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Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Sixteen: Saturday 20 June 1874

As the season reaches the half-way point, there was no change at the top of the Metropolitan League standings as all the leading contenders won one and lost one of their games today. Everyone expected the Royal Artillery Barracks to take both against last placed Kensington Victoria, but although Kensington have struggled with pitching this year they took the first game 1-0 on a single run in the fifth. Despite the loss, Artillery pitcher Brendan McGuire tied the league record with fifteen strikeouts in a nine inning game. The Artillery hit back with two runs in the first inning of game two and were never caught, ensuring that the day was shared.

The teams tied for second, Angel Islington and Peckham Rye, met for two games and Peckham took the first with two runs in each of the second and sixth innings. Angel trailed 1-0 in game two as well but three runs in the sixth won the game for them. The other teams in the top half of the standings also met, with the Marylebone Regents winning the first game against Hackney thanks to a two run third inning. The Exiles fought back to take the second game, tying it at 1-1 in the eighth and winning it with two runs in the tenth.

After a very poor start to the season, the City of London Club are finding their form and have now won five of their last six games after winning both against Greenwich today. Meridian have been struggling lately and dropped game one after giving up five runs in the fourth inning, while game two was tight and went to extra innings at 0-0. It was the City Club who found the important run to earn the victory.

There was a hugely controversial incident in the day's other double game between Clapham Common and the Old Westminsters, where only one of the games was played. It saw another complete game shut-out from Westminsters pitcher Caleb Dean, who will be back in the starting line-up permanently on current form as he allowed Common just six hits, the Westminsters scoring three in the first and another in the second to win. Although that game was playing in dry weather, recent rain meant that the condition of the field at the end of play was poor and the umpires refused to allow the second game to go ahead, to the annoyance of both teams. The teams are not scheduled to meet again this year at Westminster, so if the same principles are followed as last year the game may be made up on the week following the final scheduled games in October.

Scores:
Greenwich Meridian 1-5 City of London Club (Game One)
Greenwich Meridian 0-1 City of London Club (10 innings, Game Two)
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-1 Kensington Victoria (Game One)
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-1 Kensington Victoria (Game Two)
Hackney Exiles 2-4 Marylebone Regents (Game One)
Hackney Exiles 3-1 Marylebone Regents (10 innings, Game Two)
Clapham Common 0-4 Old Westminsters (Game One)
Clapham Common v Old Westminsters postponed (Game Two)
Angel Islington 3-4 Peckham Rye (Game One)
Angel Islington 3-1 Peckham Rye (Game Two)

Standings:
Royal Artillery Barracks 13-5
Angel Islington 11-7
Peckham Rye 11-7
Hackney Exiles 10-7
Marylebone Regents 10-8
City of London Club 8-10
Clapham Common 7-10
Greenwich Meridian 7-10
Old Westminsters 7-10
Kensington Victoria 4-14