Category: Headlines

Baseball fans around the world react after Herts Falcons’ heroics
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Baseball fans around the world react after Herts Falcons’ astonishing comeback

It is no secret that this has been a difficult season for the Herts Falcons competing in the NBL – Britain’s top baseball league. Going into last weekend’s games they had lost all 22 of their league games this year.  They were also missing most of their players who have previous National Baseball League experience.

On Sunday, they went into the final inning trailing by 10 runs to the London Legends but they managed to do something almost unheard of in the game of baseball, scoring 11 runs to win it 20-19.

The news started spreading on social media like wildfire and a post on Reddit has so far generated 236 comments from baseball fans around the world. A very enjoyable read for Herts baseball fans to see what the rest of the world thinks about Herts and British baseball from a distance. Some of the people commenting even took the time to look into Herts Baseball Club’s team structure asking the question “and why are there Double-A and Single-A affiliates for these teams. Are there farm systems involved here?”.

Click here to view this, mostly light-hearted, discussion on Reddit. Note: There is some adult language in some of the comments.

A look at the greatest comebacks in MLB regular season history shows just how rare this achievement is. In 1994, the Houston Astros did come back from 0-11 down in the fourth inning to beat the St Louis Cardinals 15-12, but we cannot see an 11-run comeback in the ninth inning.  The biggest ninth-inning comeback in MLB regular season history that we can see was in 1986 when the California Angels scored 8 runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it 13-12.

With manager Cris Hiche out of the country due to family bereavement and interim manager Phil Clark also away, it was up to Michael Cresswell and Will Zucker to lead the team on Sunday and they certainly did that. Cresswell ended up hitting his first home run at NBL level and, despite not usually being used as a pitcher, he picked up the win pitching six innings in that game.

This first win of the season will not be enough to bring the team back into the playoff race, but the Falcons have certainly won many new fans.

This is not the first time that the Falcons attract international attention.  In 2019 after a rain delay became a cancellation, the team washed away their disappointment by stripping down to their underwear, sprinting from the dugout, through the rain, and sliding across the outfield. The moment was memorably caught on camera. It proved a success not only on Herts social media channels, but on a Facebook page covering baseball around the world – where it racked up more than 20,000 views.

We have 14 days to make the Basing Hill Ballpark project a reality
by Herts Baseball News Editor

We have 14 days to make the Basing Hill Ballpark project a reality

The Basing Hill Ballpark project has been given a lifeline in the campaign to secure funding but the odds are still stacked heavily against it with the deadline looming.

In March, Herts Baseball Club came very close but missed out on receiving funding from the Mayor of London for the project.  Despite securing pledges from 125 other backers, the original crowdfunding target of £55,000 was just too far to reach without the support from the Mayor. 

That campaign’s deadline passed last week so it has now ended. All 125 pledges have been cancelled and no money will be taken from the bank accounts of those who made a pledge.

Over the last few weeks the club has been exploring ways to keep to the original timeline so that the playing field can be re-graded, levelled and the grass seeds can be planted this September, while the later stages of the project can be implemented when the club secures the required funding. If this cannot be done in time for the September grass-growing season, the project would be delayed by at least 12 months which means that the growing number of adult and youth baseball teams would have to play one more year on the same grass surface which is not fit for purpose.

The club has now launched a scaled down crowdfunding campaign on Spacehive with a target of £21,409 which covers this first phase of the project. 

It has pitched to the London Borough of Barnet who have just made a £4,000 pledge which has given the project a lifeline.

Pledge to the Basing Hill Ballpark project on Spacehive

It is now up to the club to mobilize its members and fans as well as the community and businesses around Basing Hill to see if they can reach the target in the limited time that remains.

If the club succeeds, Basing Hill Ballpark will not only bring baseball and softball into the heart of the community but will also revitalise this small, but cherished, outdoor space. The park will become a family oriented setting with organised events for the whole community in a Covid-secure environment.

The campaign must reach the target by 16 August 2021.  The money pledged will be received by the club only if the project hits the target.  If it doesn’t, all pledges will be cancelled.

