Tag Archives: British Baseball Hall of Fame

British Baseball Hall of Fame 2019 Elections

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Four new members join the British Baseball Hall of Fame

The 2019 elections to the British Baseball Hall of Fame have introduced four new inductees, increasing the class to 38.

Ryan Bird, Jason Holowaty and Darrin Muller were inducted from the modern ballot, with Alan Asquith being elected by the historical vetting panel that was introduced in 2016.

Hall of Fame Chair Matt Smith commented: “I’m delighted to see four such worthy candidates joining our Hall of Fame, all with different stories to tell but sharing a true commitment to the game in Britain and excelling at what they did.

Ryan Bird and Alan Asquith had memorable playing careers in different eras, with Ryan representing the Richmond Flames and Herts Falcons and Alan being a pillar of the strong Humberside baseball community.

Jason Holowaty combined a playing career that brought four national championships with a long tenure of service to baseball at MLB and BaseballSoftballUK. As for Darrin Muller, for many years he has been one of the most widely recognised and respected representatives of British Baseball at home and abroad, both as a coach and particularly as an umpire.

The task of electing figures who represent the best of British baseball is both a difficult challenge and a hugely rewarding process.

There are so many players, coaches, umpires and officials who have left a mark on our game over the decades and, in contrast to the process Stateside, the full depth of their achievements is rarely packaged neatly through comprehensive statistics or biographical data. However, for us, this is part of the fun. The work that goes into researching potential candidates and writing their stories goes largely unseen but is, to us, as important as the final balloting process that determines who among that year’s list of candidates shine through the most.

Thanks to the Great Britain national team programme, we were able to honour the 2018 class at an event over the MLB London Series weekend back in June, and we will hopefully be able to do something similar in June 2020 for this year’s class. Beyond this, the contributions of Ryan, Jason, Darrin and Alan will be there for all to see on the BBHOF website as we continue to document and celebrate baseball’s rich history on these shores”.

Ryan Bird

Over eight seasons in British domestic play, South African-native Ryan Bird etched a place in the history books as one of British baseball’s greatest hitters. At the time of his retirement, Bird, whose career ran from 2008-2015, posted the highest career batting average (.508), on base percentage (.578) and slugging percentage (.822) in modern British baseball history. He was named the country’s most valuable batter three times (2008, 2009, 2013) and led the National Baseball League in RBI in 2013 and home runs in 2009. He was also recognised as the best fielding first basemen in 2012. All told, he tallied 15 HRs and 119 RBI over the course of 385 plate appearances for the Richmond Flames and Herts Falcons.

Jason Holowaty

Both on offence and defence, Jason Holowaty shined in a distinguished British playing career. He was a key player for four national championship teams – Richmond (2006), London Mets (2007, 2008) and Southern Nationals (2011). Off the field, Holowaty contributed to baseball in the UK and, more broadly, in Europe and Africa, as a key game development executive for Major League Baseball in the region from 2002 to 2016. He has also worked for BaseballSoftballUK in a game development capacity. A lifetime .423 hitter, Holowaty not only earned a batting title as a member of the Richmond Flames in 2006, but also nabbed a Gold Glove award as the best defensive second baseman for the London Mets the following season.

Darrin Muller

Darrin Muller has had a long-ranging and successful involvement with British baseball over many years. His accomplishments in particular include numerous successes as coach and then one of the most impressive umpiring careers of any British umpire. Darrin has umpired in more than 2250 games. They include 17 National Baseball Championships and 13 Youth National Baseball Championships, 445 International games, 11 ISST’s (International High School) European Championships, 4 Pony Baseball European Championships, 2 Pony World Series, 6 Little League European and African Nations Regionals, the 2016 Little League Junior World Series, 12 CEB European Tournaments and the 2009 IBAF World Cup.

