Mets machine keeps on rolling as NBL title looks settled
Sunday 19 May 2013 – The date may live long in the history of British Baseball. Not because of any major performances on the day; in fact, as always, most games were unremarkable and undistinguishable from any other throughout the season.
Rather, it might be the day that the London Mets all-but wrapped up the National Baseball League title, even though they can still finish bottom of the division.
The reason being that they’ve now won eight consecutive this season – the latest pair coming at the hands of their closest rivals the Southampton Mustangs – and with the Essex Arrows (4-6) stopping the Herts Falcons (6-4) from keeping pace in a split-series and both Bracknell Blazers (4-6) and Lakeneath Diamondbacks (5-5) defeating one another, their 8-0 record already places them two games ahead of the next best team.
In sweeping the Mustangs (7-3) they also silenced their hosts’ bats. Literally. But for a handful of hits spread out over the afternoon, they didn’t concede a run and the powerful Gary Davison – this year’s home run leader – couldn’t launch one out of the ground either. And they dug deep to get there. A relatively simple-looking mercy rule win was followed by an eight-inning thriller, with only a sac fly in the top of the first extra frame separating the two sides.
Ominously, though, the battle for second still remains tight. Two wins for the Harlow Nationals (5-5) over their county rivals, Essex Redbacks (2-10), sees the double-defending champions move to .500 after 10 games and they are finding form when others around them are splitting at best. Just three games now separate second and eighth (the Redbacks will already be licking their wounds after almost half of their inaugural NBL season).
A team that many fancy could cut it at the NBL level is the Liverpool Trojans (8-1). Like the Mets, they too picked up two wins in slightly different circumstances, eventually pulling past the Cartmel Valley Lions (4-4) in both. Halton Jaguars (5-3) made second place their own in AAA North with another two easy wins over the Menwith Hill Patriots (0-9), who resemble the 2011 side that couldn’t complete their season more than the title challengers from last term.
Down in the AAA South, the division’s big surprise was in London where the Metros beat the whippersnappers, Mets II, in two tough fixtures. With just enough experience to edge past them in each game, they now each own a 7-3 record, allowing the Cambridge Royals (7-3) to top the table by a game following a split against the Oxford Kings (5-3) in the varsity games. The Herts Ravens got their first win of the year (1-5) against the Bristol Badgers, but the Badgers, as they’ve done each week, escaped, or rather had to settle for, a split as they remain the best team not to have a winning record (5-5). Richmond Knights hosted Leones de Feltham, and while it started promisingly for Feltham early this season, they’ve lost six on the trot, including a couple of forfeits, to drop to 2-6 (really 1-6 with the deduction of a win for two forfeits) while Richmond, winless until last weekend, have won three on the spin to improve to 3-5.
In the only matches in AAA Midlands, Stourbridge Titans were the first side in three years to officially concede forfeits in the region as the Nottingham Rebels remained unbeaten and moved a game ahead of the Milton Keynes Bucks with two wins. Stourbridge (0-9) are searching for their first ever win and look like they may have to wait until more teams spring up in the Midlands to record it; their league opponents remain too strong by half.
It was all change in AA South, though. Hove Tuesday (6-1) secured another couple of wins – six in a row since opening day defeat – over the Southampton Mustangs II (0-7) this time ouit, meaning they moved to the top of the division. The reason for that was because of Steve Hazard’s mercy-rule shortened no-hitter on Saturday contributing to a sweep for the Daws Hill Spitfires (4-0) of the previously league-leading Richmond Dragons (5-3). Richmond’s slip wasn’t fully capitalised upon by Guildford Mavericks – they followed their first regular season defeat in two and years with their second, this time to the Herts Hawks (now 2-3), after going five runs ahead and letting things slip. They split with a mercy rule win to finish the day, meaning they are joint-second with a 5-2 record.
Joining them there are the London Mammoths, whose second consecutive win over the South London Pirates III ensures they maintain momentum heading into a short break. The resurgent Brentwood Stags (2-5) had a surprise in store for the Sidewinders after the snakes won the first game; the hosts’ patience at the plate saw them secure a split, stopping the Sidewinders (4-4) closing the gap on the leaders and allowing the Stags to still dream of the playoffs.
