at the British National Baseball Championships (NBL and AAA).

 

Group 1 of the Majors Division includes the hosts Herts along with Brentwood and Bracknell, while in Group 2, the 2008 Tournament winners, Horsham, will look to overcome Tonbridge and the London Mets who enter as Tournament favourites after winning the Bronco National Baseball Championship just two weeks ago. 


 


The Minors Division will see the youngest talents of Herts, Horsham and London slug it out to determine the best team in the Rookie age bracket.


 


Herts Baseball Club Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov, had a message for baseball enthusiasts and those who may be curious to find out more about the game: “Last year’s event was a big success and we hope that this event will get bigger and better every year.  It is a fantastic opportunity for the whole family to get down to the ballpark and get a taste of baseball .  Apart from top youth baseball action, fans will be able to enjoy traditional American snacks, from hot dogs to fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts”.


 


Directions to Grovehill Ballpark


For more information about playing baseball with the Herts youth and adult teams go to www.hertsbaseball.com and contact Herts Baseball Club.


 


MINORS




































































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT


11:00

Field3

Minors(Game1)

Herts Jr Raptors

 

London Rookies

 

1hr timed


11:00

Field4

Minors(Game2)

Horsham Rookies

 

Herts Jr Hawks

 

1hr timed


12:15

Field3

Minors(Game3)

Winner (Game 2)

 

Winner (Game 1)

 

1hr timed


12:15

Field4

Minors(Game4)

Loser (Game 1)

 

Loser (Game 2)

 

1hr timed


13:30

Field3

Minors(Game5)

Winner (Game 4)

 

Loser (Game 3)

 

1hr timed


15:00

Field3

Minors(Final)

Winner (Game 5)

 

Winner (Game 3)

 

1hr timed


 


MAJORS (GROUP 1)









































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT


11:00

Field1

Majors (G1)

Herts All Stars

 

Bracknell Blazers

 

1hr timed


12:15

Field1

Majors (G1)

Bracknell Blazers

 

Brentwood Bucks

 

1hr timed


13:30

Field1

Majors (G1)

Brentwood Bucks

 

Herts All Stars

 

1hr timed


MAJORS (GROUP 2)









































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT


11:00

Field2

Majors (G2)

London Mets

 

Tonbridge Bobcats

 

1hr timed


12:15

Field2

Majors (G2)

Tonbridge Bobcats

 

Horsham All Stars

 

1hr timed


13:30

Field2

Majors (G2)

Horsham All Stars

 

London Mets

 

1hr timed


MAJORS – FINALS









































TIME

VENUE

DIVISION

VISITING TEAM

 

HOME TEAM

 

FORMAT


15:00

Field4

Majors-5th/6th

Group2 (3rd Place)

 

Group1 (3rd Place)

 

1hr timed


15:00

Field2

Majors-3rd/4th

Group1 (2ndPlace)

 

Group2 (2nd Place)

 

1hr timed


15:00

Field1

Majors-Final

Group2 (Winner)

 

Group1 (Winner)

 

1hr30min

by AspiDimitrov

HUNLOCK SERIES FINAL REVAMPED, 9-INNING CHAMP SHOWDOWN

(Monday 21 September, Grovehill, Hemel Hempstead)

The Hunlock Series Commissioner made a surprise announcement today, completely revamping the format of the third week series finale.

The H-Series has seen dramatic revisions since its inception in 2006.  Originally, this was as best-of-three series between the Falcons and Falcons 2 (or Hawks as they were later rechristened).  In 2008 the Hunlock Commission introduced the Live Draft and the Series became a much more evenly-matched affair.

Now, in 2009, the third week will see two back-to-back nine-inning championship games.  The first will determine which squad – the second- or third-placed – will earn a trip to the title match that afternoon.  Meanwhile, the first-place finalists have earned the right to rest on their laurels and spare their pitchers' arms.  Whichever squad wins the morning semi final will have to play two full baseball games in a row, giving a distinct advantage to whichever squad emerges from weeks one and two in first place.

The full Hunlock standings, results and rosters can be found at:
http://www.hertsbaseball.com/hunlock/

by AspiDimitrov

HUNLOCK DRAFT COMPLETE, PLAY STARTS SUNDAY

The 2009 Kyle Hunlock Series is underway after Thursday night's Live Online Draft.  Herts announcer Marty Cullen hosted a live internet broadcast in which the three Series managers selected their squads.  The evening was full of drama and surprise picks, and Friday has even seen the Series' first free agent acquisitions.

