Category: Headlines

14 July 201315 July 2013 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts pick up Tournament Bronze Cup. Attention firmly on upcoming league games.

Herts players prepare to face the Midlands All Stars (photo by Rob Jones)

Similar to the All-Star Week in America, British clubs had their traditional midsummer break at the weekend taking part in the International London Tournament. Herts was represented at the event by a team made up of players from its various squads of the four tiers of the British baseball leagues. They had a difficult start losing their first two games to the Milton Keynes Bucks and the Midlands All Stars. Herts bounced back on Sunday with wins over the Milton Keynes Coyotes and the South London Pirates to claim the Tournament’s Bronze Cup. Sunday’s games saw Herts Falcons pitcher, Darrin Ward, hit two homeruns.

Tom Everex-Armstrong was one of many Herts players who wore the Great Britain National Team jerseys this weekend (photo by Rob Jones)

The various Great Britain National Baseball Teams, from Under-16 to Under-23, were also involved and they featured a large number of Herts players.

The focus now turns back on the all important league games as we enter the final 6 weeks of the regular season which will determine who will play in the postseason playoffs to decide the national champions in the four senior and two youth league tiers.

The Herts Falcons will host the Lakenheath Diamondbacks this Sunday, 21 July, in a doubleheader. They cannot afford to slip up. Anything less than two wins and the chasing London Mets and Southampton Mustangs could leap over them into first place. The game starts at 12:00 at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead (free admission).

On the same day the Herts Ravens will face the Triple-A League-leaders, London Metros. This game will also start at 12:00pm at Grovehill Ballpark.

The Herts Hawks currently occupy the last playoff spot in the Double-A league, which is the third league tier of British Baseball. This Sunday they will travel to Richmond to face the Dragons, who are just outside the playoff zone and will see this as their golden opportunity to overtake the Herts Hawks. The Herts Raptors and Herts Eagles travel to Guildford and Essex, respectively, in the Single-A League. The Raptors have already secured a playoff spot, but need to keep their winning run going for a higher playoff seeding.

10 July 2013 by ChrisJones

The Only Way is Essex

When Herts under-11s played the Essex Redbacks in Richmond a few weeks ago, the two teams contested a pair of closely-fought games. Essex coach Jamie Cairns suggested that we schedule a couple more meetings between the two neighbouring counties. And so, the travelling Herts All-Stars found themselves in Billericay on a glorious, baking-hot Saturday.

I don’t know much about Essex, so I turned to my trusty web browser for some deep background. As a result, I can reveal the following:

Essex boasts the sunniest place in the UK. (This comes as no surprise as I inspected my pink legs on Sunday morning.)
Essex has the largest population of adders in the UK
Stansted Airport in 1983 was the site of the only known theft of Space Shuttle equipment
People in Essex are 38% more likely than anywhere else in Britain to be hit by falling aeroplane parts
The 1974 Paper Lace hit “Billy, Don’t be a Hero” was written in pub near Brentwood, and if you’re over 45 you’ll be humming it for the next three days
Although it might have been more useful to know this before our trip, Essex also has more speed cameras per mile than anywhere else in the world
Essex is the home of the oldest door in England, the longest pier in the world, the driest place in Britain, the world’s first public broadcast, the oldest wooden church in the world, and the longest coastline, the smallest town, the largest village and the oldest town in the UK

So it seems that Essex has plenty to offer, if you’re not Chris Huhne, nervous of snakes or running a space programme.

Game One was scheduled for four innings with Herts as the visiting team. Singles by Lewis Auchterlounie and Lucas Lebrato, and a Nicholas Durer hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. Lewis scored on a fielders’ choice with error, and Lucas scored when Josh Jones was also HBP. That was it for Herts, who then took the field with Alex Trautman on the mound. Two quick Ks, but then Essex loaded the bases with a single and a couple of HBPs, before Alex got the third strike-out of the inning. 2-0 Herts.