If the target is reached, work on the project is expected to commence in September and the resurfaced playing field and the new grass should be ready in time for the 2022 baseball season.

For more information about the campaign and to make a pledge, go to the Basing Hill Ballpark (Phase 1) project on Spacehive.

Herts to battle on all fronts in the national youth baseball championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U18s.
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts to battle on all fronts in the national youth baseball championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U18s.

The Herts adult league teams may be struggling to qualify for the playoffs, so the club’s youth teams may have to carry the flag in the national baseball championships (NBCs) this season.

Herts is preparing to enter teams in all age divisions, U18/U17, U15, U13 and U11.  The club has submitted a bid to host the Youth NBCs at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.  The event is expected to take place on 18 and 19 September.

The Herts youth baseball programme was restructured this season and has seen significant growth from 21 registered players last year to over 70 this season and that number is continuing to grow as new players are still registering to play in the NBCs.

The majority of these players are playing baseball for the first time in their lives so they will have the difficult task of competing against the more experienced teams from around the country, but it will be interesting to see how they will respond to the challenge.

The club has also confirmed that Duane Badenhorst and Colin Barrett (pictured above) will be the joint managers of the Herts U18/U17 team. Both bring a wealth of baseball experience having played and coached in South Africa and Great Britain, including at international level with the South Africa U12 National Team, South Africa Men’s Softball Team and, currently, the Great Britain Men’s Softball Team.

Duane Badenhorst (centre) with the Herts U17 team in the Youth NBC

Six members of the Badenhorst and Barrett families have worn the Herts jersey over the years and fans of the club will be delighted to see them back.

For more details about joining the Herts youth baseball teams for the upcoming national youth baseball championships contact us.

The kids put on a show in dramatic season finale
by Herts Baseball News Editor

The kids put on a show in dramatic season finale

The Herts Londoners clinched the Under-11 division of the Herts Youth Baseball League after a dramatic race with the Herts Raptors and the Herts Falcons which went right down to the wire.

At the start of the day the Londoners and Eagles were in third and fourth place, two games back on the Falcons and Raptors. 

The Eagles struck first with a 3-2 win over the Hawks helped by Sterling de Vita’s first home run of the season. On the other diamond the Londoners also won in their clash with the Falcons. This win proved to be crucial later in the day.

The Hawks may have been eliminated from the race but they were determined to leave their mark and they did so by causing a major upset beating the league leading Raptors and then the Falcons to derail their title push.

The gap at the top was beginning to close. The Londoners and Eagles were now just one game back but they were to face each other next, knowing that the losing team would no longer have a chance to win the title. The Londoners came out on top, 6-2. The Eagles were now out of the race.

It came down to the final games of the day. The Falcons, Raptors and Londoners were tied in first place. The Londoners faced the Raptors. The Falcons were up against the Eagles.  Both games started at the same time on adjacent diamonds which enabled the fans to witness the drama on both diamonds as it unfolded.

During most of the season the Falcons relied on the home run power of Connor O’Neill-Thompson.  He continued his bombardment adding to his tally to finish the season as the league’s leading home run hitter with five home runs. Rory Graham, who comes from the same school as O’Neill-Thompson, joined the Falcons partway through the season but he proved to be another power hitter for the team.  It was his home run that clinched the 2-1 walk off win for the Falcons. On the other diamond, the Raptors and the Londoners were tied 3-3 and the game had to go into extra innings.  On the hottest day of the year so far, to avoid heat exhaustion, the league had decided in advance that tied games would be determined in a hitting contest where the teams would nominate one of their players and the team whose representative hits the ball furthest would be awarded the win.  A high flying shot by Cosmo English won it for the Londoners.

HYBL U11 Division – Final Standings

PosTeamWLPctGB
1401.0000
2110.5002
2330.5002
4560.4552.5
5230.4002.5
View full table

This meant that the Falcons and Londoners were still tied in first place.  The league rules state that “the head-to-head results between the tied teams should be used to establish placings”.  The players and fans had to go through an anxious wait while the league commissioner and team officials were going through the season’s scores between the two teams. The confirmation came over the public announce system that the Londoners are the 2021 Under-11 Herts Youth Baseball league Champions having won two of their three games against the Falcons over the course of the season.

