British Baseball Reborn: 1950 - Present

[Haystacks]

Off-Season 1952-53

The only notable business from the British Baseball Association’s annual general meeting was the announcement that Liverpool Giants had Blackpool Excursions had signed affiliation agreements for the development of player talent with Alliance League clubs Derby Rams and Preston Rifles.

Notable Free Agents

Bristol Pirates beat a gang of other clubs to the signing of Matthew Jones. The 24 year-old starting pitcher had dominated in the southern amateur competitions of the past 2 years and was known to be on the radar of the London Monarchs this entire time. The right-handed Jones, with a curveball that could be considered the best in the professional ranks, opted to sign with Bristol to stay closer to his family in the Bournemouth area.

Beaten to the punch when it came to signing Jones, the Croydon Capitals confirmed the signing of Billy Walsh, the 25 year-old RHP another amateur star of recent seasons, a few days later. Walsh is a London boy, and should he meet the standards expected of him, he’s sure to be adored by the Croydon support.

Centre-fielder Teague Doyle signed with the Manchester Elephants, the 29 year-old centre-fielder with a powerful swing has finally got a chance at professional level. It’s rumoured his poor work ethic has hampered a professional career that could’ve started years earlier, it will be interesting to see if the Elephants giving Doyle a chance pays dividends.
Sheffield born first-baseman shocked apparently shocked his family by opting to accept a deal with the Blackpool Excursions over his hometown club. The 23 year-old was noted by professional league scouts for his contact hitting and ability to get the ball in play.

Players' Union Born



With the financial success of professional baseball, pay negotiations to-date had mostly been conducted in a cordial and reasonable manner. However, the players do have very little bargaining power, they’re effectively tied to their clubs for life by the ‘reserve-clause’, threats of holding out and not returning for the following season or walking away completely are usually just threats.

As attendances across the league exceeded all expectations, the star players that brought in those crowds had been compensated with larger salaries. Over this off-season top salaries broke the £600 mark, which caused a stir across the whole spectrum of national news outlets. As commentators started to question if a salary cap was required for the sustainability of the game, as is in place in association football, players responded by organising to protect their interests.

Liverpool’s Jack Kennedy and Manchester’s Ross McCaffrey hosted several meetings to discuss unionisation at the Manchester Mechanics Institute, the birthplace of the Trades Union Congress, and Co-Operative Insurance Society.

On Saturday, April 4, 2 days before players were to report for spring training, the National Union of Baseball Players' (NUBP) was born. 38-year old Jude Carroll was elected to the position of General Secretary of the union and immediately informed the London Monarchs of his retirement from baseball.

By Monday the British Baseball Association wrote to Carroll to place on record that the owners had no desire or ambition to impose a salary cap.

[Haystacks]

From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

Standings and Statistics page of The Baseball Review.
From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

[Haystacks]

It is not an easy task to pick the best players for the annual baseball classic -- the All-Star Game. It is not possible to please everybody. Whether we agree or not, they have been chosen... and here they are. The rosters for this year's British Baseball Association All-Star Game have been announced.

For the National League, the roster includes:

SP Nicolas Legg (MAN) - 9-3, 3.31 ERA, 100.2 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 4.1 K/9, 1.2 WAR
SP Richard Miller (MAN) - 5-4, 3.40 ERA, 116.1 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 4.2 K/9, 2.9 WAR
SP Christopher O'Keefe (BIR) - 6-5, 3.42 ERA, 113.0 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 1.6 WAR
SP James O'Toole (MAN)* - 12-3, 1.87 ERA, 149.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 5.2 WAR
SP Declan Robinson (MAN) - 9-4, 3.25 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 3.9 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Robin Spalding (LDS) - 6-5, 3.18 ERA, 107.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 2.8 WAR
RP Quincy Waterson (LIV) - 2-0, 4 SV, 1.63 ERA, 38.2 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 3.3 K/9, 1.0 WAR
CL George Daly (LIV) - 6-3, 9 SV, 2.49 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 0.6 WAR
CL Alexander Jones (NOT)* - 3-1, 7 SV, 2.88 ERA, 40.2 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 1.3 WAR
C Bertrand Morris (BIR) - .289/.346/.423, 194 AB, 5 HR, 1 SB, 108 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
C Lyndon Robertson (BRI)* - .353/.410/.556, 207 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 161 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
C Bernard Russel (EDI) - .303/.366/.518, 195 AB, 8 HR, 133 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
1B Gael Keith (LON) - .265/.353/.479, 211 AB, 13 HR, 123 wRC+, 0.8 WAR
1B Aaron Millar (MAN) - .332/.401/.576, 250 AB, 15 HR, 162 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Lester Tomkins (EDI)* - .290/.393/.453, 214 AB, 6 HR, 133 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
2B Frank Macintyre (LDS) - .285/.335/.439, 246 AB, 7 HR, 109 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
2B Ross McCaffrey (MAN)* - .325/.408/.595, 252 AB, 16 HR, 168 wRC+, 3.6 WAR
2B Brian Menon (LIV) - .269/.337/.406, 271 AB, 6 HR, 5 SB, 102 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
2B Mitchell Roberts (BRI) - .288/.360/.423, 260 AB, 5 HR, 114 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
3B Jack Barclay (EDI)* - .363/.467/.556, 248 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 178 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
3B Robin Barrett (BRI) - .341/.423/.530, 249 AB, 7 HR, 159 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
3B Daniel Williamson (MAN) - .302/.383/.561, 255 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 153 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
SS Murray Anderson (EDI)* - .291/.347/.512, 254 AB, 12 HR, 4 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.3 WAR (Injured)
LF Finley Ashworth (EDI)* - .319/.403/.512, 248 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 148 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
LF Jordan Hurst (NOT) - .277/.359/.466, 253 AB, 10 HR, 5 SB, 124 wRC+, 1.3 WAR
LF Jude McKay (LIV) - .317/.362/.665, 227 AB, 17 HR, 2 SB, 170 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
CF Conor Bass (EDI)* - .273/.328/.440, 282 AB, 8 HR, 5 SB, 104 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
CF Douggie Neville (MAN) - .287/.381/.420, 174 AB, 2 HR, 122 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
RF Harry Evans (LDS) - .358/.389/.520, 148 AB, 4 HR, 147 wRC+, 0.8 WAR
RF Clyde Lewis (EDI)* - .322/.386/.554, 242 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 150 wRC+, 2.9 WAR
RF Joseph Pallett (LON) - .294/.326/.469, 211 AB, 9 HR, 3 SB, 112 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
.

For the Union League these players have been selected:

SP Ryan Ayton (NEW) - 13-4, 3.01 ERA, 134.1 IP, 1.37 WHIP, 4.0 K/9, 2.3 WAR
SP Colin Clive (BPL) - 8-6, 3.19 ERA, 141.0 IP, 1.26 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.6 WAR
SP Graham Ingleby (BPL) - 11-5, 3.05 ERA, 147.1 IP, 1.34 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 1.8 WAR
SP Ian Lloyd (LEI) - 9-3, 2.84 ERA, 104.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 2.8 K/9, 1.6 WAR
SP Freddie Richardson (CAR)* - 6-5, 6.03 ERA, 103.0 IP, 1.50 WHIP, 3.1 K/9, 0.7 WAR
SP Harrison Taylor (BRA) - 5-8, 3.86 ERA, 123.2 IP, 1.43 WHIP, 3.6 K/9, 2.1 WAR
RP Alan Murphy (CRO)* - 3-1, 1.48 ERA, 30.1 IP, 0.79 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 1.0 WAR
RP Ian Palmer (LEI) - 5-2, 7 SV, 4.87 ERA, 44.1 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, -0.4 WAR
CL Sean Anderson (CRO) - 4-4, 10 SV, 3.26 ERA, 47.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 1.1 WAR
C Andrew Adams (BPL) - .304/.374/.441, 204 AB, 7 HR, 120 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
C Brendan Hayes (LEI)* - .300/.370/.478, 180 AB, 9 HR, 127 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
C Daniel Leeming (CAR) - .255/.299/.379, 153 AB, 3 HR, 75 wRC+, 0.5 WAR
1B Réamonn Gilroy (CAR) - .318/.365/.567, 217 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
1B Stewart Morton (HUL) - .342/.401/.446, 260 AB, 4 HR, 135 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
1B Adam Mulligan (BPL) - .340/.410/.503, 191 AB, 6 HR, 1 SB, 147 wRC+, 1.4 WAR
1B Neil Parry (LEI)* - .320/.428/.479, 259 AB, 3 HR, 1 SB, 150 wRC+, 2.9 WAR (Injured)
2B Fursey Chapman (BPL) - .304/.418/.483, 263 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 149 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
2B Dick Davies (CRO)* - .308/.376/.458, 260 AB, 9 HR, 3 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
2B Connor Sloan (LEI)* - .373/.430/.573, 241 AB, 11 HR, 171 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
3B Quinlisk Duffy (BPL) - .249/.379/.477, 241 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
SS Synan Holmes (NEW) - .276/.324/.456, 261 AB, 9 HR, 4 SB, 108 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
SS Ryan McIntosh (LEI)* - .264/.389/.496, 242 AB, 10 HR, 140 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
LF Aidan Iles (CRO)* - .247/.369/.457, 243 AB, 7 HR, 6 SB, 127 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
LF Jimmy Smith (LEI) - .317/.394/.465, 243 AB, 4 HR, 133 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
CF Tim Griffiths (SHF) - .302/.359/.433, 252 AB, 6 HR, 2 SB, 116 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
CF Pat Henderson (BPL) - .300/.362/.556, 250 AB, 13 HR, 8 SB, 142 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
CF Edward Taylor (CRO)* - .268/.390/.400, 220 AB, 5 HR, 5 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
RF Jamie Boyd (SHF) - .292/.364/.482, 253 AB, 10 HR, 4 SB, 129 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
RF Carl Chandler (LEI)* - .324/.404/.469, 213 AB, 4 HR, 2 SB, 138 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
RF Luke MacKenzie (BPL) - .322/.383/.444, 270 AB, 7 HR, 9 SB, 127 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
RF Finley Stewart (CAR) - .286/.391/.504, 238 AB, 8 HR, 1 SB, 141 wRC+, 1.8 WAR

