Archipelago Baseball League

[tricey]

The sun was setting burnt orange on several flanneled figures, tossing caps and joyful taunts at each other as they returned to the nearby clubhouse, set to the north west of this velvet green carpet.

The Highbury Fields were an idyll of leisure and success, the playground of the benefactors of the powerful economic forces in the prosperous yards a few miles southwards.

These young men were no ordinary characters in a village green scene, though. Cricket was not the chosen game of these English speaking athletes, and indeed exclusion and privilege didn't taint the image either.

These were the inaugural members of the Gentleman's Baseball Association, representing the Dockyard and the Armoury, playing a game made popular in America and now reaching these verdant shores with increasing interest. The Gentlemen in question were not the players, but the organisers of the league; successful business men and city leaders who had agreed to play their part in sponsoring a team each in a festival celebrating the American game.

The festival had a quintessential touch of class from this side of the Atlantic, though. The sandwiches were cucumber, the drinks were gin or tea and the crowd as noisy as they might be if they were to greet a formal procession, traded only in polite applause.

As the awards were made, the organisers proclaimed their pleasure at the record participation from both players and spectators, and spoke in excitable tones about the potential for the regular amateur games now happening across the country to form the basis for a semi-professional league.

This island was amongst a small collection in the Eastern Atlantic, nestling between the Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay. It had a strategic position for trade, and some of the finest sailors and industrialists of the modern age had grown up on these shores or made them a home for their thriving businesses throughout the early part of the twentieth century.

Trade with America was strong and post-colonial relations had always been smooth. From the 18th century these islands had become increasingly independent former protectorates of the Crown. Naturally ideas such as baseball were blown by the favourable winds and an amateur form of the game had been practiced by enthusiasts for many years, without ever being organised formally.

Equally the islands were a haven for Western European ideals, and an integrated and eclectic population across the southern archipelago influenced the culture and trade routes as much as the anglicised-North. Integration, the rights of man, the strength of community and the distrust of elites were not modern discoveries; they were the foundations for many of the inhabitants across the isles.

As the sun set, the young men returned to their homes, to their lovers and to their families, their heads filled with the tales of their daring and their triumphs.

It was September 2nd 1939.

The shadows falling across the field drew longer still. It would be many years before it would rise again on this pretty peace. The night brought with it many monsters. There were days in which it seemed that hope itself would be forever put out. Games were soon forgotten as a darker opponent was rising.

Boys became men, and men became old, whilst others never returned. The landscape of plenty was replaced with one of destruction and fear.

Years later, at the same clubhouse, a group of the original festival goers, accompanied by figures of respect from across the country, met to discuss a plan.

The plan.

The plan to breathe life in to the dying sunbeams from that September evening, a plan to bring baseball back to the islands, to bring the simple joy of a green field and a well pitched game all the way home.

[Sizeman21]

Ooohhh this is great! Can't wait to read more about the Island people and adopting the sport we all love...baseball! The time period makes this interesting as well! Will keep an eye out for the next part to this story!

[tricey]

The room was thick with the smoke of cigars and the confidence of a deal being struck. The men gathered across the large oak table had spent days in conflict and clamour, gesticulating and cajoling through late hours and numerous glasses of whiskey.

The document that now laid before them was simply entitled 'The Agreement', formulating the structure and governance of a professional baseball league across the islands.

As the subtitle directed, the league was intended for 'the entertainment and betterment of the people of St Davids and St Georges'. Although the newspaper men, dockyard owners, bankers, city officials and mining tycoons that were now signing the document thought better than to lay on a show simply for charitable causes.

As the signing was completed and fresh cigars were issued, an improbable band of brothers had formed. Eight businessmen and leaders were already dreaming of their teams in first place as the photographer gathered them together for the front page story.

Sharply dressed and with a smile wider than the Gulf of St Andrews stood Gareth Pengilly, newspaper man, publicist and the new owner of the Ealing Stars.

To his left the hunched figure of Mark Merrick, the veteran of the group, a former naval officer and mayor of the city of Crookham who had been trying to build a league in his native St Davids for twenty years.

