It was a glorious summer day on Sunday for all those involved in British baseball to enjoy. We had joy, we had sun, we had strikeouts and earned runs.

Or something like that.

As befitted a weekend of high temperatures, the hot teams stayed hot as several division leaders kept up their winning ways.

NBL: Lakenheath’s lead remains intact

The Lakenheath Diamondbacks are making a big impression in their debut season. 

The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) team were expected to be competitive, but they’ve really hit the ground running this year.  They lead Pool B by 2.5 games after picking up two more wins over their airbase rivals Mildenhall Bulldogs.  Form teams tend to find a way to win in close contests and that was the case here, with the Diamondbacks taking the first 5-4 and the second 3-2.

The Southern Nationals are the team trailing the Diamondbacks and they are another first-year club performing impressively.  The Nationals earned two wins at home to Herts Falcons on Sunday, making it seven victories from their last eight games. 

In Pool A, the top two teams stayed locked together as both had to settle for splits over the past weekend.  The Southampton Mustangs seemed reasonably satisfied with a share of the spoils from a road contest against the London Mets.  Meanwhile the Richmond Flames would have been expecting two wins at home against the Croydon Pirates; however the Pirates played brilliantly to take the opener and all the Flames could do from there was to win the second game to keep the Mustangs from taking sole possession of first place.

It’s the second ‘NBL Special Event’ of the season this Sunday as the Richmond Flames will be hosting a four-game extravaganza.  The BBF states that the baseball action will be complemented by “a BBQ and drinks tent by the field, PA announcers, a full bar in the clubhouse and ESPN America will be on site filming and interviewing for their website”.  The games begin at midday, so get down to Richmond’s ground if you’re in the area for a great day of baseball and possibly a starring role on ESPN America. 

AAA: Trojans and Badgers keep ahead

There was no holding back the division leaders in AAA.  Liverpool Trojans remain unbeaten in the North as they improved to 11-0 with two victories against the Halton Jaguars, while the Bristol Badgers’ took a big step towards securing the division title with two wins over their closest rivals: the Essex Redbacks.

None of the above are in action this Sunday, so the chasing pack have a chance to pull back a game or two.  In the North, the Halton Jaguars and Manchester A’s will do battle at the latter’s Allen Field.  In the South, the Oxford Kings have recovered from a five-game losing streak by winning their last three, all against the London Metros including a sweep on Sunday.  The Kings have two home games against the Windsor and Bracknell Bears this Sunday before taking on the Badgers on 17 July.

AA: Bolton and Bucks get the brooms out

Bolton Robots of Doom and the Milton Keynes Bucks both swept double-headers on Sunday to continue their march towards division titles. 

Bolton had been inactive since 22 May, but they quickly shook off any rust in two strong performances against the Sheffield Bladerunners, who had won three straight games heading into the contest.  As for the Bucks, they knew two wins against the Birmingham Maple Leafs would give them a four game cushion in the Midlands standings and that’s exactly the position they find themselves in, with the Bucks having just six games left to play in the regular season.

While the Bucks may be off and away, the Maple Leafs and Nottingham Rebels are now locked into a fascinating battle for second place.  The Rebels picked up two wins against the Leicester Blue Sox II team and are now 9-5 on the season after starting out with four straight losses. Their game against the Maple Leafs on 24 July could be decisive.

In the South, the Latin Boys and Guildford Mavericks split a double-header.  Latin Boys lead  Pool A and the edged the opener 7-5, only for the Mavs to hit back with an 11-1 victory in the second game.  With the Pool B leaders Sidewinders taking a split against Croydon Pirates III, the Mavericks are now just half a game behind them.  The Sidewinders are not scheduled to play this Sunday, so the Mavericks could jump ahead if they win both games of their double-header against the Pirates III.

A: Royals rampage on, Mustangs II do too

The Pool A leading Cambridge Royals improved to 7-0 on the season with an 18-3 victory over the Old Timers. 

