Archipelago Baseball League

[tricey]

RHP Maximo Stallone stepped out of the shadows of Martin Martindale and won his first ever Pitcher of the Year Award. The St Davids League bullpen ace saved 6 games, won 12 and had an ERA of 1.58.

Highbury’s Tyler Hulbert won the Pitcher of the Year Award and MVP in the St Georges League. Noah Dawson won the DL MVP award despite missing most of the last month, edging out Aaron Minet and Louis Tweedy of Crookham.

Shaun Walder won his fifth Manager of the Year award, after guiding the Gunners’ to Archipelago Series victory. Patrick Carvalho won the St Davids League award for the fourth straight season in an unprecedented run since taking over the helm at the Aviators.

1B Daryl Pegge of Ealing and Joe Earle of Farnborough bagged the Rookie of the Year honours.

[tricey]

There was considerable excitement during the Winter Meetings in 1951 when the ABL announced plans to expand by 1955.

Recognising the growth of the game beyond St Davids and the southern-most regions of St Georges, the ABL announced an intention to award 4 new franchises on November 1st 1952, with plans for the teams to play their first games in April 1955.

In order to improve the opportunities for the new franchises the ABL immediately announced the expansion of both Triple-A and Single-A baseball with the addition of four teams who would feed in to the as yet unnamed Archipelago League franchises.

[tricey]

In early May 1952, the ABL announced the location of the new Triple-A and Single-A teams that would be formed as feeder organisations for the future expanded league.

The International Association added the Cardiff Dragons, London Bridge Barrowboys, Bristol Engineers and Brockenhurst Brocks, all towns on St Georges. Exeter Cubs, Harrold Bishops, St Ives Light and Staines Power were added to Single-A ball in the newly created Corinthian League.
The planned expansion would potentially remove a lot of talent from the top teams. The Original Eight agreed with the ABL that the new franchises would not be able to participate in the Amateur Draft until 1954, a draft that was to be delayed until early November.

Additionally they were allowed to protect 30 players from selection in the expansion draft, and would lose no more than 10 players per team, which would effectively mean that the new teams were significantly short of Major League talent. In addition the league agreed to expand the schedule from 120 games to 144, bringing in additional revenue for the owners.

[tricey]

Other than a few shifts in affiliation for Minor League teams, the offseason was another quiet one, with few free agents available and a couple of trades of any significance. The Ealing Stars added 2b Louis Tweedy and reliever William Prudom from Crookham, and starter Peter Lang from Bloxham to shore up their starting lineup.

Crookham also traded 1b Alexander MacHendrie to Highbury in a move that shocked many at the Abercorn, for a bunch of no-talent prospects and the starter Alexander Longworth. Longworth was the 10th pick in the 1951 Amateur Draft and immediately moved in to the Rovers’ AAA franchise, the New Forest Wildcats.

Despite their reinforcements the Stars were only expected to finish second to the Highbury Gunners by many of the experts. The Reading Royals were expected to win the St Davids League by a few games from the four-time pennant winning Farnborough Aviators. Martin Martindale was expected to return for the final month of the season and might prove pivotal to press the Royals’ to the final days of the season.

There were contrasting fortunes for traditional St Georges League rivals, Highbury and Ealing. Whilst new acquisition Peter Lang damaged elbow ligaments and was declared out of action for 15 months, a day later Douglas Croucher no-hit the Bloxham Rockets for the Gunners. Croucher had missed the whole of the 1951 campaign, and had made an early impressive start with a 5-1 record and 1.53 ERA through 7 starts.

Croucher was joined in a stellar rotation for Highbury by Morgan Chuter, Tyler Hulbert and David Dalziel as the Gunners tore through opposing lineups to fashion a 42-16 record by the All Star Break. The only thing that looked likely to top the North Islanders was injury, and sure enough the curse struck in a week in late June when Croucher went down for 5 months with bone spurs in his elbow and Chuter for 4 weeks with a separated shoulder.

The Aviators lead the St Davids League by 6 games over the Royals and 7 over the Fleet Orion who surprised many with their competitive start to the season. Fleet, however dropped away and by the trading deadline they were 13 games behind Farnborough. On August 6th the Aviators activated franchise MVP Martin Martindale from the disabled list and assigned him to Aldershot for a re-hab assignment. He struggled in his first time up, giving up 4 hits and 8 walks in 7 innings, losing 4-0 to the New Forest Wildcats. Martindale’s first Major League start was on 5th September in which he pitched 5 1/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to Ealing. Martindale spread 6 hits and 3 walks across the game as he looked a long way short of his former dominant self.

