GB is the word as top youngsters display their skills
This weekend, the story of British Baseball was never – or at least was highly unlikely – to be the league games on Saturday and Sunday. Instead, the Great Britain youth teams took centre stage, with no small aside to the legend that is Liverpool Trojan Norman Wells, who put the sport on the map and carried the Olympic Torch on its relay across the UK.
Norman made sure the flame stayed lit for the 300m or so leg of the journey through Ormskirk on Friday 1 June, posing for the cameras and speaking to the hundreds of people who lined the streets to cheer him and the flame onwards. More info and photos are available on the Liverpool Trojans’ website.
On a good weekend for the Trojans (who didn’t play because of the rain – I’ll get to that later) they also found out that Sefton Council will leave Bootle Stadium out of redevelopment plans, ensuring there is a home for baseball in the scouse town for the foreseeable future. To round off, the Trojans also made the shortlist for the Sefton Sports Team Award for last season’s Unbeatable run in which they picked up the 2011 AAA Championship. Epic.
On Saturday, London staged GB tryouts for players looking to make the full senior team. Although I wasn’t able to go, I am told the quality and standard was good and that the best eligible players not already involved in the squad were on hand to wow the coaches and make their names heard.
Unusually, there was also some league action for the senior teams on Saturday, as the Southampton Mustangs swept aside the Croydon Pirates in two NBL games at Roundshaw Playing Fields. The Mustangs moved to 10-3, joint top, with the wins, while the Pirates can’t get out of park at the moment and slipped to 0-12 on the same weekend they announced the dates for this year’s London Tournament on their diamonds in Waddon.
Sunday was all-but rained out, only walkovers and a crazy 59-2 aggregate sweep of the Pirates III by Guildford Mavericks in AA South withstood the conditions, but Monday brought the big dogs out as the GB Cadets, GB Juniors and GB 23U took to Finsbury Park to play against some all-star teams as a fundraiser for the national programme.
Also there was a firewalk.
The GB Juniors (under 19) – most of whom play at AAA or NBL level most weeks – comfortably set aside the AA All-Stars, who were made up of nine teams from around the country. The 14-0 win didn’t necessarily flatter the Juniors, who played fantastically well for their win, but it was a little harsh that the All-Stars were unable to cross the plate having made decent contact and pushed themselves round on a few occasions.
Over 40 people – members of the GB teams and staff alike – then lined up to pass over hot coals and raise money for the programme in the process. In a feat of foolhardiness and heroism, no one flinched and everyone taking part could call themselves firewalkers while the Essex Arrows’ Giovanni Escalona won the home run derby (which was little more than a warm-up before he hit a monster jack in the day’s final game…keep reading for that one!)
The GB Cadets (under 15s) then took on the Pony All-Stars (players from around the country who are under-16) in what was an excellent close game. The Cadets led 1-0 heading into the fourth inning before a five-run rally gave the All-Stars the support they’d need to win the match. A few extra tacked on towards the end meant that the Pony players won 8-2, but many of those already play senior baseball at a high standard within their Clubs already, while only a few of the Cadets have made the jump to playing adult baseball just yet.
In the day’s marquee match-up, the nation’s top club players took on a host of Britain’s best young talent as the GB Under-23s made their collective competitive debut. Almost all of the GB 23U play at AAA and NBL level already, so coming up against some of the best talent from the country’s top league was sure to provide fireworks, especially as most of the players from both teams play with and against one another regularly through the season.
That aformentioned big home run from dinger zinger Escalona put the NBL All-Stars 4-0 up early on, but patience at the plate and quality at-bats throughout saw the GB 23U eventually edge out a 5-4 lead going into the seventh inning. Extras, however, were on the cards as the All-Stars levelled and shut down the young guns, but in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Southampton Mustang’s Gary Davison to smack a walk-off ground-rule double to right field, driving in London Mets’ Josh Rapaport to win the game for the GB 23U, which was cheered by the 100 or so people were there for the big finale.
