Presenter Phil Parry previews this weekend’s Herts Spring League on BBC London Radio 94.9FM. To listen to it play the audio below.
Category: Youth Leagues
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN JOE TORRE?
The 2011 MLB season is just around the corner so the Herts Fantay Baseball League is back for another exciting season. There are limited spaces, so enter your team quickly to reserve your place. Once you have paid via paypal, you will receive an invite to join the Herts Private ESPN fantasy league.
- Entry is £10
- Pick Real players from MLB to be part of your roster
- Compete against other members of the Herts organisation for the bragging rights of being Herts Fantasy Champion 2011
- Draft is currently booked for March 29th at 20:00, so please sign up before this time
- Watch your team, and drop, add, and trade players to get the winning team!
For League rules, regulations, details of the prizes and how to enter click here.
4 HERTS BASEBALL YOUNGSTERS GET GB TEAM CALL-UP
On Sunday Herts Baseball Club received the exciting news that four members of the Herts Under-14 All Star team which became national champion last year have been called up by the Great Britain National Team.
Herts has had a good number of its adult players getting a call-up to the GB Team over the years. Players like Lee Manning and Andy Cornish from Hemel Hempstead and Dan Kerry from St. Albans are just a few that come to mind. However, it is only recently that members of the Herts youth teams have received this honour. The first Herts youngster to break into the GB (Under-15) National Team was Liam Green 12 months ago.
This time around four Herts players have received the invitation from GB U-15 National Team Manager, Brendan Cunliffe. They are Infielder Carlos Casal Jr. and first baseman, Jonny Compton-Weight, both living just a fly ball away from the club’s ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Infielder Kyle Lloyd-Jones from St. Albans and Pitcher Marty Cullen Jr. from Hitchin.
This announcement recognises their incredible season last year and the hard work and progress which they and all the young players at Herts have made since the start of the club’s youth programme in 2007.
Casal Jr., Compton-Weight and Lloyd-Jones have been selected to play at the 2011 SUMA PONY Qualifier in Prague, Czech Republic from April 13-17. This is a Pony tournament with the winner going to Lafayette, Indiana, USA to compete in the Pony World Series. They will face Israel, Czech Republic, Tempo Praha (CZE), and Mures County (ROM) in the opening round.
Cullen Jr. has been selected for the USSSA Gold Medal Games in Kissimmee, Florida from July 9-16, where he may face opponents like the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, France, Italy and others.
This news is a tremendous boost for the players and Herts as an organisation. The Club is even more excited by the fact that there are many more talented players coming through the various age groups of the Herts youth system, from Rookie (U-11) and Bronco (U-14) through to the Pony (U-17) age group which the club will be unveiling this year.
WAY TO GO DAVE, ATTABOY BORIS
It is unusual for the Herts Baseball Newswire to be getting into political analysis, but when the House of Commons is debating a bill which could have a significant effect on the game of baseball in Great Britain, then we like to sink our teeth into it.
A new ‘tourism strategy’, to be published by the Coalition Government within days, is expected to contain plans to move the country to ‘double summertime’. Putting the clocks forward by an hour to British Summer Time +1 (equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time +2) would mean lighter evenings in the summer months. The plan already has influential support among Conservative MPs, safety campaigners and environmentalists on the basis of data which suggests that the decision could result in reduction in overall number of car accidents, significant energy savings and a boost to tourism, among others. Rebecca Harris, the Conservative MP for Castle Point, Essex, said: “The tourism industry has been crying out for extra daylight saving for years. It could extend the tourist season and boost the economy by up to £3.5billion a year.”
But most importantly, as far as we are concerned, it would be a substantial boost for summer sports such as baseball. Double summertime would put British clocks in line with the rest of Europe which means that for three months in the height of summer between May and July baseball teams around the country would be able to enjoy sunlight as late as 10pm. With limited or no funding available for luxurious capital items such as floodlights for baseball fields, the longer, lighter evenings would be an ideal and cost-effective substitution, without any energy or other consumption costs.