Highbury clinched the St Georges League on 9th September, returning the defending champions to the Archipelago Series. The very next day martin Martindale was injured in the 3rd inning of the Aviators’ win over the Bloxham Rockets. It was diagnosed as shoulder inflammation, and could keep Martindale out for 8-9 months more. The Aviators continued to hold the Reading Royals at bay, despite this set back, and held a 1 game lead going in to the final Series at Palmer Park.

Playing for their season, Reading won game one 7-4, rattling Farnborough starter Glen Fairchild early with 3 runs in the first inning. 3b Tyler Rainford had 4 hits, 2 runs and 2 rbis in the win. The following day Farnborough bounced back with a 12-0 victory behind the strong pitching of Kyle Osbourn and Jessy Bouwhuis’s 20th Home Run and sophomore Joe Earle’s 29th of the season. Needing just one more win to clinch on the final day, or facing a playoff, the Aviators showed their class in a 7-2 win to break the Royals’ hearts. This setup another October Classic between the Aviators and Gunners, the third in four seasons with honours even so far.

[tricey]

The Gunners had an almost unstoppable pitching rotation with Tyler Hulbert (16-8, 2.51 ERA), David Dalziel (16-7, 2.34 ERA) and Morgan Chuter (15-4, 2.61 ERA) set to share the majority of the work. Whilst the Aviators may not have had the arms to compete with the 82-38 Gunners, they had some hot bats with Daryl Townson (.357 average, 56 RBIs), Jessy Bouwhuis (.331, 20 HRs and 80 RBIs) and of course the mighty Joe Earle (.303, 29 HRs, 96 RBIs). The Canadian 22 year old first baseman was primed to make an impression on the National stage, having missed the Archipelago Series in 1951.

The Gunners’ took Game One by a score of 6-3 behind strong pitching by Tyler Hulbert and home runs from Zier Neef and Aidan Scobie. In Game Two the Aviators’ roughed up Dalziel on 13 hits, but their bats were strong to deliver 8 runs and an 8-5 win. Back in Farnborough Morgan Chuter made it 3-0 to the Gunners’ on a tight 3-2 victory. Chuter pitched 7 strong innings of 4 hit ball whilst Steve Verbeek gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and 7 walks for the Aviators.

Highbury clinched their second consecutive Archipelago Series sweep with a 6-2 win at Cherry Wood Road, Tyler Hulbert taking the win. Zier Neef was named Series MVP after 6 hits and 5 rbis for the young catcher. By contrast Joe Earle disappointed with 1 hit only from 13 at bats. It was the Gunners’ 3rd Championship in ABL history, and a delighted Shaun Walder was carried from the field by his players.

[tricey]

David Dalziel was named the GL Pitcher of the Year, ahead of team mate Tyler Hulbert and Brian Ansley of Ealing. Dalziel also won the MVP, beating team mates Hughie Culley and Gregoire Maidalchini. The 24 year old had the potential for a fine career ahead of him. The Scotsman already had two All Star selections and two Championship rings in his brief career to date. He was traded by the Reading Royals in May 1950 for Dwaine Wood, the 1947 Archipelago Series MVP and beloved of the fans. It was a big spot to fill, but Dalziel looks to have already repaid the judgement of the Gunners’ Front Office.

Fleet Catcher Verdiano Gambetta was named rookie of the Year in the St Davids League, after a .349 batting average, 7 home runs and 45 RBIs in 255 at bats caught the eye. In the St Georges League Bob Williams was named Rookie of the Year. The switch-hitting shortstop played for the Finsbury Park Metropolitans, and batted .285 with 2 homers and 100 hits across a fine debut season.

Despite their final day disappointment, Patty Pape was awarded the Manager of the Year award for the Reading Royals, whilst Shaun Walder was the consensus choice in the St Georges League as the Highbury manager again triumphed. Walder had at this point amassed a career 504-336 record (.600) and won the Manager of the Year an unprecedented 6 times in 7 seasons. The 49 year old was set for many many successful seasons ahead.

