Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS’ SECOND BASEBALL DIAMOND STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE

The next stage of the Grovehill Ballpark Development is well and truly under way.  The contractors have commenced the work which will see the playing surface of the second diamond being levelled.  Tractors, bulldozers and other specialist vehicles were out in force this afternoon on the second diamond along with various laser measuring equipment required for this type of project. 

 

Apart from levelling the playing surface, the project will also involve the arduous task of grading the hill to make the home plate area and the foul territory around the infield aligned with the rest of the infield.  This will create a bank similar to the one on the first base side of the first diamond.  The one difference is that the hill next to the second diamond is much more pronounced and this will create a natural amphitheatre for spectators in the shade under the big trees, which will be a relief on those hot summer days, which usually see players and fans on the first diamond scrambling for their umbrellas as protection from the sun.

 

Once the playing surface has been levelled, the next step will be to inject the grass seed mixture into the surface.  At that point the weather will play a vital role in how well the grass will grow.  When the first rainfall occurs the grass seed will begin to germinate.  It will be critical that there is plenty of rain after that to ensure a high quality grass surface in 2010.

 

This stage of the Grovehill Ballpark Development has been made possible thanks to the £5,000 grant awarded to Herts Baseball Club last month from the Dacorum Olympic and Paralympic Fund, administered jointly by Dacorum Borough Council and the Dacorum Sports Network.

More images of the Grovehill Ballpark Project

by AspiDimitrov

BRACKNELL ELIMINATE HERTS FALCONS ON THE WAY TO BECOMING 2009 CHAMPIONS

The following article first appeared on www.britishbaseball.org 

Legendary Herts Shortstop, Geoff Hare (second from left),

gets honour of being the plate umpire at the Final

Bracknell Blazers played and won three back-to-back games on Sunday 30 August to be crowned National Baseball Champions for 2009.

The team had lost the opening game of the double elimination format event on Saturday 29 August by a score of 10-4 against reigning champs London Mets. This left the Berkshire team with an uphill battle on Sunday.

First they faced and defeated Herts Falcons 12-1 in a five-inning “mercy rule” game. Next was a rematch with London and this time the Blazers won 11-7 over seven-innings. This set up a nine-inning grand final against National Baseball League winners Richmond Flames.

A close game against the Flames (3-3 after six innings) was blown wide open by a Josh Chetwynd double with the bases loaded that scored three for Bracknell. Richmond couldn't fight back, trailing 9-4 going into the ninth inning, only to see Bracknell knock in another seven runs to seal victory.

Rob Rance, Bracknell Manager, and Paul Vernon, Assistant Manager, were jubilant, as was Mark Salter, Bracknell President.

Images from the 2009 National Baseball Championship

Herts Falcons at Richmond Flames
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Herts Falcons 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 1
Richmond Flames 2 4 4 1 0 0 0 11 20 2

Richmond Flames 11, Herts Falcons 3
Richmond Flames Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Marty Visser cf 5 3 3 0 Riley Fisher 3b-p 4 1 1 1
Mike Osborne 2b 4 3 4 3 Jason Greenberg c 3 0 1 1
Cody Cain ss 2 2 2 1 Lin Yuchih 2b 3 0 3 1
Ryan Bird lf 5 1 2 1 Darrin Ward p 3 0 0 0
Grant Delzoppo c 5 1 3 3 (b6) Aspi Dimitrov lf 1 0 0 0
Guy Lidbetter 1b 5 0 2 1 Andy Cornish rf 4 0 1 0
Hayden Davidson 2b 4 0 3 2 Kimiyoshi Saionji cf 3 0 0 0
Matt Spaulding rf 4 0 0 0 Luis Goncalves ss 3 0 0 0
Yoshi Saito 3b 4 1 1 0 Marty Cullen 1b 3 1 1 0
           Nick Goetz lf-3b 1 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 38 11 20 11 TEAM TOTALS 28 3 7 3

E: Mike Osborne, Cody Cain, Nick Goetz. DP: Richmond Flames 2. LOB: Herts Falcons 8,
Richmond Flames 13. 2B: Marty Visser, Riley Fisher. 3B: Mike Osborne. SB: Marty
Visser(2), Jason Greenberg, Marty Cullen.

Richmond Flames IP H R ER BB SO
Herts Falcons            
Darrin Ward L 5.00 19 11 10 0 2
Riley Fisher 1.00 1 0 0 2 2

HBP: by (Jason Greenberg). , by Darrin Ward (Cody Cain). . , by Darrin Ward (Cody
Cain). . . . WP: Riley Fisher. T: 2:02. A: 170.
Bracknell Blazers at Herts Falcons
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 1 4 2 2 3 12 12 2
Herts Falcons 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1

Bracknell Blazers 12, Herts Falcons 1
Bracknell Blazers Herts Falcons
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Player 1 p 2 3 1 0 Riley Fisher c 3 1 1 0
Player 2 c 3 2 2 2 Andy Cornish dh 1 0 0 0
Player 3 1b 3 0 1 3 (t3) Kimiyoshi Saionji lf 1 0 0 0
Player 4 2b 3 1 2 2 Lin Yuchih 1b 2 0 1 1
Player 5 3b 2 0 1 1 Darrin Ward 3b 2 0 0 0
Player 6 ss 3 2 0 0 Dan Kerry cf-p 1 0 0 0
Player 7 lf 2 1 2 2 Luis Goncalves ss 2 0 0 0
Player 8 cf 2 0 1 1 Carlos Casal 2b 2 0 0 0
Player 9 rf 2 3 2 0 Aspi Dimitrov rf 1 0 0 0
           (b5) Marty Cullen rf 1 0 0 0
          Jamie Munn lf-cf 1 0 0 0
          Nick Goetz p 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 22 12 12 11 TEAM TOTALS 17 1 2 1