The second inning was scoreless on both sides, despite singles from Christian Lynch and Lewis. In the third, Alex Trautman and Josh Jones hit singles, both converted into two-base hits with good base running and a fielding error. Joe Gipple hit a line drive single to bring Josh home, and a combination of a single from Alex Jones and a ground rule double from Lewis Auchterlounie brought the third run as Herts took a 5-0 lead. Some good control from Alex Trautman again shut out the Redbacks.

Into the fourth. Nicholas Durer was again hit by a pitch, and some good batting by Alex Trautman, Josh Jones, Joe Gipple and Jonathan Wakelam brought four more runs. Josh Jones then took over as pitcher, and disposed of Essex with a strikeout, a 1-3 groundout and a flyball caught by Lucas Lebrato.

After a break for lunch and plenty of water, it was time for game two. This was a three-inning contest, with Herts now the home team. Josh Jones continued with pitching duties. Essex scored their first run of the day through some good hitting and a couple of fielding errors, and were 1-0 up in the middle of the first. Herts again dominated with the bat, with singles from Joe Gipple and Christian Lynch and doubles from Lucas Lebrato, and Josh Jones.

Christian Lynch now came on to pitch, giving up three hits and three runs as Essex found some form with the bat. In reply, another double from Lewis Auchterlounie started the ball rolling for Herts, followed up with hits for Alex Trautman, Joe Gipple, Jonathan Wakelam, Alex Jones and Nicholas Durer (finally connecting with his bat rather than his chest). Lucas Lebrato fired a big ground rule double to score the maximum fifth run and leave Herts 10-3 ahead.

There it remained as Christian picked up three strike-outs to close out the game.

These were two fairly comprehensive wins for Herts; the difference between the two teams was probably the speed and accuracy of Herts’ pitchers. We are fortunate to have a number of good pitchers on the Herts roster, whose skills have been sharpened over the season in the regular tussles between the Dodgers and the Giants. There were some good performances at the plate, too, particularly from Lewis Auchterlounie, 4-4 in the day (and climbing up the batting averages as a result), Josh Jones (3-3 and 4 RBIs), Joe Gipple (4-5) and Lucas Lebrato who hit two doubles and claimed two RBIs.

Another Dodgers/Giants battle takes place this coming Saturday. This will be followed the following week by a return fixture when the Essex Redbacks come to Hertfordshire. We can’t offer snakes, tumbling aeronautical components or even much in the way of a coastline, but we do provide a warm welcome, quality doughnuts and a stiff northerly wind.

Game Statistics

Season Statistics

10 July 201310 July 2013 by Ken Pike

Road to the single A playoffs

By Ken Pike

As you might have already heard thanks to a very proud ‘yours truly’, the Herts Raptors are confirmed as being in the playoffs (with the caveat that they do not forfeit any games between now and the end of the season, which could bring other teams back into play – but we won’t let that happen) and with any luck some of you are planning to come and support. With other Herts teams, including the Falcons, being right in the mix for also going to British Baseball’s new home,Farnham Park, there might be a big convoy headed from Hemel to Slough in the first couple of weekends of September. It would be great to get as much support as possible for this historic occasion for the club, so we urge you all to get your friends and family to come along.

Just so you know what to expect over playoffs, the structure for the single A post season is as follows:

12 teams in three pools play in A South.
The two best pool winners get first round bye into the NBC.
The 3rd pool winner (#3 seed) and next 3 best teams based on win %, regardless of pool play wild card round on September 1st, with the Semi Finals and Championship game at Farnham Park on September 7th and 8th.

As in all leagues, all teams will be seeded based on win % to establish postseason ranking.

Now the Raptors final position is not set in stone and here are the two main permutations:

Worst case scenario (which still ain’t bad to be honest)

The Raptors have some work to do to determine exact postseason positioning, but the main part is done. They are set for Farnham Park.

The worst case scenario is that they don’t win another game and the Coyotes win all of theirs then the Raptors would be #4 seed and placed as the top wildcard team. This would result in them having to play in the first round of the playoffs on the 1st of September at Farnham Park against the second best wildcard team while the Pool winner with the lowest record of the pool winners will play the third wildcard team. If the Raptors win the wildcard game they would face the #2 seeded team (which would in that scenario likely be the Coyotes) on September 7th.