Alan Asquith (Historic Committee)

In 1974, the leading British baseball journal of its day, Baseball Mercury, described Alan Asquith as “for years, the country’s leading pitcher.” Indeed, for more than a decade Asquith was a leading light in the Humberside area in particular and one of the best nationwide. In both 1966 and 1967 he received the award as the top pitcher in the Northern Division of the National League, but his 1968 season may have been his most rewarding. Asquith pitched his club, the Hull Aces, to a national title by winning both the semi-final match against the Liverpool Tigers, and the finals versus the Hull Royals. He allowed just a combined five hits while striking out 17 in those two games.

Further information

Full details of the four new members, and the other 34 individuals previously elected to the British Baseball Hall of Fame, can be found a: www.bbhof.org.uk

2017 British Baseball Hall of Fame class announced

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Carter, Young and Smallwood join the British Baseball Hall of Fame

The 2017 elections to the British Baseball Hall of Fame have introduced three new inductees, increasing the class to 32.

Nick Carter and Ian Young were inducted from the modern ballot, with Don Smallwood MBE being elected by the historical vetting panel that was introduced in 2016.

Carter and Young are two of the most decorated Great Britain national team players of the past thirty years. The former was a mainstay on the GB team between 1996 and 2005, competing in six European Championships, whilst twice being the starting and winning pitcher in a decisive national championship game for the Brighton Buccaneers (1999 and 2001).

Young’s Great Britain career lasted 13 years between 2000 and 2013, the highlight of which being his ‘All-Tournament’ team performances for the side that won a silver medal at the 2007 European Championship.

Smallwood’s involvement in British baseball spanned six decades, during which he achieved considerable success as a player, most notably on the formidable Hull Aces teams of the 1960s and 1970s, and even more in a wide variety of administrative roles.  Upon passing on the news of his election, sadly I learned that he passed away earlier this year at the age of 84.

Full details about the three new members of the Hall, alongside bios for the other 29 already elected, can be found on the BBHoF website: http://www.bbhof.org.uk/

I’ve been involved in the BBHoF for several years and have now stepped up to the role of Chair. I’m taking over from Joe Gray who has done a huge amount of invaluable work over the past decade, both directly on the Hall of Fame and the wider Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball (Project COBB).

Thankfully Joe’s still involved as Secretary and I’m indebted to all his support and help provided.  I’ve got a list of research topics and Hall of Fame work ready for the off-season, so keep an eye out for those here on this website and at Project COBB.

If you’re interested in getting involved in looking at the game’s history on these shores, please do get in contact either via the comments below or using the contact details on the Project COBB website.

Four more additions to the British Baseball Hall of Fame

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BBHoF_bgbThe British Baseball Hall of Fame began life in 2009 with the aim of recognising key contributors to the game, promoting the sport’s roots in this country and encouraging further research into its history.

25 people were elected over the first seven years of the Hall and the 2016 class has added four more.

Alex Malihoudis, Oscar Marcelino and John Thomas have all been elected through the traditional ballot, with Wally O’Neil becoming the first-ever inductee via a new historical vetting panel.

As an elector, and current secretary, for the British Baseball Hall of Fame it’s been great to see the interest on social media that the new class has created.

Our Hall of Fame is a very different beast to that of MLB. We do not have the endless records of playing stats or clear ways in which we can try to accurately assess and compare contributions from different eras. We do not have a uniform standard – statistical milestones or longevity criteria – on which to clearly validate a ‘Hall-of-Famer’ from a ‘mere’ very good servant to baseball. There is no simple way to compare a British baseball lifer against someone who shone briefly on these shores (especially when their baseball ability – as player or coach – is part of why they left, to seek greater competition or to make a career out of the game).

There is an element of subjectivity about it all – albeit framed by an open floor for nominations, clear rules on election and a group of electors who put careful consideration into their decision to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for every case – but I find that one of the most appealing parts about it.

The Hall of Fame doesn’t claim to be the definitive source for ‘the greats’ of British baseball, much as we feel all those elected are very worthy of their place.

One of the points of the Hall is not just to celebrate those in it, but to get people to think about who else they feel should be in it. To look at a new entrant and think “oh yes, they were really good, but what about ….”. To start delving into local newspaper clippings and find a local hero from decades ago who, bit by bit, starts to reveal an instriguing story that has been lost through time but can now be brought back to life.