E: Player 5(2), Dan Kerry. LOB: Herts Falcons 3, Bracknell Blazers 6. 2B: Player 5,
Player 2, Player 1, Player 7, Riley Fisher. HR: Player 7, Player 4. SB: Player 3,
Player 2, Dan Kerry. SB: Player 8. SF: Player 4, Player 3.

Bracknell Blazers IP H R ER BB SO
Player 1 W 5.00 2 1 0 1 4
Herts Falcons            
Nick Goetz L 2.67 9 7 6 3 0
Dan Kerry 2.33 3 5 3 3 2

HBP: by Nick Goetz (Player 6), by Player 1 (Dan Kerry). . , by Dan Kerry (Player 5).
. WP: Dan Kerry. PB: Riley Fisher. T: 1:49. A: 170.

AA & A Divisions

League newcomers Mildenhall Bulldogs downed Midlands rivals Alconbury Braves 8-1 to seize the AA Division title at the first attempt.

Leicester Blue Sox, also from the Midlands, pushed aside Southern opposition defeating Essex Archers 12-8 for the A Division title.

AAA Division

There will be more baseball on 5/6 September when the AAA Division Championships take place in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Hosts Harrogate Tigers will play Liverpool Trojans, Essex Arrows and Southampton Mustangs for the AAA Division title.

RESULTS

National Baseball League
Game 1 – Bracknell Blazers 4, London Mets 10
Game 2 – Herts Falcons 3, Richmond Flames 11
Game 3 – London Mets 1, Richmond Flames 4 (Richmond through to Grand Final)
Game 4 – Bracknell Blazers 12, Herts Falcons 1 (Herts eliminated)
Game 5 – London Mets 7, Bracknell Blazers 11 (London eliminated)
Grand Final – Bracknell Blazers 16, Richmond Flames 4

AA Division
Semi-Final 1 – Kent Mariners 3, Alconbury Braves 13
Semi-Final 2 – Mildenhall Bulldogs 10, Manchester A's 6
3rd/4th Place – Kent Mariners 0, Manchester A's 7
Final – Alconbury Braves 1, Mildenhall Bulldogs 8

A Division
Semi-Final 1 – Leicester Blue Sox 9, Bracknell Blazers II 5
Semi-Final 2 – Humber Pilots 5, Essex Archers 6
3rd/4th Place – Bracknell Blazers 17, Humber Pilots 11
Final – Leicester Blue Sox 12, Essex Archers 8

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS GO INTO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AS THE UNDERDOGS

The 2009 National Baseball Championships take place on August 29-30 at Roundshaw Playing Fields in Croydon. Teams from the National Baseball League, Double-A and Single-A leagues will compete over the two days to decide the national champion at each level.

 

In previous seasons the showpiece event of the British Baseball calendar was referred to as the Final 4. This year the event has been renamed to the National Baseball Championships (or NBC) and given a brand new logo as above.

 

You can find a list of the qualifiers and the schedule for the weekend in the NBC document in the Downloads section.

 

Spectators are welcome and entry and car parking is free. Food and drinks will be available.

 

Click for directions to Roundshaw Fields.

 

 

NATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW

 

Bracknell Blazers (14-10)

 

Built over recent years with a mixture of young British talent, including Michael and Ryan Trask and Matt Maitland, and experienced heads like former Great Britain player Josh Chetwynd, the Blazers made a vast improvement on last season and enter the NBC in good form with five straight wins.

 

Of this year's participants Bracknell have the most appearances in the championship weekender (four) but are yet to win an honour in the NBL.

 

Team history:

Bracknell Baseball Club was formed at the end of 1992 as a single adult team, the Blazers, and they played for the first time in 1993's BBF Southern Conference Division Three East.  The club instigated youth development work in local schools starting in 1994 and began a youth section, which has won either the Bronco or Pony titles in the last six years, the same year.  The Blazers moved up the BBF league structure steadily and were admitted to the Premier Division in 1998 and have played in the country's top division, currently the National League, ever since.  Blazers 14-10 record this season is their best regular season record since 2003.  The club ran multiple teams for a few years in the late 90s and established a second adult team, Blazers II, in 2006; their 12-0 record this season is the first unbeaten regular season in the club's history.

 

The club believes that young players should be given the chance to prove they can compete against the best players in the country.  The club has healthy links with Great Britain programmes.

 

Players to watch:

 

Ryan Trask

Ryan Trask first played for the Bracknell Mens team at the age of 14 and his younger brother Michael Trask is hot on his heels as one of the strongest players with the British National League. Ryan led the National Baseball League with 28 RBI in the regular season.

 

Tom Bray

Bracknell slugger Tom Bray compiled a .412 batting average in 2009 with a league best .644 OBA. He arguably has one of the best ‘eyes’ in the NBL, with 18 walks and 15 RBI.