Best case scenario

If the Raptors win 1 more game (or the Coyotes lose one) by the end of regular season, then the Raptors will clinch the Pool A pennant and a #1 or #2 seeding is already sealed in that scenario. This would mean they will get a 1st round bye and the first game would be on September 7, also at Farnham Park, and they would nominally be the home team facing one of the wildcard round winners. As to being first or second seed, that depends on a very close race with the Marauders and will likely not be settled until the last game of the regular season.

The final is on September 8 at Farnham Park.

Expect to cheer on your fellow teams, as well as fight tooth and nail for your own team!

9 July 201313 July 2013 by Rob Jones

Marauders take Eagles treasure in tropical heat

London Marauders 42-14 Herts Eagles, Sunday 7th July

The powerful London Marauders brought their 6-2 record to Grovehill on the hottest day of the year so far, looking to maintain their challenge for a playoff spot. The Herts Eagles stood in their way, trying to fight back towards .500 and continue their learning curve.

It’s hard to ignore the weather for this clash, as an early morning start and the punishing heat all played a part. But nobody was complaining that the British baseball season had been kissed by the sun at last.

The early exchanges were fairly even. Ben Marques continued his varied season for Herts by making his pitching debut. His two-seam fastball was effective, but finding consistency in the zone was harder.

However, Marques and his defense limited the Marauders to just three runs in the first. The Eagles’ lead-off man, catcher Hunter Devine, then got on base, promising a quick response. He was stranded at third thanks to solid work by the visitors. 3-0 after the first.

Then the Marauders broke out big-time, plating 11 runs with Adam Landau-Smithers scoring the only Herts reply. Three more runs and London were threatening to make it a massacre.

But the Eagles responded impressively in the bottom of the third inning. They rallied to score nine runs before making an out. The London pitcher Sam Melton, who had been solid and crafty up to this point, tired in the heat, giving up three walks in a row at one point.

There were two hits for the Eagles manager Duncan Hoyle, one for new recruit Rob Gibson, and a second hit of the day for Jamie Lang. The comeback was finally snuffed out when Hunter Devine was doubled off at third by an alert fielder.

Sadly for the Eagles, they were not able to build on the momentum they had created. John Peters came in as relief on the mound, and pounded the strike zone with impressively fast fastballs.

There had been just one strikeout in first three innings, but there were another six in the final four innings. DH Adrian Smithers and Tomasz Kosak were among the only players who could get a bat on the ball.

Having been hauled back into range at 17-10, the Marauders then piled on another eight runs by the bottom of the fourth, and 11 more in the fifth. Their offense was as unforgiving as the Hemel Hempstead heatwave. Rob Jones pitched a scoreless seventh for the Eagles, but it was a mere consolation prize.

London ran out 42-14 victors and are two games ahead of the Mavericks in their pool. There was no shame for the Eagles in defeat to a strong side which looks set for the playoffs.

There must be special mention for Devine, who caught the full game of some four and a half hours without passing out from the heat. Will Belbin also played the full game, securing two hits and a run, and Rob Gibson made a dramatic outfield catch — even sliding into the fence — to end an inning.

No matter the result, there are good points for the Eagles to carry with them. And the game was played in an excellent spirit, with sunshades and cold drinks very much the order of the day once it was over.

9 July 20139 July 2013 by Ken Pike

Raptors bats ablaze to clinch playoffs on hottest day

Will Zucker hits another grounder as the Raptors drove through their nearest opposition in 30 degree heat

by Ken Pike

The Raptors hosted Southern Single A Pool A rivals Milton Keynes knowing that a win would clinch a guaranteed playoff position and set them up to win the pool outright and earn a first round bye at Farnham Park. They were facing a team that had beaten them by the narrowest of margins earlier in the year, and while the self assured pronouncements that the Raptors had been missing key players were not without basis, there was still room for doubt and question over what the result would be.