The BBHOF website contains bios for all those elected and as a collection they already provide a unique insight into the game across the best part of 100 years. There are plenty more stories to be discovered and they will undoubtedly produce more people who have a case to join the Hall. We have a rich history to celebrate, alongside a prosperous future, and that’s something all of us can enjoy.

British Baseball Hall of Fame 2014 inductees announced

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BBHoF_bgbOn the customary second Tuesday in October, the sixth annual class of new inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes three more of the game’s greats: Alan Smith, Cody Cain, and Josh Chetwynd.

Smith is the second most successful player in the British game’s history, as assessed by national titles, and he remains the holder of several modern top-tier pitching records. Off the field, he was a key administrator for the London Warriors, one of the country’s all-time best teams, and he provided instrumental support for Team GB’s silver medal at the 2007 European Championships.

Cain was one of the truly great two-way players in modern British baseball history and featured consistently among the leaders of pitching and batting statistical categories throughout his time in the game. His 18-strike-out game in 2004 is still a modern record, and his 0.00 earned-run average in 1993 remains an unmatched top-tier feat.

Chetwynd’s contribution to the sport in Britain has comprised a unique mix: prominent media roles; deep involvement in initiatives to grow the game and chronicle its history; and consistent success as a player, both domestically and internationally. Across the first decade of wood-bat baseball in the modern era (2001-2010), Chetwynd not only had the highest batting average (.440) but was also the hardest player to strike out.

To see full biographies of the three 2014 inductees as well as the 22 other individuals enshrined in the British Baseball Hall of Fame, please visit: http://www.bbhof.org.uk/

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On a personal note, having taken on the role of Secretary for the BBHoF this year I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for the amount of thought that goes into the voting process.

In Major League Baseball the Hall of Fame process is long-established and, aside from the recent ‘steroid era’ difficulties, is relatively straight forward. There are comprehensive records for every game, from stats to game reports to radio and TV footage. There is an overwhelming abundance of material and precedent to refer to as part of differentiating someone from being a person who had made a very good contribution to someone who made an exceptional contribution.

We don’t have that luxury with British Baseball. The (known) records can be patchy and even where we do have good records there is not always as much evidence as you’d like to fully assess the varying standard of play among teams, leagues and years. This year’s three inductees are from what you might call the recent era and certainly the more prevalent records around their contributions on and off the field can help to reassure a voter of their stance.

However even just a quick glance at the previous inductees will show that participants from different eras can be assessed and recognised, from a 1930s pitcher like Lefty Wilson to a Brad Thompson whose British Baseball playing days spanned from the late 1970s to 2003.

Like any Hall of Fame, debate is always part of the fun as we will all see things slightly differently. Part of the purpose of the British Baseball Hall of Fame is to generate further interest in the history of the sport on these shores so that if there are potential worthy Hall of Fame candidates out there, records can be hunted down and compiled not just for potential voters but for anyone interested in the British game.

The Hall of Fame will never tell the whole story of British Baseball, but it will tell some of them – not least now the stories of Smith, Cain and Chetwynd – and will hopefully be another incentive to encourage people to track down even more, whether to endorse a Hall of Fame candidacy, to fill in a few blanks in the record books, or to find an interesting, amusing or touching tale to add to the collective British Baseball memory bank.

If you’d like to get involved, please visit the British Baseball Hall of Fame website alongside the Project COBB website for further details.

Four new members of the British Baseball Hall of Fame inducted in 2013

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Today the fifth annual class of the British Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHoF) has been announced, and there are four new inductees, bringing the total membership to 22. The inductees include there long-serving and well-decorated players as well as someone who built the backbone for British baseball’s historical recording. The four individuals are presented below.