 

Matt Maitland

Pitcher and GB World Cup hopeful Matt Maitland has tied Richmond’s Michael Osborn for most NBL regular season strikeouts. While he has only two wins this season, he boasts a 3.31 ERA and a WHIP of of 1.65.

  

 

  

  

Herts Falcons (12-12)

 

Last year's Triple-A Champions made a smart debut in the NBL, winning three of their first four games including a comeback victory against the 2008 National Champion Mets. However, they faded at the end, losing six in a row. Despite this, a .500 record over the season has proved the Falcons deserve to play at this level – a feat made yet more commendable given that only two years ago the Falcons were a Double-A team prior to back-to-back promotions. Manager Jason Greenberg will be looking for his side to rally for a final effort this weekend.

 

Team history:

 

Based in Hemel Hempstead, the Herts Falcons joined the BBF Leagues in 1997, achieving their first winning season a year later with an 11-3 record.  In 1999 they were invited to step up a division to the old BBF Southern Conference First Division. In 2004 they won the Division 1 South title and secured promotion to the Premier League where they played for two seasons only to suffer a heart-breaking playoff loss in 2006 sending the team back down to Division 1.  Since that setback, the team has taken British Baseball by storm winning back-to-back promotions, first from AA to AAA in 2007 and from AAA to the NBL in 2008.

 

This is the team’s first season in British Baseball’s top-tier and has proven many doubters wrong with an impressive .500 regular season record in 2009.  Over the years Herts has grown and is now the biggest adult programme in British Baseball with 4 adult teams playing in all 4 British Leagues.  In 2007 the club also started its youth programme and in its second year of existence has already managed to qualify for the 2009 BBF Youth National baseball Championship.

 

Players to watch:

 

Darrin Ward

‘The Colonel’, as he’s known to his Herts teammates, is a force to be reckoned with at the plate and on the mound. Ward has pitched more innings (74.2) in the NBL than anyone else in 2009 and amassed six wins in 12 decisions. He had a .413 regular season batting average with seven doubles.

 

Lin Yuchih

This Taiwanese infielder has a natural power swing with incredibly quick bat speed. His .342 batting average was second best on the Falcons (behind Ward), with eight doubles, 18 runs scored and 15 RBI.

 

Luis Goncalves

The youngest Falcon at age 15, Goncalves is universally considered one of the top prospects in the NBL. His range, glove and arm at shortstop is well-respected by rival clubs. While his average was merely .191 in 2009, he worked 13 walks and was 10/10 in stolen bases.

 

 

 

 

London Mets (17-7)

 

Defending Champions, the Mets lost a number of players from the all-conquering class of '08 which went 23-1 in the regular season. Despite this, the new-look squad led the league for much of this summer including a run of 13 wins in a row between May and August. But London comes into the NBC hoping it didn't peak too soon as it has lost three in a row including a final day sweep by Richmond which ousted it from first place.

 

One of the stories of the weekend looks to be the chance for some of London's Triple-A players to show their worth at the highest level as they've been promoted to replace a significant number of first-teamers who are unavailable.

 

Team history:

 

In 2007, the thriving London Mets Youth Baseball Club decided to launch an adult team aimed at young players who had outgrown the BBF youth leagues. The adult Mets were permitted to enter the BBF National League in their first season and finished as National Champions.

The London Mets continued to grow their senior programme in 2008, launching a AAA team (London Metros) who took the Wild Card spot in that year's Final 4. The London Mets NBL team were 2008 Southern League Champions and went on to be crowned National Baseball League Champions for the second year running, with a team that independent observers described as the best British team for a generation.

The lure of European competition and the forthcoming Baseball World Cup saw the London Mets lose ten members of the Championship-winning team, so that the 2009 season has been a rebuilding year for the club. Fortunately the strength in depth of the London Mets organisation has meant that the NBL line-up has been filled with quality players looking to secure the National Championship for the third successive year.

 

Players to watch:

 

Will Lintern

This British National Team catcher – soon to depart as a member of the GB World Cup roster – will undoubtedly keep rival baserunners at bay through the weekend. While he spent most of the season playing abroad in Germany, Lintern has brought his bat and leadership prowess back behind just in time to aid a depleted London squad.

 

Rob Antony and Carl Randall

These London sluggers took League honours for best batting average (Antony, .500) and runs scored (Randall, 33). Antony also had 18 stolen bases and a 90% fielding mark at shortstop. The boast three triples between them.

 

The AAA London Metros

With a significant number of first-string Mets unavailable for the Championships – including manager Alex Pike and starters Jason Roberts and Reid Wilson – it’s anybody’s guess who will step up and perform this weekend. Perhaps one of the four AAA players offered BBF dispensation to join the top-tier NBC…

 

 

 

 

Richmond Flames (17-7)

 

The first-placed Flames earned their first division title since joining the NBL in 2004 but are experienced in the postseason having won the National Championship in 2006 and lost in the final last year. Manager Grant Delzoppo sites the depth of pitching staff as one of his side's strengths and it certainly will be a key factor at the NBC with at least three games to play to win the Championship. The rotation includes three pitchers who rank highly in the pitching statistics: Cody Cain, named the league's Most Valuable Pitcher for 2009, Michael Osborn and Ryan Bird. These guys aren't shy with the bat either and Ryan Bird was named Most Valuable Batter in '09.

