The London Mets defeated the Richmond Flames 11-4 in a one-game 9-inning final to take the 2008 NBL title. Only one other game was possible on a rain-affected Sunday, and in that the Herts Falcons got a deserved 6-3 victory over the Oxford Kings in the AAA championship game.

Originally, a three-game final was scheduled to decide the NBL title, but with one of Roundshaw’s two diamonds rightly deemed unfit for baseball by the umpiring crew the number of games that could be played was immediately reduced. It was a testament to the drainage of Roundshaw that any baseball was possible at all on an exceptionally wet weekend. The AA-final was postponed.

Tomorrow’s National Baseball League final will be between the London Mets and the Richmond Flames. The Mets eased past the Menwith Hill Patriots 15-1, while the Flames defeated the Manchester Eagles 10-3. This will be the 10th straight National Baseball League final contested by two teams from the South-East of England. Game one of the best-of-three final should have been played this afternoon, but rain delays have pushed that back to tomorrow.

This completes an all-southern cast in the finals being contested tomorrow in the top three tiers of the British game. Of the six teams to lose in the semi-finals, four were from the north, one from the Midlands, and just one from the South (the London Metros).

The finalists at the AAA- and AA-levels of British baseball have now been decided, while the National Baseball League semi-finals are under way, after a short rain delay.

Tomorrow’s AAA-final will be between the Oxford Kings and the Herts Falcons. The Falcons cruised through their semi-final against the Humber Pilots, eventually triumphing 20-1. The match between the Kings and the London Metros was closer, but Oxford were still comfortable victors in the end, with a 13-6 final score.

And in the AA-final it will be the Bournemouth Sharks and the Sidewinders who will battle it out for the crown on Sunday. Like the Falcons, the Sidewinders won handsomely, beating the Manchester A’s by a score of 19-2, but the Sharks were made to fight much harder for their place in the final, pipping the Birmingham Maple Leafs 11-9 in what was the game of the tournament so far.

This weekend sees the pinnacle of the British baseball season, with the Final Fours taking place at Roundshaw in Croydon. Twelve teams will compete across three tiers for the titles of National Champions, AAA-Champions, and AA-Champions. An A-Final was also scheduled to take place between Croydon Pirates III and the Old Timers – winners of the two groups in that tier – but the latter is unable to field a team.

Full details of the event can be found here. Below, I list the recent champions and look at the 2008 contenders.  Continue reading →