To see details on all inductees, please visit the official site of the BBHoF: http://bbhof.org.uk/ 

Baseball players

Peter Crook
A true team leader, Peter Crook spent 60 years playing and coaching baseball, steering teams to success throughout the South of England. Primarily a first baseman, Crook got his start with the Dulwich Bluejays in 1948 and remained with the club until 1959. His career was interrupted when he joined the army as a regular soldier in the Royal Artillery but he always managed to get leave to play as many games as he could. As well as a solid first baseman Crook developed into a power hitter and in 1959 he was invited by the Detroit Tigers to try out at their Spring Training camp. Owing to the expense Peter was unable to accept. From 1960 to 1969, he was a member of the Richmond Red Sox, guiding the club to a Southern baseball trophy as player–manager and earning All-Star team selection twice. In 1970, he joined one of the South’s most famous clubs, the Sutton Braves, and spent 7 years with the squad. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player twice and was a league All-Star in six straight seasons. In 1977, he returned to his original club, who now played as the Croydon Bluejays. During his second tour of duty, which lasted until 1984, he was a two-time Most Valuable Player and an All-Star on five occasions. His 1984 Blue Jays team won the national championship. Crook also played for the Gillingham Dodgers winning the Division Two title in 1986. Then, in 1988, Crook helped found of one of Britain’s most enduring clubs, the Old Timers. Under his management, the team captured an international championship trophy at a tournament in Germany in 1993. During two decades, in all, with the Old Timers, Crook was also an ambassador to the game at home. He was an architect of a friendly league to encourage new teams to form. Through the league, teams like the Medway Mariners and the Burgess Hill Red Hats, which later became established clubs, got their first taste of organized play.

Ray Reynolds
A dominant player on one of Great Britain’s all-time greatest clubs, Ray Reynolds competed for 31 seasons (1950–80) at Britain’s highest level of play. As one of the most junior players (if not the all-time youngest) to ever earn a regular place at the top level of baseball in the United Kingdom, Reynolds made his debut for Thames Board Mills (TBM) as a 12-year-old boy in 1950. During Reynolds’ tenure, TBM captured more than a dozen league titles and two national championships (1959 and 1960). Reynolds, a versatile athlete who starred in both the infield and the outfield as well as behind the plate, was named to numerous All-Star teams. He was also dubbed the British Baseball League Most Valuable Hitter in 1967 and earned Southern League Most Valuable Player honours twice. Internationally, he represented Great Britain regularly during contests in the 1950s and 1960s and was part of the silver medal-winning England roster at the 1967 European Championship A-Pool.

Brad Thompson
A member and team leader of title-winning teams in nine sanctioned national championships and two unsanctioned events, Brad Thompson won more titles than any other player in British baseball history. Thompson, whose career began in 1976 as a catcher for the Golders Green Sox, was a winner from nearly the beginning. In 1977 and 1979, the Green Sox earned national titles, with Thompson playing a crucial role in the 1979 finals. Not only did he hit a home run early in the contest, but he also later scored the game-tying run in an 11-inning triumph. Based on records available from his time with the Green Sox, Thompson batted .456 with a .779 slugging average for the club. During this period, he tallied a league-leading .500 batting average in 1979, which was one of several such titles he is reported to have won. Thompson later joined the London Warriors, helping that club to secure back-to-back national titles in 1981 and 1982. Continuing a trend of being clutch in the big games, Thompson scored 4 runs and went 2-for-2 with a double in the 1981 finals. His next stop was with the Cobham Yankees, where his .404 batting average and .603 slugging percentage were key factors in propelling that team to three straight national championships (1986–88). After the Yankees folded, Thompson served as a central figure in reforming the London Warriors. The Warriors went on to capture multiple titles, including a first-place showing in the 1988 Scottish Amicable League and national club trophies in 1997 and 2000. When Thompson retired in 2003 after 28 seasons, he was the only player to have registered more than 300 runs batted in top-tier competition, according to Project COBB’s available records. Beyond his accomplishments on the field, Thompson also served as league secretary and then president for the Southern League between 1979 and 1984 and as chief administrator for the Scottish Amicable League, which ran from 1987 to 1989.