The RED ROOSTERS, managed by returning skipper Hunter Devine ('08 Hunlock champion), include:

ASPI DIMITROV
ILYA DIMITROV
PAUL CURTIS
BEN ALWAY
JASON GREENBERG
PETAR KIKEL
CHRIS MARTIN
JOHN OLIVER
ROB CROUCH
DAVID BAIRD
KIMIYOSHI SAIONJI
ROB JONES
DAVID HAMILTON
LIAM GREEN
ROD NAGHAR
MIKE VASQUEZ

Manager Andy Cornish leads the BLUE DOGS, and on Thursday night he selected:

JONATHON LEWYS
PAUL AUCHTERLOUNIE
IWAN EVANS
KAL DIMITROV
PERRIE SHERMAN
JAKE AMAN SHAH
KENNET PIKE
PHIL CROOKS
JAMIE MUNN
NICK READ
RILEY FISHER
JEFF WITTER
NICK RUSSELL
TIM ELKINS
JON GAMBLE
NICOLAS GOETZ

Finally, rookie manager Matt Johnston has assembled the following squad of BLACK WIDOWS:

ADAM PEPIN HALL
CHRIS BARNES
MARK HOFFMANN
AMIT ODEDRA
GREG BOCHAN
MARTY CULLEN
ANDREW SLATER
HUMBERTO GONCALVES
ARNOLD LONGBOY
LUIS GONCALVES
STEVE NIPPRESS
ATSUHIKO ARIGA
MARC MARTINEZ
TOM GREEN
CARLOS CASAL
MARCUS CAPPER

Today, shortly after the dust settled on last night's draft activity, the Black Widows picked up free agent Japanese superstar Atsuhiko Ariga.  Atsu is known for his mighty bat and composure in clutch situations.  He has a solid infield glove – especially when playing on the right side of the infield – and has baseball in his blood; his son, Mikito Ariga, was starting pitcher in the Herts Little League's phenomenal and heart-breaking 1-0 loss to the London Mets at the Youth National Baseball Championship just one week ago.

Also today, Manager Cornish picked up free agent Louis Hare.  Hare is well known as a crafty pitcher, short stop and unstoppable slugger on the '09 Herts Eagles where he batted .339 and boasted 4-2 record on the mound with a 4.717 ERA.  Hare will undoubtedly strengthen the Blue Dog's pitching rotation and add pop to the lineup.  Hare's availability is still unknown, which means Cornish has gone out on a bit of a limb to sign him.  In the process, the Blue Dogs have spent their only trade waiver and will now have to watch in silence if additional free agents make themselves available for the Series.  (There has been no word from Eagles skipper Dave Westfallen, Falcons pitchers Darrin Ward or Dan Kerry, or Taiwanese sensation Lin Yuchih.)

The Series begins on Sunday 20 September 11am at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

To read more about the Kyle Hunlock Series, or for full results or standings, visit:
http://www.hertsbaseball.com/hunlock/

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL CLUB AWARDED BSUK GRANT TO IMPROVE FACILITIES

 

This article first appeared on www.baseballsoftballuk.com

 

Herts Baseball Club, Brentwood Baseball Club, Manchester Softball League, Fakenham Falcons Softball Club and London Mets Baseball and Softball Club have all been successful in applying for Equipment and Facilities Grants that BSUK advertised earlier in the year.

 

The money is being distributed by BSUK from a capital funding grant provided by Sport England on the basis of BSUK’s 2009-2013 Whole Sport Plan.

 

The funding, amounting to up to £5,000 per project, has to be match-funded by the receiving organisations to allow them to develop facilities through projects costing up to £10,000.00. The grants will give these organisations the opportunity to erect backstops, develop infields and generally improve their facilities and the playing experience for their members and players.

 

It will also allow them to show visiting teams what can be done with a little bit of time and effort and the support of BSUK.

 

Better Standards

 

All new facilities being created through these grants will be ready for the 2010 season and will allow teams to enjoy a better standard of play, provide help in attracting new players and allow the staging of tournaments and finals. The upgraded facilities will also provide a more exciting experience for youngsters when clubs and leagues work with local schools.

