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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 5	Falcons U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	12 - 9	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	5 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	6 - 8	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Londoners U11	6 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	4 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 15:15:0018 September 2021	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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U13	8 - 7	Combined B U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Combined B U13	9 - 10	Combined A U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	Combined A U13	11 - 19	Mets U13	Grovehill Ballpark

BBF (U13) Pool B

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	League	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	0 - 16	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Herts Falcons U13	0 - 15	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	3 - 10	LYBL U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 11:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U15	13 - 8	Falcons U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 13:30:0018 September 2021	Brighton U15	3 - 8	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 15:45:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	10 - 7	Eagles U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	11 - 1	Brighton U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	9 - 6	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	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
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	Cobham U18	6 - 3	London Sports U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U18	11:15:00Postponed	Herts Falcons U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Loser	13:30:001:30 pm	Game 2 Loser	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Winner	15:45:003:45 pm	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 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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U11	8 - 5	Falcons U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	12 - 9	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	LYBL U11	5 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 10:45:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	6 - 8	Londoners U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Londoners U11	6 - 9	Mets U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:15:0018 September 2021	Falcons U11	4 - 7	LYBL U11	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 15:15:0018 September 2021	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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	Mets U13	8 - 7	Combined B U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Combined B U13	9 - 10	Combined A U13	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	Combined A U13	11 - 19	Mets U13	Grovehill Ballpark

BBF (U13) Pool B

Date	Home	Time/Results	Away	League	Field
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U13	0 - 16	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 11:00:0018 September 2021	Herts Falcons U13	0 - 15	LYBL U13	BBF (U13), Pool B	Grovehill Ballpark
2021-09-18 13:00:0018 September 2021	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
2021-09-18 09:00:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	3 - 10	LYBL U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 11:15:0018 September 2021	Mets U15	13 - 8	Falcons U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 13:30:0018 September 2021	Brighton U15	3 - 8	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-18 15:45:0018 September 2021	London Sports U15	10 - 7	Eagles U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	11 - 1	Brighton U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U15	3 - 0	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	London Sports U15	9 - 6	Mets U15	Williams Field
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	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
2021-09-19 09:00:0019 September 2021	Cobham U18	6 - 3	London Sports U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 11:15:0019 September 2021	LYBL U18	11:15:00Postponed	Herts Falcons U18	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 13:30:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Loser	13:30:001:30 pm	Game 2 Loser	ACS Cobham
2021-09-19 15:45:0019 September 2021	Game 1 Winner	15:45:003:45 pm	Game 2 Winner	ACS Cobham

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.

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 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

Pos	Team	W	L	Pct	GB
1	Mets U11	4	0	1.000	0
2	Raptors U11	1	1	0.500	2
2	Falcons U11	3	3	0.500	2
4	Londoners U11	5	6	0.455	2.5
5	Cardinals U11	2	3	0.400	2.5

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

Pos	Team	W	L	Pct	GB
1	LYBL U15	4	0	1.000	0
2	Mets U15	1	1	0.500	2
3	Hawks U15	3	4	0.429	2.5
4	Falcons U15	4	6	0.409	3
5	Redbacks U15	0	1	0.000	2.5

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.

Last month, Herts Baseball Club elected Will Zucker and Aspi Dimitrov as Co-Directors of Youth Baseball. We asked them about the launch of the brand new youth baseball league.

What can young players look forward to when the new league commences?

How many of the children and their parents watching MLB on their TVs have wondered what it would be like to wear those uniforms and play for a team on a beautiful baseball diamond? Or compete in playoffs surrounded by cheering fans enjoying the food and unique atmosphere of the ballpark? Even without MLB’s multi-billion dollar budget, we want to offer the players and families of our new league an experience as close to  MLB as possible.

Where will the league games be played?

Our club has two ballparks: one in Hemel Hempstead, another in North West London. They are conveniently located within a thirty minute drive from each other. Substantial investment has gone into Grovehill Ballpark, making it one of the best baseball venues in the UK.  Crowdfunding is underway to repeat that success story at Basing Hill Ballpark.

What will the league schedule and format be?

Though we have two ballparks, the league will minimise travel for families so that around 75% of the season will be played at the team’s nearest ballpark. The season will start in May and end in the middle of July. Each team will play around twelve games: four home single games, two home doubleheaders and two away doubleheaders. Similar to MLB, teams will be in a race to qualify for the postseason playoffs which will determine the league champions.

We are still considering whether the champions will win the privilege to represent Herts at the National Baseball Championships in September or whether the club will select an All-Star team from all of the Herts teams in the league.