Next to Merrick stood the tall and uneasy looking Liam MacManus, an investor in Pengilly's Star newspaper, his ill-fitting suit now showing the signs of several days wear. MacManus had agreed to taking a club to Finsbury Park, the fashionable district on the eastern coast of St Georges.

Slightly detached from the group, as if engaged in a trade discussion already, stood the The Italian, Josh Ambrogiani and his long time associate Edouard Ghedina. Ambrogiani may have had Italian heritage, but he was born and grew up in the market town of Farnborough at the heart of St Davids. His contemporary, Ghedina, a short squat man with a face that looked a little like a shrivelled olive, had agreed to take a team in Fleet, the capital of the southern island. I say agreed to, perhaps I should have said insisted upon, because Ghedina had a knack for getting his way.

On the opposite side of Pengilly stood the flamboyantly dressed Spencer Hambleton. Sporting a hat more suited to a depression era speakeasy, Hambleton was a late recruitment when unsuitable candidates had dropped out. The St Patricks native had agreed to buying the team in Bloxham, a centre of the Cotswold Islands that lay between St Davids and St Georges.

Standing next to him was the figure of Graeme Lewis, a broad-chested man with an imposing gaze who wore the look of quiet satisfaction as he shook Hambleton's hand. Lewis was a Highbury man through and through, having built ships with his bare hands in the yard that he now owned, the largest in the northern isle of St Georges. He was renowned for his selfless devotion to the city, so to bring a team back to Highbury was fulfilment in itself.

Beside Lewis, turned slightly away from the camera as if looking out beyond the spectacle to the future to come, stood banker Ewan MacCrum, a native of the nearby island of St Williams. For the purposes of the day's scene he was the hero of Reading on St Davids, having agreed to bring a team to the city.

Set amongst the group, almost unnoticed, was the slight figure of Gordon Collier, proposed to be the Commissioner of the newly formed Archipelago Baseball League. Collier had been a prominent politician during the war, and was widely recognised for his diplomatic efforts in keeping the neighbouring islands in close harmony despite the tumult on the mainland.

Whether it was the late nights prior to this or the years of conflict and compromise that had exhausted him, Collier wore the smile of a man who was looking for a comfortable retirement. His hollow eyes gazed lazily past the group as he leaned on a nearby chair for support. If there was any doubt, Collier was the owners' man and would be expected to see to it that the betterment of the people happened only after the enrichment of the men with the money and power in the room.

[tricey]

Two leagues, comprising four teams each would play an ambitious 120 game schedule beginning in May 1946. Three tiers of minor league teams enabled a network of semi-professional baseball that already existed at a County level to be swept in to the same structure, whilst extending the reach of the league beyond the eight cities that hosted the major franchises.

On the island of St Davids four teams came together to form the St Davids League - the above average markets of Fleet and Reading were represented by the Orion and Royals respectively, whilst smaller Crookham and Farnborough fielded the Rovers and Aviators.

The slightly bigger St Georges island with a larger population provided teams from the major towns in the southern half of the island. Highbury Gunners were located in the biggest population centre, a major shipbuilding port. It was the city in which the passion for the game was at it’s highest. Ealing, nearby, was a rival city and the Stars were expected to challenge the Gunners. Two other larger cities were represented, with the Rockets of Bloxham and the Metropolitans of Finsbury Park completing the St Georges League. At the beginning of the season pundits widely tipped the Reading Royals, Farnborough Aviators, Highbury Gunners and Ealing Stars for success.



The 1946 season began with great fan fare. The rules were simple, following similar concepts from the American leagues of their time. Players from across the islands and neighbouring countries were brought together in to a central pool from which the teams made their initial bids to sign stars to their teams.

Spectators arrived at the ballparks with a mild curiosity, having warmed to the game played by American troops stationed on the islands during the war. They were curious to see if the local players could recreate the game with the same skill and grace as the GIs, and open to the colour and sounds of a game that might return excitement and pleasure to nations that had endured such hardship and misery.