The sun was blazing down on Coldham’s Common and one Old Timer got a little too hot under the collar, arguing his case one too many times and being ejected from the game as a result in the third inning.  The Royals were ahead 3-1 at this point after the Old Timers had been pegged back from an early 1-0 lead. 

Cambridge’s starting pitcher Raj Perera was not quite in tune with the umpire when it came to the strike zone and he ended up with eight walks against his name.  However, he battled to keep the baserunners from coming home and blanked the Old Timers in four of his six innings pitched, conceding three runs in total on the day. 

Despite leading 7-3 by the middle of the sixth inning, the Royals weren’t playing at the top of their game and a quick team talk was held to spark them into life.  The move had an instant impact as the Royals exploded for eleven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.  The run-fest was highlighted by a two-run homer by Mark Gilley.  He went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three driven in, while Perera backed up his pitching performance by knocking a single in each of his five at-bats and coming around to score four times.

Adam Brown pitched a three-up, three-down seventh inning, including two swinging strikeouts, to close out the game early with the Royals winning 18-3. 

The Royals and Old Timers will meet again on Sunday and Cambridge will be keen to keep their unbeaten run going prior to the big Single-A game on 17 July against the Southampton Mustangs II. The Mustangs II beat the London Marauders 27-10 on Sunday to improve to 9-0 and they host the Braintree Rays this weekend.

If you are looking for high drama and controversy, Croydon on a Sunday afternoon wouldn’t be the obvious place to start.  However, never underestimate the power of British baseball to turn preconceptions on their head.

The home town Pirates produced a stunning come-from-behind victory over the London Mets on Sunday, but the game ended with an almighty dispute amid calls for the contest to be replayed.

As explained in Simon Fitzjohn’s report, the Mets thought they had the game won in the ninth inning when, with the score 15-14 in their favour and two outs already recorded, a runner was seemingly tagged out at second base to end the game.

However, the umpire thought otherwise and called the runner safe. As an argument ensued, an opportunistic Pirate sailed home to tie the game at 15-15.  The Mets’ manager Alex Pike was none too pleased and when a passed ball allowed the Pirates’ winning run to score, he was apoplectic.

There are rumours that in the aftermath of the game the umpire asked for the Mets’ manager’s name, only for someone to shout “don’t tell him Pike”. Those rumours are as yet unconfirmed and most probably made up by myself.

The Mets (5-3) have an immediate opportunity to get the frustration out of their system this Sunday, but they’ve got two tough games at Finsbury Park against the Southampton Mustangs (10-3).  The Mustangs currently share first place in Pool A with Richmond Flames (10-3).  The Flames are hosting the Mets’ recent nemesis, the Pirates (3-10), in a double-header at Connare Field.  Continue reading →

At some point near the end of last week, I’m willing to bet that somebody decided to give you their opinion on groundwater levels and soil dryness. 

They might not have specifically regaled you with a speech about the hydrological impact of droughts or gone into a detailed explanation of how crop yields will be affected, but unprompted they would have boldly claimed one thing to be true.

“We could do with some rain”.

Looking at all the available evidence you would have to say they were right; after all, a brown-tinged baseball outfield doesn’t have quite the splendour of a rich, sun-drenched green cathedral. 

However, the problem is that few, if any, of those who made that claim added an important caveat.  What they should have said was “we could do with some rain, but not during the day on Sunday when people are trying to enjoy some baseball”.

Consequently there are thousands of people up and down the length of the British Isles responsible for consigning much of last Sunday’s baseball schedule to a rain-splattered dustbin. I hope they feel suitably guilty.

Thankfully, the British baseball community is experienced at battling through barriers for the sport we love and some games were played through the wind and the rain.  Continue reading →

Herts Baseball Club has come a long way in recent years.  The 2011 season has started slowly on the field for their three senior teams; indeed they were all seeking their first win of the year prior to Sunday’s games.