 

BSUK National Club Development Manager Paul Wilkinson said, “It has taken a lot of hard work to set up the process for distributing the grants, due to the need to be able to be audited by other agencies. This is the first time we have had money from Sport England to distribute to affiliated leagues and clubs, but hopefully it will not be the last.”

 

Following on from these small grants, BSUK will soon be looking towards four Regional Centre projects where £100,000 grants will be available to develop tournament and Academy standard facilities in each of the four regions where BSUK’s work is concentrated: London, the South East, the North West and the Midlands.

by AspiDimitrov

’09 HUNLOCK SERIES GETS UNDERWAY WITH LIVE DRAFT

The third annual Kyle Hunlock Series begins in just five days.  This special, intra-club event is named for fallen Falcon #36 and is when Herts Baseball Club members reunite after the regular season to enjoy some friendly (yet competitive) postseason baseball at Grovehill.

LIVE ONLINE DRAFT
Like last year, the 2009 Hunlock Series will set aside the established regular season rosters.  Instead, three new managers will draft three new teams from all available Herts players.  The Red Roosters, Blue Dogs and Black Widows will be comprised of Raptors, Hawks, Eagles and Falcons.  During the live online draft this week (Thursday 17 September, 8pm) the managers must make shrewd selections when stacking their bench with pitchers, catchers, position players and sluggers.

Get online this Thursday around 7.45pm and tune-in to the Herts Baseball Internet Radio station.  You will be able to enjoy commentary from the Voice of Herts Baseball – Marty Cullen – hear live interviews with the Team Managers and potential superstars, and follow each draft pick as it happens… including your own!

2009 HUNLOCK SERIES MANAGERS
The Falcons, Eagles, Hawks and Raptors managers put their heads together and selected some standouts from the 2009 season to skipper our three Hunlock teams: the Red Roosters, Blue Dogs and Black Widows.

Returning to manage the Red Roosters is the 2008 Hunlock Series Champion manager Hunter Devine.  Hunter's cutthroat drafting style and never-give-up leadership prowess led to a walk-off victory for the Roosters last year over the Widows.  Hunter was the 2008 Raptors MVP, and in 2009 he batted .750 for the Raptors, .300 for the Hawks (with a double and a triple) and stole 11 of 12 attempted bases.  Hunter is the incumbent, and his opponents will have to work hard to keep him down… and off the 2010 Hunlock managerial staff!

Herts rookie Matt Johnston has the honour of commanding the Black Widows.  Matt – while new to baseball and to the Club in 2009 – spent time with both the Raptors and Hawks this year, and even had an appearance with the AAA Eagles.  Matt's do-or-die attitude pushed his teammates to excel.  He is most certainly the wild card manager in the '09 Hunlock… more of a dark horse than a black widow, perhaps.

Managing the Blue Dogs is #7 Andrew Cornish.  Andy – a critical member of the Falcons squad, as slugger, catcher and outfielder – spent a good part of the '09 season on the disabled list.  Nevertheless, he was always by his teammates' side lending support, and was entrusted as stand-in manager for a couple weeks of the regular season, as well.  With his baseball knowledge and experience, Andy may well be the manager to beat in this year's Hunlock.

SERIES SCHEDULE
Thu. 18 Sept, 8pm      LIVE ONLINE DRAFT
Sun. 21 Sept, 10am    ROUND 1 GAMES (7-innings)
Sun. 28 Sept, 10am    ROUND 2 GAMES (7-innings)
Thu. 02 Oct, 8pm        LIVE ONLINE RE-DRAFT
Sun. 05 Oct, 10am      HUNLOCK CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (9-innings)

The series format is straightforward.  Three teams will face each other twice, with one finalist advancing straight to the Championship Game.  The 2nd and 3rd place squads will play a single semi final to see who advances to the Final. 

OFFICIAL HUNLOCK SERIES HOMEPAGE
http://www.hertsbaseball.com/hunlock/

In the coming days this site will be updated with draft details, team rosters, game results and Series standings.  You will already find the Series schedule and rules, including game rules and draft/trade regulations.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTBREAK…HERTS LOSE FINAL IN AN EPIC1-0 BALLGAME

The British National Baseball Championships (NBC) entered their final weekend with the Youth competition at Finsbury Park, home of the London Mets. The Bronco (ages 10-13) and Pony (ages 13-16) leagues each welcomed four contending squads, making up the top eight youth teams in the BBF. In addition to the host Mets, the Halton Polecats, Cartmel Valley, Herts Baseball Club, the Bracknell Tornadoes and the Horsham Hornets survived the gruelling stretch of playoff games to reach the NBC.

