Category: U14
Herts Futures Tournament this Saturday.
7 teams will be in action at the 2022 Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) which will take place this Saturday, 1 October 2022. The number is considerably lower then in previous years but it is in the context of the BBF national youth baseball championships being cancelled last week due to lack of teams so this is positive news and an opportunity to end the 2022 youth baseball season on a high.
U15 Division
- Essex Redbacks (U15)
- Herts Falcons (U15)
- Northants Centurions (U15)
U11 Division
- Essex Redbacks (U11)
- Herts Hawks (U11)
- Herts Londoners (U11)
- Nottingham Rebels (U11)
The opening ceremony will take place at 10:45am. The first games begin at 11:15am and games will be played right up to around 3:30pm.
To view the games schedule click here.
“Herts Baseball Club welcomes new players at any time of the year” said the club’s co-Director of Youth Baseball, Aspi Dimitrov. “Any children aged between 6 and 14 who are interested to give baseball a try should contact the club. It is not too late to play in these games, regardless of whether you are a complete beginner or an advanced player.”
The HFT was first held in 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. It brings together youth teams from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the United Kingdom.
For more information about the event visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage.
Falcons U15 and Cardinals U11 are the 2022 Herts Youth League champions.
The Herts Youth Baseball League Finals had everything – drama, home runs, walk-off, web gems, comebacks, pitching duels, and most importantly lots of smiles on the faces of players, parents and fans.
These were the first youth league games since the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the teams and fans held a minute of applause to express their gratitude and respect, which was followed by the playing of the national anthem.
A large number of fans came out to enjoy this occasion and they were not disappointed as the boys and girls put on a show.
First up were the Herts Cardinals and Herts Falcons in the U11 final. Both teams dominated in the regular season with records of 8-3 and 7-3, respectively. The Cardinals took an early lead and in the first three innings it looked like they would cruise to victory but in the fourth the Falcons U11 struck back with four runs to reduce the deficit to 8-4. This included a home run by debutant Flynn Dunn.
Cardinals U11 responded immediately in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 13-4 and their defence shut the Falcons down in the final inning to clinch the Herts U11 championship.
In the U15 Final, we saw a proper pitchers’ duel. Ben Peters started on the mound for the Falcons U15 and Chi Laam Wong for the Hawks U15. The Falcons put up one run in the first and one in the fourth but every other inning had a zero on the scoreboard until the fifth inning when the Hawks hit back – Sammy Assael-Francis with the head-first slide beating the tag at home to tie the game at 2-2.
Relief pitchers Kobby Kofuor Darteh and Yaroslav Yefimov continued the dominance which we saw from the starting pitchers and no runs were scored in the next inning.
This final had to be decided in extra innings. The rule putting runners on second base was in force. With one out, the Hawks advanced that runner to third base and put a second runner on first base, but an outstanding double play by the Falcons defence ended the threat and the inning.
It was time for a hero to emerge and that hero was 11-year-old Violet Jones. With runner on third base and one out, she drove the ball up the middle to bring the winning run home prompting wild celebrations to end the 2022 Herts Youth League season on.
Next up is the season-ending Herts Futures Tournament on Saturday, 1 October, at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. New players can still register in time to play at this event.
Herts youth baseball league U15,U13 and U11 finals moved to 24 September
Herts Baseball Club received the news that only one other baseball club is likely to enter teams in the BBF national youth baseball championships which were expected to be played on 24-25 September. In view of the difficulties which this presents, Herts has decided not to enter its teams in the various age divisions of the tournament.
In place of that event, the club has now moved the finals of the Herts U15, U13 and U11 leagues to Saturday, 24 September. All games will be played at the newly upgraded Basing Hill Ballpark in London.
In the U15/U13 division, the Herts Falcons and the Herts Hawks find themselves tied in the standings and they will meet in the final at 12:15pm to determine the champion.
HYBL U11 Standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct | GB | RS | RA | Diff | Strk | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mets U11 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 30 | 7 | 23 | W3 | - |
| 2 |  Londoners U11 | 5 | 6 | 0.455 | 2 | 54 | 71 | -17 | L2 | - |
| 3 |  Cardinals U11 | 2 | 3 | 0.400 | 2 | 24 | 26 | -2 | W1 | - |
| 3 |  Falcons U11 | 2 | 2 | 0.400 | 1.5 | 44 | 43 | 1 | W2 | - |
| 5 |  Raptors U11 | 1 | 1 | 0.333 | 1.5 | 29 | 32 | -3 | T1 | - |
| 6 |  LYBL U11 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | L1 | - |
In the U11 division the final will be contested between the Herts Cardinals (8-3) and Herts Falcons (7-3) who are in first and second place in the standings, respectively. The winner will become the U11 champion. The game will start at 10:30.