 

That multi-talented nature across the team has been another of Richmond's strengths in recent years although Delzoppo has minor concerns about his small squad being tested by the number of games this weekend. However, the Flames are fuelled by an eight-game winning streak – including a sweep of the defending champion Mets – and will be tipped as favourites.

 

Team history:

 

Richmond is one of the largest and most successful clubs in the UK, with three adult baseball teams in the BBF leagues, as well as an under 13 youth programme and women's and girls fastpitch softball with the Angels. Formed in 1992, the club won the London Tournament in both 2007 and 2008. Since 1992, the Richmond organization has worked hard both on and off the field to bring exciting baseball for all kinds of levels of players.

 

The Richmond Flames have played in the National Baseball League since 2004, and were the 2006 National Champions and defeated finalists in 2008. They finished the 2009 season 1st with a 17-7 record. The Richmond Dragons were established in 2003, and play in the A division and have finished with a 7-5 record.

 

Players to watch:

 

Ryan Bird

Named as the Most Valuable Batter for 2009, Ryan hit 0.449, (2nd in League), with 6 Home Runs (1st) and 27 RBIs (2nd). This is the second year in a row that Ryan has received this award and Ryan has played with Richmond since 2006 after relocating from South Africa. The hard throwing Ryan has also pitched strongly with a 4-1 record in 2009, an ERA of 1.85 and 14.4 K/9 Innings. Ryan will be one of the key players for the Flames in the playoffs.

 

Cody Cain

One of the most experienced pitchers in the National Baseball League, Cody was named as the Most Valuable Pitcher for 2009, with a league leading ERA of 1.67, and 3-1 record. A native of the USA, he played for Lewis and Clark College (Division 1), and the highlight was his team making it to the College Baseball World Series. With 495 Career Strikeouts to date, Cody only needs 5 Strikeouts in the post season to be the first player to reach 500 Career Strikeouts in the National Baseball League.

 

Mike Osborne

Starting baseball at the late age of 21, Mike is a veteran of more than 11 years at the National Baseball League. He originally played for the London Warriors, before moving over Richmond in 2006. A starting pitcher, this year Mike has a 6-3 record, with a league leading strike outs of 57. Mike has also contributed with the bat, hitting 0.346, and On Base of 0.455.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS ELIMINATE 2 MORE TEAMS TO REACH NATIONAL FINALS

The Herts All Stars knocked out another two teams this weekend and have booked their place in the National Baseball Championships which confirms them as one of the top four teams in Britain. 

 

The Herts Baseball Little League programme has existed only 2 seasons but has managed to turn the 2009 Under-13 National Baseball Championship on its head.  The team entered this competition for the first time and was given a wild card entry in the early qualifying playoff rounds as an independent team, which meant that they needed to win six games in a row to become the British Under-13 Champions.  There was no room for error.  One wrong step and the team's first entry into the National Championships would end abruptly.

 

Against all odds the Herts All-Stars are not just surviving but are starting to put fear in their opponents.  After eliminating Horsham and Bracknell in the earlier round, Herts overcame first the Tonbridge Bobcats and then the Brentwood Bucks on Saturday at the home of the London Mets in Finsbury Park. 

 

This means that the Herts All Stars will be returning to London on 12 and 13 September for the Finals.  Also qualifying for the final are the London Mets as well as the two best Northern teams, Cartmel Valley and Halton.

 

Four games, four wins.  The Herts All-Stars need to win two more to become British Champions.  Can they continue to shock British Baseball?  The Herts Baseball Newswire will have all the latest news for you, so stay tuned.

 

More photos from the Playoffs at Finsbury Park, 22 August 2009

Tonbridge Bobcats at Herts All Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Tonbridge Bobcats 0 2 2 0 1 5 5 2
Herts All Stars 5 4 5 2 0 16 8 1

Herts All Stars 16, Tonbridge Bobcats 5
Herts All Stars Tonbridge Bobcats
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga 3b-p 2 1 0 1 Harry 1b-p 2 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 3 1 0 0 James p-ss 2 1 1 0
Liam Green p-3b 2 3 2 2 Olu cf 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 2 3 1 1 Sam c 3 1 2 1
Nickolas Martinez ss 2 3 2 2 Kester 2b 3 1 1 1
Jamie Paterson cf 0 2 0 1 Alex 3b 1 1 0 0
Kieran Manning c 2 2 2 4 Adam ss-p-1b 2 0 1 1
Michelle Johnson rf 2 0 0 0 Callum rf 2 0 0 0
(t5) Dan Phillips rf 0 0 0 0 Mason lf 1 0 0 0
Charlie Mayhew lf 2 1 1 1
(t5) Lewis Green lf 0 0 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 17 16 8 12 TEAM TOTALS 18 5 5 3

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Kester, Callum. LOB: Tonbridge Bobcats 3, Herts All Stars 7. 2B:
Liam Green, Nickolas Martinez, Kieran Manning, Sam(2), Kester. 3B: Lewis Paterson.
SB: Liam Green(2), Nickolas Martinez, Lewis Paterson, Mikito Ariga, Charlie Mayhew,
Sam, Kester, James. SB: Jamie Paterson.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga W 4.00 5 5 4 3 6
Liam Green 1.00 0 0 0 2 1
Tonbridge Bobcats            
James L 2.33 4 10 8 9 2
Harry 1.00 2 2 2 3 3
Adam 0.00 2 4 1 2 0

HBP: by James (Charlie Mayhew). . . . . WP: Liam Green(2), Mikito Ariga, James(2).
PB: Kieran Manning, Sam. T: 2:00. A: 120.