In 32 degree heat the Raptors had taken a very easy warmup to conserve energy and hydration levels while Milton Keynes took the opposite approach. After watching their sister team, the Eagles’ playoff hopes sadly fail at the hands of the Pool C leaders, London Marauders the delayed Pool A titans clash could commence. Young Brodie Caress’ reassured mound performance only saw a couple of Coyotes get on base, but the first inning was ultimately cleaned out without any damage being done. The Raptors’ bats had been vicious all year and if anything the sun had set them on fire as they made mincemeat of the opening Coyotes pitcher going around the order and drawing a replacement pitcher to the mound before three outs were recorded opening up an 11 run lead right from the word go.

Back in the dugout a touch of overconfidence asserted itsself with players lamenting that the Raptors could have been looking at a perfect season were it not for a couple of weak performances, but Milton Keynes came back to the field with more intent. They notched up two scores as some defensive errors started to creep into the Herts team. T he sun played a serious part with several balls lost in the blazing sky and the heat causing some more lapses of concentration. The starters for the home side have an average on base percentage of well over .500 and more than 170 stolen bases (17 per game) before going in to this game so two runs was hardly a concern. The Raptors promptly brought around another 8 runners to pump the lead to 17.

The third inning played out somewhat differently though. Whether the heat had finally got to the Raptors as well, or whether Brodie Caress’ young arm was getting tired is uncertain but a series of errors and missed chances allowed 8 Milton Keynes Players to cross home plate. The final out came courtesy of short stop Will Zucker who ignored the fact that he could not see the ball which had again disappeared in the sun, and he guessed at its location… correctly. Certainly a wobble for the home defense, but quickly mitigated with 4 reply runs leaving a reduced lead of 13.

The Raptors blip was shortlived however as they came back refocused. Brodie struck out two Coyotes before the final out at first retired the side in order and the Raptors bats came back out to knock in another 3 and the lead looked healthy again at 16. The young pitcher’s arm and concentration had been shot by the fifth inning where five players crossed the plate. Never the less it was far too little as the Raptors brought in another 10 going around the order one and a half times in the bottom of the inning and putting the game beyond any reasonable doubt with a lead of over 20 runs.

In an effort to shut down the game and get out of the sun, coach Arnie Longboy brought out sidearm closer Will Zucker. Will made a slightly shakey start, thanks in part to accidentally hitting a Coyote very squarely on the knee with a wild pitch. While it took him an inning to get his composure fully back he allowed only 2 runs in the sixth and seventh while the Raptors responded with 2 of their own. The lead remained at 20 at the top of the last inning, but this was too much of an ask for a now dehydrated and exhausted Coyotes team who valiantly got 2 runners around before Will Zucker struck out the final batter to bring the Raptors team to ecstatic jubilation knowing they had just secured the first playoff in Raptors history.

As the players cheered and embraced it was plain to see what this result meant to them, and it is certain they will be bringing their determination and love of the game to Farnham park for the off season. Having beaten every team they faced over the past 7 games, including the heavyweight Marauders, Blackjacks, Arrow and now Coyotes they carry a serious momentum with them. Another win and they top their pool, while topping the single A league can be guaranteed with three straight wins inthe remaining games or a mixture of wins and Marauders losses.

Raptors coach Arnie Longboy said: : “I am so proud of the team and what we’ve done to get this far. A few people have asked me how we’ve managed to score so many runs this season. First of all we have had production throughout the entire line up. The fact that our number nine hitter leads the team in RBI’s should tell you something. Secondly I think the guys have come to realize that just some basic fundamentals of base running and situational hitting can make a big difference. Yes, we continue to have the occasional fielding errors and that’s to be expected. But more importantly we have managed to eliminate almost all mental errors on the base paths that cost us outs. And with our mix of young talent, sophomore players, and veterans really starting to gel it should make for an exciting rest of the season and of course Farnham park!”