Coaches, managers, umpires, and other officials

William Morgan
William Morgan (born 9 October 1923) was for decades British baseball’s pre-eminent historian and journalist, and his seminal research and chronicling efforts form the backbone of much of what we know about the game’s history in Britain. The most invaluable of his many important works was a list of national champions dating back to the game’s organised start in 1890. This now serves as the basis of the official record. Another considerable contribution to British baseball came by way of newsletters he self-published. He edited 24 issues of Baseball Courier between 1963 and 1967 and then went on to produce 51 issues of a second newsletter, Baseball Mercury, between 1972 and 1989. Not only did he chronicle the contemporary game, but he also made sure the history of British baseball was a major focus of his work. Without these materials, information on expansive periods of British baseball history would have simply disappeared. Moreover, by distributing the publications to over 20 countries, Morgan played a major role in maintaining an international profile for British baseball (at the time, this was probably the only source of information on British baseball for a lot of international recipients). Morgan first came across the game of baseball in 1938 in Cardiff, where, he later recounted, a seven-team league operated (two Royal Air Force sides, Central YMCA, Mail & Echo, St David’s, Lumberjacks [timber importer employees], and Penzance Social Club). He could not afford to join a club but played for a couple of innings in a pre-season pickup game for Central YMCA at second base in 1939. Aside from his role as chronicler and historian, William also served in an administrative capacity at a national level. He was engaged as both Information Officer and Treasurer for governing bodies of baseball in Britain at different times. In recognition of his contributions to the game, he handed out the MVP trophy at the 1976 British baseball national final (a game for which he was listed in the programme as ‘Official Baseball Historian’) and was the guest of honour at the 1986 final. Based on his knowledge and experience, he was chosen to serve as one of the inaugural selectors for this British Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Seven more individuals inducted into British Baseball Hall of Fame

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The fourth annual class of the British Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHoF) sees seven more inductees announced: Bill Dawber, John Devey, Michael Harrold, RG Knowles, Simon Pole, Terry Warner, and Max “Lefty” Wilson. This brings the total number of enshrinees to 18.

Photos and full bios for each of these individuals, as well as the previously elected inductees, can be found on the BBHoF web page, and abbreviated details are given below.

Bill Dawber
In a career that spanned five decades, Bill Dawber was one of the few players in the London area to shine on the baseball diamond both before World War II and after, developing into arguably the region’s best player in the 1950s. A young member of the professional London Major Baseball League’s Romford Wasps, Dawber was part of a club that made the national finals in 1937. In 1952, Dawber’s excellence was singularly recognized in the south of England. That year, he was the only player from the region chosen to represent England on a 15-man squad that travelled to play The Netherlands. In 1952, Dawber was also picked as a member of an all-England side that played in a tournament against Spain and a US Air Force team. Dawber continued to play into his 50s, retiring in 1972.

John Devey
A dominant two-way player in the first professional baseball league in Great Britain history, the British-born John Devey not only led the league in batting but also paced the circuit in wins on the mound. His performance powered his club, Aston Villa, to a 17–8 record and a league championship. The league featured two former Major Leaguers, four former or future American minor leaguers and a host of other players with considerable experience in the United States. Beyond his baseball exploits, Devey is arguably one of the greatest all-around athletes to have competed on the diamond in Great Britain. He played football for England and was a regular for the Warwickshire county cricket team.

Michael Harrold
Michael Harrold was the Great Britain national team’s longest tenured manager, leading the squad to a European title in 1988 and the juniors to a championship in 1993. His exceptional career also included stints as a distinguished player at both the national and domestic levels, as well as success as a manager in domestic league play. In addition to his work on and around the field, Harrold was a long-time administrator. Among his many roles, he served as British Baseball Federation president and a member of the British Olympic committee.

RG Knowles
Richard George (RG) Knowles was pivotal in developing the first regular baseball played in London. A comedian by trade, Knowles rounded up fellow performers and began setting up games in 1889 in Battersea Park. His efforts led to the establishment of the London Thespians – one of England’s first dominant teams. As player–manager of the Thespians, Knowles led the club to national championships in 1893 and 1894. The Thespians were the first team to win multiple British titles. Backed by Knowles’s work, Thespian home games were known to sometimes attract crowds in the thousands. Beyond his club, he also helped form the London Baseball Association.