On May 6th 1946, the first pitch of the new league was thrown by Fleet’s Martin Martindale. The Orion defeated Crookham Rovers by a score of 7-1. Further north on St Georges the Ealing Stars shut out Highbury 4-0.
This was the only game on the Northern Island since Bloxham and Finsbury Park played the other game, a 10-2 win for the Metropolitans, on the Cotswold Islands. Although the Bloxham Rockets were part of the St Georges League, the city is on St Davids, located on a northerly island between the two main countries.

The early signs were positive. Keen pricing by the owners, an even share of talent across the league and some new stars emerging from their amateur roots to claim national attention brought interest throughout the summer. Exceptional promotion by Pengilly, in particular, ensured that the league provided a story every day for the newspapers, and soon the lives and fortunes of Gregoire Maidalchini, Robin Mardell, Jonathan Lacroix and Aidan Scobie were as hotly debated as the politics and social issues of the day. A national pastime had been born.

[GoPedro99]

This will be awesome! Although you should get logos and jerseys. Ask on the mods thread and people could probably help. But I'm subscribed and can't wait for more

[tricey]

Originally Posted by GoPedro99

This will be awesome! Although you should get logos and jerseys. Ask on the mods thread and people could probably help. But I'm subscribed and can't wait for more

Thanks - that's a good suggestion. I am impressed with how selfless others are around here in volunteering time. I have zero artistic ability, so I've stuck with the standard logos so far and used my own choices of colour schemes.

[GoPedro99]

Originally Posted by tricey

Thanks - that's a good suggestion. I am impressed with how selfless others are around here in volunteering time. I have zero artistic ability, so I've stuck with the standard logos so far and used my own choices of colour schemes.

Ya. The community is great. Shouldn't take long to fine what you need

[tricey]

Just for a moment I'm going to "break the fourth wall" and explain a little bit about my ideas and inspiration behind the league.

When I was a boy I invented an imaginary island which was the basis of sporting events that I created, wrote software to simulate and generate stories for my own amusement. I even wrote some software to simulate a General Election, drawing my own maps by hand.

TV was really bad in the 80s in the UK.

I created rivalries, back stories, and legends, but rather unimaginatively based all of the cities and towns on places near where I lived or my family lived, or where we spent time.

So I've recreated this island, put all of the places that I remember along with some of the nicknames, although it was a football league, not baseball, and added a second island filled with places that mean something for me in adulthood. Places I've worked, where my friends are from, where I've lived, where I have fond memories or had great holidays.

As I've been building the geography in the past few weeks my kids got interested too, so you'll see some suggestions from them that will stand out particularly, borrowed from fiction or similar.

The Archipelago stretches further than just the two islands mentioned so far, but I will reveal more of the islands and their history as we go along. Unintentionally it is starting to sound like a tribute to George R. R. Martin.

I have started the league with the intention of becoming a GM some time in the 1970s, at which time I will have an interesting and colourful history already created. Which teams will be the once-great franchises desperately waiting for a Messiah to bring them back to the Archipelago Series? Who are the bridesmaids, never quite reaching the top? Which team are the consistently dominant organisation and which is rarely out of the basement?

I've simmed until 1959 so far, that's 14 seasons ahead, and started writing my own book alongside the simulation. I'm interested in the big themes, the ownership, the struggles for control of the direction of the league, the emergence of other nations and the tipping of the balance of power.

You aren't going to see exhaustive statistical analysis, rosters posted, day by day reports of the games - indeed the simulation in OOTP is very much the canvas for painting a picture, not even the landscape.

I'm interested in which teams people will end up rooting for - I've started to find favourites myself although as a consequence I've started writing more about them and created sympathetic story lines. I will address that, bring some balanced reporting.

Can I bring myself to placing a scandal at the heart of a favourite franchise?

[tricey]

Dangerous Bats

Gregoire Maidalchini, RF for Highbury, was considered the finest position player in the league, with team mate Dwaine Wood (CF) forming a formidable power-speed combination. Farnborough could call upon the talents of such players as Noah Dawson (CF), Louis Stanworth (LF), Aidan Scobie (3B) and Jessy Bouwhuis (1B) to offer a strong starting lineup. Robin Mardell (SS) was the brightest of the Ealing Stars, whilst Reading sported Donnchadh Morphie (3B), Jonathan Lacroix (RF) and Robert Bleazard (LF).