Could this be a sign of the future? It’s 10:22pm and the sun is still up at the ballpark.
This could open up the opportunity for British baseball to add midweek baseball action in the evenings just like Wednesday Night Baseball on Channel 5 which we became accustomed to over the years. It would add a different dimension to the British Baseball leagues if teams could no longer rely on two starting pitchers for the whole of the league season. Instead teams would have to have stronger starting rotation bringing us closer to the conditions which MLB teams play in and which give baseball its unique weekly cycle. The bottom line is more baseball for adult and youth leagues around the country.
For many years members of Herts Baseball Club have been looking for solutions to the problem of very short evenings in the UK compared to our Central and Western European rivals and the conclusions have always been that there are no financially-viable options.
It would appear that there is a lot of support for this bill among members of parliament and with one swing of the bat they could give British Baseball a major boost. So, for all fans of Herts and British Baseball in general, if you bump into the Prime Minister or the Mayor of London and they ask whether you support the government’s “double summertime bill” then you know what your answer should be. Way to go Dave. Attaboy Boris.
HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE 2010 AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The 2010 season ended many months ago but the busy baseball schedule at the end of last year did not leave time in the calendar for the club’s annual Little League awards event, until today.
The players and families of the Herts youth baseball teams started the day with a Family Bowling Tournament with 56 players taking part and there were many more who wanted to take part but were either out of the country or had prior half-term arrangements.
Attention then turned to the all-important 2010 Herts Little League awards. All 2010 players as well as players who will be joining in 2011 received a commemorative medal. This was followed by the presentation of the awards in the various categories including Infield and Outfield Gold Glove, Batting Champion, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award, and the most sought after award for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the year which is voted on by the players.
| HERTS CARDINALS | |
| MVP | Kieran Manning |
| Batting Champion | Kyle Lloyd-Jones |
| Infield Gold Glove | Jonathan Compton-Weight |
| Outfield Gold Glove | Drew Mayhew |
| Rookie of the Year | Joshua Jones |
| Cy Young Award | Carlos Casal Jr |
| HERTS YANKEES | |
| MVP | Marty Cullen Jr |
| Batting Champion | Aaron Witter |
| Infield Gold Glove | Jose Morillo |
| Outfield Gold Glove | Cameron Ross |
| Rookie of the Year | Richard Ganster |
| Cy Young Award | Marty Cullen Jr |
| HERTS RED SOX | |
| MVP | Zack Longboy |
| Batting Champion | Jake Caress |
| Infield Gold Glove | Charlie Owens |
| Outfield Gold Glove | Yuki Ariga |
| Rookie of the Year | Ben Day |
| Cy Young Award | Zack Longboy |
| HERTS CUBS | |
| MVP | Nickolas Martinez |
| Batting Champion | Alexander Deacon |
| Infield Gold Glove | George Owens |
| Outfield Gold Glove | McKenna Martinez |
| Rookie of the Year | Christian Lynch |
| Cy Young Award | Lewis Green |
BASEBALL FAMILIES COMPETE FOR BOWLING HONOURS
Ahead of the 2010 Herts Baseball Little League Awards presentation, players, coaches, family members and friends of the club took part in a Bowling Tournament at the Hotshots Bowling centre in Hemel Hempstead. The participants were divided into two teams – the San Francisco Giants and the LA Dodgers. They were competing for individual and team honours over two games, with the individual and team averages over the two games used to determine the winners.
In the individual contest the pace setters after the first round were John Machin with 140, Raymond Moulton and Brodie Caress both with a round of 138 and Chris Deacon and Jeff Witter close behind them with 137 and 131, respectively. Jeff Witter, Chris Deacon and Brodie Caress has a nightmare second round all recording scores below 100 which put them out of contention.
The real surprise of the day was Vincent Moulton who recorded a solid 126 in the first round and did even better in the second round with 133. That big second round score pushed him into the Bronze medal position with an average of 129.5 over the two rounds. Later we learned that this score was no fluke and that 12-year old Vincent Moulton used to play bowling quite regularly in the past.
