British and Irish Baseball - Making Another Attempt

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JULY 1867

July ends with Angel Islington now a game ahead at the top of the Metropolitan League standings, after they won all three of their games this month. To their great frustration, they were not able to take that strong form into the important games against championship rivals The Regent’s Park and the Old Westminsters, as both of those games were postponed. The only game between two title contenders which was played saw the Old Westminsters defeat the Regents 2-0, only to undo that good work with defeat against the City of London Club.

It wasn’t the best month for the Regents as they were also beaten by Clapham, but they still sit in second place, just one game behind Angel. The Westminsters are one further back, with an ever growing gap between the first three and the last three in the standings. The City of London Club come next after a better month which brought three wins and two defeats, while Kensington lost four out of five. Their only win was against Clapham, which keeps them one game ahead of Clapham who sit last.

Also announced this month were the identities of the two teams who will join the Metropolitan League when it grows to eight teams next year. Four clubs applied and a vote was taken of the six member clubs, each of whom had two votes to cast. As was widely expected, all six voted for the Meridian Club of Greenwich, who were elected unanimously. The second votes were split between the other three applicants, but it was the team based at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich who won the day, as they had the support of three clubs. The Hackney club made a strong bid but received just two votes, while Lambeth earned just one as many clubs were concerned about the small size of their home field.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: AUGUST 1867

The Old Westminsters’ hopes of a third successive Metropolitan League championship seem to be over after a poor month in which they lost four of the six games they played, including defeats to both their rivals Angel and The Regents’ Park. They are not completely out of the running, but will surely need to win their three remaining games against the other contenders if they are to catch up.

As for Angel and the Regents, they have been switching positions at the top of the standings with some frequency. After Angel’s shock defeat at the hands of Kensington, it appeared that the Regents may be starting to gain the upper hand but on the final day of the month, everything changed again. The two met on Angel’s home field, where home advantage was made to count as Angel recorded a big victory by a score of 8-1. They now lead by a fraction again with eight games to play, while the Regents have just seven remaining. The Westminsters are a further three games back, which may just be too much.

Of the other three teams, the City of London Club had looked to be moving well clear in fourth place after victories in their first three games this month, but they were beaten in the final two and Kensington took advantage. Remarkably, due to postponements earlier in the year, they played seven in August and were beaten in the first four, only to defeat first Angel and then the Westminsters twice in the remaining three. They are now one ahead of Clapham, who return to last place, and two behind the City Club.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: SEPTEMBER 1867

There will be new champions in the Metropolitan League this year, and it will be either Angel Islington or The Regent’s Park who take the crown for the first time. The Old Westminsters’ hold on the championship was weakened further when they opened the month with defeat at the hands of Clapham, and another loss against the Regents made it all but impossible for them to win another title. Only sharing two games with Angel the following week officially ended their challenge for this year.

The two remaining contenders enter October level at the top of the standings with three games each to play, and fascinatingly two of them are against one another on the Regents’ home field next weekend. It had appeared as though Angel were gaining the upper hand when, despite only sharing their two games in a day against the Old Westminsters, the Regents were beaten by the City of London Club on the same afternoon. That left Angel one game ahead, but they ended the month with a shock defeat against Kensington, allowing the Regents to move level again by beating Clapham. The scenario for next weekend is simple. If either team wins both games, they will be champions. Share the games, and the race goes to the final game, or possibly beyond.

Lower down the standings, a victory over Kensington this month means that the City of London Club look sure to finish fourth, while three successive defeats mean that the best Clapham can hope for is a tie for last place. To achieve that, they must win their final two games and hope that Kensington lose theirs, otherwise they will be alone in last place just a year on from finishing as runners-up.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: OCTOBER 1867

The Regent’s Park are the new champions of the Metropolitan League after a remarkable and at times controversial end to the 1867 season. They were due to meet championship rivals Angel Islington twice on the first Saturday of the month, with either team able to secure the crown by winning both games, but the weather was destined to play a part in proceedings. A late eighth inning run gave Angel a 2-1 win in the first game, but then with the weather worsening and the state of the field poor, the Regents requested that the second game be postponed to a later date. With an opportunity to secure a first title awaiting, Angel did not agree and wanted to play the game, leaving the neutral umpires to make the decision. Their view was that the game could not be played, leaving the Angel players angry at being denied the chance to win the championship.