In the Under-15 Division, the championship was decided in the final game between the Hawks and the Londoners who found themselves tied in first place.  The age superiority of the Londoners was a big factor on the day as they won the game to become the U15 champions.

HYBL U15 Division – Final Standings

PosTeamWLPctGB
1401.0000
2110.5002
3340.4292.5
4460.4093
5010.0002.5
View full table

An outstanding act of sportsmanship by one of the youngest players in the league was recognised during the trophy presentation. 5-year-old Mason Barnaby from the Herts Raptors U11 asked for time during one of the games in order to run to the team bench area to encourage his teammate Owen Ridgway to rejoin the game after he had picked up a knock earlier in the day.

A considerable number of players missed out on these dramatic last few weeks of the season as they were required by their schools to self-isolate in compliance with Covid guidance, but the baseball season is not over.  The national championships are coming up in September and it will be interesting to see how the new generation of Herts youth players will do on the national stage against teams from around the United Kingdom.

Players are still able to register in order to represent Herts in the national championships. For more details contact us.

Herts Falcons appoint Clark as interim manager
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons appoint Clark as interim manager

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that interim manager, Carlos Casal, has stepped down from his position and the club has appointed Phil Clark as the new interim manager while manager Cris Hiche is out of the country for family reasons.

Clark is one of the longest serving members of the Herts Falcons.  He joined the team in 2012 when they recorded their best season in the NBL reaching the national final where they lost to the Harlow Nationals in game 6.

The Falcons have had a difficult season so far but in the last few weeks there have been signs that the team is regaining its competitiveness coming close to picking up their first win in extra innings against the Lancashire Legends.

Their next game is this Sunday, 4 July, against the London Legends at Roundhsaw Playing Fields in Croydon. First pitch is at 11:30am.

vs

Details

Date Time League Season
4 July 2021 11:30 am National Baseball League 2021

Field

Roundshaw Playing Fields
Roundshaw Park Playing Fields, London Borough of Sutton, London, Greater London, England, CR0 4RW, United Kingdom

Results

Team12345678910RHEOutcome
London Legendsxxxxxxxxxx15xxWin
Falconsxxxxxxxxxx3xxLoss
Herts Hawks appoint Purewal as new manager
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Hawks appoint Purewal as new manager

Earlier this month Herts Hawks player-manager, Tetsuro Shinkawa (pictured below), was informed that he will have to undergo a non-baseball medical procedure and he is expected to require a period of recovery after it which will keep him away from baseball.

Everyone at the club hopes that the procedure will go well and that Tets will be back to full fitness quickly after that.

The club has just announced that Kyle Purewal (pictured at the top) has been appointed as the new player-manager of the Herts Hawks.  The 28-year-old joined the club at the start of this season having previously played in Canada and in the UK with Bracknell. Since joining the club in the Spring, Purewal has also been actively involved off the field taking on a role in the club’s media department.

His first game as Hawks manager is this Sunday, 27 June, when the Hawks will host the Essex Archers at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. First pitch is at 12pm.

Herts submits its bid to host the 2021 National Baseball Championships
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts submits bid to host the 2021 National Baseball Championships

Herts Baseball Club has submitted its bid to host 2021 Postseason Playoff games in the adult leagues of the British Baseball Federation (BBF). If the BBF awards any of these events to Herts, they will be staged at the club’s Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

Richmond Flames lifting the NBL trophy at Grovehill Ballpark in 2010 (photo by event-photos.co.uk)

The events which clubs are invited to bid for include the Wild Card Playoffs and National Semi-Finals and Finals of all four BBF league tiers, from the Single-A League to the National Baseball League (NBL).

Grovehill Ballpark has previously hosted the National Baseball Championships (NBCs) in 2010 and 2012.  In 2013 the national baseball and softball complex at Farnham Park was constructed and these NBC games were held at that venue since then.

Action from the 2010 NBL playoffs hosted by Herts (photo by event-photos.co.uk)

However, the costs of staging these events at Farnham Park are proving to be very high and the BBF has decided to open the opportunity for clubs to host these high-profile events at their own ballparks similar to how the Football Association held England national team and Football League Playoff Final games around the country while the new Wembley Stadium was being built.