Killian O’Shevlin of the Reading Royals won the DL Pitcher of the Year, narrowly beating team mate and pitching Triple Crown Winner, Charlie Gent, to the prize. Nicky Causton of Farnborough came third in the voting.
Despite the bitterness of losing the Archipelago Series, Joe Earle of Farnborough was pleased and proud to win the DL MVP award, ahead of team mates Jessy Bouwhuis and Noah Dawson.

[tricey]

Bloxham Rockets owner Spencer Hambleton had long been a controversial figure. The Cardiff native had expressed his dissatisfaction with the unwillingness of Bloxham city officials to support him in extending and promoting baseball in the area. The club was sited on an island part-way between St Georges and St Davids Islands, and Hambleton had repeatedly expressed his concerns about the high costs of operating a team in the area and the lack of assistance he was receiving. This was seen mostly as an attempt to distract from the terrible teams that the Rockets were putting on the field, achieving a winning season just once in franchise history in 1949.

However during September rumours mounted that this was to be Bloxham’s final season of organised baseball. As expansion loomed Hambleton decided to act to protect the financial fortunes of the club and the risk of being moved to the weaker St Davids League. He courted financiers and city officials from his native Cardiff at the northern tip of St Georges Island, and then forced the ABL’s officials to agree his proposed move. The club’s 9-7 win against Finsbury Park was the last to be played at the School Grounds, as it was announced that Bloxham were re-locating to Cardiff to become the Dragons, displacing the Triple-A franchise of the same name.

Without a franchise, Bloxham fans were up in arms. The ABL acted swiftly and announced that in 1953 the Triple-A Dragons would swap locations and play in Bloxham for one season as the Rockets, before becoming one of the new clubs added to the Major Leagues in the planned 1955 expansion.

Hambleton’s move was seen as a breathtaking act of brinksmanship and transformed the landscape of the GL which hitherto had been split by the Highbury Gunners and Ealing Stars. With new resources at his disposal the baseball world looked on in anticipation of what Hambleton might do to develop baseball in the northern regions of the island, where rugby traditionally held sway.

[tricey]

On the 1st November 1952, as promised, the ABL announced the formation of four new franchises, including the announcement of a new ownership group for the Bloxham franchise. Along with Bloxham, the SDL was to add a team in Aldershot, the Highwaymen, to play at the Recreation Ground where the existing Red Caps club had been playing. The Red Caps are the Triple-A franchise of the Farnborough Aviators and it was announced that they would seek a new affiliation in 1955. The Bloxham franchise planned to use the title ‘Phoenix’ to recognise their return to the major leagues.

The SGL showed their ambition, though, with some eye-catching announcements. In addition to the move north to Cardiff, the league announced their intention to develop two of the newer Triple-A clubs in to Major League teams as both the Bristol Engineers and London Bridge Barrowboys were awarded franchises. This demonstrated an expansion to the East, and the development of new markets with powerful local economies.

This was a clever move, having found both London, Cardiff and Bristol to be successful sites for organised baseball in the 1952 IABA season. They also announced the separation of the Corinthian League at Single-A with the intention to play all 6 SGL-affiliated teams on their own island. They also notified franchises in Caerleon, Oxford, Warmington and Banbury that they would lose their affiliations in 1955.

The league went further still, announcing a new six-team Double-A league on the nearby islands of Santa Ginevra and Saint Madeleine, showing clear signs of an intention to develop the sport on new shores. This was a shot across the bows of the more senior league which had traditionally developed the game on St Davids Island and viewed the surrounding islands as a source of talent but not new locations for teams. The decisions by the SGL put the two leagues in to conflict, with senior SDL representatives claiming this to be a foolhardy and hasty decision. The distances involved, the costs and the immaturity of the game in these cities would lead to financial ruin. Now it became clear why the SGL had planned to move their Major League clubs to more profitable local economies on their island, to fund international development.

[tricey]

The Ealing Stars yet again proved adept at prizing talent away from other teams, this time trading prospects for 2b Fallon Trail, reliever Harvey Leadbetter and 1b Eadbhard Peasnell over two deals with the Finsbury Park Metropolitans.

Most of the prospects received looked unlikely to make the Majors, except for shortstop Sergio Salazar.

Finsbury Park also acquired reliever Alex Shillito from Farnborough in return for starter Jorian Solleveld.

Reading acquired excellent prospect Dani Ortiz in right field from Fleet Orion, giving up a slew of talent including left fielder Alexander Brittain, the second pick overall in the 1952 amateur draft.