Going to the intended final day of the campaign, Angel would still win the championship if they won their game and the Regents lost theirs, and indeed the Regents were beaten, 1-0 by Kensington. However, with pitchers increasingly coming to dominate the league late in the season, Angel also fell by the same score against the City of London Club. That left the rescheduled game between the two contenders the following Saturday – again, victory would win the championship for Angel, while a Regents win would leave the two tied and necessitate another game. Once more, a single run decided the outcome with the Regents getting it in the fifth inning.

A tiebreaking game was therefore needed with both teams finishing on twenty wins and ten defeats. Home advantage in this situation was to go to the team with the better record in meetings between the two, but that was also tied at three wins each, so a coin had to be tossed. Angel were allowed to call the toss and correctly called tails, meaning the extra game would be on their field. For the third successive game though, Angel could not score a run, and two runs for the Regents in the seventh inning were enough to win the championship. Angel were left rueing the decision not to play the second game on the intended day at the start of the month, but the truth is that they would have been champions anyway had they won any one of the next three games. Not only did they not win one, they did not score a single run.

Away from all the drama, outgoing champions the Old Westminsters had finished four games back of the tie for first place after a disappointing end to the season culminated in defeat to Clapham in their final game. That would have allowed Clapham to tie Kensington for last place had Kensington not played their part in the championship battle by beating the Regents in fourteen innings. Clapham therefore finish one behind Kensington at the bottom of the standings, with the City of London Club in turn two ahead of Kensington.

With all the excitement of the end of the championship race, the six-team era of the Metropolitan League comes to an end as there will be eight teams playing in 1868. The format for the season is expected to be announced at the annual meeting next week, when the awards for this season will also be given out. One suggestion is that teams will play one another four times for a twenty-eight game season, but some are believed to be reluctant to make the season shorter so another option may need to be found.

[as5680]

SEASON ROUND-UP: 1867

There was no surprise at the Metropolitan League’s annual meeting when pitcher Mark Howe of The Regent’s Park was given the award for Best Pitcher. His statistics throughout the year were impressive enough, but his back-to-back shutout performances against Angel which won the championship for the Regents left the award in no doubt. Remarkably, Howe also led the league in home runs with two, having hit one in each of the first two games of the year. A noted poor batter, Howe then recorded only three more hits for the rest of the season.

There was a close vote for Best Player, with the award going to the man who led the league in batting average at .388, Charlie Davis of the City of London Club. Slightly controversially, Angel’s Jacob Meaker was awarded the Best Manager distinction, ahead of the Regents’ Jim Brown. It has been suggested that some were not impressed with Brown’s attempts to have the second of the double game against Angel postponed, a decision which proved crucial to the championship battle.

LEADERS:
Batting Average: Charlie Davis (COL) - .388
Home Runs: Mark Howe (RP) - 2
Runs Batted In: Walter Ashton (OW)/Edmund Farrell (OW) - 16
Stolen Bases: Walter Ashton (OW) - 13
Earned Run Average: Mark Howe (RP) - 1.51
Pitching Wins: Mark Howe (RP) - 17
Strikeouts: Richard Tubman (OW) - 197

Other news coming out of the annual meeting concerns the league’s format for next season, when the teams from Greenwich and the Royal Artillery join the competition. The idea of playing every other team four times, rather than six, was accepted but with a modification. The teams who did not want the season shortened from thirty games to twenty-eight won the day in the end. A proposal came from Clapham that each team should play two extra games against a chosen ‘paired’ opponent, in order to keep a thirty game schedule. Some oncerns were expressed about this format giving some teams a tougher schedule than others, depending on the strength of their paired rival, although the idea of keeping the thirty game schedule was popular with a number of teams. When it was put to the vote, the proposal was accepted by five votes to three, with the two new clubs allowed to vote for the first time. That means that the ‘paired’ rivals will meet six times, while all other match-ups will be played four times. The pairings will be confirmed when the schedule of games for next season is confirmed in the new year.

Finally, in a surprise development, it was announced that students at the University of Oxford, inspired by the success of the Metropolitan League, are going to start their own competition next year. Several students who follow the game in London have arranged for eight of the University’s colleges to play against one another, with the format being four games against each opponent, for a twenty-eight game season in all. The identities of all of the eight colleges are not yet known, but should be confirmed early in 1868.

[Antonin]

This very interesting universe would make a nice quickstart, if you would be willing to post it.

I enjoy small fictional universes because you can really become familiar with the players.

[as5680]

Originally Posted by Antonin

This very interesting universe would make a nice quickstart, if you would be willing to post it.

I enjoy small fictional universes because you can really become familiar with the players.

I could post a quickstart for the beginning of the first season - not sure how best to do that though.

[RMc]

I loved your original British and Irish Baseball dynasty report on the forums.