[catamount_kid]

Glad to see Bristol bag Jones, but man! Front Office needs to get their act together. Glad to see our Catcher and 2B on the All-Stars.

[Haystacks]

[Haystacks]

Standings and Statistics page of The Baseball Review.
From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[catamount_kid]

Oof. How has Jones been for the Pirates so far?

[Haystacks]

Originally Posted by catamount_kid

Oof. How has Jones been for the Pirates so far?

I've 18 games to go in the sim whilst I look now...
Not the easiest first season playing with the pros, 4.58 ERA, 7-13 record, but 3.3 WAR for his efforts. He's been number one in the rotation, number 2 is another good looking prospect, Killian Pickersgill, brought up from the minors about half way through the year. thrown half the innings Jones has but put up a better ERA, 3.18 and better BB/9 and K/9 stats so far. Two guys to be excited for.

Rookie 3B Robin Barrett is still hot with a bat too, .341, 146 hits, .top five for OBP in combined stats with .432.

A nice bunch of prospects to be excited for.

[Haystacks]

The Baseball Review
Monday, September 7, 1953

The Pennant Chase

As the temperature begins to fall and the days begin to get shorter, it dawns on us clearly that the baseball season is steadily coming to its end.

With 18 games now remaining the National League pennant is all but confirmed to be heading to Manchester for the second consecutive season. The Edinburgh Cannons trail the Elephants by 15 games, with a six-game series starting in Manchester today (Sept, 7), except for some divine intervention on the Cannons part, we can assume the Manchester club will celebrate in front of their own support at some point this week.

Edinburgh’s star man, Jack Barclay, and Manchester’s red-hot rookie Adonis Millar will still be battling it out for the batting title and home run title. Barclay sits on .360, closely followed by Millar with .352, Barclay has 29 home runs, Millar 27. A fantastic showing from Millar as half his games are in Belle Vue Stadium, not a home run friendly park.

The Union League is offering a tighter race, Croydon Capitals and Blackpool Excursions inseparable, both with a 74-40 record, the Foxes desperately trying to keep pace 6 games behind. The Capitals play their final away trip this week in Hull, then finish up in London with series against Leicester and Cardiff.

The series against Leicester could prove to be pivotal in deciding where the 1953 pennant is heading. If the Foxes can return home from Croydon with a good set of results behind them, they could still be in the mix, or the Capitals could crush any hope that remains.

The Excursions will first visit Newcastle before finishing their season at home with series against Cardiff and Sheffield. You would expect them to do well in the remaining games, the Steelmen likely posing the toughest ask, after a slow start they have pulled themselves up and could finish the season with a .500 record, the Dragons are propping up the league, well off pace, 29 games behind. Blackpool’s Quinlisk Duffy has had an injury free year and already past his previous season high of 31 home runs, at the time of writing he stands proudly before a 34 record, he will want to get a few more in these final few outings. He is closely followed by Thomas O’Hanrahan of Croydon in the UL, with 31.