Finest Pitchers
The best arms in the league were in Crookham with Morgan Chuter and William Prudom at the very top of their game. The Aviators’ had a pair of fine starters in Lucas MacPartland and Maximo Stallone, whilst Finley Broomfield in Ealing and Martin Martindale in Fleet were also highly thought of.



Top Prospects

The Top Prospects in the league included Crookham’s RHP William Prudom, C Ross O’Reilly (Ealing), RHP Steven Verberk (Bloxham), RHP Tyler Hulbert (Highbury) and 3B Tyler Rainford (Reading).
The Farnborough Aviators made SS Sean Pothecary their first selection in the first year player draft. Gary van Capelleveen (LHP) was the highest rated prospect according to The Star in Ealing.

[tricey]

The Archipelago Baseball League had been a success right across St Davids, drawing good crowds and strong reviews. The players had been colourful, the games, whilst dominated by pitching, had been close and each of the four teams remained in contention deep in to the final month of the season.

Meanwhile, north of the Cotswold Straits, the Highbury Gunners had wrapped up the St Georges League in fine style. Losing just 39 games the Isledon County team won the pennant by 19 games from Ealing, with Finsbury Park and Bloxham a distant third and fourth.

Fans arrived early at Palmer Park on Wednesday September 25th, drawn by the smell of the grass, the roar of a two run double and the hope of a dramatic pennant. The small ground in the city of Reading played host to the Royals, a team who a few days previously had scarcely hoped to be in a position to clinch a pennant.

Back in early September the Farnborough Aviators were ready to be pronounced dead by all but their determined owner, Josh Ambrogiani. They soared to a 15 game winning streak, moving from fourth place to first and with a chance to clinch the title with just a single win in their three game set with the Royals in Reading.

Heart-breaking one run losses for the Aviators, though, had teased Ambrogiani to the point of distraction. As each inning passed the owner showed more and more frustration with his players and his manager, drumming his hands on the walls of the small wooden box that stood atop the main stands of the ageing ballpark.

The majestic Beacons stretched out behind the city limits, but Ambrogiani was in no mood to take in the air or the scenery. The only smell in his nostrils was a bitter stench, the fear of defeat.

This game, this business. It was supposed to be just a business, he reminded himself. A risk, yes. What is a game without chance? But his game was making money.

In June he was making money. As the sun shone, the fans arrived. No matter that the Aviators were taking regular beatings by their northern foes, this was good money, money taken from people who left with smiles on their faces.

After all of the defeats, winning first began as a curiosity, then became a habit and at last it became demanded. First place wasn't a dream, it was a precious and fragile reality. For Ambrogiani, victory was no longer measured in profit. It became about, well, not losing.

The Aviators, though, suddenly couldn't stop losing. The one thing they craved, another victory, looked set to elude them at the close.

On Monday, the first game of the series, Aviators’ starter Maximo Stallone took the mound with a two run lead, 8 strong innings behind him. He opened up by hitting Alan Wrathall with a pitch. Wrathall scored on Flobert Stoops’ triple. Stallone walked Roy Lyon before allowing a line drive single by Pol O’Hagan to score Stoops and tie the game.

Pasi Jarvinen sacrificed the winning run to third before Stallone loaded the bases intentionally by walking Rob Arscott. Nicky Causton relieved Stallone and struck out Jonathan Lacroix, but 3B Donnchadh Morphie battled to a full count, fouling off three pitches before drawing the game winning walk.

Ambrogiani raged in the owners seats, raged in the clubhouse below and then stormed away to find a bar and someone to take out his frustration upon. Late in the night, glass in hand, he glanced in a mirror and a pitiful sight glanced back. This was how it felt to want something so much, yet despite his skills, despite his riches, he could not simply reach out and take it.