Simon Pole
During his decade-long British career, no player put up better statistics as either a pitcher or a hitter than Simon Pole. From 1999 until 2008, he boasted a career .454 batting average, with 35 home runs and 224 runs batted in. According to Project COBB, those are career bests for that period. He led the country’s top league in home runs three times and topped the circuit in batting twice. In 2005, Pole won the “triple crown” with a .571 average, six home runs, and 42 runs batted in. He was no less impressive on the mound. His 2.11 earned-run average was the best of any player during the span of his career. A native Australian, Pole represented his adopted country internationally, playing for Great Britain in six events including the 2005 European Championship A-Pool.

Terry Warner
In a baseball career that lasted nearly 60 years, Terry Warner consistently shined as an all-around player in domestic competition and, in 1967, delivered one of Great Britain’s most important all-time international pitching performances. Warner won two national titles with Thames Board Mills. Along with his on-field exploits, Warner also invested numerous years into teaching the game. He was a coach for Great Britain when they took on the Dutch at Crystal Palace Football Club’s stadium in 1965 and he managed the team in 1968. In 1984, Warner skippered the Croydon Bluejays to a national title.

Max “Lefty” Wilson
Max “Lefty” Wilson is the only Major Leaguer to have pitched a team to a British national championship. He played in Great Britain during the heyday of professional baseball in the late 1930s. In 1936, he pitched for the Catford Saints in the London Major Baseball League. His performance was so impressive that fellow future Major Leaguer Roland Gladu dubbed the left-hander the best pitcher in the country. The next season, Wilson moved to the north of England to play for Hull. There, he was treated as a hero. The Hull Daily Mail called him a “pitching genius” in its 10 May 1937 edition. He led the club to the national championship that year, producing one of the greatest finals performances in British history.

 

British Baseball Hall of Fame to induct seven more individuals next week

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On the 9th of this month – the now-traditional second Tuesday of October for the announcement of the British Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual class – seven more individuals will be enshrined, bringing the total number of inductees to 18.

Three people – Ross Kendrick, Sir John Moores, and Norman Wells – were inducted in the first class back in 2009. They were joined by a set of five in 2010, and then three more individuals in 2011. The 2012 class will be the biggest yet and includes representatives from across the game’s history on British shores.

The 2012 class will be jointly announced on www.baseballgb.co.uk and www.britishbaseball.org.

Gerard-Thesingh, Gladu, and Thurston are latest inductees in the British Baseball Hall of Fame

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BBHoF_bgb

The second Tuesday in October, now established as the traditional time for announcing the new annual set of inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHoF), sees three more individuals receive the highest honour in the game:

  • Ted Gerard-Thesingh (Coaches, managers, umpires, and other officials);
  • Roland Gladu (Baseball players);
  • Brian Thurston (Baseball players).

They join the eight individuals already inducted in the first two classes. Biographies for all inductees, and more information about the BBHoF, can be viewed on the official webpage: www.bbhof.org.uk.

The biographies for the inductees in the third class are reproduced below.

Ted Gerard-Thesingh
For more than two decades, Ted Gerard-Thesingh was Great Britain’s top umpire, working 13 national championship contests and more than 100 international matches.

Beyond his role on the field, Gerard-Thesingh also trained countless other umpires and was a dedicated administrative official at various levels of British baseball. Gerard-Thesingh moved to the United Kingdom from South Africa in 1979. Upon learning there was a dearth of umpires in British baseball he set to work recruiting and then teaching new officials.

Quickly garnering respect for his work behind the plate and on the bases, Gerard-Thesingh earned assignments in all but one national title games between 1982 and 1995. Internationally, he was also an umpiring fixture. He officiated in the 1984 and 1988 European Championship B-Pool and the 1989 European Championship A-Pool in Paris, France. A serious injury in the mid-1990s cut his umpiring career short, but Gerard-Thesingh continued to contribute to British baseball.