However, the Club’s youth programme is growing and looking out over the impressive facilities that they have worked hard to put in place, you got the impression that this disappointing form, even if it turns into a disappointing season, will be a temporary blip for Herts.

At Grovehill Ballpark on Sunday, the National Baseball League’s Herts Falcons were seeking their first win of the season after an 0-6 start to the campaign.  Their opponents, the Croydon Pirates, had achieved only one victory in eight games as well, so both teams looked on their double-header as a great chance to change their fortunes.

Croydon travelled to Herts without a few regulars and the Falcons took full advantage.  Veteran Darrin Ward was on the mound for the opening game and the Pirates struggled to get any offence going.  Alexander von Rosenbach knocked a two-run homer over the short porch in right field during the sixth inning, but that was one of only four hits that Ward allowed over the seven innings.

The Falcons’ pitcher personally took revenge for that one loud shot by hitting a two-run longball of his own over the fence in left-centre field.  Ward was doing it all: going deep with the bat and keeping the opposing hitters off balance.  He even made a play at the ‘pitcher’s cycle’: attempting pick-offs at first, second and third base.

Herts had benefitted from precious little luck over their first six games, so they would have gratefully accepted some on Sunday.  One Falcons hit to centrefield bounced off the grass in cartoon fashion, flying over the head of the leaping centrefielder.  The Pirates also bemoaned another ‘home field hop’ when a hit back towards Ward took a friendly bounce off the mound and gave the Falcons’ shortstop a chance to turn an inning-ending double play, a chance that he took with the minimum of fuss.

Still, few could deny that the Falcons’ play meant they deserved a good bounce of the ball or two and they ran out comfortable 10-3 winners to finally get rid of the zero in their win column.

There was ample time for reflection during the break between the two games, not only about the play on the field, but also the weather over head.  It was warm despite the wind and just as the sun’s rays had stayed out long enough to make you consider reaching for the suntan lotion, the clouds came over and soon had you wondering whether to put your jacket on again.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, deciding on lotion or long sleeves soon proved to be a more pressing question than who would win the second game.

Croydon’s hopes of rescuing a split were high as Tim Ssali took off the tools of ignorance and took to the mound for the second game.  However, it was a rare off-day for Ssali.  Despite showing good life on his fastball, his command wasn’t there and it all unravelled for the Pirates in the bottom of the third inning. A series of wild pitches and an errant throw from the catcher into left centre field helped Herts to a seven-run inning and an 8-2 lead.

Part of that inning may have been captured on ‘Mask Cam’, a small camera that Matt Schwartz allowed to be attached to his catcher’s mask.  It lasted several batters until the mask was tossed to the ground in an attempt to quickly recover a wild pitch, with the camera –undamaged – coming unattached and being put to one side.

The brief end to this experiment at least spared the Pirates from a ‘video nasty’ of recording what must have felt like a never-ending inning in its entirety.  The footage of the camera hurtling through the air may have also produced a good action shot and we await news on how the experiment worked out.

Von Rosenbach rounded the troops for a pep talk after the inning and the Pirates refused to give up.  They scored a run on a squeeze bunt in the fourth inning and received a bit of luck when, with a runner on first, a Falcons hit to centre field was placed through the one-panel gap in the outfield fence, making it a ground-rule double and leaving the lead runner at third base.

That was where the good news ended for the Pirates as the game was called early with the Falcons leading by the requisite ten runs, 13-3.

There ended an enjoyable afternoon at the ballpark.  The home team packed the equipment away cheerfully with a two-game winning streak now on the go.  The Pirates pondered a disappointing day on the field and the rest of us looked forward to a relaxing beer whilst contemplating whether we would regret the next day leaving the suntan lotion in our bags (thankfully not, as it turned out).