[tricey]

The Aviators and Gunners were highly fancied to repeat as champions in 1953, with the Royals and Stars again expected to provide the main competition. At mid-season it seemed that the year was following the script, with the Gunners setting a blistering pace. This year they clinched on September 5th, giving them plenty of time to set their rotation for the Archipelago Series.

On the same day the Farnborough Aviators were 54-49, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Fleet Orion who were 53-51. Both teams won that day, but the following day Ealing beat the Aviators 8-0 to push the SDL in to a race between two teams with just one game between then.

Highbury took 2 from 3 against Fleet in the next series whilst Farnborough won 2 of 3 on the road in Cardiff to take a two game lead. It was still a two game lead on September 17th when the Orion came to town to take on the Aviators. Fleet dropped game one 8-3 behind 2 home runs by Joe Earle. The following day Fleet scrapped from 7-5 down in the 8th to win 8-7 on Rio Sidford’s pinch hit rbi single in the 9th.

The series decider on 19th September showcased the breakout pitching talent of 1953, Federico Rondinella. He defeated the mighty Martin Martindale 6-1 behind Harley Orchard’s player of the game performance, with 2 hits, 4 rbis and a home run. Fleet were just one game back with three to play.

Two days later Fleet tied it with another 9th inning win, beating the Rovers on Brad Harber’s walk-off RBI single. The Aviators lost their third straight, defeated by the Reading Royals. The following day both teams lost, setting up a grandstand finish to the season on the Final Day.

Both teams started their aces, Rondinella and Martindale, and sealed the wins required to force a one-game playoff. Joe Earle hammered his league-best 34th home run to seal his part in ABL history.

The first ever playoff in ABL History was held in Fleet at Calthorpe Park. The teams were tied in the 6th when Arturo Madrid singled home Stephen Duckering to take a 5-4 lead. Back-to-back singles from Wrayford and Harber, and a walk to Gambetta loaded the bases in the 7th. Edoardo Ulleri delivered a sac fly before pinch hitter Killian Pendegrass drove a 2-0 pitch to left field to score a further run. The Orion added two further runs and then saw out the remaining 6 outs with strong pitching from starter Arturo Madrid to seal their first ever St Davids League title.

[tricey]

The Gunners burst the bubble of sentiment towards the Orion with dominant victories in Game One, Two and Three, giving up just 3 runs in the first two of the set in Highbury and the first in Fleet. Douglas Croucher and Tyler Hulbert, the starters, were the best players in the first two games.

The Orion came back in Game Four, with Rondinella battling Croucher for 8 innings with the scores tied 2-2. Michael Killeen came in for the 9th, but walked Gambetta and Ulleri to start the inning. Ethan Tribe advanced the runners on an infield single before Kari Vanhala of Finland drove in the winner with a fly ball to right field.

The following day the Orion took the lead in the 6th with an RBI double from Ulleri and an RBI single from Duckering before riding out Connor Tomkins strong start for a 5-4 win, taking the game back to the North Bank.

Back in front of their home fans, the Gunners were in no mood to extend the Orion’s reservations. The Gunners scored 1 run in the first, 2 in the second and third and 3 in the fourth and fifth, whilst David Dalziel spread 4 hits and 1 walk over 9 innings to seal the victory, the Series and the Highbury Gunners third consecutive Championship. Thach Son was named MVP, the Vietnamese batting .520 with 3 homers and 11 RBIs in the Series.

[tricey]

Joe Earle won the MVP award after posting a .332 average, 34 home runs and 88 RBIs. Earle’s 71 walks also enabled him to post a .422 OBP, and he scored 97 times. Earle beat Bouwhuis, his teammate, and the Pitcher of the Year, Federico Rondinella of Fleet Orion, to the top prize.

Rondinella and Series opponent Morgan Chuter both won their respective Pitcher of the Year Awards and the Triple Crown in their leagues. Chuter edged out Douglas Croucher and the Metropolitans’ Elliot Hayne, who claimed third. Rondinella’s teammate Connor Tomkins came second in the voting, with reliever Darren Bavin third.
In the St Georges League Jim Cabrera was the surprise choice for MVP in a Highbury Gunners’ clean sweep of the top positions. Zier Neef and Gregoire Maidalchini finished in the runner up positions. Cabrera, a second baseman, put up career high numbers at the age of 22 with 30 homers, 75 RBIs and batting .287. Fans expect Cabrera and Earle to post massive numbers over their careers.