BRONCO FINALS

On Saturday the tournament hosts, the London Mets, advanced to Sunday’s BBF Bronco Final. By overturning a courageous Cartmel Valley comeback, the Mets batted their way to a six-inning win.

Later that afternoon, Herts won in extra innings against Halton after their Polecats tied the game but then stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. (A regulation Bronco game is six-innings long, while a Pony game is seven.)

3rd/4th Bronco Game: Halton Polecats 8, Cartmel Valley 4

These games set up a 3rd-4th place showdown between Halton and Cartmel Valley. These two regional rivals have played many times before and the players were eager to take the diamond. In a very rapid six-inning game, Halton quickly found their bats and slugged out a significant lead. Cartmel’s pitching struggled to contain the aggressive Polecats lineup. Leadoff batter Harry Pickup was 2-4 with one RBI and Spencer Roberts was 1-3 with two RBI. Halton’s starting pitcher – Jonas Grader – pitched five innings of quality ball, allowing only three earned runs and a .286 opponent batting average.

Cartmel Valley was not without some offence of their own. Jonny Hill went 2-3, and Tyler Prescott and Ross Duclos were each 1-2 with one RBI. Catcher Tom Woodburn hit a monster solo home run late in the game; some fans reckon the baseball travelled roughly 300 feet and landed near third base on the adjacent Pony diamond.

Nevertheless, Halton’s offence was too much and they won the game 8-4 securing their third-place berth in the BBF Bronco League.

Bronco Final: London Mets 1, Herts Baseball Club 0

Herts and London, also regional rivals, played the tightest, most competitive match of the entire Championships weekend. The stakes were high: bragging rights as the top Bronco team in the country. But the 10-13 year olds kept their wits about them and simply focused on playing solid baseball.

It wasn’t until the fourth inning that the game’s only run scored. After throwing three shutout innings, Herts starter Nick Martinez allowed a deep double to London’s Jack Peters. It was only one of three hits allowed by Martinez in four innings of work, but it was enough despite his seven strikeouts. The run came in to score on some aggressive Mets baserunning and it was the difference in the game. London’s starter, Ryan Headlam, allowed just one hit in his three innings of work. It was the only hit for Herts on the day (from Lewis Patterson).

Jack Peters pitched three innings of hitless relief for London, earning four strikeouts and throwing 27 strikes versus only nine balls. Leadoff Met Jamie Dix had two stolen bases.

On the way to the Final, Herts eliminated 5 of the best teams in the country. The Club’s youth programme may have been established only 2 years ago, but this amazing achievement confirms Herts as a growing force in British Youth Baseball.

Click for more images from the 2009 National Baseball Championships

 

2009 BRITISH NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER-13s)

FINAL, HERTS ALL STARS @ LONDON METS

Herts All Stars at London Mets
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All Stars 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
London Mets 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0
London Mets 1, Herts All Stars 0
London Mets Herts All Stars
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Jamie Dix c 2 0 0 0 Carlos Casal Jr rf 3 0 0 0
Chris Saltzgaber ss 3 0 0 0 Mikito Ariga c 3 0 0 0
Josh Porter cf 2 0 0 0 Nick Martinez p-ss 2 0 0 0
Jack Peters 3b-p 2 1 2 0 Liam Green cf 1 0 0 0
Ryan Headlam p-3b 2 0 1 0 Lewis Paterson 1b 2 0 1 0
Zac Stroman 1b 2 0 0 1 Marty Cullen Jr ss-p 2 0 0 0
Mathew Tarrant 2b 2 0 0 0 Jamie Paterson 3b 2 0 0 0
(t5) Ben Turner 2b 0 0 0 0 Zachary Longboy 2b 2 0 0 0
Todd Dulius rf 1 0 0 0 Dan Phillips lf 0 0 0 0
(b5) George Atkinson rf 1 0 0 0 (b4) Charlie Mayhew lf 0 0 0 0
Ewan Clegg lf 1 0 0 0 (t6) Michael Davies lf 1 0 0 0
(t4) Rintaro Suzuki lf 1 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 19 1 3 1 TEAM TOTALS 18 0 1 0
E: Lewis Paterson. LOB: Herts All Stars 2, London Mets 4. 2B: Jack Peters. SB: Jamie
Dix(2), Lewis Paterson, Liam Green. CS: Carlos Casal Jr.
London Mets IP H R ER BB SO
Ryan Headlam 3.00 1 0 0 3 3
Jack Peters W 3.00 0 0 0 0 4
Herts All Stars
Nick Martinez L 4.00 3 1 1 1 7
Marty Cullen Jr 1.00 0 0 0 0 1
PB: Mikito Ariga. T: 1:05. A: 198.
by AspiDimitrov