Herts All Stars at Brentwood Bucks
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All Stars 5 0 1 1 0 5 12 16 1
Brentwood Bucks 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 10 5

Herts All Stars 12, Brentwood Bucks 4
Herts All Stars Brentwood Bucks
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 4 2 2 0 Stewart 3b-rf 4 2 4 1
Mikito Ariga c 4 2 2 3 Max c-ss 3 0 1 1
Liam Green p-ss 4 3 3 2 Sebastian p-c 3 0 1 1
Lewis Paterson 1b 4 3 3 1 Tom 1b 3 1 2 0
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 4 1 2 1 Charlie ss-p 2 0 0 0
Jamie Paterson 3b 3 0 0 0 Reiss 2b 3 0 0 0
Kieran Manning lf 2 0 1 1 Jamie cf 3 0 1 0
(b4) Dan Phillips lf 2 0 1 0 Alex lf 3 0 0 0
Lewis Green cf 3 0 2 2 Dean A rf-3b 3 1 1 0
(t6) Michelle Johnson cf 1 0 0 0 Dean P rf 0 0 0 0
Jose Morillo rf 2 0 0 0
(b4) Charlie Mayhew rf 0 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 33 12 16 10 TEAM TOTALS 27 4 10 3

E: Liam Green, Max(3), Sebastian, Jamie. LOB: Brentwood Bucks 7, Herts All Stars 7.
2B: Liam Green, Mikito Ariga, Lewis Green, Stewart(2), Tom, Dean A. HR: Liam Green.
SB: Carlos Casal Jr(2), Kieran Manning, Charlie Mayhew, Tom, Charlie. CS: Max. SB:
Jamie Paterson, Max.

Herts All Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Liam Green W 3.00 3 1 1 1 7
Nickolas Martinez 3.00 7 3 1 0 3
Brentwood Bucks            
Charlie 3.00 5 6 2 1 2
Sebastian L 2.33 11 6 6 0 3

WP: Liam Green. PB: Mikito Ariga(3), Sebastian. T: 2:00. A: 101.
by AspiDimitrov

THE LAST WALTZ-ER

This was a last ride on the Raptors rollercoaster before the Theme Park closed for the season. There were a few screams, stomachs churned, hands were waved in the air — and when it was over, we wanted to do it all again. But we couldn't. Not just because it was now dark, and the Health and Safety people were itching to shut us down, but because this was our last game of the year.

It had been a classic see-saw battle with the Old Timers. And for me, it was a pretty busy one. An extraordinary number of chances seemed to come my way, even for a game at shortstop. The dramatic highlight was a pop-up which looked to be routine — until it disappeared in the blazing sun. I was just  shouting that I had lost it, when I suddenly saw a small black dot reappear and I was able to reach out and snatch it off the very tip of the grass. Slater had to take a few minutes to recover from his heart palpitations.

Of the grounders, I'm pleased to say that a couple were dealt with cleanly but, frustratingly, others got away — one took a bad hop and I could only stop it with my bare hand, others were blocked. As the game went on, I played closer and closer in, even on to the grass, and I think it helped. You lose some range, but for anything near me, it removed the danger of the bad hop as the ball goes on to the redgra, and mader my throw shorter. Most of the ground balls were not being hit that hard. Even this late in the season, you are still figuring out what works.

I have been highly critical of my own batting this season, and with justification. The batting title has long since gone west! At least this week, faced with the milder offerings of the Old Timers pitching, I was able to get bat on ball every time. But still I only hit shallow singles. Looking at the photos afterwards, it was clear that I wasn't generating any power from my legs. A little guy like me needs to use everything, and too often I was only swinging with my arms. As consolation for myself, I include a picture of me in a more successful at-bat — this was an RBI  single to the opposite field.

So the rides have all stopped now, the gates are closed, the candy-floss machine has been switched off. Somewhere in the dark is one of those scary-looking horses you see on the roundabout. Or maybe that's just one of the team who has had a rough night. This game had all the hallmarks of the Herts Raptors — both good and bad — and was a fitting finale. It would have been perfect if we had won of course, but dreams can't always come true. Even at the fun-fair.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS ALL STARS SHOCK THE SOUTH

The Baseball gods were smiling brightly down on ‘the Hill’ in anticipation for the Herts Little League’s first ever appearance in the BBF Southern playoffs. It was to be a monumental task for the Herts All Stars, in only their second year in existence. What lay in wait for Herts were two very established teams with a celebrated history of success in British Baseball.  Bracknell and Horsham.

The Herts All Stars, hand picked from the Herts Little League, had been training for the past two months in preparation for this very day. With the focus of a Falcon, the eyes of an Eagle, the hearts of a Hawk and the resolve of a Raptor, the Herts All Stars arrived with a quiet confidence rarely witnessed in a second year team about to play the most important games of there lives.

Game 1 vs Bracknell:

With the pitching restrictions for Bronco level Baseball in place, Herts Manager, Marty Cullen put together an eclectic rotation of 4 pitchers, hoping to get the job done while saving some arms for game 2. Would the tactic pay off?