Coming into the silver medal position was Vincent’s father, Raymond Moulton, who finished with an overall average of 133. John Machin, who led after the first round remained untouchable and became the Tournament Champion with an average of 137.
In the team competition the Dodgers had a healthy lead after the first round. Their team average was 106.96 compared to the Giants’ 99.86. The Dodgers still needed a solid second round to ensure overall victory over the Giants. The final team averages over the two rounds were Dodgers (103.38) Giants (97.23).
Click here for more images form the event.
| GIANTS | Round1 | Round2 | AVG | DODGERS | Round1 | Round2 | AVG |
| Kieran Manning | 65 | 77 | 71.0 | Vincent Moulton | 126 | 133 | 129.5 |
| Cameron Manning | 106 | 73 | 89.5 | Brian Moulton | 112 | 91 | 101.5 |
| Tracey Manning | 118 | 76 | 97.0 | Raymond Moulton | 138 | 128 | 133.0 |
| Jonny Compton-Weight | 72 | 104 | 88.0 | Geertje Moulton | 111 | 99 | 105.0 |
| Lindsay Compton-Weight | 117 | 82 | 99.5 | Marty Cullen Jr | 96 | 119 | 107.5 |
| Keith Compton-Weight | 129 | 88 | 108.5 | Cameron Ross | 106 | 70 | 88.0 |
| Josh Faulks-Rodriguez | 102 | 98 | 100.0 | Daisy Ross | 118 | 77 | 97.5 |
| Dominic Faulks-Rodriguez | 116 | 104 | 110.0 | Alison Ross | 109 | 140 | 124.5 |
| Grant Faulks | 129 | 92 | 110.5 | Alan Ross | 93 | 128 | 110.5 |
| Brodie Caress | 138 | 90 | 114.0 | Jose Morillo Jr | 102 | 90 | 96.0 |
| Mark Caress | 66 | 98 | 82.0 | Jose Morillo Sr | 99 | 106 | 102.5 |
| Robert Binns | 107 | 91 | 99.0 | Joshua Jones | 94 | 89 | 91.5 |
| Mags Binns | 129 | 101 | 115.0 | Rachel Jones | 88 | 75 | 81.5 |
| Aaron Witter | 76 | 88 | 82.0 | Zack Longboy | 83 | 69 | 76.0 |
| Hayley Witter | 84 | 79 | 81.5 | Theo Longboy | 93 | 68 | 80.5 |
| Jeff Witter | 131 | 89 | 110.0 | Susie Longboy | 94 | 72 | 83.0 |
| Lisa Witter | 87 | 95 | 91.0 | Arnie Longboy | 125 | 123 | 124.0 |
| Ozan Martin | 85 | 92 | 88.5 | Lewis Green | 106 | 106 | 106.0 |
| Ian Martin | 112 | 119 | 115.5 | Lawrence | 119 | 117 | 118.0 |
| Nese Martin | 78 | 112 | 95.0 | Natasha Hobbs | 91 | 79 | 85.0 |
| Talia Martin | 112 | 90 | 101.0 | Chris Deacon | 137 | 98 | 117.5 |
| Ryan Reynolds | 79 | 69 | 74.0 | Alexander Deacon | 91 | 112 | 101.5 |
| Christian Lynch | 87 | 93 | 90.0 | Liam Green | 95 | 106 | 100.5 |
| John Lynch | 94 | 137 | 115.5 | John Machin | 140 | 134 | 137.0 |
| Carlos Casal | 103 | 136 | 119.5 | John Machin Jr | 125 | 106 | 115.5 |
| Carlos Casal Jr | 92 | 87 | 89.5 | Bianca Machin | 95 | 89 | 92.0 |
| Lewis Auchterlounie | 76 | 71 | 73.5 | Nicole Machin | 102 | 82 | 92.0 |
| Paul Auchterlounie | 106 | 118 | 112.0 | Ilya Dimitrov | 107 | 88 | 97.5 |
| TEAM AVERAGE | 99.86 | 94.61 | 97.23 | TEAM AVERAGE | 106.96 | 99.79 | 103.38 |
OTHER STATISTICS
Highest scoring round – John Machin (140)
Largest increase in second round – John Lynch (+43)
Largest drop in second round – Brodie Caress (-48)
BBC RADIO PREVIEWS UPCOMING HERTS BASEBALL SEASON
Members of Herts Baseball Club joined BBC London Radio’s Wednesday Night Sports Show to look ahead to the upcoming Herts Baseball Little League season as the players returned for pre-season training last Sunday after the winter break.
