BBF Round-up and Previews: Militello’s perfect day

by UK American Sports Fans

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History was made on Sunday when Oxford King’s Santo Militello threw the first perfect game in senior British Baseball for over five years in a mercy-rule shortened five-inning win. But with rain dampening the spirits of others across the country, and the Milton Keynes Coyotes, Guildford Mavericks, Herts Raptors and Hull Scorpions recording their first defeats of the year, the quest for overall perfection this season lies only in the hands of four teams.

Two of those are in AAA Midlands, with the Nottingham Rebels and Milton Keynes Bucks both 5-0. The Bucks smashed 35 runs past Leicester Blue Sox in two wins on Sunday, moving square at the top with the Rebels, while elsewhere in the division the Birmingham Maple Leafs twice slaughtered the Stourbridge Titans conceding just two runs throughout the afternoon. The Leafs, now 3-5, will fancy their chances of picking up the AA Playoff route as a minimum from the division this season if they can match the Blue Sox for the remainder of the year. The Titans (0-5) still search for their first ever win, but this weekend face Nottingham for the unlikely chance to record it.

In the NBL, the other unbeaten side picked up two wins, with the London Mets (now 6-0) taking each by five runs from the Essex Redbacks (bottom, with a 2-8 record). The Mets’ nearest rivals, Southampton Mustangs (7-1) beat the Bracknell Blazers (3-5) twice with GB star Gary Davison pitching the win in the first and smashing two home runs in the second. Defending champions Harlow Nationals (3-5) won the first in their twin-bill against the Lakeneath Diamondbacks (4-4) but conceded the second in two close games, while the South London Pirates and Essex Arrows both hold 3-5 records after playing out a split.

In AAA South, Militello’s perfect game wasn’t followed up with much as the Kings lost their second match against Richmond Knights – the south west London team’s first win of the year – as Militello again took the mound but couldn’t find the same heroics. The Kings (4-2) couldn’t make a big move on the leaders, London Mets II (5-1), who had the week off, while the Knights (1-5) move off the foot of the table. Cambridge Royals (6-2) picked up a pair of wins over Leones de Feltham (2-4), who forfeited, while Herts Ravens couldn’t travel to Bristol – decision pending on whether that will go down as a forfeit.

In AAA North, the Liverpool Trojans found a Menwith Hill Patriots (0-7) team who were a lot better than their opening day 34-run defeat over five frames, but the Trojans still won both and moved to 6-1 to lead the division. Halton Jaguars (3-3) and Cartmel Valley Lions (4-2) split a rain-affected double header which was ended when Halton’s Matt Thompson fractured his pelvis scoring the Jaguars’ 17th run of the second match.

The Hull Scorpions’ perfect record in AA North went tumbling in the first match of the double-header with Harrogate Tigers. As first played second, the Tigers (5-2) bit first but were stung by the Scorpions (7-1) in the second as neither team could break away from the other or the chasing pack. The Bolton Robots of Doom (3-4) improved their position with two wins over the Newton Aycliffe Spartans while the Bladerunners remain winless after their games vs Oldham North Stars were cancelled.

AA South was an interesting weekend where one perfect team, the 2-0 Daws Hill Spitfires, saw teams around them miss the chance to close down the Richmond Dragons (6-1) after the Dragons twice beat the 0-5 Southampton Mustangs II. Guildford Mavericks’ (now 4-1) perfect season hopes went down to the Sidewinders (3-3) in the first game, but their quest for the championship remains alive after a strong reply in winning the second. Hove Tuesday joined the Mavericks at 4-1 with a sweep of the Brentwood Stags (1-4) and London Mammoths (4-2) beat the South London Pirates III (1-3) to make a move towards the top.

Things showed no sign of slowing down in Single-A South as another weekend of batting brilliance meant the whole season average is now over 40 runs per game. The Essex Archers (2-1) handed the Coyotes (2-1) their first defeat, while Haverhill Blackjacks moved to 2-2 with a win over the Old Timers (1-2), while the other Pool B side Essex Redbacks II fell to 1-2 with a defeat to the now 2-1 Guildford Mavericks II. London Marauders (now 2-1) moved ahead of Tonbridge Bobcats (now 2-2) as the Kent team’s season has slowed somewhat, while a thriller between the two Herts sides saw the Eagles (1-2) beat the Raptors (2-1) on the final at-bat.

This weekend poses a few interesting questions of teams across the country. The Mets and Mustangs square off with the NBL top spot at stake, while the second all-Essex matches of the year see the Redbacks play Harlow Nationals in Chelmsford. Lakenheath Diamondbacks and Bracknell Blazers both need a sweep to maintain a chance of a good playoff seeding, while the Herts Falcons (5-3) can move back into the fold when they take on Essex Arrows on Sunday in Waltham Abbey.

The weekend ahead…

In AAA North, the Liverpool Trojans take on this year’s main rivals, Cartmel Valley Lions – a sweep, though unlikely, for the Lions will see them leapfrog the Trojans and it’ll represent the first time in three seasons they’ve lost more than two regular season games. In AAA South, Richmond Knights can continue their upturn in fortunes against their local rivals Leones de Feltham, while the ‘varsity’ match takes place between the second-placed Cambridge Royals and third-placed Oxford Kings in Oxford. The London Mets II play two against their friendly foes the London Metros in Finsbury Park, while the Herts Ravens and Bristol Badgers are scheduled to go again, this time in Hemel Hempstead, after last weekend’s incompleted fixtures.

AA South, which is already shaping up to be made of two distinct groups within the division, may be blown open if the Spitfires can win two against the Richmond Dragons in Daws Hill. It’d boost the High Wycombe side to second outright if they swept the league leaders, while the Dragons could face a nervous few weeks looking over their shoulders. With the Sidewinders likely to take two from the Brentwood Stags and the Guildford Mavericks eager to overcome the Herts Hawks – who ruined their playoff parade last year – in a pair, things at the top are going to get interesting. Hove Tuesday will also be confident of capitalising on an unusual spot of bad form for the Southampton Mustangs II in a twin bill in Hove, which could also see Tuesday taking top spot come the end of the weekend. London Mammoths again host the Pirates III and could mathematically be second outright with a win, but will probably be fourth at best.

Up in t’ North, Sheffield Bladerunners host the NA Spartans and Oldham North Stars welcome Bolton Robots of Doom as the bottom four teams jostle for early position – a third of the season will have been completed by the end of Sunday, weather permitting, and being out of the top positions now could already cost the chance of the title. The Manchester As return to action against Harrogate Tigers in Yorkshire; sweeps for either teams see them represent the team most likely to challenge Hull’s early-season dominance, while a split probably favours Harrogate slightly more than the As.

The bats will likely still be hot in Single-A as ten teams again hit the diamonds. The Leicester 2Sox travel to Guildford Mavericks II for the longest journey in the division, while Essex Archers take on London Marauders and Herts Eagles travel to the Essex Redbacks II. The big game of the weekend will be between the Herts Raptors and Milton Keynes Coyotes – the winners will sit pretty atop the Pool A standings – while the Richmond Dukes will want to get their first win of the year against the Old Timers in Enfield.

  • Wherever you watch or play baseball this weekend, be sure to take pictures and Tweet along using the hashtag #bbfscore as it’ll all add to the wider experience of British baseball. Also – take a thick pair of socks, an extra jumper, an umbrella, sun cream and plenty of food. You just never know what’s going to happen in this wonderful sport.