What will game days look like?

Our goal is to recreate that special baseball atmosphere in our ballparks with food, music and a lot more. We want children and their families to enjoy game days, allowing developing players the incredible feeling of playing in front of fans – similar to the superstars of MLB.

The two home and two away doubleheaders will be large scale events, bringing all teams to the same venue. Grovehill Ballpark may even be able to stage games for teams from all age groups – eight or more in total.

We are mindful of the increasing pressures on families to balance work, school and other commitments. Game days will run no longer than two hours, though team managers have discretion to extend that time a little if the players would benefit from extra practice before or after games.

League games are to be played on Saturdays, but we are also considering youth team games in NW London on Sunday mornings before the adult league plays. In this way, Herts adult players can be spectators for the youth league and the younger leagues and their families would feel welcome to stay after their games to watch adult league action in the afternoon.

What age groups will the league cover?

Players aged  6 to 14 with an Under-11, Under-13 and Under-15 league. Initially, the Under-13 and Under-15 leagues will be combined until we accumulate a sufficient number of players for separate U13 and U15 leagues.  Players over the age of 14 move up to the Herts adult league teams and we hope to select Under-17 players to represent Herts at the BBF U17 national championships.

What level of coaching can the players expect?

The league already has five coaches in place all of whom have either played or coached in America, Japan, Britain’s National League or the Great Britain National Teams. The league is looking to recruit more coaches. Those interested in getting involved, or who would like more details should contact the club.

How much will it cost to play in the league?

We want baseball to be affordable for every family. We have set membership fees very low – £49 for the U11s and £59 for the U13s and U15s – probably the lowest in the UK.

The club provides all of the baseball equipment such as bats, balls, helmets, including fielding gloves for kids that don’t have their own. The uniform is not included in the membership fee, but to reduce that cost, youth players joining the club for the first time will be given a £6 voucher which they can use when buying a Herts New Era 9FORTY baseball cap.

How many teams will play in the league?

Our aim is to have four league teams in each age group – two based in Hemel Hempstead and two in NW London. We’re assessing the option to add interleague games with teams from neighbouring clubs, with a possibility of external teams joining the league. However, it’s essential that these teams are no more than around 30 minutes from either  ballpark. At the moment there are just one or two other clubs that meet that criteria as our two ballparks are the only ones in the region.

Have the team names been announced and what uniforms will they wear?

The teams have adopted the names of the Herts adult league teams. For example, Herts Falcons U11, Herts Londoners U15. This is an approach more common with Premier League football teams and we felt that the young players would enjoy playing under the same Herts team names and they can progress through the age groups and into the big leagues in the coming years. We will be announcing more details about the teams’ uniforms in the coming weeks.

How will coaches select the players for their respective teams?

This league welcomes everyone from complete beginners to advanced players.  Everyone plays and will have an important role in the team.  Children will be invited to the Open Days in Spring Training to prepare for the season, a great way to introduce newcomers to the game of baseball. 

The managers will select players for their teams adopting a system similar to the MLB Draft. This should ensure that all the teams are of equal strength, which should make it an exciting and a close race for the playoffs.

The number of youth players was very low last year. Will you be able to grow fast enough before the start of the season and do you have a backup plan if you don’t?

Despite a significant drop of youth players in the previous three years, we are already seeing a lot of interest from both former and new youth players and their families. We started our discussions with schools in Hemel Hempstead and in North West London; we are fortunate to have a newly appointed Head of U13/U11, Cory English who is an active member of his local school working as both parent governor and freelance teacher. Even if a particular age group does not have enough players for a 4-team league, we have alternative options such as a best-of-7 World Series format and interleague games similar to MLB.

Can Herts fans and the wider community help with the launch of the league?

It’s crucial that the league inspires support from the community to spread the word. We are asking Herts baseball families to share news of our league on social media and with their friends, colleagues and neighbours. If every club member recommends the league to two friends, we will reach our target. 

How does Covid affect the league’s plans?

The NHS and the government have done tremendously well with the vaccination roll out. It’s encouraging to see the statistics already proving it is effective in controlling Covid. Of course, the virus remains unpredictable and we will ensure government guidance is strictly followed.  The government already approved a Covid-secure protocol for baseball games last year so we are hopeful to welcome a full first season of Herts Youth Baseball League (HYBL).

Players are now registering for the 2021 season. More information about joining the league can be found here.

To come to try baseball at no cost at one of the upcoming Open Days, or if you require more information, contact the club.