It was great experience for the GB youngsters as they prepare for their tours to far and away later this season. In July, the GB 23U will take part in an Independence Tournament in New England against top high school sides, while the GB Cadets travel to Canada to take on a number of great youth teams. The GB Juniors travel to France in July to play in the European Junior Baseball Qualifiers, with the top two going to the full Championships next summer.
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This weekend’s action sees a huge game in the NBL between the Harlow Nationals (10-3) and Herts Falcons (9-3), which already seems to have the billing of a title decider – something the Southampton Mustangs, who host the Essex Arrows, and the London Mets, who face the Bracknell Blazers both might have something to say about that. In the other action, the Croydon Pirates host the Lakenheath Diamondbacks, with neither team out of the playoff hunt just yet but both needing a number of wins to get them close to a chance of just being at the NBCs later this season.
AAA South has now been reduced to seven teams following the withdrawal of the Bracknell & Windsor Bears, which has meant a change in the way the postseason will operate. As teams in Pool A will automatically earn more wins as they were scheduled to play the Bears more this season, it’ll be a straight battle of Pool winner against opposite Pool second, with two places available at the NBCs. It means that an extra position has opened up and so the winner of AAA North will go to the NBCs, with a playoff between second and third for the final berth.
In the South, then, the Essex Redbacks know that six wins will almost certainly see them wrap up the Pool B title even at this early stage, and they start with a double-header at the London Metros this weekend. Things are more open in Pool A where the Bristol Badgers, Richmond Knights and Oxford Kings are all challenging. The Kings take on the Latin Boys, while Cambridge Royals travel to Richmond, and the Badgers pick up two wins to lead the division after the Bears will forfeit this week.
The Northern half of the draw will focus on unbeaten vs unvictorious as the Trojans host the Bolton Robots of Doom, while Cartmel Valley Lions and Menwith Hill Patriots fight it out for second place. Either of the Manchester As or Halton Jaguars could steal ground on the third playoff spot with a sweep of the other in the final fixture.
The Sheffield Bladerunners and Hull Scorpions provide the big fixture in AA North, with wins for Hull putting everyone back in the mix for the title, while a sweep for Sheffield will see them plenty clear even at this early stage. The Harrogate Tigers travel to Newton Aycliffe to take on the Spartans, while in the north-west derby, the Manchester Torrent and Oldham North Stars face off for pride and position in the battle for third, fourth and fifth.
In the Midlands, double-headers between the Birmingham Maple Leafs & Nottingham Rebels and Milton Keynes Bucks & Leicester Blue Sox could dramatically alter the league standings. Sweeps, although unlikely, for both of Birmingham and Leicester will see all the Clubs within a couple of games of one another, but should the Maple Leafs lose both to the Rebels then they and Stourbridge Titans will be battling hard for the remainder of the season for the final playoff spot, which will make them eligible for the Single-A post-season.
The country’s biggest division, AA South, will see action between 12 of the 14 teams, with the Poole Piranhas welcoming the Latin Tigers, the Croydon Pirates III taking on the Richmond Dragons and the Guildford Mavericks hosting the Southampton Mustangs II in all-Pool A games, while Daws Hill Spitfires take on the Thames Valley Bisons in what will be a big grudge match in High Wycombe. With the Herts Hawks and London Mammoths sitting out, the Essex Redbacks II could climb up the Pool B table with a win or two against the Sidewinders – the Enfield side will go well clear with a sweep – while the Kent Mariners and Brentwood Stags will look to post wins to pick up their seasons and keep outside hopes of playoff action alive.
Single-A has eight of 11 registered teams in action, although Hove Tuesday may yet have to wait longer for their next game – already they’ve not played for a month – as the Braintree Rays are set to be their opposition. The Essex Redbacks III travel to face the Old Timers, while the Herts Eagles look to stop the Essex Archers’ march towards the inevitable playoff berth. Richmond Dukes and Tonbridge Bobcats square off in a game where one team will finally earn their first win of the season, so the pressure and excitement is on.
After this weekend, Single-A will be half-over for half the teams, while rain dates that need to be filled in means that there probably won’t be a free weekend until the playoffs in mid-August for most teams. Availability will become an issue and it’ll be interesting to see how many hardy souls rearrange their holiday plans when the chance of a post-season place is on the table.