Same here!

Might I suggest a book I just finished reading: "How Football Began: A Global History of How the World's Football Codes Were Born" by Tony Collins.

"The book explores how the world’s football codes - soccer, rugby league, rugby union, American, Australian, Canadian and Gaelic - developed as part of the commercialised leisure industry in the nineteenth century. Football, however and wherever it was played, was a product of the second industrial revolution, the rise of the mass media, and the spirit of the age of the masses."

It's a bit pricey on Amazon, but maybe someone will show you somewhere to download the book for free...

[dward1]

Originally Posted by RMc

Same here!

Might I suggest a book I just finished reading: "How Football Began: A Global History of How the World's Football Codes Were Born" by Tony Collins.

"The book explores how the world’s football codes - soccer, rugby league, rugby union, American, Australian, Canadian and Gaelic - developed as part of the commercialised leisure industry in the nineteenth century. Football, however and wherever it was played, was a product of the second industrial revolution, the rise of the mass media, and the spirit of the age of the masses."

It's a bit pricey on Amazon, but maybe someone will show you somewhere to download the book for free...

link seems broken?

[as5680]

1868 SEASON

The 1868 season sees two significant changes in English baseball - the first two new clubs admitted to the Metropolitan League, and the start of the first university league in the country, at the University of Oxford.

NEW TEAMS: METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

GREENWICH MERIDIAN
Ballpark: Greenwich Park; Jersey Colour: Sea Green
Having come into existence as 'Meridian Baseball Club of Greenwich', the Greenwich club has taken on the simpler name of 'Greenwich Meridian' as it joins the Metropolitan League. The club plays its games at the southern end of Greenwich Park and is named after the prime meridian for Britain which passes through Greenwich. Inspired by this, club members laid out the home field so that the home plate was right on the meridian line. Greenwich's maritime associations inspired the club colour of sea green.

ROYAL ARTILLERY BARRACKS
Ballpark: Barrack Field; Jersey Colour: Gold
Formed by the soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the club plays its games within the grounds of the barracks. Wearing the Royal Artillery cap badge on its jerseys, the club has previously selected only players from the artillery but as members of the Metropolitan League, it is believed that this policy may now be relaxed in order to make the team more competitive.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
L-R: Greenwich Meridian, Royal Artillery Barracks


MAP OF METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TEAM LOCATIONS:


With the announcement of the schedule of games for the 1868 season, we now know exactly how the new format is going to work with regard to additional games against a 'paired' rival.

The schedule will see every team play each of the other seven four times, twice at each team's home park. There will then be one more home game for each team against its paired rival to complete the thirty weeks. The clubs are paired together as follows:

Angel Islington/City of London Club
Clapham Common/Old Westminsters
Greenwich Meridian/Royal Artillery Barracks
Kensington Victoria/The Regent's Park

During the debate, the proposed pairings were disputed by the Old Westminsters on the grounds that their home field is geographically closest to that of Kensington. It was however pointed out that it is impossible for all eight teams to be paired with their closest neighbour and that the proposed arrangement was fairest to every club.

[as5680]

NEW LEAGUE: OXFORD UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIP

The line-up has now been confirmed for England's first university baseball competition, the Oxford University Championship. Organised by baseball enthusiasts at the university, the hope is that players may go on to appear in the Metropolitan League once they have completed their studies.

Initially, eight of Oxford's constituent colleges have entered teams, these are Balliol, Brasenose, Christ Church, Magdalen, Merton, New College, Trinity and Worcester. It may be that more colleges will wish to participate if the competition is a success.

Because of the proximity of each team's home field in and around the city of Oxford, there will not be far for teams to travel. Indeed, the outfield boundaries of Balliol and Trinity's fields at Cowley Marsh, as well as the fields of Merton and New College, are less than fifty feet apart.

It could therefore be the case that a well hit ball in one game may disrupt the other if those pairs of teams happen to be playing at home on the same day. From a practical viewpoint, it is believed that teams may be able to play two games on different fields on the same day should postponements make that necessary.

As the students do not have the same work commitments as the Metropolitan League players, there will be games scheduled in midweek enabling a longer programme. It is planned that the league will begin in March, on the same day as the Metropolitan League, and end in late-June, weather permitting. There will be a twenty-eight game schedule, allowing the teams to face one another four times.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Balliol College, Brasenose College, Christ Church, Magdalen College
Bottom Row (L-R): Merton College, New College, Trinity College, Worcester College


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

[as5680]

PREVIEW: 1868 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

The start of baseball in England seems to get earlier by the year and with this year being a leap year, the second County Championship will begin on 29 February with the two semi-final games, with the final one week later. The intention had been to play on the first two Saturdays in March, as last year, but with the Metropolitan League season getting underway on 21 March, that would have meant that there was no spare Saturday between the two, an idea which the players did not like.