The following day the Reading victory was a little more conventional, leaping in to a three run lead that the Aviators pinned back to 3-2 in the ninth inning on a two-out passed ball that scored Edward Solley from third. The bases had been loaded, the title winning run was on second base and pinch hitter Jamie Kody had a 1-1 count.

Ambrogiani was slapping fellows on the back, clasping their arms as the day break shone in his eyes after the long night of despair. This was my moment, he told himself. Sure, the kid will be a hero, and I will give the manager the credit when I speak to the press ... but this, this sweetest of victories, to wipe that sympathetic crowing smile off the Reading owner MacCrum's face; this was all mine.

Kody, however, had not read the same script. He managed only a weak fly ball out to left field to leave two runners stranded and frustrate the Farnborough owner once again.

The final day ended again in heart break for the Aviators. Backed by the strong pitching of Fiorenzo Farentino, the Royals’ won 3-2, resisting another ninth-inning rally from the Aviators that served just to add a twist of the dagger to the fatally wounded hopes of the Farnborough faithful.

With the tying run on third base, Gay Steere flew out to second base to end the hopes of Ambrogiani and send Reading through to the Archipelago Series as St Davids League champions.

[tricey]

[tricey]

The Royals’ heroics were not at an end just because the regular season was over. They were heavy underdogs to the Highbury Gunners who had rested their big pitchers during the final days. Highbury manager Shaun Walder’s tactics seemed to have taken the edge off the team. Reading had momentum and a confidence born in the fire of that dramatic title winning sweep of Farnborough.

The Royals defeated the Highbury Gunners 4-2 in the Archipelago Series to win the first ever title. The Royals sealed the victory with a top-of-the-9th three-run two-out rally, Jonathan Lacroix delivering a two-run fly ball single to left with Harrison Kilmister scoring the go-ahead run on a throwing error by LF Joel Bourner. Kilian O’Shevlin sealed the win, earning the save with a swinging strike out of Bernard Wormleighton to bring the curtain down on the season's drama.

Highbury owner, Graeme Lewis, was magnanimous in defeat, proclaiming each of the owners as champions in his post-series speech at the Commissioner’s Office. Who could doubt him?

A great gamble had changed the landscape of two nations. The game was here to stay.

[tricey]

A trio of Triple Crowns were won in the inaugural season, with Gregoire Maidalchini of Highbury (.338, 19 HRs, 81 RBIs) and Jessy Bouwhuis of Farnborough (.305, 15 HR, 76 RBIs) sealing the batting titles in the St Georges and St Davids League respectively. Morgan Chuter of the Crookham Rovers clinched the Triple Crown for pitching in the St Davids League with a 15-9 record, 146 Ks and a 2.32 ERA.

Maidalchini was the consensus MVP selection in the St Georges League, having finished the season with an active 20 game hitting streak and a Triple Crown. He beat out teammates Dwaine Wood and Brian Ansley for the title, Ansley winning the Pitcher of the Year Award after a stunning 11-3 performance in 17 starts, a 1.61 ERA and 80 Ks. Ansley gave up just 2 home runs all season.

In the St Davids League, Morgan “The Mayor” Chuter won the Pitcher of the Year Award with a 15-9 record, 2.32 ERA and 146 Ks in 228.2 innings. He limited opponents to a .205 batting average. The Crookham Rovers star finished ahead of Martin Martindale for Fleet and Fiorenzo Farentino of the the Royals.

Fleet’s Aaron Minet wrapped a fine campaign with the MVP Award, with a .284 average, 15 homers and 70 RBIs. He edged Morgan Chuter and triple crown winner Jessy Bouwhuis of Farnborough.

[Tyke]

Excellent concept, nicely written, I'll certainly be following. Hope we get to see more of the geography of the Archipelago, also!

[tricey]

When the Archipelago League was first conceived it was by no means certain that the country would take to the concept. The players were signed mostly to deals that would pay as they played, with no guarantees at all. Initially there was a gentleman's agreement in place that a player could not be bought with a promise of a higher salary by another team unless the original team gave up their interest in the player. However, free agency and clubs rights to the players were by no means established by the rules of the league.