Quincy Pownall, Fleet Orion manager, was selected as Manager of the Year in his first full season in the Majors, whilst Shaun Walder sealed yet another title in the St Georges League.

Charlie MacMillan won rookie of the year with the Cardiff Dragons. He batted .304 and performed very well at second base. all season long, scoring 65 times. Jose Lopez, the 24 year-old catcher for the Farnborough Aviators, won rookie of the year. His .310 average, 24 homers and 85 RBIs gave him the winning advantage.

[tricey]

There was a palpable sense that the sport and the nations were about to change in 1954. On November 1st 1954 the new teams would join the Major Leagues and the first expansion draft would be held. The final season of 8 team major league baseball was upon us, and perhaps with it the final chance for the two main franchises that had dominated the era, Farnborough and Highbury, to win one last major championship.

Expansion in itself was unlikely to create an immediate challenge for the two clubs, since the odds were stacked heavily against the new teams acquiring championship talent in the first few seasons. However the pennant victory of the Fleet Orion in the St Georges League had shaken some traditionalists already, and it was felt that whilst front offices continued to stockpile talent in their minor league systems, the Gunners’ and Aviators’ dominance may soon be brought to an end.

The major journalists and newspapers, though, didn’t see that happening in 1954. The Gunners were heavily tipped to win the most games in the majors and romp to yet another victory in the SGL, whilst the Aviators were expected to avenge 1953’s upset and pip the Fleet Orion to the SDL title.

Much depended on the Orion’s rotation of Federico Rondinella, Connor Tomkins, Stephen MacFarlane and Arturo Madrid being as dominant and healthy as 1953. After many years riding the brilliance of Martin Martindale, the Aviators’ main player was now 1b Joe Earle, who some tipped to hit more than 40 home runs in a season and was certain to break the major league record for home runs in a single season.

Despite the expectations of a close race in the St Davids League, the Aviators’ took a 6 game lead by the All Star break, and didn’t look like relinquishing it as they sealed a return to the Archipelago Series on September 16th. Earlier in the month the Highbury Gunners sealed their return, eventually winning the division with an 80-40 record and a 23 game lead over the Ealing Stars.

[tricey]

Two major surgeries had certainly taken something away from Martin Martindale. The four-time Pitcher of the Year lost some control on his return from a disrupted 1951 and 1952 season and was a long way below his stellar best in 1953. He did manage 18 starts with a 3.64 ERA, but his WHIP was climbing and underlined the increase in his Ks to walks ratio that suggested his best years were now behind him.

The Aviators were active in the off-season, trading away 3b Alexander Cundy to Ealing and reliever Darren Bavin to Highbury to acquire talented RF Bernard Laslett and reliever Peter Lang. Lang was a reclamation project, having missed most of 1952 and all of 1953 after a high profile trade from Bloxham to Ealing.

One eye-catching part of the Lang deal was prospect Euan Mabbett who the Aviators’ flipped to Highbury as part of the Laslett trade. Many felt that Highbury had picked the Aviators’ pocket with that deal.

Farnborough traded a bunch of prospects to Crookham in return for 28 year old switch hitting shortstop Ronald Bythsea. Bythsea earned a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at his position in 1953.

[tricey]

The Gunners triumphed in Game One, thanks to a six-run 6th inning and a four-run 8th. In the 6th the Gunners sprayed four consecutive singles to open the scoring before Jordan Flitney reached on an error by the first baseman scoring MacHendrie. After a Maidalchini single, Finley Venning plated Hughie Culley and Flitney for two more runs. Muggleston singled the Maidalchini home for the final run before two fly ball outs brought the inning to a close.

There was still work to do in the 8th, though, to come from 7-6 behind. Pinch hitter Zier Neef doubled Maidalchini home from first, and scored after two walks and a sac fly. Thach Son doubled Muggleston home for the 10th run, before Michael Killeen nailed down the 9th inning inducing ground ball outs from stars Jessy Bouwhuis and Noah Dawson.

A similarly dramatic Game Two was settled in favour of Highbury when Zier Neef doubled in the bottom of the 10th and scored on Jose Sandoval’s one out bases loaded drive that sent the North Bank faithful in to peels of delight. Their Gunners were unbeaten at home in the last three consecutive Archpelago Series and the Aviators’ had now lost 10 straight games to Highbury in the Fall Classic.