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R
MK Coyotes	0	2	8	0	5	2	2	19
Herts Raptors	11	8	4	3	10	2	0	38

7 July 201310 July 2013 by Herts Baseball News Editor

British League braces itself for the Grabowski factor

It would be fascinating to see how Doug Grabowski would compare to some of the top pitchers in the NBL like Herts Falcons' Robbie Unsell (pictured), Michael Osborn, Jordan Farkas, Ryan Bird and Darrin Ward among others (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

The Herts Ravens travelled to the Cambridge Royals upbeat after a good run of 5 wins and 1 loss in the last six games put them back in the playoff race. They knew they were about to face one of the favourites for the AAA title, but they were not aware that just a week ago Cambridge had made a player signing which could turn the league on its head.

Doug Grabowski arrived from America on duty with the nearby US air bases. He is around 6 feet and 5 inches in height and has the physical attributes which have become the standard for the pitching staff of MLB teams. Similar to Roy Hobbs in the movie “The Natural”, there is little information about his career on the internet, but we understand he has played at the college level back in America.

AAA League (Game 1): Herts Ravens 0 Cambridge Royals 10 (click to view box scores)

His fastball overwhelmed the Ravens. Perhaps they would have had some success after a few innings of getting the timing on their swings right, but that became impossible when he introduced his knee-buckling curveball and changeup. Grabowski is certainly the best pitcher in the AAA League and Herts Ravens Manager, Carlos Casal, went a step further. “He is probably the best pitcher in any of the British Leagues today. We didn’t have a radar gun on hand but it probably reached 85-90mph.” said Casal.

From the 20 plate appearances made by Herts batters only 5 resulted in the ball being put in play. The remainder were 12 strikeouts and 3 walks giving Doug Grabowski a complete game shutout no-hitter on his British baseball league debut. He also proved to be a class act quietly shaking the hands of every Herts player during the break between the two games. Players like him are a rarity and his presence can have a very positive effect on efforts to promote baseball and the league. The British Baseball Federation should not miss the opportunity to publicise outstanding players like him.

In this first game of the day the Ravens were not able to keep up despite good pitching from Petar Kikel.

AAA League (Game 2): Herts Ravens 3 Cambridge Royals 13 (click to view box scores)

The Ravens were eager to see the back of Doug Grabowski and face a different pitcher in the second game of the doubleheader. Levandowski seemed a much more hittable pitcher, but despite a much slower fastball Herts only managed 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. The hits came from Conner Brown, Gilberto Medina and Liam Green. The 3 runs were not enough and the Ravens went down 13-3.

The Herts Ravens had to face the Royals without ace pitcher Louis Hare who fractured his left elbow in a football game at the end of June. They need him back if they are to stand a chance of somehow getting back in the playoff race especially as the club will be losing Seth Lipstock in the coming weeks as he flies back to America.

It will be interesting to see how the introduction of Doug Grabowski will affect the AAA League as we enter the deciding final third of the season.

Our visit to Cambridge gave us a lot of food for thought. The Royals team includes a large number of players from the US air bases. With the news of the their neighbours, Lakenheath Diamondbacks, struggling this Sunday in their NBL game at Southampton, the door is open for the two clubs to consider a merger in 2014. While Lakenheath have American Air Force players, they appear to lack the administrative infrastructure and community activities of the Cambridge Royals. Bringing the two teams together would create a very strong multi-team organisation which would have the potential to become a major force in British Baseball. Lakenheath or Cambridge club officials reading this article may want to schedule a meeting in October to secure a merger deal.

7 July 20139 July 2013 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons extend winning streak to stay top of the League

Xavier Gonzalez was in the zone on Sunday hitting two homeruns for the Herts Falcons in their wins against the Bracknell Blazers (photo by Richard Lee richardleephotography.org)

written by Randy Brenzen for britishbaseball.org

The Herts Falcons extended their winning streak to 13 games in the BBF’s National Baseball League on Sunday 7 June with a doubleheader sweep over the Bracknell Blazers at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead.

NBL (Game 1): Herts 8 Bracknell 3 (click to view box scores)

Robbie Unsell’s two-run single, followed by Xavier Gonzalez’s two-run home run, both in the bottom of the sixth inning, propelled the Herts Falcons to an 8-3 victory over a tough Bracknell Blazers squad in Game One.

