NBL shaping up, rest of leagues kicking off
In the third week of action in the NBL, the Herts Falcons finally had things go against them while the Harlow Nationals swept to join them on a 5-1 record, opening up clear air on the rest of the field.
In Harlow, the Nationals welcomed their closest geographical rivals in the Essex Arrows, and though both games were relatively close, the outcomes were rarely in doubt as Harlow pushed through both times, sinking the Arrows to a 2-4 record and boosting themselves to the early joint lead.
The Falcons found the Southampton Mustangs a tougher match-up than their previous encounters, and on the back of six errors let the first game slip. They recovered to win Game 2, joining the Nationals at the top and consigning the Mustangs to an early 2-2 record.
The London Mets easily beat the Croydon Pirates twice, moving to a 3-1 standing while the Pirates slipped to 0-4 and, with so few games in the BBF season, could already be facing a battle for the wooden spoon against the Bracknell Blazers (0-4 with games against Lakenheath Diamondbacks – 1-1 – postponed this weekend).
And the Herts Club were also able to celebrate wins in the other divisions, as the Hawks (AA) and Eagles (A) both beat their Richmond opposition – a tough way for the south west London club to begin their 20th anniversary season.
In single-A South, Hove Tuesday had an emphatic start to British baseball as the team from Brighton (who hosted national champions and championships for a decade from the mid-1990s) pushed past the Tonbridge Bobcats 14-1, while the Guildford Mavericks II came out top in a slugfest against the Braintree Rays, 27-11 the final score. The Essex Archers earned a walkover win against the Essex Redbacks III.
AA South saw more wins for Pool A than Pool B, with the Guildford Mavericks, Thames Valley Bisons, Poole Piranhas, Southampton Mustangs III and Croydon Pirates III each taking a share of the divisional lead, with the Latin Tigers and Richmond Dragons falling to the bottom. In Pool B, only the London Mammoths and Herts Hawks picked up wins against their opposite-pool rivals, so defeats for the Sidewinders, Kent Mariners, Daws Hill Spitfires, Essex Redbacks II and Brentwood Stags still has things interesting, but there’s still a long way to go until anyone will be able to determine what could happen.
In the Midlands, the Nottingham Rebels dashed early optimism for the new Stourbridge Titans while the Leicester Blue Sox had clearly benefited from their Spring League action, pushing past perennial rivals the Birmingham Maple Leafs. It should be a good year for the Midlands, as they were also able to play some minor-league friendly games as the division looks to expand and reach even more people in an area where baseball has historically been incredibly strong.
Further up the country, AA North saw the Manchester Torrent spoil the dream debut for the Newton Aycliffe Spartans with two big wins, while the Hull Scorpions dashed hopes of the ideal return for the Harrogate Tigers, again winning twice with a 20-run advantage over the double-header. The Oldham North Stars put in one of their best performances in a while, redeeming themselves after last year’s horrific opening day – despite losing both games to the Sheffield Bladerunners, the cumulative total was around 40 runs better off for the team from the north west than their first games in 2011.
The Cartmel Valley Lions are the package in AAA North that people were worried about – not their ability to play fixtures, but rather their skills and talents might embarrass more established opponents. With a great youth programme, they have been able to retain and recall some of their esteemed players who may have left for other clubs, some who had joined the Bolton Robots of Doom.
In the closest game of any league on Sunday, the Lions edged through 3-2 to beat the Bolton side fresh off their AA Championship last year, and then swept through 13-3 to take a place at the top of the board after week one, with the Liverpool Trojans continuing their unbeaten run with two wins over the Halton Jaguars. The Menwith Hill Patriots regrouped after folding towards the end of last season, winning twice over the Manchester As, but more because Manchester didn’t field a team.
In the south, the story was Richard Chesterton. After finishing as one of the best pitchers in the NBL with the Essex Arrows in 2011, Chesterton joined the Essex Redbacks in the off-season and dropped down to AAA. He answered critics by shutting out the Cambridge Royals, striking out 11 in a no-hitter over five innings as the bats did the talking. The Redbacks won the second game as well and moved to a lead in Pool B.
Pool A saw splits for the Windsor & Bracknell Bears and Richmond Dragons, and the playoff-tipped Bristol Badgers and Oxford Kings. In what will be a tight pool, no side took immediate advantage and so there is more incentive to gain marginal advantages whatever the opportunity in 2012.
It’s still early in the season and, other than in the NBL, it’s impossible to say what teams are really leading at this stage. Hopefully the rain will stay away this weekend and we’ll have a better idea about where some of the clubs are following one of the most anticipated seasons in British baseball for a long time.