The Falcons' Aspi Dimitrov takes avoiding action (Photo: Joe Gray, Project COBB)

Elsewhere in the British baseball leagues …

The Richmond Flames finally brought an end to the Southampton Mustangs’ perfect start to the season in the other double-header played in the NBL.   It looked like the Mustangs would make it to a perfect ten wins after a depleted Flames side was beaten 7-4 in the opener.  However, the Flames fought back in the second game to earn an 8-4 victory.  The split leaves Richmond (8-2) just one game behind Southampton (9-1) in Pool A heading into the NBL Special Event this Sunday.  All ten teams will be in action over five nine-inning games in the top-tier of British baseball.

In Triple-A South, the Richmond Knights (2-8) thwarted the London Metros’ (6-4) plan to gain two games on the dormant Bristol Badgers (9-1) by splitting their double-header.  The results leave the Metros three games behind the division leaders, sharing that spot with the Essex Redbacks (7-5) after they gained two more wins at the expense of the Oxford Kings.  The Kings are 0-6 against the Redbacks, and 6-0 in their other games so far this season.  Oxford will be glad that they have no further games against the Redbacks during the regular season, but their perfect record against the rest will be put to the sternest test on Sunday as they host the Badgers.

In Double-A, the Sidewinders maintained their position as the team to beat by shooting down the previously unbeaten Essex Archers twice.  The Sidewinders (7-0) lead the Guildford Mavericks (5-2) by two games and Thames Valley Bisons (4-3) by three after those two sides split a double-header.  Meanwhile Latin Boys (6-1) extended their lead at the top of South Pool A with two victories over Poole Piranhas (2-3).  The Latin Boys have a double-header against the Richmond Dragons (1-5) this Sunday, while Croydon Pirates III (2-1) and Brentwood Stags (3-2) will both be looking for a sweep of their double-header to keep up with the pool leaders.

The only game outside of the south in AA last Sunday saw Manchester Torrent (3-3) take a 25-4 win over Oldham North Stars (0-6) in the North pool.  The Torrent and Humber Pilots (3-3) currently trail Bolton Robots of Doom (7-1) by three games and they will meet for a double-header this Sunday while the Robots remain on standby.  In the Midlands, Nottingham Rebels (4-4) put their four-game winning streak on the line against the pool-leading MK Bucks (8-0).

The only game in Single-A produced a sixth consecutive win for the Southampton Mustangs II.  They beat the London Marauders (2-4) 24-6 at Finsbury Park to improve their record to 6-0 and will host Guildford Mavericks II (2-3) this Sunday.  Cambridge Royals (5-0), the other unbeaten team in Single-A, travel to Braintree to take on the Rays (2-3).

We’re not far into the regular season, but teams are already starting to jostle for position in their respective divisions in British baseball. 

We don’t yet have a published playoff format so the number of teams set to head to the postseason, and exactly how they will qualify, is still not completely clear.  Hopefully those details will be published relatively soon, but in the meantime we can look back at last year’s competition and take a few educated guesses.

Last Sunday’s games included both the Bristol Badgers and Bolton Robots of Doom having their unbeaten starts to the season brought to an end.

NBL: Mustangs feel the Flames behind them

The National Baseball League, British baseball’s top tier, has increased from eight to ten teams this season and the league is now split into two divisions.  Last year the top two teams in the eight-team division went straight on to the National Baseball Championships, with the third to sixth-placed teams playing an additional playoff round to add two more teams into the mix.

There are two obvious ways that the NBL postseason could be set up this year: either simply sending the top two teams through from each division or having the division winners qualify automatically, with the second and third placed teams competing in a playoff.

The decision could be particularly significant in Pool A.  The pace-setting Southampton Mustangs (8-0) sat out over the last weekend and Richmond Flames (7-1) took full advantage by winning twice against the Croydon Pirates.  That brought the Flames within one game of the Mustangs in Pool A prior to their double-header this coming Sunday. If only the division winner qualifies automatically for the NBC, it could be a very tight battle all the way to see who ends up with a possible banana skin in a single-game playoff.