Crafty veteran Darrin Ward took to the mound for the Falcons in search of his third win of the season but instead found himself in a bit of a pitcher’s duel with Blazers’ youngster Jordan Edmonds. Both Ward and Edmonds lasted 5.1 innings but did not factor in the result.

Ward struck out two and allowed six hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks while Edmonds surrendered four earned runs on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Both then gave way to the bullpen.

Ryan Bird replaced Ward for the Falcons and held down the fort en route to his second relief win of the season. Henry Collins took over for Edmonds but was shelled by the Falcons offense. Collins gave up four runs (all earned) on three hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning for his third loss of the season, but his first from a relief appearance.

Xavier Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a stolen base to lead the Falcons’ offense while Robbie Unsell also had a good game, going 2-for-3 for a double and two RBIs in the win.

Blazers’ starting pitcher Jordan Edmonds had the best game at the plate for Bracknell, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and a walk in the loss.

NBL (Game 2): Herts 15 Bracknell 1 (click to view box scores)

The Falcons put their hitting trousers on for Game Two and exploded for 13 hits in a mercy rule-shortened 15-1 victory over the Blazers.

It was a start that Camrin Opp, fresh off a win in his NBL debut last weekend, will hope never happens again in his career. The rookie southpaw got rocked by the Falcons’ bats, surrendering 14 earned runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out three batters in just two innings of work.

Brendan Hassan then took over for Opp and did well in relief. Hassan allowed just three hits and one run while walking one and striking out two in his two innings of duty.

For Herts, Robbie Unsell allowed just two hits, a Camrin Opp single and a Fraser Duggan double, over three innings before letting Jordan Farkas get some work in on the mound for the final two innings. Unsell was his usual spectacular self, giving up just those two hits while walking one and striking out five. Farkas, meanwhile, surrendered one run on three walks in his two innings of mop-up duty. He also struck out one Blazers batter.

The dominant Falcons offense was once again led by Xavier Gonzalez. The talented Venezuelan went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored while Cristobal Hiche (3-for-3, double, walk, one RBI) once again reached base safely in every at-bat. Other men to pick up RBIs for Herts were Lee Manning (1-for-2, two RBIs), Michael Osborn (2-for-3, three RBIs) and Ryan Bird (1-for-3, two RBIs).

Game Two might not have provided much positive feedback for Blazers Head Coach Colin Whitton, but he did mention that there were things to build on from Game One.

“We played some great ball in Game One,” said Whitton. ”Jordan Edmonds had great control on the mound. Unfortunately, silly errors at key points gave Herts the opportunity to put runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth.”

On the other side of the diamond, Herts Manager Lee Manning was quick to give praise to the opposition. “Bracknell played well and the scores don’t reflect the games played,” he said. “Again, our pitching was amazing and timely hitting in Game One gave us the win. Every Falcon has improved as the season has gone along and they’ve all contributed to the bingo-bango style that we play.”

The next action for the league-leading Herts Falcons (18-4) will be Sunday 21 July when they welcome the visiting Lakenheath Diamondbacks (9-11) to Grovehill Ballpark. Meanwhile, the Bracknell Blazers (11-11) will go from the frying pan into the fire. Their next action will be Sunday 4 August when they visit the third place Southampton Mustangs (17-5) at Mustangs Field.

6 July 201314 July 2013 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Harriers half a game back on leaders after sweep in Essex

The Herts Harriers secured two wins at the Forest Glade Redbacks which keeps them firmly in the race for top spot in the BBF Under-17 League. Despite missing several players, they won both games convincingly 13-3 and 23-4. They are now tied in second place with the reigning champions Cobham Cougars and half a game back on the leaders London Mets with a direct clash between Mets and Herts still to be played.

In the U14 league the Herts Cardinals suffered losses against the Redbacks but there were many positives to take from the game, including a good pitching outing by Ben Jones, who also managed to hit a double in a game when the Redbacks pitchers dominated.