Host Nick Godwin spoke with Jonny Compton-Weight who is a member of the Herts Cardinals team competing in the Herts Little League and also represented Herts nationally as a member of the Herts All Stars who are the reigning Under-14 National Champions.
BASEBALL PRE-SEASON BEGINS FOR HERTS YOUNGTERS
Herts Baseball Club’s youth teams began their pre-season training as they prepare for the start of the 2011 Herts Little League season and the national championships which the Herts boys and girls will be involved in this year.
Usually Spring Training for the Herts youth teams begins in March or April, but this year the League decided to make use of the good indoor facilities which are available in Dacorum Borough and to give the young players a chance to start playing earlier after the winter close season. Despite the fact that the session was held at a significant distance away from the club’s home ballpark and it clashed with the football, rugby and other youth sports fixtures, the young baseball players came out in force. Amongst the players were many new faces joining the Herts baseball family.
Spring Training is also the time for coaches to get ready for the season. 15 coaches were involved in running 16 stations simultaneously, covering all aspects of the game of baseball. This enabled the teams to go through an intensive 2-hour session covering a large amount of baseball work, despite the limited space available for the large number of players who were involved.
This is just the start of Spring Training. Over the next few weeks Herts will be carrying out various recruitment activities to grow its youth programme further and reaffirm its status as one of the best youth baseball organisations in the country.
Last year the club’s Under-14 Herts All-Stars team became National Champions completing the season with an unbeaten record of 10 wins and no losses. They clinched the British title against their old rivals, the London Mets, in an unforgettable 2-1 win. A large number of the players from that Championship-winning team will be ready to make the step up to the Under-17 league. They will face tougher opponents and that will be the best way for them to continue their development as Herts players. With players moving to the Under-17 age group, the opportunity will open up for a new generation of Under-14 year olds to defend the National title. This will be a fantastic boost for the many Herts players who have not had the opportunity to experience baseball at the national level in the past.
As Herts players move up to the older age groups they will have a big challenge on their hands playing against tougher opponents. The club is determined to get the community in and around Hertfordshire involved in what will be another exciting season of Herts baseball.
Note: For more details about joining the Herts Baseball Little League visit www.hertsbaseball.com and contact the club. Boys and girls aged between 6 and 16 are eligible to play for the club’s youth teams. The Club welcomes players from complete beginners to experienced ballplayers. Players over the age of 16 can join up with the club’s adult teams who compete in the British Baseball Leagues.
SPRINGING BACK INTO SHAPE
They came blinking into the watery sunlight from their winter hibernation. From across not only Hertfordshire but also north-west London, Buckinghamshire and even Northamptonshire, HBC ball-players took their first tentative steps into the Spring on Sunday. They gathered at Berkhamsted Sportspace to share tales of Christmas, to compare waistlines — and to start work on shrinking them.
This is how the 2011 baseball season began for the Herts club, looking to build on its historic 2010. Little Leaguers joined members of the National League Falcons and several novice players trying the game for the first time. It’s always good to see fresh faces at Spring Training. And it’s good to be reunited with last year’s fellow travellers. For the Raptors, where I played my games last year, the manager is back on board and he hopes to retain the core of the team which showed such promise as they were baptised by fire. Arnott, Gover, Drummond. These could be big names for the club by year’s end.