Before the Foxes go to Croydon, they’ll face the struggling Bradford Boars at home, and finish up at home against the Newcastle Knights. Rank outsiders, they will be hoping to finish up with a strong push so they can look back with no regrets. With Blackpool’s Griff Barker now out for the rest of the regular season, Foxes’ Conrad Sloan just has to keep up his current pace to secure the Union League batting title, a surprise to many to see the 32-year old, 3B at the top as we move through the final month of the season. In 1952 he featured in only 34 games, recording a .237 average.

[Haystacks]

Standings and Statistics page of The Baseball Review.
From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

In a repeat of the 1952 Championship Series, Manchester Elephants and Croydon Capitals went toe-to-toe for the biggest prize in British Baseball.

The series opened in Manchester’s Belle Vue Stadium to a sell-out crowd, over 25,000 witnessed the Elephants run rampant. You’d be forgiven for thinking the Manchester boys were going to runaway with the series, as they scored in every inning they took to the plate, except for the seventh. Every starter batted in one run in an incredible offensive display, led by Jimmy O’Toole who went 3 for 5 with 3 RBIs and Daniel Williamson likewise 3 for 5, he batted in 5 total runs.

The Capitals offensive dried up after scoring 1 in the first, they would manage to shake O’Toole for 4 in the eighth, some damage limitation.

The game ended 5-16, the Elephants taking game 1 comfortably.

In game 2 and the Capitals dusted themselves down and went out to prove they were in the Championship Series to compete. After getting 1 run on the board in the second, Capitals rookie pitcher Evan Horne kept the Elephants shut down until the fourth, when deep drive into centre field from Teague Doyle got him a triple with 1 already on base.

However this was all the Elephants offense could muster, the Capitals retook the lead in the fifth and didn’t look back. Earning an 8-2 victory and tying up the series.

We moved to Capital Field for game 3, again the Croydon pitching tying up the Elephants. 42-year old veteran Nicky Parry threw 6 solid innings, allowing only 2 runs and 6 hits, fanning 6 Manchester hitters, Sean Anderson in relief threw the final 3, allowing only 1 hit and striking out another 3. All whilst their offense played their part putting up 3 in the second and another run in the fourth and fifth. Aiden Iles leading the offense with 3 hits in 4 Abs, batting in 2 of his team’s 5 runs.

5-2 for Croydon Capitals who take the lead in the series.

Game 4 was an all-time classic for the purest that savours a pitching dual. Both starters threw complete games, O’Toole hurling 120 pitches over his 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs, whilst striking out 7. His rival Billy Walsh throwing 9 innings, 100 pitches, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run, he fanned 2 Manchester batters.

A rare lapse from O’Toole was enough for the Capitals to take the initiative, doubles from Iles and Dick Davies, followed by a single from Thomas O’Hanrahan brought in the Croydon club 2 runs. Enough for them to secure a 2-1 victory and increase their lead in the series, making it 3-1.

Game 5, the opportunity for the Capitals to secure revenge, the Elephants’ last chance to keep this series alive.

Manchester struck first with 2 in the second, a back and fourth game, with 1 for Croydon in the bottom of the fourth, tied at 3-3 by the time we got to the sixth, when the Capitals third baseman Ryan Rainey would hit a ferocious home run with 1 on base, to take the lead. Triple crown winner Adonis Millar of the Elephants, finally made his presence felt in the series, responding with a two-run home run of his own in the seventh, it was again tied up…

Croydon outfielder Iles and second baseman Davies would once again combine to give their team the go-ahead run in immediate response in the bottom of the seventh, for reliever Alan Murphy be called to arms, he shut down the Elephants offense for a 6-5 Capitals victory.

The Croydon Capitals win the series 4 to 1.
The Capitals are champions of Britain.

Player of the Series, Aiden Iles, Croydon, AB 22, H 11, HR 1, RBI 7, .500 AVG.



Progress League Championship Series won by Southport Cylones, 4 games to 3 against the Brighton Sunshines.

Alliance League was won by the Stockport Hatters with a 54 - 31 record. The league was decided by a tie-breaker game against the Blackburn Olympics. The Hatters came back from behind in the bottom 9th, scoring 3 runs, to win the game 5-4 and the league in the most dramatic fashion.