Judging by the early going, either postseason qualification format will be tightly contested in Pool B.  Lakenheath Diamondbacks (6-2) took two victories over London Mets (4-2) to lead the division on Sunday, while both the Southern Nationals (4-4) and Mildenhall Bulldogs (2-4) swept double-headers against the Essex Arrows and Herts Falcons respectively.   The Falcons are still without a win this season and their next attempt at breaking their duck should come this Sunday in a rearranged double-header with the Croydon Pirates.

Triple A: Trojans take two from the A’s, Bears break the Badgers’ unbeaten run

The top two teams from the AAA North went straight through to the NBC last year.  The Liverpool Trojans are a strong bet to head back to the main event in 2011, but second place could be an exciting tussle.

The much-anticipated clash between the Trojans and the Manchester A’s wasn’t quite the thriller that was hoped for after their previous meeting.  The A’s travelled to Bootle Stadium without several key players and Liverpool Trojans showed no mercy.  The Trojans’ dynamic duo of Martin Godsall and Rob Vondy picked up a win apiece as the home team battled the wind to earn two relatively comfortable victories.  The teams are scheduled to meet again on 12 June and the A’s will surely be desperate to be back at full strength to challenge Liverpool next time.

Meanwhile Halton Jaguars earned two victories over Menwith Hill Patriots to move ahead of the A’s into second place in the division.  The Jags and A’s will face each other in six out of their last ten games, which could make for a grandstand finish.

In the South, the seemingly unbeatable Bristol Badgers were brought back down to earth by the Windsor and Bracknell Bears.  The Badgers took the opener 12-2 in a shortened mercy rule win and most would have expected them to make it a 10-0 start to the season in the second game.  The Bears were having none of it and showed great character to win the second game 10-8, proving to the rest of the league that while the Badgers are clearly a force to be reckoned with, they can be beaten.

London Metros beat the Essex Redbacks twice, Club Chairman Matt Jennings being refreshingly honest in stating that “it was an off-day for the Redbacks today, we were rubbish”, and they sit second in the division ahead of Oxford Kings, who were handed two forfeit wins by the Richmond Knights.  Last year the second and third-placed AAA South teams went into a single game playoff to join the division winners at the NBC.  Right now, it’s shaping up to be a three-way dice between the Metros, Kings and Redbacks behind the Badgers.

Double AA: Sidewinders stay hot, Bucks stay unbeaten, Robots of Doom suffer a malfunction

The Double-AA postseason included two playoff rounds before the NBC last year, with the top two teams from each division extending their season.

The Sidewinders improved to 5-0 and stayed ahead in the South Pool B thanks to an 18-5 victory over the Richmond Dragons.  Guildford Mavericks (4-1) kept the pressure on by beating Herts Hawks 21-8, with Poole Piranhas (2-1) not playing at the weekend.  The Piranhas will be in action this coming Sunday against Latin Boys (4-1), who split a double-header with Thames Valley Bisons (3-2) to stay in second in Pool A.  Essex Archers were another team sitting it out on Sunday, so they remained on top of Pool A with a 3-0 record prior to their significant double-header against the Sidewinders this coming Sunday.

In the Midlands, the MK Bucks kept their winning run going with two victories against the Leicester Blue Sox, while the Birmingham Maple Leafs recovered from being swept by the Bucks the previous Sunday by taking two games from the Blue Sox II.  The challenge to the top two looks most likely to come from the 4-4 Nottingham Rebels, but it would be dangerous to completely count out the Leicester Blue Sox from making a charge as the season progresses.

The Bolton Robots of Doom have a healthy lead at the top of the North, but their unbeaten start to the season was brought to a halt by Manchester Torrent.   Bolton led their opponents 7-1 before Manchester defied the odds and made a memorable comeback to win the game 8-7.  Suitably annoyed, the Robots hit back with an 11-3 victory in the second game to rescue a split.  There was also a split in the other double-header of the day between Humber Pilots and Sheffield Bladerunners, leaving those two teams on 2-2 records and Manchester half a game back on 2-3.