U14 League (Game 1): Herts Cardinals 0 Forest Glade Redbacks 15 (click to view box scores)

U14 League (Game 2): Herts Cardinals 0 Forest Glade Redbacks 10 (click to view box scores)

A full report of the U11 encounter between Herts and the Redbacks can be found here.

4 July 201310 June 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

John Warner School put on a show in the Herts School Games at Grovehill Ballpark

The John Warner School based in Hoddesdon dominated the 2013 Herts School Softball games from start to finish and collected the championship trophy.

They set the tone for the day with a 16-0 win over Stanborough School which included 3 homeruns launched over the leftfield wall. In their second game they faced the Sir John Lawes School who picked up a win earlier in the day against the boys and girls of the Chancellor’s School from Harpenden. John Warner School were held right to the end but in the final inning they moved up a gear and took a 5-0 lead which they kept to the end.

Chancellor’s School were the final obstacle for John Warner School and they once again proved too strong winning 4-0. Their outstanding defence did not allow any runs all day long and their bats were too hot to handle.

SCOREBOARD
VISITING TEAM		HOME TEAM
Sir John Lawes School (JLS)	2	Chancellor’s School (CHS)	0
The John Warner School (JWS)	16	Stanborough School (STS)	0
The John Warner School (JWS)	5	Sir John Lawes School (JLS)	0
Stanborough School (STS)	6	Chancellor’s School (CHS)	5
Sir John Lawes School (JLS)	5	Stanborough School (STS)	4
Chancellor’s School (CHS)	0	The John Warner School (JWS)	4

STANDINGS

TEAM	W	L	%	RUN DIFF.	GB	STREAK
The John Warner School	3	0	1.000	25	0	W3
Sir John Lawes School	2	1	0.667	-2	1	W1
Stanborough School	1	2	0.333	-16	2	L1
Chancellor’s School	0	3	0.000	-7	3	L3

Scouts from Herts Baseball Club were following the games closely and they saw a lot of potential amongst the boys and the girls of all four teams. Most of these players are aged between 13 and 15 and with a little fine-tuning they would be able to compete in the BBF Under-14 and even the Under-17 leagues.

The teams received a lot of encouragement from the coaches of Herts Baseball Club who hosted this event in association with BaseballSoftballUK. The event is part of the Herts School Games sponsored by Sainsbury’s.

Students from the four schools as well as other schools in and around the county will have the opportunity to continue playing baseball and softball after the event by joining the Herts youth league teams. They can join at any time of the year. For more information contact us.

3 July 201310 June 2015 by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts schools heading to Grovehill Ballpark to determine 2013 champions

Herts Baseball Club is preparing to host the 2013 Hertfordshire School Games this Thursday, 4 July. Four schools will battle it out at Grovehill Ballpark for the Herts School Softball Championship.

The competition opens at 1:30pm with games between Sir John Lawes School and Chancellor’s School on diamond 1, while The John Warner School and Stanborough School will meet on diamond 2. These opening games will be followed by 4 more games which will see all 4 teams face their opponents in a league format. The team with most wins will be declared the 2013 School Softball Champion.

GAMES SCHEDULE

TIME	VENUE	VISITING TEAM	HOME TEAM	FORMAT
13:30	Diamond 1	Sir John Lawes School	Chancellor’s School	3 Innings
13:30	Diamond 2	The John Warner School	Stanborough School	3 Innings
14:20	Diamond 1	The John Warner School	Sir John Lawes School	3 Innings
14:20	Diamond 2	Stanborough School	Chancellor’s School	3 Innings
15:10	Diamond 2	Sir John Lawes School	Stanborough School	3 Innings
15:10	Diamond 1	Chancellor’s School	The John Warner School	3 Innings

The event is organised in association with BaseballSoftballUK with coaches, umpires and event staff provided by Herts Baseball Club. It will take place at Grovehill Ballpark, the home of Herts Baseball Club, which is one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom and the preferred ballpark for the British Baseball National Championships over the last 3 years. Click here for address and directions to Grovehill Ballpark.