In the following week, the Herts U15, U13 and U11 teams will be joined by teams from around the United Kingdom to play in the 2022 Herts Futures Tournament. All the games will be played at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead on Saturday, 1 October.
British youth baseball teams have started entering the 2022 Herts Futures Tournament
Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that the 2022 Herts Futures Tournament will take place on Saturday, October 1st.
The Herts Futures Tournament (HFT) was first held in 2008 and is now a permanent fixture in the British baseball calendar. The number of teams entering the tournament has been going up. The highest number of entries which we have managed to accommodate in previous years has been 21 teams. It will be interesting to see how many teams will enter this year. If the number continues to increase the club will have to consider ways of expanding the venue further.
The event brings together youth teams of various age groups from across the country for a day of baseball at one of the best baseball venues in the UK. Grovehill Ballpark is the home of Herts Baseball Club. Over the years the venue has been selected to host some of the biggest events in the British baseball calendar including the National Baseball Championships and Great Britain National Team events.
During the Herts Futures Tournament additional diamonds are added to cater for the different age groups.
This year’s edition is expected to cover the Under-15, Under-13 and Under-11 age groups.
For more information about the event, how to enter your team in the Tournament or how players can join the Herts teams to play in the HFT, visit the Herts Futures Tournament homepage or contact us.
Herts youth teams gear up for the National Baseball Championships. Badenhorst and Barrett to manage the U19s.
Herts is preparing to enter teams in all age divisions of the of the 2022 National Youth Baseball Championships – U19, U15, U13 and U11. The event is expected to take place on 24 and 25 September.
New players are continuing to register to play for the Herts teams in these games which will give them the opportunity to represent the club and compete with teams from around the UK for the national title.
The majority of these players are playing baseball for the first time in their lives this year so 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 U19 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.
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.
Adult and youth league players now registering for the 2022 baseball season
Player registration for the 2022 season has commenced.
In 2021 Herts Baseball Club grew by 44% introducing many newcomers to the game of baseball. The goal for 2022 is to bring performance levels of all Herts adult and youth league teams up and to move up the league standings.
ADULT BASEBALL LEAGUES
How many teams will represent Herts in 2022? The next few weeks will be crucial as the number of players registering will determine how many teams will be entered before the league entry deadline; how many will play in Hemel Hempstead and how many will play in London; which leagues the teams will play in.
KEY DATES – ADULT TEAMS
(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)
- 30 January – players report for Spring Training
- 19-20 March – Start of the 2022 Herts Spring League (subject to confirmation of the BBF League Opening Day)*
- March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
- 3 or 10 April – BBF League Opening Day (subject to confirmation)*
- May – Midweek Evening Baseball commences
- August-September* – BBF Postseason Playoffs and National Championships
- September-October – Hunlock Series
* – these are preliminary dates. The BBF will be making its official announcements in due course.
Click here for more details of the membership packages
YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUES
Last year saw the first season of the Herts Youth Baseball League. The number of registered youth players rose from 21 in 2020 to 75 in 2021 which is the highest in the club’s history. 2021 was just the starting point. In 2022 and subsequent years the club will aim to enhance and develop the programme further to make Herts one of the leading clubs for youth players.
KEY DATES – YOUTH TEAMS
(events and dates are subject to change depending on Covid-19 restrictions)
- March – players report for Spring Training
- March-April – Great Britain National Team Tryouts (senior and youth teams)*
- May – Opening Day of the Herts Youth Baseball League season
- May-July – Midweek evening baseball sessions
- June – UK Little League Qualifiers
- July – European Little League Qualifiers
- mid-July – Playoffs and Finals of the Herts Youth Baseball League
- September – BBF Playoffs and National Championships
- September – Herts Futures Tournament
Click here for more details of the membership packages
WHICH BALLPARK WILL YOU PLAY YOUR HOME LEAGUE GAMES AT?
Herts has two ballparks. The online registration form will ask players to indicate whether they prefer to play their home league games in Hemel Hempstead or in NW London, or whether they would be happy with either. This will provide important information to club management when they configure the adult and youth team rosters for the new season.
HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE 2022 BASEBALL SEASON
Those who already have an account with the club will be prompted to register when they log on next time (click here to go to the Herts online Clubhouse and log on with your existing username and password). Those who are new to Herts Baseball Club and do not have an online account can register as members by completing this form. For more details about joining our teams in 2022 and the membership packages click here or contact us.