Nickolas Martinez started off strong, striking out 2 before leaving a base runner on for reliever Mikito Ariga, who struck out the first batter he faced to retire the side.

Herts went down in order in the bottom of the inning to Bracknell’s hard throwing ace, Brendan Harsan.

Ariga continued his dominance into the 2nd, cutting down Brackell in order.

Then………Lighting struck and ‘the Hill’ erupted.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Herts catcher, Kieran Manning delivered a 2 run single with 1 out to open up the scoring and take a lead that would prove crucial.

In the bottom of the 3rd, with 2 on and 2 out, up stepped Nick Martinez. With a 2-1 count, Martinez got hold of a Harsan fastball and deposited over the 220 ft centerfield fence, giving Herts a 5-0 lead. Martinez said of his blast, “I was just trying to get a pitch to drive up the middle. Luckily I hit it well and it got out there.”

Bracknell never gave up. They struck back immediately scoring 4 runs over the next 2 innings.

But Herts weren’t done yet. With some aggressive base running and good eyes at the plate, Herts padded their lead going into the final inning. These runs would prove critical as Bracknell jumped on relievers Liam Green and Carlos Casal for 3 more runs in the top of the 6th, before grounding out to end the game, falling to the Herts All Stars 9-7.

It was, by any standard an amazing game that could have gone either way.

It went Herts way.

As he lead his team away from the field and throngs of reporters, Manager Marty Cullen only had this to say: “I’m very pleased with the outcome, but we still have another game to play, so if you’ll excuse me……”

And so with the Herts All Stars off talking strategy, Bracknell set out to salvage their campaign against the hotly tipped Horsham All Stars. A mountain that would prove a little too steep to climb. Bracknell, weary from their epic battle with Herts, couldn’t quite put it together against the dominant Horsham and fell via the mercy rule after 5 tough innings.

In a round robin format, the team that loses 2 games is automatically eliminated. That leaves 1 game with it all to play for between the remaining 2 teams. On this day……it would be Herts and Horsham. Horsham would be the home team in this, the final game of the day, and their starting line-up read like the who’s who of British youth Baseball with no less than 7 GB players, 2 of whom recently returned from the European qualifiers for the Little League World Series. This alone confirmed their status as the wildcard favourites over the 2nd year Herts All Stars. Could Herts pull off the upset of the year, or would lightning strike again for Horsham?

Bracknell Blazers at Herts All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Bracknell Blazers 0 0 0 1 3 3 7 5 1
Herts All-Stars 0 2 3 1 3 0 9 3 3

Herts All-Stars 9, Bracknell Blazers 7
Herts All-Stars Bracknell Blazers
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Mikito Ariga p-ss-c-3b 3 0 0 0 Alex Price c-ss 3 2 2 0
Jamie Paterson cf 3 0 0 0 Sian Wiggington 1b-p-3b 3 1 0 0
Liam Green 3b-p 1 2 0 0 Brendan Harsan p-3b-1b 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 1b 1 3 0 0 Chloe Wiggington ss 3 1 2 1
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 1 3 1 3 Nathaniel Leff 2b 4 1 1 0
Lewis Green rf 2 0 0 0 Adam Hopkins cf-3b-p 0 0 0 0
(t6) Charlie Mayhew rf 0 0 0 0 Lee Coster 3b 1 0 0 0
Kieran Manning c 1 0 1 2 (t4) Millie H. cf 2 0 0 0
(t3) Dan Phillips c-2b 1 0 0 0 Ryan Dale lf 2 0 0 0
Carlos Casal Jr 2b-p 3 1 1 0 (b4) Oliver Graib lf 0 1 0 0
Alex Ringrose lf 1 0 0 0 Jack Eve rf 3 0 0 0
(t6) Jonathan Compton-Weight l f
TEAM TOTALS 17 9 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 23 7 5 1

E: Mikito Ariga, Carlos Casal Jr, Dan Phillips, Chloe Wiggington. LOB: Herts
All-Stars 2, Bracknell Blazers 7. 2B: Carlos Casal Jr, Chloe Wiggington. HR: Nickolas
Martinez. SB: Liam Green, Adam Hopkins(3), Nickolas Martinez(2), Brendan Harsan, Sian
Wiggington, Nathaniel Leff, Oliver Graib. CS: Lewis Green.

Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Mikito Ariga W 4.33 3 4 0 5 12
Nickolas Martinez 0.67 1 0 0 0 2
Liam Green 0.67 0 2 0 2 2
Carlos Casal Jr 0.33 1 1 1 1 0
Bracknell Blazers            
Brendan Harsan L 4.00 3 6 2 4 7
Adam Hopkins 1.00 0 0 0 2 1
Sian Wiggington 0.00 0 3 1 2 0

HBP: by Sian Wiggington (Liam Green). . WP: Mikito Ariga(2), Carlos Casal Jr, Brendan
Harsan(3), Adam Hopkins(2). PB: Dan Phillips(8), Kieran Manning, Alex Price(6). T: 2:00. A: 110.

Game 3  

Horsham took the field, lead by flame throwing GB starter Miguel Rodriguez (known by some as     M-Rod ). The tension mounted and the crowd grew silent as UBUA legend Darrin Muller yelled “Play ball!”