The Berkhamsted hall was a tremendous facility. We were able to create batting cages with the enormous net curtains, and to separate areas for pitching, infield and outfield drills. We revelled in the smooth surface and the even bounce as we practiced fielding ground balls — and we dreamt that Grovehill might one day be just as placid. I still managed to pick up my first bruise of the year, fielding one of those ground balls with my shin. We also recreated the struggles of Minnesota Twins outfielders as we played the ball’s carom off the lights, and the basketball equipment. All good fun.
More than a full team’s worth of players showed interest in the pitching masterclass offered by Eagles MVP, Darrin Ward. Which is a good sign — at this stage in the season, anything seems possible. One of the highlights of the experience was handling a pristine, white ball from a newly-opened box. There is something special about a new baseball, like the aroma of a fresh pack of coffee. In fact, it has an aroma of its own. And it has a texture unlike the practice balls which are worn to a slippy sheen; it has real seams, standing proud. Is it a bit geeky to even notice the new ball? Maybe. But I think it’s one of the most touchable of the game’s intangibles.
And now how do I feel, 48 hours on? An extraordinary aching which had tried to paralyse my body seems to be fading. Slightly. Playing baseball does have a far harder effect on the body than my usual choice of exercise — such as running, or cycling, or even sometimes the weights. I don’t know if it’s the repeated impact involved. And of course part of it is that I am a year older. When I took up baseball I had recently turned thirty, and was training to run 10k races. Several surgeries, two children and many years later, I still look ahead to a year thinking “This time I’ll get in better shape….” At some point reality dawns that I will probably never recapture that youthful elasticity. But at least you know that the waistline may have got the message.
2011 – THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG
The clock has struck midnight and 2011 has arrived, but more importantly, this means that Spring Training for baseball clubs across the country is just around the corner. New Year’s resolutions for those involved in British baseball are far from run-of-the-mill. A call-up to the first team, better batting average, becoming the first choice shortstop or securing a spot in the team’s pitching rotation are just some of the targets which players set for themselves ahead of the new season. Coaches also have baseball on their mind. They hope to discover a new talent or pick up that key player who will make the difference and turn a struggling team into an unbeatable machine.
Herts’ adult teams will go into the new year after a difficult 2010 season. The club’s four adult teams had a combined record of 33 wins and 50 losses (W-L% .398). Only the Seattle Mariners (.377) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (.352) had a worse record.
Every new season is different but for Herts Baseball Club one thing remains unchanged – throughout its history the Herts youth and adult teams have never gone into a new season as the favourites. They have always been the underdogs. 2011 will be no different, even for the championship-winning Herts All Stars most of who will be moving to the Under-17 age group which will be a big challenge.
Despite this, over the years Herts have managed to triumph against all odds. From the Falcons’ incredible bottom of the ninth inning walk-off win in the 2004 postseason playoffs and clinching the AAA National title in 2008 to last year’s win by the Herts All Stars against the odds-on favourites London Mets and the Herts Eagles’ phenomenal run in the AAA postseason.
Herts Baseball Club prides itself on the ability to attract so many players who are completely new to the game of baseball. The Club has welcomed everybody who wants to wear the Herts jersey regardless of ability or level of experience. This has turned Herts into the largest and most respected club in the UK. The club’s coaching staff deserves tremendous credit for being able to put together teams of rookies in the space of just a few weeks of Spring Training, sending them into battle against opponents with many years of baseball under their belt. This is exactly what will be needed during the vital pre-season period this Spring. The club does not have the power hitters or the 90mph flame-throwers, but will be counting on the team spirit, togetherness and loyalty of its members and supporters.
Can they do it? Can Herts make 2011 The Year of the Underdog once again?
The adult players will be reporting for their first Spring Training session on Sunday 16 January 2011, while the youth teams start on Sunday, 6 February 2011. These first few sessions will take place indoors.
Baseball has become one of the fastest growing sports in Hertfordshire and those who want to give it a try should get in touch with the club for full details of how to get involved. The Club can offer baseball for boys and girls as young as 6 and for men and women as old as 50 and above, regardless of their level of baseball experience.
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