After an Easter break, the British baseball league gets going again this Sunday. Some teams are looking to continue their winning ways from the first weekend of games, while others hope to get their first win (or wins) on the board.Â
Meanwhile in the AA-South division, the teams will simply be glad to get out on the field after a slightly delayed start to their season.
National Baseball League
In the National Baseball League, three teams have perfect 2-0 records to maintain heading into the second week of the National Baseball League.
The Southampton Mustangs swept a double-header away to Herts Falcons on 17 April. Their first home encounter of the season sees them welcoming the Essex Arrows (1-1) to the University of Southampton campus. The London Mets (2-0) and Lakenheath Diamondbacks (2-0) look to continue their good starts against teams who are seeking their first win of 2011. The Mets take on Mildenhall Bullodgs, while the D-Backs take on fellow 2011 newcomers the Southern Nationals.Â
Bracknell Blazers and Richmond Flames (both 1-1) meet at the former’s Westmorland Park. The planned double-header between Croydon Pirates (1-1) and Herts Falcons (0-2) is being postponed, provisionally rescheduled to 29 May.
AAA
In AAA-North, Liverpool Trojans and Manchester A’s have the same aim on Sunday: sweep another double-header so that they can go into their games against each other on 8 May with 4-0 records. Menwith Hill Patriots and Halton Jaguars hope to play the role of spoiler. In the South, reigning champs Oxford Kings (2-0) travel to Melbourne Park in Chelmsford to face Essex Redbacks (1-1). Richmond Knights (0-2) have a tough task to earn their first AAA win as they host the 2-0 Bristol Badgers.
AA
The AA-North season looks set to get underway, with Bolton travelling to Oldham to take on the North Stars. The top match-up in the AA-South division sees the 1-0 Thames Valley Bisons hosting the Guildford Mavericks, who won their first game in the AA-South following promotion over the offseason.
In the Midlands, Birmingham Maple Leafs started their season in fine form with two wins against Leicester Blue Sox. Their opponents on Sunday, Nottingham Rebels, began their BBF history with two losses to the Milton Keynes Bucks but put up an impressive fight and will be hoping a similar effort will be rewarded with a ‘W’ or two this weekend.  The Bucks have the weekend off, as the two Leicester Blue Sox teams face off at Western Park.
A
All eight A-South teams are scheduled to be in action on Sunday, with the four winners from Week One each facing a team that took a loss. Cambridge Royals (1-0) and Guildford Mavericks II (1-0), new to the league in 2011, are due to play their first home games against Tonbridge (0-1) and Braintree Rays (0-1) respectively. Â
Full details can be found on the BBF website.
2 comments
Hi guys
There were some terrific games in the AAA South division this week, all ending in sweeps. The league looks pretty competitive so far and any one of four teams is already pushing to be the dominant force.
I was down in the AA Redbacks team this weekend to fill a hole at catcher (and it appears I’ve lost a lot of what I had last season!) Full report can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/3t4n9xm
Bit of a slug-fest but always good fun to play with or against Darren Ludlow’s Archers.
Mike
Hi Michael. Yep, the AAA-South is certainly shaping up to be a competitive division this year. Great job on the report, as always.