In AA North it was upsets and form books as the Manchester As (6-2) finally found their class and outsted the Harrogate Tigers, leapfrogging their Yorkshire rivals in the process for an outright domination of second place. With the Scorpions off, the Bolton Robots of Doom closed the gap on the leaders too, joining the Tigers on 5-4 with two big wins over the Oldham North Stars (1-5). The Sheffield Bladerunners (2-4) recorded wins number one and two to move them from the bottom of the table, the Newton Aycliffe Spartans (1-7) their victims, as the Sheffield side have begun their quest to retain their title rather late, fans may feel.
That just leaves Single-A South.
And I know what you’re thinking – are pitchers getting any support from their defence yet? The quick answer is no, but the long one is that they’re probably not helping their own causes as another weekend went by and saw an average of over 40 runs per game. Over half the runs came from two of the fixtures – the Herts Eagles picking up their second win of the year against the Essex Redbacks II in a 40-23 demolition, while Guildford Mavericks II slaughtered Leicester 2Sox 39-16 on their new NIMBY field (a dispute with their previous home meant quickly finding a new diamond in Surrey for the Mavericks club).
The wins/defeats leave the Mavericks II at 3-1 and Eagles at 2-2, and the 2Sox at 1-2 and Redbacks II at 1-3 after the first few weeks of the season. The Milton Keynes Coyotes edged a thriller against the Herts Raptors 22-20, MK going to 3-1 and the Raptors slumping to 2-2 after consecutive losses, while the Essex Archers fell down to 2-2 at the hands of the London Marauders (3-1) in a relatively close 14-4 win for the Finsbury Park side.
And the Richmond Dukes (1-2) made sure that every team in the division will have at least one win this year as they made it third time lucky, beating the Old Timers (1-2) 20-8 in Enfield.
Scheduled rain dates disrupt some schedules this weekend, but there is still plenty of action compared to the last bank holiday. The London Mets’ perfect season can’t be dented by the chasing pack will hope to catch up; the Southampton Mustangs travel to Herts Falcons in the big games of the weekend, while Lakenheath Diamondbacks take on the South London Pirates and Harlow Nationals welcome Bracknell Blazers. Winners of these games will certainly give the losers of the Mustangs-Falcons matches something to think about. The all-Essex derby between Redbacks and Arrows has little bearing on the playoffs as yet, but wins for the Arrows could in theory see them move to fourth, although that’s highly unlikely.
The Mets II and Metros are slated to do battle again on Saturday in AAA South, but that’s the only action from the division. In AAA North, the Liverpool Trojans host Halton Jaguars with a view to moving well clear in pursuit of yet another regional title, and Cartmel Valley Lions could move back to second with wins over the Menwith Hill Patriots. AAA Midlands has a couple of double-headers too, with the Stourbridge Titans hosting Leicester Blue Sox (1-4).
Undoubtedly, though, the fixture of the week at this level is Nottingham Rebels at MK Bucks. The two unbeaten teams will give no quarter but at least one will have to cede their quest for perfection in a twin bill in Milton Keynes.
No action in AA South means the eyes will squarely be on the northern sides. Hull Scorpions (7-1) will fancy moving further ahead at the top as the Newton Aycliffe Spartans visit Humberside, while the Sheffield Bladerunners and Bolton Robots of Doom resume their historic 2011 title battle for the first time in two years. Manchester As will likely stay second as they host the Oldham North Stars for two, just days after the New York Yankees said they may like to stage a professional baseball game or series in Manchester following their tie-up for a soccer franchise in the Big Apple with Manchester City FC.
Last, but by no means least – certainly in terms of runs – is Single-A South. An all-Essex derby between the Redbacks II and Archers sets up the division for a real thriller, while the two Herts teams (Raptors and Eagles) visit the London Marauders and host the Milton Keynes Coyotes respectively. Guildford Mavericks II and Haverhill Blackjacks (2-2) have the weekend off, but will follow closely the outcomes of Old Timers-Leicester 2Sox and Richmond Dukes-Tonbridge Bobcats (2-2) as they’ll benefit if teams begin to cannibalise one another in stealing wins throughout the season.