The Stirling Highlanders swept the Dundee Lillies in 4 games to win the Scottish Championship.

[Haystacks]

The Baseball Review
1953 Award Winners

Thursday, October 1953

National League

Player of the Year

The manager of the Manchester Elephants said he thinks Adonis Millar is only going to get better as he gets older.

He may only be 23, but it will be hard to top the first baseman's 1953 campaign, as he has been named the winner of the National League Player of the Year Award.

His winning campaign featured a .362 batting average and a .418 on-base percentage this year. In 128 games he piled up 179 hits, 31 doubles, no triples, 33 home runs, 127 RBIs and 91 runs scored.

He received 6 first place votes out of a possible 16. Jack Barclay of the Edinburgh Cannons finished second in voting with 5 first place votes, while James O'Toole of the Manchester Elephants finished third with 5 first place votes.

Pitcher of the Year

Three in a row for James O'Toole, this year's National League Pitcher of the Year Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

O'Toole compiled a 25-7 record in 34 starts, tallied 188 strikeouts in 297 innings and recorded a 1.91 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .209 batting average against him.

He received 16 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Declan Robinson of the Manchester Elephants finished second in voting, while Alfie Train of the Edinburgh Cannons finished third.

Rookie of the Year

Today the National League announced that Manchester first baseman Adonis Millar is the winner of the 1953 Rookie of the Year Award.

He finished the regular season with a .362 batting average, 31 doubles, no triples and 33 home runs. Millar also had 127 RBIs and scored 91 times.

He received 16 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Robin Barrett of the Bristol Pirates finished second in voting, while Teague Doyle of the Manchester Elephants finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Adonis Millar - Manchester Elephants - 16 - 80
Robin Barrett - Bristol Pirates - 0 - 45
Teague Doyle - Manchester Elephants - 0 - 8
Finley Ashworth - Edinburgh Cannons - 0 - 7
Killian Pickersgill - Bristol Pirates - 0 - 3

Great Glove

Good defense can be the difference between taking the championship and coming in second. The National League announced its top defenders at each position today. Here are the Great Glove Award winners for 1953:

Pitcher
Christopher O'Keefe (Birmingham Athletics)

Catcher
Bert Wakefield (London Monarchs)

First Baseman
Leo Hamer (Leeds White Sox)

Second Baseman
Kane Hamilton (Nottingham Sheriffs)

Third Baseman
Daniel Williamson (Manchester Elephants)

Shortstop
Lewis McEwan (Bristol Pirates)

Left Fielder
Teague Doyle (Manchester Elephants)

Center Fielder
Iestyn Taylor (London Monarchs)

Right Fielder
Joseph Pallett (London Monarchs)

Manager of the Year

Dennis Dickerson, skipper of the Manchester Elephants, was voted 1953 National League Manager of the Year and accepted the award earlier today.

He guided Manchester to first place in the National League with a 91-41 record.

"I'm very happy about this," he said at the press conference. "But I'm more happy about what my boys did on the field. They battled their butts off for me all year. They should get the credit."

Union League

Player of the Year

Fursey Chapman took British Baseball Association by storm this year, and he did it all at the age of 25.

For his spectacular campaign, the Blackpool Excursions star has been named the 1953 Union League Player of the Year Award recipient.

"To be considered amongst the best in the league is overwhelming," said the second baseman.

On the season he compiled a .344 batting average to go with a .448 on-base percentage. The native of Rugeley, England also added 29 doubles, 1 triple, 31 home runs, 80 RBIs and 113 runs scored.

He received 9 first place votes out of a possible 16. Pat Henderson of the Blackpool Excursions finished second in voting with 4 first place votes, while Thomas O'Hanrahan of the Croydon Capitals finished third with 3 first place votes.

Pitcher of the Year

Blackpool ace Graham Ingleby put up some sensational stats for the 1953 season and has been voted the Union League Pitcher of the Year Award winner.

The 23-year-old Excursions star made 32 starts and racked up a 20-7 record. He pitched 260.1 innings, collected 220 strikeouts, gave up 116 walks and 242 hits in holding the opposition to a .245 batting average.

He received 13 first place votes out of a possible 16. Colin Clive of the Blackpool Excursions finished second in voting with 1 first place vote, while Billy Walsh of the Croydon Capitals finished third with 2 first place votes.