We know the match-ups for the semi-finals already, as it has been decided to set up the tournament without a random draw. Last year's champions Surrey and beaten finalists Kent have been rewarded with the right to play at home in the semi-finals, but the organisers were keen to ensure that the match-ups were not exactly the same as a year ago.

Therefore, Surrey - who beat Essex in last year's semi-final - will play Middlesex this time. Kent, who defeated Middlesex a year ago, face Essex. As last year, home advantage for the final will be decided by a coin toss.

[dward1]

this is the best part of dynasties: the expansion at the beginning, the building of history and competition

[as5680]

TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1868 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

The second County Championship produced an outcome very different from the first, but was in almost equal measure a very similar competition, as the outstanding performers were previously unknown pitchers who are yet to take to the field in the Metropolitan League.

Last year's two beaten semi-finalists, Essex and Middlesex, both selected pitchers from the league's two new clubs to lead their challenge this time. For Essex it was James Hicks of Greenwich, while for Middlesex it was Henry Clarke of the Royal Artillery.

Clarke's first challenge was to take on reigning champions Surrey and te man who had done so much to win that title for them, the City of London Club's William Rood. The game was tight until the fourth, when Middlesex scored twice, and the champions were not able to respond. Further runs in the sixth and eighth extended the lead to 4-0, and although Surrey found two runs in their half of the eighth, Middlesex added one more in the ninth to take the win 5-2.

In the other semi-final, Hicks found himself with a 3-0 lead before he took to the field after a poor first inning from the Old Westminsters' James Smith, pitching for Kent. Things became even worse for last year's beaten finalists when Essex added two more in the second, and that proved to be all the scoring they needed. Kent fought bravely to recover, scoring in their half of the second and then in the fifth and sixth, but could get no closer than 5-3.




The final would be played on Middlesex's home field, after Essex called the coin toss incorrectly. For the second successive week, Hicks found himself taking to the field in the first inning with his team already having established a 3-0 lead. This time, they needed no more runs than that as Hicks pitched superbly, threatening to shut Middlesex out completely. The home team did finally manage a run in the eighth, but could get no more and Essex became the second champions, by a score of 3-1.

His performances earned Hicks the Best Pitcher award, while one of the league newcomers also provided the winner of Best Player, which went to Wilfred Shaw of the Royal Artillery Barracks, representing Middlesex. If this short tournament is any indication, the two new teams will be excellent additions to the league and could even be challenging at the upper end of the standings.

[Sizeman21]

The county games are always fun to follow. The expanded university league is exciting as well. Good work!

[as5680]

1868 SEASON PREVIEW

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE
Having finished second two years ago, Clapham's slide to last place in the standings was a surprise last year but many people are backing them to do something even more surprising this time, and win the championship. Pitcher Frederick Maiden did not produce his best form a year ago but he looks in better shape now and could lead his team to an excellent season.

Angel Islington missed out narrowly last year and could do so again, as they look to have an excellent batting line-up but their pitching may hold them back. The reverse is true of newcomers the Royal Artillery Barracks, whose pitching appears excellent but who may well struggle for runs.

The other newcomers Greenwich shouldn't be too much further back, nor should the City of London Club, but reigning champions The Regent's Park aren't being picked by many to retain the title. Their pitcher Mark Howe is believed to be struggling at the moment, so will have to regain his form quickly if his team are to challenge again. Two-time winners the Ol d Westminsters could struggle as well, while most people are choosing Kensington as the team most likely to finish last.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIP
It is always difficult to predict a new competition, especially one with inexperienced university players, but many people familiar with the game in Oxford are backing Brasenose College to be the first champions there. Trinity College and Christ Church are likely to be their main opposition, while Worcester College seem to be the most common choice to finish last.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MARCH 1868

The Royal Artillery Barracks have made a fine start to their new life in the Metropolitan League with two victories from two games, albeit one after a ninth inning turnaround against Kensington, and the other after extra-innings against the City of London Club. They are one of only two clubs to win both of their first two games, the other being last year’s runners-up Angel Islington. Champions The Regent’s Park opened with victory against the other new club, Greenwich, but were then beaten by Angel in their second game.