The first 2 Herts batters reached base safely and with no one out, up stepped slugger Liam Green. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and a 2-0 count, Liam connected with a fastball, launching it 60 feet passed the 220ft left centerfield wall for the longest homerun in Herts Little League history. Stunned silence fell over the Horsham fans as they watched Herts take an improbable 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

Green took to the mound and retired Horsham in order in the bottom of the inning. Herts, after threatening to add more runs, eventually followed suit and were retired, leaving 2 runners on base in the top of the 2nd.

In the bottom of the inning however, the Horsham bats came alive and scored 4 runs, including a 2 run double by GB All Star Tyler Burnie. Carrying the momentum, M-Rod  sat  Herts down, leaving 2 more runners on base before helping his own cause with a 2 run single in the bottom of the 3rd.

Herts, down but far from out, dug deep and clawed back a run in the 4th and 1 in the 5th,while game 1 hero Nick Martinez took the mound and shut down Horsham’s mounting offense allowing only 1 baserunner and striking out 4 over these 2 frames.

Now or never.

Down 6 – 5 going into the final inning, a final war cry could be heard from the Herts bench, as Manager, Marty Cullen rallied his troops for one more push. “Now or never” he said. “You deserve this. Go out there and get it”. 

The All Stars responded.

They kicked and scratched for 4 runs with some aggressive baserunning and timely hitting off hard throwing GB reliever, Callum Vinall and with only 10 minutes of regulation play remaining, Herts took a 9-6 lead into the bottom of the 6th.

Martinez, with only 19 pitches left (based on BBF regulations) would have to come up with something special……and fast! He did…. Inducing  2 ground ball outs with just 5 pitches before walking a batter with 6 pitches.

8 pitches left. 3 minutes left. If the next batter isn’t retired, the game ends (according to BBF rules) with the score from the previous full inning. In other words…..Horsham wins.

Up steps MVP Tyler Burnie who quickly and expertly works the count full and proceeds to foul off 3 more pitches using up Martinez’s pitch count and prompting an announcement by umpire Muller. “Last Batter!” he shouted.

30 seconds left.

Martinez glances toward his manager. Glances toward his family. Takes a deep breath. Sets. Fires……

Strike 3!!!!! HERTS WIN!!!!

The crowd erupts. The Herts bench erupts,  and the All Stars celebrate their improbable upset in front of a stunned Horsham bench.

In the post game press conference, Horsham manager Rob Burnie said, “Our hats go off to Herts. They have a great program and they play the game right. They proved that today.” When asked about the upset, Herts manager Marty Cullen had this to say; “I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. Horsham are a great team, maybe the best in the country, but these kids don’t quit and it really paid off. They showed a lot of heart today.”

Next week the Herts All Stars make the trip south to the hostile waters of Finsbury Park. To reach the National Championships, Herts will have to win 2 more games. Do they have what it takes?

Stay tuned…………….

More photos from the BBF Wild Card Playoffs

Herts All-Stars at Horsham All-Stars
Score By Innings 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Herts All-Stars 3 0 0 1 1 4 9 3 2
Horsham All-Stars 0 4 2 0 0 0 6 2 3

Herts All-Stars 9, Horsham All-Stars 6
Herts All-Stars Horsham All-Stars
  ab r h bi   ab r h bi
Carlos Casal Jr 2b 4 2 0 0 Tyler Burnie cf 3 0 1 2
Jonathan Compton-Weight 1b 2 2 0 1 Dean Jacob ss 3 0 0 0
Liam Green p-ss 4 2 2 4 Adam Lamport lf 2 1 0 0
Lewis Paterson 3b 3 1 0 0 (t4) Dean Coe lf 1 0 0 0
Nickolas Martinez ss-p 3 0 0 0 Callum Vinall p-3b 2 1 0 0
Mikito Ariga c 2 0 0 0 Miguel Rodriguez p-3b 3 1 1 2
Jamie Paterson cf 4 0 0 0 Harry Law 2b 1 1 0 0
Lewis Green lf 0 0 0 0 (t4) George Penfold rf-2b 1 0 0 0
(t4) Alex Ringrose lf 0 1 0 0 Tim Moore c 2 1 0 0
Charlie Mayhew rf 2 0 1 0 Will Chase 1b 2 0 0 0
(t5) Dan Phillips rf 0 1 0 0 (t4) Ben Chambers rf-1b 1 0 0 0
Callum Lewis rf 1 1 0 0
TEAM TOTALS 24 9 3 5 TEAM TOTALS 22 6 2 4

E: Carlos Casal Jr, Jamie Paterson, Harry Law, Callum Vinall, George Penfold. LOB:
Horsham All-Stars 4, Herts All-Stars 7. 2B: Nickolas Martinez. HR: Liam Green. SB:
Mikito Ariga(2), Carlos Casal Jr, Lewis Paterson, Liam Green, Charlie Mayhew,
Jonathan Compton-Weight, Callum Vinall, Harry Law, Miguel Rodriguez.

Herts All-Stars IP H R ER BB SO
Nickolas Martinez W 4.00 1 0 0 2 7
Liam Green 2.00 1 6 4 4 5
Horsham All-Stars            
Miguel Rodriguez 4.00 2 4 1 5 4
Callum Vinall L 2.00 1 5 2 5 1

WP: Liam Green(5), Nickolas Martinez, Callum Vinall(3), Miguel Rodriguez(2). PB:
Mikito Ariga, Tim Moore(4). T: 2:00. A: 110.
by AspiDimitrov

POSTSEASON BASEBALL THIS SATURDAY IN HERTS

We are officially into the 2009 postseason of British Baseball’s youth leagues.  The Wild Card round of the Playoffs for the Under-13 age group will take place on Saturday, 15 August.  It will be held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, which is the home of Herts Baseball Club.