Perhaps talisman Martin Martindale, Game Three starter, could be the Aviators’ stopper? The Gunners barely gave him the chance to shine, knocking home four runs in the first inning and adding 5 in the eighth and 3 in the ninth to clinch a 15-7 victory that showed their might and depth.
Desperate not to choke yet again, the Aviators rallied at Cherry Wood Road in the fourth game. Defeating David Dalziel, the Aviators’ won 6-3, and then carried momentum in to the following day to beat Highbury 8-2 and send the Series back to Highbury.

Martindale took the mound against Morgan Chuter who had misfired in Game 3 but got the win behind the superior Gunners’ bats. Today was a different matter, though, as Martindale re-captured his old swagger, pitching a 6-hit shutout with 4 Ks and 4 walks. By contrast Morgan Chuter’s control left him, giving up a GL playoff record with 8 walks.

It came down to the seventh game, Tobias Ebalan for Farnborough against David Dalziel for the Highbury Gunners in front of the North Bank, a rabid crowd in search of their fourth consecutive ABL Championship.

The Gunners started strong, turning a 2-out walk and error by the Aviators on a straight-forward groundball in to 3 runs when Gregoire Maidalchini drove a 1-2 pitch in to the right field stands for a home run. They followed this up with a pair of runs in the second after a deep drive by Thach Son went for a double, and added a further run in the third with a Flitney homer.

The Gunners’ success wasn’t solely about their bats - Joey Muggleston made a great catch on a line drive and threw behind the runner at third to double-off Toby Ebalan and kill a potential rally with a double play with runners in scoring position. Later Finley Venning made a great diving stop and threw out Javy Lopez and Ronald Bythsea on a double play that killed a potential strong 6th inning after a Jessy Bouwhuis solo home run had lead off what the Aviators’ had hoped would be a rally. By comparison the Aviators’ made five errors and failed to cluster their hits.

The Gunners sealed their Championship in the end with a fantastic 9-3 victory. Jordan Flitney won the MVP, as the Catcher batted .381 with 2 home runs and called some excellent games from behind the plate. Maidalchini may feel a little put out that he didn’t win the award, batting .318 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs.

In truth it was an all-round team performance that sealed the Gunners’ fourth series in a row and the fifth in their history. Farnborough’s record in the Fall Classic fell to 2 wins in 6 appearances.

[tricey]

Jim Cabrera repeated his MVP performances, as the Highbury Gunners dominated the ballot with Thach Son second. Armando Torres of the Ealing Stars was third. Noah Dawson won his fourth MVP for Farnborough, narrowly defeating last years winner Joe Earle and Federico Rondinella, the winner of the Pitcher of the Year award in the SDL.

The Orion Ace excelled with an impressive 13-8 record in 28 starts, pitching over 205 innings and striking out 101. Tobias Ebalan, the Rookie of the Year, finished second in the ballot. The Aviator was joined by teammate and Reliever of the Year, Maximo Stallone.

Douglas Croucher completed a clean sweep for Highbury of the St Georges League pitcher of the year honours. Ted Raggett finished second with David Dalziel third.

Tom Dinsdale, the Metropolitans catcher, was named rookie of the year. It was no surprise that Farnborough’s Patrick Carvalho and Highbury’s Shaun Walder were named Manager of the Year.

[BirdWatcher]

Just reading the entire thread now, and along the way inexplicably deciding I am a Bloxham fan before realizing just how tragic a choice that might be.
So, hoping to see the new Bloxham franchise rise up indeed from the ashes and become a successful team in the future.

[tricey]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Just reading the entire thread now, and along the way inexplicably deciding I am a Bloxham fan before realizing just how tragic a choice that might be.
So, hoping to see the new Bloxham franchise rise up indeed from the ashes and become a successful team in the future.

Nice choice - well without teasing too much I have simmed a few years ahead already, but I am building up stories retrospectively. For example, when two of the owners fall out with drastic results in the early 60s, I want to have started to set that up in my descriptions of previous seasons.

So when I reached 1960 I decided to take over a team as GM myself, and it was Bloxham that I chose. So you can be assured that they stay in the league, but whether my skills will help them reach future success - I don't yet know.

[tricey]

Oh, and remember the names Joe Earle and Jim Cabrera - they have intriguing different fortunes that the game actually created for me.