Rookie of the Year

Fursey Chapman made quite a name for himself in his rookie year. The Blackpool second baseman brought home the 1953 Rookie of the Year Award today in recognition of his performance.

Chapman played in 132 games, batted .344, collected 178 hits in 517 at-bats, 31 home runs, 80 RBIs, 113 runs scored, 99 walks and compiled a .448 OBP.

He received 9 first place votes out of a possible 16. Pat Henderson of the Blackpool Excursions finished second in voting with 7 first place votes, while James Rankin of the Sheffield Steelmen finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Fursey Chapman - Blackpool Excursions - 9 - 66
Pat Henderson - Blackpool Excursions - 7 - 62
James Rankin - Sheffield Steelmen - 0 - 11
Graham Ingleby - Blackpool Excursions - 0 - 4
Adam Mulligan - Blackpool Excursions - 0 - 1

Great Glove

Union League hitters looked on in disbelief all season long as this group of defenders made stellar plays in the field.

For being incredibly valuable on the defensive side of the game, the following players have been given the Great Glove Award for 1953:

Pitcher
Rob Fisher (Hull Tigers)

Catcher
Daniel Leeming (Cardiff Dragons)

First Baseman
Thomas O'Hanrahan (Croydon Capitals)

Second Baseman
Harold Harrison (Bradford Boars)

Third Baseman
Gideon McEwan (Hull Tigers)

Shortstop
Evan Armstrong (Sheffield Steelmen)

Left Fielder
Jacob West (Sheffield Steelmen)

Center Fielder
Tim Griffiths (Sheffield Steelmen)

Right Fielder
Josh Armstrong (Newcastle Knights)

Manager of the Year

Patrick Cole of the Croydon Capitals, led his team to a 85-47 record and an assured performance in the Championship Series to see his team crowned the best in Britain.

[Haystacks]

B.B.A. Winter Meeting Comes to a Close

Monday, November 9, 1953

End of Interleague Play.

Heavy rains and icy Atlantic winds would make for terrible baseball weather, but for the annual general meeting of the British Baseball Association, weather doesn’t delay play.

The biggest surprise of the meetings was a revolt against interleague play led by Edinburgh Cannons owner Donegan Campbell. A hangover from scheduling when the National League was regionally divided, Campbell was frustrated about games he considered “a waste of effort”, adding “we lose to Union League clubs, we lose ground to our rivals, we win against Union League clubs, it could be for naught…”. Campbell proposed as a sweetener; increasing to a 154-game season and using the extra generated revenue to increase the professional contract minimum salary. The salary increase would meet a known demand of the players’ union. Liverpool Giants owner, John Moores, spoke at length in the debate, most notably adding “this would bring us more inline with how our American cousins operate, and add an extra special element to the Championship Series.”. Blackpool owner Doris Thompson stated she saw no real need to make such a dramatic change to the season, going on the abstain in the vote that passed 12-3 with her lone abstention. Fans will be interested to see if the end of interleague play dramatically changes fortunes for any teams.

The only other major piece of news was that 8 southern independent teams were to join the Alliance League, the league will operate as two regional sub leagues with an end of season play off for the Alliance Trophy. Rumours of further Alliance League clubs signing up to player development contracts with the pro clubs persisted throughout the week, but nothing set in stone confirmed as the meetings closed.

There was no progress on a Home Nations contest, the idea stumbling on scheduling around weather and owner objections as to the risk of fatiguing players before the season has even begun.

Finally a commitment was made to explore an under-18s feeder league, the proposal suggested the BBA create a county level contest by 1955 at the earliest, the best schoolboys getting called up to represent their county in an annual contest. The proposals arose from concerns that raiding amateur level clubs is not sustainable, "there must to be a commitment to the growth and development, not just of the sport but of the player" the document stated. The BBA executive and the club owners are keen to control the development of the player from school to the professional leagues.

[Haystacks]

[Haystacks]

From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

Standings and Statistics page of The Baseball Review.
From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

Standings and Statistics page of The Baseball Review.
From the archive of The Baseball Review.

[Haystacks]

The All-Star Classic is here again! It's the 1954 British Baseball Association All-Star Game! This is a game for the fans. They choose the players that are the best at their positions. Then these fan favorites take on one another to determine which league is best. Who will be top league this season: the National League or the Union League? We'll get the answer soon.

