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.