He served as technical commissioner at a number of national finals and at the 1996 European Championship B-Pool in Hull, England. In recognition of his many years of service, Gerard-Thesingh was made an honorary life member of both the British Baseball Federation and the Amateur Baseball Umpires Association–Great Britain (ABUA-GB). In addition, the ABUA-GB began bestowing the “Ted Gerard-Thesingh Trophy” in 2003 as an annual award to acknowledge outstanding effort by a particular umpire each year. Gerard-Thesingh also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 national finals.

Roland Gladu
Described in the 1939 book Baseball for British Youth as “[p]erhaps the finest batter who has ever played for an English team,” Roland Gladu was the only 20th Century positional player known have to competed in a domestic Great Britain circuit and then risen all the way to the Major Leagues in the United States.

Dubbed “the Babe Ruth of Canada” by the British press during his 2 years in the United Kingdom (1936–37), the French-Canadian Gladu played primarily for West Ham in the effectively professional London Major Baseball League.

As the club’s player–manager, he led the team to top-two finishes in both of his seasons as well as to one remarkable upset: a 5–3 triumph over the 1936 United States Olympic baseball team. In that contest, Gladu connected for two hits, including West Ham’s only extra-base hit (a double). While statistics are incomplete from this era, it is known that he led the London circuit in batting with a .565 average in 1937. Seven years on from his time in Great Britain, Gladu ascended to the Majors, hitting .242 with one home run in 21 games for the 1944 Boston Braves of the National League.

Brian Thurston
Brian Thurston, who retired as Great Britain’s most capped international pitcher, was a dominating force both domestically and abroad.

Thurston appeared in seven European Championships, throwing 83.0 innings and posting a 5–4 record with a 2.82 earned-run average. He also pitched his club side to multiple national honours. The left-handed Thurston led Great Britain to promotion into the top tier of European baseball in 1988, earning the Most Valuable Player award at the European Championship B-Pool on home soil. He won two games at the event, including the final against Czechoslovakia, in which he threw a 7.0-inning shutout, striking out 12 batters. The publication First Base described the outing as “a stirring display of power pitching.” Other stand-out performances were to come.

In 1989, he struck out 25 batters in 23.2 innings at the European Championship A-Pool in France and 2 years later he posted a 3.18 earned-run average, fanning 20 hitters in 17.0 innings at the 1991 championships in Italy. Despite suffering an arm injury later in his career, he also contributed to Britain’s international success with the bat. At the 1996 European Championship B-Pool in England, his run-scoring 10th-inning hit against Lithuania in the semi-finals secured Great Britain’s promotion back into European baseball’s elite group after relegation 5 years earlier.

Equally impressive in British league play, Thurston was a long-time member of his local side, the Hull (Humberside) Mets. During his club career he led the Mets to three national titles, a silver medal at the 1992 European Cup Winners Cup qualification tournament, and three national Knock-out Cup trophies (in the 1992 triumph, he threw a 7.0-inning no-hitter).

Five more inductees join British Baseball Hall of Fame with announcement of second annual class