DRAMATIC EXTRA INNINGS WIN TAKES HERTS TO THE FINAL

This article first appeared on www.britishbaseball.org

The British National Baseball Championships (NBC) entered their final weekend with the Youth competition at Finsbury Park, home of the London Mets. The Bronco (10-13) and Pony (14-16) leagues each welcomed four contending squads, making up the top eight youth teams in the BBF. In addition to the host Mets, the Halton Polecats, Cartmel Valley, Herts Baseball Club, the Bracknell Tornadoes and the Horsham Hornets survived the gruelling stretch of playoff games to reach the NBC.

 

BRONCO SEMI FINALS

 

On Saturday the tournament hosts, the London Mets, advanced to Sunday's BBF Bronco Final. By overturning a courageous Cartmel Valley comeback, the Mets batted their way to a six-inning win.

 

Later that afternoon, Herts won in extra innings against Halton after their Polecats tied the game but then stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. (A regulation Bronco game is six-innings long, while a Pony game is seven.)

 

Herts – as away team – will face the Mets on Sunday afternoon in a six-inning title bout.

 

Full Bronco box scores and game stats from Saturday's prelims and Sunday's finals will appear in Monday's full weekend championships report.

 

Click for more images from the 2009 National Youth Baseball Championships

2009 BRITISH NATIONAL BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (UNDER-13s)

12 SEPTEMBER 2009, SEMI-FINAL

Herts All Stars at Halton Polecats
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts All Stars 0 1 5 1 1 0 7 15 11 4
Halton Polecats 1 3 0 1 1 2 2 10 11 6

Herts All Stars 15, Halton Polecats 10
Herts All Stars Halton Polecats
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 1 1 0 Harry Pickup p-ss 4 4 3 0
Mikito Ariga p-c 4 2 0 0 Patrick Hansford 3b 5 0 2 2
Nickolas Martinez ss 5 1 2 1 Alex Jones c 5 0 3 0
Liam Green cf-p 5 3 3 2 Jamie Evans rf 5 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 4 3 1 2 Jonas Grader 2b 3 0 0 0
Marty Cullen Jr c-p-3b 3 1 1 1 Spencer Roberts 1b 2 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson 3b-cf 4 2 2 1 Owen Williams lf 2 1 0 0
Zachary Longboy lf 0 1 0 0 Andrew O'Brien cf 3 3 3 2
(t5) Michael Davis lf-rf 2 1 1 2 Ed Williams ss-p 3 1 0 0
Kieran Manning rf 1 0 0 0
(b3) Jonathan Compton-Weight r f
TEAM TOTALS 33 15 11 9 TEAM TOTALS 32 10 11 4

E: Nickolas Martinez, Marty Cullen Jr, Kieran Manning, Lewis Paterson, Alex Jones(2),
Jonas Grader(2), Harry Pickup, Patrick Hansford. LOB: Herts All Stars 6, Halton
Polecats 9. 2B: Nickolas Martinez(2), Liam Green(2), Lewis Paterson, Jamie Paterson,
Marty Cullen Jr, Harry Pickup. HR: Andrew O'Brien. SB: Lewis Paterson, Zachary
Longboy, Alex Jones, Jamie Evans, Harry Pickup. CS: Zachary Longboy, Carlos Casal Jr,
Jonathan Compton-Weight, Spencer Roberts.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga 3.00 6 4 2 1 6
Liam Green W 2.33 3 4 1 6 4
Marty Cullen Jr 1.67 2 2 1 0 0
Halton Polecats            
Harry Pickup 4.00 2 7 0 6 6
Ed Williams L 2.67 9 8 3 3 2

HBP: by Liam Green (Andrew O'Brien). . . WP: Liam Green. PB: Mikito Ariga(5), Marty
Cullen Jr, Alex Jones(8). T: 2:38. A: 147.