However, once the first season was over and some clubs could demonstrate a return to their investors, new investment came in to many of the teams. The aim of the new money was to bring an ever more attractive playing squad to the fans in their city and, naturally enough, to win.

There was no great surprise when jealous owners with the banks' cash in their pockets immediately began to raid the top clubs. Farnborough were particularly vulnerable. Josh Ambrogiani's tirades and angry reaction to the Aviators' final defeat meant that many players were glad of the opportunity to play in another city. All Star and Silver Slugger Louis Stanworth was the major off-season signing, agreeing a 6 year contract with the Finsbury Park Metropolitans to move to the northern St Georges League.

Ambrogiani called out Stanworth in the press the very next day, accusing him of treachery and casting doubt on Stanworth's professionalism during the closing days, without foundation.

If it was intended to discourage other stars from leaving, it failed. Responding to their neighbours in Finsbury Park, Highbury signed third baseman Aidan Scobie to a 4 year contract right from under the nose of Ambrogiani.

The Farnborough owner again called in the newspapers, naming the owners of the St Georges League team as 'pirates and thieves', later denouncing them as 'damn fools, gambling with money they may never earn'. As for Stanworth and Scobie he simply called them the 'dumbest players on the team, dumb enough to believe those pirates will ever pay them a penny'.

Two weeks later Ambrogiani changed his tune, embracing the piracy movement himself as he introduced former Reading Royals' first baseman Jonathan Lacroix to the journalists gathered at Cherry Wood Road. The All Star, Silver Slugger and Golden Glove winner was a pivotal player in tormenting the Aviators in the final series and throughout the season. In June he had hit a grand slam in Farnborough.

There was a problem with the Aviators owner's plan. Lacroix was 33, had bad knees despite a great eye and power, and the high salary he was being paid perhaps owed as much to Ambrogiani's competitive desire as it did to his true value on the baseball diamond.

In turn the Royals upgraded their rotation by signing All Star Finley Broomfield from the Ealing Stars. He was the major signing amongst pitchers, and came in response to the Stars' having signed former Royal Josh Crosby to a 5 year deal, despite his 30 years of age. Crosby was undoubtedly an ace, but only Gareth Pengilly's own Star newspaper believed he was what was needed to put the Lammas County team over the edge and make them competitive.

[tricey]

The pundits showed little imagination in nominating the Aviators and Royals to run each other close for the St Davids League title, although most preferred the Aviators line up to avenge their final day disappointment. Meanwhile in the St Georges League the Gunners were expected to repeat, although the Ealing Stars were picked by many to challenge until the final month.

The top prospects included the Rovers’ 2b Ronald Bythsea and Louis Tweedy, Rockets’ RHP Steven Verbeek, Royals’ RHP Charlie Gent, Gunners’ 3b Corey Everall and Ross O’Reilly who worked behind the plate for the Ealing Stars.

[tricey]

After early success, the ABL returned for a second season with the same format. The 120 game season began in May and ended in a 7-game series between the two League Champions to determine the winner.

The Crookham Rovers made an early claim for the St Davids League title, but were soon overhauled by the Reading Royals, who dominated the league. By September 1st the Royals had a 65-34 record and a 19 game lead over the rest of the division. With a magic number at 3, the Royals were all set to cruise to their second consecutive title. On the 8th of September the Royals’ sealed the pennant with a 7-4 victory against the Ealing Stars.

Likewise the Highbury Gunners dominated the St Georges League, but only had a 5 game lead in early September with a crucial series in the offing in Ealing. However, Ealing won each of the three games and put a kink in the Gunners’ plans. Later, facing elimination, the Stars won both games of a double-header to close within two games overall of the Gunners and avoid conceding the title.

Ealing moved on to Bloxham for their final series whilst the Gunners returned home to play local rivals Finsbury Park. Ealing won the opening two games of their series to keep the pressure on, whilst the Gunners and Metropolitans split their series to leave the defending league champions with just a one game lead with one game to play. Highbury clinched the title, though, after Dineen Leithwaite pitched 8 strong innings giving up just one run on six hits to clinch his 18th win and the crucial 70th for Highbury, who retained their St Georges’ League pennant.