Single A: Top two continue their winning ways

The top two teams from each Single-A division went through to the playoffs last year, competing against teams finishing third and fourth in the AA-Midlands and AA-North.  There’s no doubt which two teams are early favourites to win each A-South division as the Cambridge Royals and Southampton Mustangs II both made it five wins from five on Sunday, with victories over Braintree Rays and Guildford Mavericks II respectively.

Second place in each pool is much more open.  Old Timers won 36-3 over Tonbridge on Sunday to nip ahead of the Rays by one game in Pool A, while London Marauders took advantage of Guildford’s loss by beating the Herts Raptors and joining the Mavericks II on 2-3 records.  The one game scheduled for this Sunday sees the Marauders hosting the Mustangs II at Finsbury Park in what should be an interesting test of London’s recent good form at home.

Dark clouds threatening a downpour, jackets zipped up tight, wind whipping away at your scorecard: it’s not the idyllic baseball weather we all hope for, but sometimes you have to battle the elements to enjoy a ballgame. 

The British spring took a turn for the worst in many places on Sunday; less sun cream and shades and more hoodies and gloves. 

Single-A: Cambridge avoid the cold

It was certainly a chilly Coldham’s Common in Cambridge on Sunday, making it preferable for the players to keep moving to keep warm. 

The home town Royals did just that against the Herts Raptors.  They brought nine batters to the plate in the first inning, twelve in the second and eleven in the third on their way to scoring nineteen runs over those frames. 

Cambridge also decided that standing around on the field wasn’t much to their liking either on such a day and made relatively short work of the Herts’ hitters in the top half of each inning, before bringing the game to an early close after the top of the seventh inning.  The Raptors had a crack at four different Royals pitchers but were unable to get a hit against any of them.  They did bring three runs* around to avoid the shut-out though and it was to Herts’ credit that they were still battling hard, and playing in good spirit, in the latter stages when the game was already gone.

(* I should add that the score on the BBF website is 25-2, but I had the Raptors scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings). 

The victory kept Cambridge’s unbeaten start to the season going, an unbeaten start matched in the A South by Southampton Mustangs II.  They defeated the Old Timers for the second week in succession, this time in a 42-21 run-fest in Enfield.  The Royals and Mustangs II are scheduled to meet in Southampton on 12 June, but both teams will know better than to look too far ahead.  This Sunday the Royals have a home game against Braintree Rays (2-2), while Southampton are on the road to Guildford Mavericks II (2-2).

Double-A: Latin Boys lead the way, Robots win again, Bucks beat Birmingham

Latin Boys made it three wins from three with a 15-13 victory over Kent Mariners (0-3).  Head Coach Pedro Figueroa brings plenty of colour to his game reports and his commentary from this contest suggests that while the Latin Boys are a force to be reckoned with, the Mariners’ 0-3 record really doesn’t tell the whole story about how they are playing.

The Latin Boys are tied with the Essex Archers at the top of the AA-South Pool A.  The Archers had scored 51 runs over their first two games and they tacked 32 more onto their season total against the Essex Redbacks II in a 32-6 win.  Sidewinders (3-0) remain on top in Pool B after a 27-16 win over Herts Hawks continued their unbeaten start to the season.

The Bolton Robots of Doom (6-0) are a winning machine at the moment and they blunted the Sheffield Bladerunners’ previously-perfect 2-0 record with a double-header sweep.  The victories give Bolton an early three game lead in the AA-North standings over Sheffield and the Humber Pilots, with those two teams set to meet in Sheffield on Sunday.