They are one of four teams with one win and one loss, alongside Greenwich who earned their first victory by beating the Old Westminsters 10-7 in a remarkable game. Kensington and the City of London Club are the other teams with one win, leaving two-time champions the Old Westminsters at the bottom of the standings alongside Clapham. Clapham were highly backed to do well this year on the back of strong pitching, and indeed their pitching has been strong thus far, but a failure to score a single run in either of their first two games has left them sitting on two defeats from two games.

In the new championship at Oxford University, Magdalen College lead the way with three wins from their three games. Highly favoured Brasenose are also undefeated, but one postponement means that they have played just two. Early strugglers are Worcester College, the only team still looking for a first victory after three rounds of games.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: APRIL 1868

The Royal Artillery Barracks have continued their wonderful start in the Metropolitan League, as the newcomers won all three games they played in the month of April to remain undefeated. That run culminated in a victory over an Angel Islington team who had themselves made an excellent start. Angel’s defeat to end the month allowed the City of London Club to move into a surprise second place, as they won all four games that they played in the month. The Regent’s Park had looked to be moving into contention to defend their title after starting April with two wins, but defeats at the hands of the Artillery and the Old Westminsters knocked them back to an even three wins and three losses.

That was a rare win for the Westminsters who had begun the year by losing four of their first five, as had the other new team Greenwich, before they also ended the bad run by defeating Kensington to end the month. Greenwich have in fact scored more runs than any other team, but their pitching has so far been poorer than expected. Well fancied Clapham continue to struggle, victory over the Old Westminsters being the only one they have recorded up to now, while Kensington lost all four of their games this month and they too have just one win, but from one game more than Clapham.

At Oxford University, the addition of midweek play means that the season is already almost half over and although nobody really backed Magdalen College to be champions, they lead the way with nine wins and three losses from their twelve games. Christ Church had been leading the chase on their own, but two defeats to end the month, including one against Magdalen, leave them two games behind. They share second place with Trinity College, while everyone else has a losing record for the year.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MAY 1868

Newcomers the Royal Artillery Barracks still lead the way in the Metropolitan League at the end of May, although their undefeated start came to an end against Greenwich and they were also defeated by the second-placed City of London Club. The City Club will probably feel that they should be closer in the standings, but they undid the good work of that victory by falling in extra innings against Greenwich in their next game. Angel Islington have lost ground, despite beating the City Club earlier in the month, as they then fell to defeat in each of their next three games.

Angel share third place with champions The Regent’s Park, who inflicted one of those three successive defeats only to go down 7-0 to lowly Kensington a week later. The Old Westminsters are improving, having won their last three including victory over Angel, but still have a losing record for the year. They sit alongside Greenwich and fractionally ahead of Clapham, while Kensington had lost nine of their first ten before their impressive victory over the Regents.

In Oxford, most of the teams have eight games to play in the first University Championship and long-time leaders Magdalen College have been caught at the top of the standings, after winning just four and losing four of their eight games in May. One of their defeats was the pre-season favourites Brasenose, who won eight games out of nine in the month including the last six in succession to join Magdalen in a tie for first place. Trinity, Christ Church and New College are certainly not out of the running either, as a close finish looks to be certain.

[as5680]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JUNE 1868


The Royal Artillery Barracks gave the chasing pack chances to close the gap at the top of the Metropolitan League this month as they were beaten in two of their four games, including a remarkable defeat against The Regent’s Park when a 6-2 lead was overcome in the ninth inning. The Regents couldn’t take advantage though, the reigning champions losing their next two, while the City of London Club also had two wins and two losses. That leaves the Artillery with the same lead in the standings as they had a month ago.

The big winners this month were the Old Westminsters. The two-time champions only played three games but they won all of them, including one against the Artillery, and they are now just two games behind the leaders in third place. Greenwich have moved up to a winning record after victories in their last three games, joining the Regents and Angel in the middle of the pack. At the bottom of the standings, Clapham lead Kensington by three games after Kensington lost all three games they played in June, leaving them in danger of posting the worst season record we have seen in the league to date. No club has failed to reach ten wins in any of the league’s three seasons, but Kensington have just two to their name as they approach the half-way mark.

The Oxford University Championship should have been concluded on the final Saturday in June, but the last two contenders Brasenose and New College have both had games postponed, leaving the rescheduled games this coming Wednesday to decide the title. Magdalen, who led for so long, saw their hopes end with just three wins from eight games in June. New College are the form team at the moment, winning six of seven in the month to close a two-game gap and draw level with Brasenose. In their final scheduled games, New College visit Christ Church and Brasenose go to Worcester College, with both knowing that a win combined with a defeat for the other will secure the championship. Should both have the same result, an extra game will be required next Saturday.