Making the most of the post-season

British Baseball tends to want to take on a bit of a festival attitude towards the end of the season. Clubs sometimes choose to forfeit fixtures in preference of intra-squad games, family barbeques and fun-days, but this year even the teams with the best records will be up for a riot when it comes to the playoff weekends.

Although it was late in announcing it, the BBF confirmed that there will be four mini-tournaments happening across the country to decide the final entrants to the National Baseball Championships.

Though only one Richmond club has qualified for the postseason (the Flames are going straight to the NBL finals), their two diamonds will not just lay in waiting for the Youth NBCs in mid-September. The Southern single-A playoffs are taking place there this Sunday as a good middle-ground for all the teams. And importantly, there’s the opportunity to play three games in a day to ensure quarter-finals and semi-finals will be completed.

Similarly, Croydon’s Roundshaw Playing fields will host the AA South playoffs, although that hands home advantage to the Latin Boys, while Manchester host the single-A games in the North and Midlands and Nottingham host the AA regional championships.

In the higher leagues there are only three games taking place: The Oxford Kings travel to Chelmsford to take on the Essex Redbacks (AAA); and the Croydon Pirates head to Southampton to take on the Mustangs while the Southern Nationals face the London Mets at Finsbury Park.

While there’s been a rivalry between the Pirates and Mustangs over the last two seasons, the Mustangs starting to edge out the historically strong Pirates, there’s even more at stake between the Nationals and Mets. A number of the Nationals are former Mets players, and some of those from the Championship winning seasons of 2007 and 2008, so there will be added spice to proceedings this weekend.

Croydon didn’t confirm their playoff place until bank holiday Monday. The miserable weather this season has meant that few teams have completed their entire schedule, and on Sunday the Pirates moved into the playoff places without even playing. The Bracknell Blazers lost two to Pool B winners the Lakenheath Diamondbacks, meaning they went to 10 games behind the Richmond Flames in Pool A.

The Pirates leapfrogged them to 9.5 games back, and then a split against the Essex Arrows on Monday. And potentially claiming some forfeit wins from earlier in the season to get closer to completing their summer meant they pulled away.

In AAA South, credit has to be given to the London Metros. In winning three games in the final week of the season and picking up two forfeit victories, they gave themselves every chance of challenging. But eventually they ran out of opportunities to reschedule and ended with an 18-10 record. But that was only good enough for fourth after the Oxford Kings had a 5-1 record against them through the season, and had conceded fewer runs overall.

The Poole Piranhas usurped the Sidewinders’ season-long grip on second place in AA South Pool B in the only other playoff place that had yet to be officially decided. With a forfeit-sweep of the Croydon Pirates III and another win from earlier in the season to add to their numbers, they moved to 17-5, half a game better than the Sidewinders who only narrowly got to 16-5 after being scared in Game 2 by the Essex Redbacks II on Sunday.

If the Guildford Mavericks had been able to play then they may have jeopardised their Pool B division lead, but boats were required to get to the outfield at the Waltham Abbey diamond. Hosts the Essex Archers will instead have to take on the Mavericks in the AA South playoffs this weekend.

I urge everyone possible to get along to the games this weekend – there will be hard ‘ball to be played but importantly there will be some great displays of talent across the country. And there shouldn’t be any blow-outs either, given that all competitors should be evenly-matched. Bring a cool box, fill it with snacks and drinks, take a nice perch along the side of the field and watch as the best challengers this season play ball. For more details on where the playoffs are being held, get in touch with me at: jone.zee.man@hotmail.com