 

The Wild Card Playoffs will involve three teams representing the three independent baseball leagues of Bracknell, Horsham and the hosts Herts.  The best players of these three regions will go head-to-head for a place in the next Round of the Playoffs.

 

Last time these three teams met was in September 2008 and it was once again in Hertfordshire as part of the 2008 Herts Futures Tournament.  Herts came out on top against Bracknell winning 9-5 in the group stages but then went on to lose to Horsham in the Final of the tournament in a dramatic 4-3 ballgame.

 

This Wild Card Playoff will have a round-robin format with all three teams playing against each other.  In the first game of the day at 10:30am the hosts, Herts will make their debut in the British National competitions against Bracknell.  This will be followed by Bracknell vs Horsham at 12:45pm and the final game between Horsham and Herts at 3pm.

 

The winner will go through to the next round of the Playoffs on 22 August at Finsbury Park, where London, Brentwood and Kent will also enter the postseason playoffs to determine who will go through to the National Baseball Championship on 12-13 September.

 

Baseball enthusiasts can attend this Saturday’s Playoffs at Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel hempstead (click for directions).  Admission is free and apart from postseason baseball fans can enjoy a hot dog and other snacks and drinks offered at the venue.

by AspiDimitrov

EAGLES SHOT DOWN BY ARROWS

Report from Herts Baseball Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON

 

The Herts Eagles were powerless to stop the Essex Arrows domination of the AAA league on Sunday, suffering two comprehensive defeats at the Waltham Abbey diamond.

 

Despite having run the Arrows close in their first encounter of the season at Grovehill, the visiting Eagles rarely looked like becoming the first team all season to beat the Essex side, whose record now stands at an amazing 23 wins (and no losses).

 

The high pointfor the Eagles was undoubtedly the performance of Ilya Dimitrov who normally plays for the Herts fourth team but was a late call up for the game.  He made several good plays in the outfield, including helping to throw out a runner at home plate, and also scored the Eagles only run of game 1 on a triple by Rod Ariss.

 

Some alert baserunning by manager Dave Westfallen gave the Eagles a brief lead in the second inning of game 2 but the Arrows' power hitters soon restored the home sides dominance and, with just nine players available this week, the Herts team had no reply.

 

The final scores were 11-1 and 15-4 but despite the heavy defeats, Westfallen praised the efforts of his team againstvery strong opposition.

 

The Eagles' final two games of the season are the rearranged fixture away to the Oxford Kings on August 23rd.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS AWARDED £5K GRANT FOR SECOND DIAMOND

Herts Baseball Club has been awarded a £5,000 grant from the Dacorum Olympic and Paralympic Fund, administered jointly by Dacorum Borough Council and the Dacorum Sports Network.

A select number of organisations have received awards from the Olympic Fund for capital projects that will enhance sport services and facilities for people in Dacorum.  The goal is to foster greater involvement in sport, culture and volunteering.  Herts Baseball Club – based at Grovehill Playing Fields in Hemel Hempstead – is widely regarded as a positive influence in the local area and their grant application boasted support from local Council members, the Herts Constabulary, the Grovehill Community Centre and many other encouraging organisations.

The funds will be used by Herts Baseball to level the playing surface of a second baseball field, adjacent to their existing diamond in Grovehill.  The Club has made a name for itself in recent years, enjoying rapid expansion to become the largest baseball franchise in the United Kingdom.  They have a thriving youth Little League programme and an adult team at every level of play in the British Baseball Federation – including the Herts Falcons who joined the venerated National Baseball League in 2009, have secured a winning debut season and will appear in the National Baseball Championships in Croydon, London on August 29-30 to compete for the UK trophy.

Herts Baseball is still awaiting news on another critical grant application which will provide for the clay surfaces, pitching mound and other sport-specific features on Diamond Two, but they've already raised enough funds to assure themselves a level field to play on.  The Grovehill baseball facilities are arguably the best in the United Kingdom, and Herts will be the only Club in the nation to boast two professionally-surfaced, adult sized and completely fenced-in baseball fields.

Club President Aspi Dimitrov said, “We are incredibly grateful to Dacorum Borough Council for their continued partnership and support.  It would be impossible to offer our services – family-friendly baseball for kids and adults, alike – without the Council's backing.  We plan on being a key community presence in Grovehill for many years to come.”

by AspiDimitrov

(AUDIO) BBC RADIO COVERAGE OF BRITISH BASEBALL

On Thursday, 6 August 2009, BBC London Radio 94.9FM aired a programme covering British Baseball.  Host Nick Godwin and guests representing all London-based teams from the NBL and AAA League who have qualified for the 2009 postseason discussed topics from the upcoming National Baseball Championship, staging an official MLB game in the UK as well as other issues facing British Baseball at the moment.

Among the special guests were Richmond General Manager and BBF Secretary, John Walmsley, London Mets President, Neil Warne, Bracknell Blazers President, Mark Salter, Essex Arrows President, David Shaer and Herts Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg.

Click below to hear the programme in full.