Championship-winning moments like this from 2010 could return to Grovehill Ballpark this year (photo by Will Baxter)

Herts Baseball Club has also expressed interest in hosting the National Youth Baseball Championships and is awaiting details from the BBF of the bidding process.

The Postseason games will be played in September. The exact game schedule and the successful bidder(s)  will be announced by the BBF in the coming weeks.

Basing Hill Ballpark campaign boosted after Barnet pledges £4,000
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Basing Hill Ballpark campaign boosted after Barnet pledges £4,000

The Basing Hill Ballpark crowdfunding campaign has received a boost with the news that its pitch to the London Borough of Barnet was successful and they have made a pledge of £4,000 to the project.

Herts Baseball Club suffered a setback in March when they learned that they narrowly missed out on funding from The Mayor of London‘s Make London Fund.

Since then the club has been in discussions with businesses and organisations and, although the campaign is still far from its fundraising target, today’s news may have a positive effect on the discussions which are taking place with other potential backers.

The pledge from Crowdfund Barnet means that, to date, the campaign has received pledges from 125 backers amounting to £16,528 which is 29% of the £55,804 target.

Back the Basing Hill Ballpark project on Spacehive

Businesses, sponsors and other backers who may be interested to support the project can contact the club to discuss ways in which this could be a good fit and beneficial for them. They would have the additional assurance from the fact that the club passed the project viability verification process carried out by the independent organisation Locality, which was a prerequisite to pitch to the Mayor of London.

Matt Davis joins the Herts coaching staff
by Herts Baseball News Editor

Coach Matt Davis to work with Herts players this summer

In June 2019, just ahead of the MLB London Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, Herts baseball players had the rare opportunity to be coached by Monte Brooks, head coach of The Master’s University baseball team with over 700 college wins.

He was accompanied by a number of player-coaches from his university. One of them was Matt Davis (pictured above, far left). This week it was confirmed that he will be back working with Herts players during the Wednesday evening baseball sessions at Basing Hill Ballpark twice a month over the next three months, starting tomorrow, Wednesday, 9 June.

Matt Davis was a pitcher with Liberty University (NCAA Division 1) from 1990-1991 and with The Master’s University (NAIA Division 1) from 1992-1994. In 2020 he was assistant coach at The Master’s University under coach, Monte Brooks. Currently, he is chaplain for the London Broncos (Rugby League).

https://youtu.be/gm6BuueGBts
Coach Monte Brooks at Basing Hill Ballpark in June 2019

Matt Davis specialises in pitching but he will also cover other aspects of the game with the Herts players this summer.

Although these sessions are for club members only, new players are able to come to one of these sessions to try baseball and to help them decide if they would like to join the club. Contact the club to book a place at an upcoming session.

14th Herts baseball team makes a late league entry
by Herts Baseball News Editor

14th Herts baseball team makes a late league entry

The 2021 baseball season is now in full swing. Last weekend there were eight adult and four youth league games involving five Herts adult league and eight youth league teams. Herts Baseball Club is growing and now has thirteen teams.

The news of the Herts Youth Baseball League (HYBL) which was launched this season has been spreading and a new fourteenth team – the Herts Hawks U11 – has just made a late entry into the league. They will be based in Hemel Hempstead and will be added to the U11 Division of the HYBL.  They missed the opening games but the league schedule will be adjusted so that they can make up those games over the course of the season.

The Hawks (U11) will play their first league games this Saturday, 5 June, with a total of six games being played at the club’s two ballparks in Hemel Hempstead and in North West London.

DateHomeTime/ResultsAwayLeagueField
HYBL (U15)
Grovehill Ballpark
HYBL (U11)
Grovehill Ballpark
HYBL (U11)
Grovehill Ballpark
HYBL (U11)
Grovehill Ballpark
HYBL (U15)
Basing Hill
HYBL (U11)
Basing Hill

Players are continuing to register and they are being added to the teams every week.  New players are able to come and play in the next games to help them decide if they would like to join the league.  Contact the club for more details.