2021 MVP vote results are in
The Most Valuable Players (MVP) of the ten Herts adult and youth teams have been announced. The players of each team voted to determine their team’s MVP so the results reflect who the players consider to have been the most influential members this year.
The Falcons voted for Will Zucker who led the team not only as a player but also stepped in as interim co-manager alongside Mike Cresswell in what was a very challenging year for the team. Jack O’Brien has made big strides over the last few years and this has been recognised as he was voted the Hawks MVP. 14-year-old Harry McMenamin was the Raptors MVP in what was his debut year in the BBF senior leagues. There could be no question about the Eagles MVP where Mike Wakelam led not just the team but the entire league with 9 home runs. He also led the team with a .667 batting average and 1.444 slugging average. Cory English was the Londoners MVP. He made his BBF league debut with Herts this year and in just a few months has become one of the most popular players around the league, not to mention his spectacular fielding which produced multiple nominations for Play of the Year.
The Herts U18 team voted Josh Badenhorst as the MVP after his outstanding pitching performance in the Semi-Final of the U18 National Championships. That game was suspended halfway through and is expected to resume in the Spring so he has some unfinished business. Harry McMenamin was the U15 MVP while Lucas Hao was the U13 MVP after a dominant display which almost gave Herts a win over LS. The Herts U11 league home run leader Connor O’Neill-Thompson was voted Herts Falcons U11 MVP and Cosmo English of the Herts Londoners U11 became the second member of his family to be voted MVP this year.
Dale Hardwick’s canon throw from centerfield was voted Play of the Year in a close race with Connor O’Neill-Thompson and Rory Graham and Cosmo English and Simon Painvin who turned a triple play in the U11 national championships group stages.
The winner of the not-so-coveted Nob-Out Award was Mike Cresswell who managed to fall on his face while being filmed by a high-tech 2-man camera crew and a microphone attached to him for a promotional video. The club is trying to obtain the video from the tv crew.
The club doesn’t have a personality of the year award but, if it did, it surely would have gone to 6-year-old Mason Barnaby. He was already recognised during the trophy presentation at the end of the Herts Youth Baseball League season for an outstanding act of sportsmanship. During one of the championships-deciding games he asked the umpire for time 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. He is one of the youngest members from the new generation of players who joined the Herts youth baseball programme this year and after the end of the season he has been involved in raising awareness of diabetes. He was on BBC radio to talk about diabetes and playing baseball. (Click to listen on BBC Sounds)
No silverware but Herts youth teams put on strong performances in the national championships. U18s still in the hunt.
Herts Baseball Club entered five teams into the BBF U18, U15, U13 and U11 National Baseball Championships. As expected, they came up against more experienced teams so the odds were stacked firmly against them, but that didn’t seem to faze the Herts boys and girls.
U11 Division
Two Herts teams competed in the U11 division – Herts Falcons U11 made up of players from its Hemel Hempstead branch and Herts Londoners U11 representing its NW London branch. Both had closely-fought encounters with LYBL U11 and London Mets U11 but those two teams made it to the final which the Mets won 8-7. It would have been interesting to see what the outcome would have been if Herts had entered an all-star team selecting the top players from the Falcons and Londoners.
U11 Division
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets U11 | 8 - 5 | Falcons U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
LYBL U11  | 12 - 9 | Londoners U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| LYBL U11 | 5 - 9 | Mets U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Falcons U11 | 6 - 8 | Londoners U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Londoners U11 | 6 - 9 | Mets U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Falcons U11 | 4 - 7 | LYBL U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Mets U11 | 8 - 7 | LYBL U11 | Grovehill Ballpark |
U13 Division
LYBL U13 proved too strong for all teams that came up against them. They overcame the Mets U13 by 19-1 in the Final. The Herts Falcons U13 was a combined squad with players from the club’s Hemel Hempstead and NW London branches. Although they couldn’t cope with LYBL, they were in control against London Sports U13 in the first half of the game but four runs in the last inning cost them.
BBF (U13) Pool A
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets U13 | 8 - 7 | Combined B U13 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Combined B U13 | 9 - 10 | Combined A U13 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Combined A U13 | 11 - 19 | Mets U13 | Grovehill Ballpark |
BBF (U13) Pool B
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | League | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
London Sports U13  | 0 - 16 | LYBL U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Herts Falcons U13 | 0 - 15 | LYBL U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| London Sports U13 | 6 - 2 | Herts Falcons U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark |
U15 Division
The Herts U15 team were expected to struggle as they were missing key players, but they came very close against both the Mets and London Sports, losing 8-13 and 7-10, respectively. Once again LYBL dominated and they went on to lift the trophy.