Meanwhile in the Midlands, the MK Bucks and Birmingham Maple Leafs met at the former’s Woughton Playing Fields in a top-of-the-division double-header.  The home team edged a close opener 8-3 and then plated five runs in the opening frame of the second game to set up a 12-6 victory and a two-game lead in the standings.  Nottingham Rebels repeated their two-win trick over Leicester from the previous Sunday, this time winning both games of a double-header against the Blue Sox II team.  Those wins have turned an 0-4 start into a 4-4 record for the Rebels and it will be interesting to see how they match up against the MK Bucks when they return to action on 5 June.

Triple-A: Halton halt the A’s, Metros are Badgered by Bristol

In the AAA-North, the Halton Jaguars recovered from a heavy 20-4 defeat in their first game against Manchester A’s to win the second 14-4.  That gave the Jags their first victory of the season and was also a boost for the division-leading Liverpool Trojans, who saw their closest rivals drop a game.   The Trojans and A’s meet again on Sunday and have a lot to live up to after their excellent double-header a few weeks ago.  They should be two more exciting games and Bootle Stadium in Liverpool is the place to be on Sunday if you’re in the area.

In the AAA-South, the Bristol Badgers continued their exemplary form with two more wins, this time coming at the expense of the London Metros.  The Badgers welcome the Windsor and Bracknell Bears to the Set this Sunday.  The Bears picked up their first win of the season against Richmond Knights, whose victory in the opener of the double-header opened their account for the year as well.  The Badgers’ closest challengers are the Essex Redbacks after they defeated Oxford Kings twice to improve to 5-3. 

NBL: Super Southampton make it eight straight

In the top-tier, the Southampton Mustangs showed no signs of slowing down their blistering start to the season.  They made it eight wins from eight by turning over the Croydon Pirates, scoring an in-no-way unlucky thirteen runs in both games.  The Mustangs lead Pool A by two games over the Richmond Flames, who turned around a 12-4 deficit against Essex Arrows in the first game to take two victories. 

In Pool B, London Mets remain unbeaten after taking two more games from the Southern Nationals.  London took the honours when the two teams met on Opening Day and the confidence gained by the Nationals in winning twice over the Lakenheath Diamondbacks the previous weekend couldn’t stop the return engagement going the Mets’ way again.

The Mets will play the Diamondbacks in a double-header this Sunday, while the split earned by Mildenhall Bulldogs against Bracknell Blazers last Sunday leaves the Herts Falcons as the only team still searching for their first win.  The Falcons host the Bulldogs at Grovehill Ballpark, the Pirates host the Richmond Flames and the Essex Arrows welcome the Southern Nationals to Townmead.

The Manchester-Liverpool rivalry has produced many classic contests in football, but the A’s and Trojans are staking baseball’s claim to being added to the sports history pages of that northern battle.

The two teams met in Manchester on Sunday and served up two excellent games, with Liverpool edging both to improve their season record to 6-0. 

Ben Pearson and Rob Vondy backed up their reputations as two of the most promising young pitchers in Britain with impressive showings in Game One.  The teams couldn’t be separated over the regulation seven innings and it wasn’t until the eleventh frame that the Trojans broke through with a single run to win 3-2.  Martin Godsall took over on the mound for the Trojans in the second game and a three-run first inning set Liverpool on their way, although the A’s kept the game close.

The AAA-North has an off-day this Sunday, but the action begins again on 22 May and Bootle Stadium will stage a re-match between the A’s and Trojans.  If you’re anywhere close, get yourself along and enjoy the games.

Badgers’ beat goes on

In the AAA-South, the Bristol Badgers followed the Trojans’ lead by winning twice to make it six wins from six games to start 2011.  The Badgers made short work of the Essex Redbacks in Game One (winning 17-7 in six innings), but the second game was a much closer contest and the Redbacks will not be too disheartened by the sweep.  Oxford Kings rebounded from their short-handed losses last week against the Redbacks by winning twice against Windsor & Bracknell Bears.

