Home British baseball Final weekend of Spring Training in Britain

Final weekend of Spring Training in Britain

by Matt Smith

There’s just one week to go before the British baseball season begins.  We will be publishing a guide to the 2009 season next Saturday, but before then teams will be going through their final preparations for the year ahead.

For twelve teams, that means playing their final games in the Herts Spring League 2009. 

Herts haven’t had a great time results-wise in their own tournament.  Their three teams have combined for a 2-4 record so far, with Herts 1 losing all three of their games to this point.  In contrast, Alconbury Braves are 3-0.  They have averaged nine runs per game over this period and will be hoping to make it a perfect 4-0 HSL record as they head into their debut season in the Midlands league.

As with MLB Spring Training, results in the HSL really don’t matter.  Losses can be shrugged off easily so long as the players feel they have benefited from the playing time.  However, a few wins will certainly boost the confidence and the games tomorrow give the twelve teams a chance to end their spring on a positive note.

The games will take place at two locations: Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and Ham Field in Richmond.

At Grovehill Ballpark, Herts 1 (0-3) take on Sidewinders (0-2) with both teams looking for their first win.  Alconbury Braves (3-0) face Southampton Mustangs (2-1) and Herts 3 (2-0) will play against Milton Keynes Bucks (1-2).

Ham Field will host Herts 2 (0-1) versus Richmond Dragons (3-1), Kent Mariners (0-2) versus Braintree Rays (1-1) and Essex Arrows (1-2) versus the Bracknell Blazers (2-0).

These games are a perfect opportunity to get out and see some baseball if you are near either ballpark.  Calling it spring training has been something of a joke considering spring’s reluctance to bless us with its presence this year.  Hopefully the weather will be better than predicted (although perhaps that’s asking too much for an Easter weekend) and the games can be played and watched under favourable conditions.

For further details, visit the HSL homepage.

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2 comments

Matthew Crawshaw April 12, 2009 - 9:27 am

I’ve done preview of the BBF Midlands league on my Blue Sox Blog:

http://news.leicesterbluesox.co.uk/#home

We have two new teams in the league this year (both USAF bases). The pre-season exploits of Alconbury and Mildenhall haven’t gone unnoticed and they already look good value for play off berths!

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Matt Smith April 12, 2009 - 9:59 am

The Midlands League looks like it’s going to be very competitive this year. The two new teams could prove to be tough to beat, but testing yourself against quality opposition is always the best way to improve. We’ll be following the British leagues closely here all season. Hope the Blue Sox have a good year.

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