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Sports U15 | 3 - 10 | LYBL U15 | Williams Field | |
| Mets U15 | 13 - 8 | Falcons U15 | Williams Field | |
Brighton U15  | 3 - 8 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 10 - 7 |  Eagles U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 11 - 1 | Brighton U15 | Williams Field | |
| LYBL U15 | 3 - 0 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 9 - 6 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| LYBL U15 | 3 - 0 | London Sports U15 | Williams Field |
U18 Division
Heavy downpour in Surrey halted the U18 contest with the semi-final between Herts Falcons U18 and LYBL U18 finely poised at 0-0. The game was suspended in the bottom of the third inning with one out and it will resume on a date and at a venue which will be confirmed by the BBF in the coming days. There are signs that the Herts team, led by co-managers Colin Barrett and Duane Badenhorst, could cause an upset and progress to the Final.
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobham U18 | 6 - 3 | London Sports U18 | ACS Cobham | |
| LYBL U18 | Herts Falcons U18 | ACS Cobham | ||
| Game 1 Loser | Game 2 Loser | ACS Cobham | ||
| Game 1 Winner | Game 2 Winner | ACS Cobham |
Herts launched its own Herts Youth Baseball League this year which saw an influx of new youth players join the club, the majority of whom are playing baseball for the first time in their lives this year. The weekend’s action showed that there is enormous talent in the Herts youth teams and it is now for the club, the coaches and the players to realise that potential in the coming years.
Five Herts teams go into the national youth baseball championships this weekend
Five Herts teams go into the 2021 British Baseball Federation (BBF) National Youth Baseball Championships this weekend.
The club launched its own Herts Youth Baseball League this year which saw a new generation of boys and girls join the club. The club currently has over 80 registered youth players with the majority playing baseball for the first time in their lives this season.
The five Herts teams go into the weekend as the underdogs but it will be interesting to see if they can put on a good performance and maybe even cause an upset.
The BBF selected Herts to host the U13 and U11 divisions at its Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, while the U15 bracket will be hosted by the Kent Buccaneers and the U18s by ACS Cobham.
The U11 Division will play a double-elimination format where teams are eliminated if they lose two games until only two teams remain and those two teams will play in the final to determine the national champion.
U11 Division
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets U11 | 8 - 5 | Falcons U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| LYBL U11 | 12 - 9 | Londoners U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| LYBL U11 | 5 - 9 | Mets U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Falcons U11 | 6 - 8 | Londoners U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Londoners U11 | 6 - 9 | Mets U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Falcons U11 | 4 - 7 | LYBL U11 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Mets U11 | 8 - 7 | LYBL U11 | Grovehill Ballpark |
The U13 Division has been divided into two pools. The winners of each pool meet in the final.
BBF (U13) Pool A
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets U13 | 8 - 7 | Combined B U13 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Combined B U13 | 9 - 10 | Combined A U13 | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Combined A U13 | 11 - 19 | Mets U13 | Grovehill Ballpark |
BBF (U13) Pool B
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | League | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Sports U13 | 0 - 16 | LYBL U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| Herts Falcons U13 | 0 - 15 | LYBL U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark | |
| London Sports U13 | 6 - 2 | Herts Falcons U13 | BBF (U13), Pool B | Grovehill Ballpark |
The U15 Division is also base don double-elimination.
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Sports U15 | 3 - 10 | LYBL U15 | Williams Field | |
| Mets U15 | 13 - 8 | Falcons U15 | Williams Field | |
| Brighton U15 | 3 - 8 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 10 - 7 | Eagles U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 11 - 1 | Brighton U15 | Williams Field | |
| LYBL U15 | 3 - 0 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| London Sports U15 | 9 - 6 | Mets U15 | Williams Field | |
| LYBL U15 | 3 - 0 | London Sports U15 | Williams Field |
The U18 Division will see four teams play semi-finals with the winners meeting in the final.
| Date | Home | Time/Results | Away | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobham U18 | 6 - 3 | London Sports U18 | ACS Cobham | |
| LYBL U18 | Herts Falcons U18 | ACS Cobham | ||
| Game 1 Loser | Game 2 Loser | ACS Cobham | ||
| Game 1 Winner | Game 2 Winner | ACS Cobham |