Mustangs motoring along in the NBL

In the National Baseball League, it was the Southampton Mustangs who matched the Trojans and Badgers by winning twice and making it to 6-0.  The Mustangs’ wins came at the expense of the Croydon Pirates, who dropped to 1-3 but will be encouraged by taking the second game to extra innings with a developing team.  The Southern Nationals secured their first ever win and then followed it up with a second against fellow newcomers Lakenheath Diamondbacks, while the Essex Arrows and Bracknell Blazers split a double-header. 

The Mustangs and Pirates are scheduled to meet again this weekend, this time in Southampton.  The Nationals will look to build on their morale boosting wins in a double-header against London Mets.  Elsewhere, the match-ups are Falcons @ D-Backs, Blazers @ Bulldogs and Arrows @ Flames.

Double-header wins in Double A

In the Midlands, the MK Bucks took two handy wins against Leicester Blue Sox II to join the Birmingham Maple Leafs on a 4-0 record.  The Bucks and Leafs will meet in Milton Keynes on Sunday for a top of the division encounter.  The other double-header that day will see the Nottingham Rebels host the Leicester Blue Sox II.  The Rebels took their first two wins against the Blue Sox I, so will fancy their chances at adding another win or two to their record against Leicester’s second team.

In the North, Bolton Robots of Doom took two games from Humber Pilots to lead the division with a 4-0 record.  Sheffield Bladerunners moved up to second by winning their first two games of 2011 against Oldham North Stars.  Meanwhile the Essex Archers, Sidewinders and Pool Piranhas all improved to 2-0 with wins on Sunday in the AA-South.

Cambridge improve to 3-0

The Cambridge Royals’ return to the British baseball leagues couldn’t have gone better so far.  They opened their season with victories against Herts Raptors and Tonbridge and made it three wins from three on Sunday against London Marauders.

The visitors opened the scoring with a single run in the first inning, but that was to be the only time in the game that the Marauders would be ahead.  Leading 4-2 heading into the bottom of the third, the Royals batted around and put up a 6 spot to make it 10-2.  Cambridge had finished both of their first two games early through the mercy killing rule and would have been forgiven for eyeing another shortened win.

The Marauders were determined to put up a fight and that they certainly did.  They scored four times in top of the fourth inning and then starting pitcher Matt Cartwright blanked the Cambridge offence in the bottom of the frame to put momentum on London’s side. 

However, the fifth inning arguably decided the game.  The Royals’ starting pitcher Raj Perpera halted the Marauders’ march with a three-up/three-down effort, including two strike-outs, before the offence took over in the bottom half of the inning and added four runs to Cambridge’s total to give them a 14-6 lead. 

True to form, the Marauders fought back, trading runs with the Royals in the sixth before plating five runs in the top of the seventh and then shutting Cambridge out in the bottom half to put a potential comeback on the cards.

Yet it wasn’t to be.  Adam Brown, pitching in relief for Perpera, set the Marauders down in order in the top of the eighth and then the Royals hit London for six to lead 21-12.  Despite a nifty double-play by the Royals’ first baseman Seb Mills, London did get three runs back in the top of the ninth but that was where their charge ended and the Royals ran out 21-15 victors in an entertaining and competitive game.

The one disruption on the day came when a pair of dogs brought a halt to the proceedings, seemingly deliberately mocking the ballplayers by running around the bases the wrong way.  Fortunately umpire for the day Gary Liston used his tried and tested dog-handling technique (mainly shouting “sling yer ‘ook”) to chase them away and to get the game going again in short measure.

The Herts Raptors travel to Cambridge this Sunday (hopefully the dogs will stay away), while London Marauders are staging a bit of an event for their home-opener at Finsbury Park against Braintree Rays.  Southampton Mustangs II ended the Old Timers’ unbeaten start to the season with a 10-7 win last Sunday and the Old Timers will look for revenge this Sunday as the two teams meet again.