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The second class of inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame was announced on Tuesday 12 October 2010, and it saw five names join the three individuals elected in the inaugural class. The new figures are Alan Bloomfield (inducted under the Baseball players category), Margaret Borley (Coaches, managers, umpires, and other officials), Fred Lewis (Game builders), Sir Francis Ley (Game builders), and Gavin Marshall (Baseball players).
Alan Bloomfield, who was a junior footballer at Arsenal before committing to baseball, became one of the most consistently dominant ballplayers in the London area during the 1980s and 1990s. He appeared at more European Baseball Championships than any other Great Britain player and he was described by The Daily Mail of Hull in 1984 as “the best British player ever.” Bloomfield was a member of the first two Great Britain squads to win gold medals in European Championship competition, the B-Pool victories in 1988 and 1996. In 1988, he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Domestically, he competed for the Sutton Braves, the Southern Tigers, and the London Warriors, and he posted outstanding batting figures year after year. In all, he played on six national championship-winning squads.
Margaret Borley was the first member of the British baseball community to receive Queen’s honours for work in the sport, being named an MBE in 2007. Borley founded one of the country’s most successful youth organizations, the Tonbridge Bobcats Youth Baseball Club in Kent. In over 30 years of service to British baseball, Borley has led the Bobcats to numerous youth championships and helped develop a number of future Great Britain internationals, including Alex Malihoudis, Nick Carter, and Will Lintern.
Fred Lewis established baseball in the town of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, in 1909 and taught and administered baseball until his death in 1960. For at least 48 years – from 1912 until 1960 – baseball was played continuously in Chipping Norton thanks to Lewis. Lewis, who was a local Scout master, found out about baseball in 1909 when he obtained a year-old baseball guide. He immediately became an ambassador for the sport, fashioning much of his baseball equipment by hand or through local artisans. Through his disciplined work ethic, Lewis developed excellent ballplayers. In 1926, a Chipping Norton team led by Lewis travelled to London to play a team of expatriates, called the London Americans, at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge. Lewis’s all-British team prevailed in the match-up, which earned attention from the national press for his club’s performance.
Sir Francis Ley was Britain’s original baseball magnate. He was the first domestic businessman to make a committed effort to develop the sport, by establishing the country’s first dynasty team – Derby – and erecting its first authentic baseball ground. Sir Francis’s teams won national championships in 1895, 1897, and 1898. This was the most of any team in baseball’s first decade in Great Britain. Sir Francis also proved that baseball had the potential to be a commercial venture in the United Kingdom, attracting upwards of 5,000 spectators on a regular basis.
Gavin Marshall was the first born-and-bred British baseball player to earn a professional contract in the United States. He was also a successful member of the British national team and a national champion. Marshall, whose father Barry and grandfather Ron were stand-out players and coaches both in domestic baseball and for Great Britain, showed his considerable baseball talents at a young age. The Hull native made his first appearance with the Great Britain senior side as a 16 year old in 1993. Marshall earned a college baseball scholarship to Centenary College in Louisiana and then to the University of the Pacific. After his collegiate career, he signed a professional contract in the independent Frontier League with the Dubois County Dragons. He played for 2 years in American professional baseball, making 57 appearances. He continued his baseball career in style upon his return to Great Britain, pitching the Brighton Buccaneers to a 5–1 victory at the 2002 national championships.
The Board of Electors for the British Baseball Hall of Fame comprises individuals who have experience in researching the history of British baseball. This includes one seat for a representative from SABR UK (the British chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research). An additional seat is reserved for a representative from the board of the British Baseball Federation as an acknowledgement of the governing body’s endorsement of the project.
New classes in the British Baseball Hall of Fame are announced annually, on the second Tuesday in October. The inaugural class was revealed on 13 October 2009, with induction requiring at least six “yes” votes from among the eight Electors. The Board of Electors grew to ten in number in 2010 and the threshold remained as six votes.
For biographies of all the inductees to date and other details on the British Baseball Hall of Fame, please visit the official website: www.bbhof.org.uk.

bbhof_200x225The second class of inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame was announced on Tuesday 12 October 2010, and it saw five names join the three individuals elected in the inaugural class. The new figures are Alan Bloomfield (inducted under the Baseball players category), Margaret Borley (Coaches, managers, umpires, and other officials), Fred Lewis (Game builders), Sir Francis Ley (Game builders), and Gavin Marshall (Baseball players).

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Press coverage gained in Merseyside for Norman Wells, Sr, Sir John Moores, and the British Baseball Hall of Fame

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bbhofWith two of the three inaugural inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame last month being Merseyside-based (Sir John Moores and Norman Wells, Sr), this is clearly the region of the country where press coverage was most likely to be achieved. And achieved it has been, with news stories appearing in three newspapers:

The prominence of baseball in the Merseyside sports press could not have come at a more useful time for the region’s dominant team, the Liverpool Trojans. They are the oldest existing team in Britain but have been struggling of late to remain a strong force. It is hoped that the area’s impressive baseball legacy can be rejuvenated by the recent Hall of Fame news.

For biographies of all three inductees and full information on the British Baseball Hall of Fame, please visit the official website – www.bbhof.org.uk.