[tricey]

The post-season series repeated the same drama and close games as the 1946 edition, but this time the Gunners’ came out on top with a 4-1 series win. Never leading a game by more than 2 runs, four of the games were won by just a single run. The Series MVP was Gunners’ left fielder Dwaine Wood who batted .421 with 2 RBIs in a series dominated by pitching.

[tricey]

St Davids and St Georges are the largest islands in the Atlantic Archipelago, a group of islands found to the West of the English Channel and Bay of Biscay, off mainland Europe.

Their history is brief, having only been settled relatively recently in comparison to the European mainland. The islands are barely mentioned in Greek or Roman texts, although there are theories that perhaps one or more of the islands are the seed that grew to become the myth of Atlantis, a hypothetical island in the mid-Atlantic that legend claims was destroyed by floods with the loss of all inhabitants.

Although evidence of a lost civilisation on the islands is thin, there’s certainly a shared common root to their histories. The story of the lands are as much about the natural phenomena that gave rise to them as the people who inhabited them.

The islands were settled by Irish and Welsh monastic communities in the Middle Ages, primarily in the areas around Sheffield on St Georges and Basingstoke on St Davids. Any written references recovered from these early communities suggest that the land was much smaller and any land bridges were prone to frequent flooding. Gales and stormy weather conditions meant that life on the islands was anything but idyllic.

In 1651 there was significant seismic activity across the Mid Atlantic Ridge and between the continental shelves of Europe and Africa. A devastating earthquake ripped through the Atlantic causing flooding across Europe, in the relatively unpopulated regions of North America on the eastern seaboard and across low-lying coastal regions of North Africa.

Whilst stories in London suggested that the quakes were a sign of God’s anger with the murder of King Charles I two years earlier, in fact a more profound and tangible change in the landscape emerged as a shocking story. Although devastated by the earthquakes, new landmasses rose from the sea to form the modern islands of St Davids and St Georges, transforming them from mere islets in to two substantial landmasses.

The rocks and cliffs in the north eastern region, now known as St Patricks, had previously been the escape for monks and holy men. The multiple communities became joined by salty marshland, including a land bridge to towering mountains across New Yorkshire on modern day St Georges. The Beacons to the south had previously been rocky outcrops, but now formed a north-south spine across modern-day St Davids, a broad island of around 200 miles from east to west.

Little grew in these marshes, and the opportunities for cultivation and agrarian development in either the rocky highlands or the flooded lowlands were limited. It was not until the arrival of members of the Bedford Level Corporation in the later part of the 17th Century, that the population began to grow.

The company, founded by Francis Russell the 4th Earl of Bedford, arrived with the skills and intent to drain the salt marshes much as they had across the Fens in Cambridgeshire. Over a period of several years they were able to recover rich arable land that encouraged a great influx of people from across the British Isles.

[tricey]

Highbury’s Dwaine Wood (LF) put the wraps on a fine campaign by winning the 1947 MVP award in the St Georges League. The 27 year-old veteran scorched the opposition with a .299 average, 13 home runs and 71 RBIs, scoring 83 times.

RHP Martin Martindale collected the Best Pitcher and MVP award in the St Davids League. The Fleet Orion pitcher recorded an 18-6 record with a 2.46 ERA in 28 starts, along with 106 Ks. Martindale also seized the Pitcher of the Year award.

29 year old LHP Peter Lang of Bloxham picked up a double award as Rookie of the Year and also Pitcher of the Year in his first season. The experienced Rockets’ pitcher entered the league this year and spun a 17-8 record and 2.98 ERA alongside 95 strikeouts and just 56 walks in 232 innings and 28 starts.

25 year-old RHP David “Tiger” Torin snagged the St Davids League Rookie of the Year on the back of a 14-7 season with a 2,14 ERA, 85 Ks and 68 walks. Torin was a star for the Royals in their pennant winning season.

Shaun Walder of Highbury and Ben McKinlay of Reading were unsurprisingly named the top skippers.