The National League All-Stars have these fine performers on their roster:

SP Albert Baker (LIV) - 13-6, 3.28 ERA, 156.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 2.8 WAR
SP Charles Christy (LDS) - 6-6, 2.47 ERA, 65.2 IP, 1.28 WHIP, 4.4 K/9, 1.5 WAR
SP Richard Miller (MAN) - 11-4, 3.31 ERA, 130.1 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 3.3 K/9, 1.7 WAR
SP Todd Norton (BRI) - 11-8, 2.50 ERA, 165.2 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 5.1 WAR
SP James O'Toole (MAN)* - 16-4, 1.76 ERA, 183.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 5.4 K/9, 6.2 WAR
SP Declan Robinson (MAN) - 11-2, 2.85 ERA, 145.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 3.0 WAR
RP Nick Woodhead (LIV) - 5-0, 1.81 ERA, 44.2 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL William Craig (LDS) - 4-3, 9 SV, 2.49 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 3.3 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Alexander Jones (NOT)* - 4-1, 11 SV, 1.60 ERA, 45.0 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 4.2 K/9, 1.1 WAR
C Lyndon Robertson (BRI) - .264/.344/.382, 246 AB, 7 HR, 102 wRC+, 1.1 WAR
C Kilroy Walmsley (LON)* - .316/.386/.606, 269 AB, 22 HR, 165 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
C Edward Wilkinson (NOT) - .286/.378/.349, 241 AB, 2 HR, 107 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
1B Tyler Abbott (LIV) - .359/.428/.515, 167 AB, 2 HR, 159 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
1B Earl Davidson (LON) - .345/.433/.446, 316 AB, 4 HR, 146 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
1B Jon Evans (NOT) - .269/.354/.531, 335 AB, 16 HR, 7 SB, 133 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
1B Adonis Millar (MAN)* - .358/.425/.618, 327 AB, 18 HR, 182 wRC+, 4.4 WAR
2B Nathan Glenn (BIR) - .295/.328/.448, 288 AB, 10 HR, 2 SB, 111 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
2B Ross McCaffrey (MAN)* - .377/.449/.682, 305 AB, 23 HR, 204 wRC+, 5.9 WAR
2B Brian Menon (LIV) - .308/.385/.494, 328 AB, 9 HR, 4 SB, 138 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
2B Billy Naylor (BRI) - .281/.343/.462, 299 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 118 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
3B Jack Barclay (EDI)* - .342/.444/.498, 307 AB, 10 HR, 7 SB, 162 wRC+, 4.0 WAR
3B Robin Barrett (BRI) - .303/.381/.474, 304 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 134 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
3B Daniel Williamson (MAN) - .317/.395/.531, 309 AB, 12 HR, 2 SB, 152 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
SS Daniel Keelan (NOT)* - .305/.353/.470, 315 AB, 6 HR, 2 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.4 WAR (Injured)
LF Finley Ashworth (EDI) - .266/.378/.451, 304 AB, 13 HR, 1 SB, 128 wRC+, 1.2 WAR
LF John Hurst (NOT) - .296/.414/.442, 321 AB, 7 HR, 6 SB, 141 wRC+, 2.1 WAR
LF Finlay Monks (LIV)* - .317/.400/.505, 325 AB, 10 HR, 4 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
CF Conor Bass (EDI)* - .309/.378/.437, 343 AB, 6 HR, 4 SB, 124 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
CF Iestyn Taylor (LON) - .323/.351/.404, 371 AB, 7 SB, 109 wRC+, 1.9 WAR
RF Randal Jackson (NOT)* - .326/.397/.491, 340 AB, 10 HR, 144 wRC+, 3.7 WAR
RF Clyde Lewis (EDI) - .290/.376/.423, 286 AB, 7 HR, 4 SB, 120 wRC+, 1.5 WAR


While the Union League All-Stars will be represented by these talented players:

SP Ryan Ayton (NEW) - 13-4, 3.04 ERA, 180.2 IP, 1.13 WHIP, 4.4 K/9, 5.8 WAR
SP James Bayman (BPL)* - 10-7, 3.86 ERA, 154.0 IP, 1.34 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 3.2 WAR
SP Colin Clive (BPL) - 9-9, 4.12 ERA, 161.2 IP, 1.45 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 1.6 WAR
SP Graham Ingleby (BPL) - 9-9, 4.17 ERA, 177.0 IP, 1.34 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 4.6 WAR
SP Reece Macaskill (CRO) - 7-0, 1.86 ERA, 72.2 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 1.6 WAR
SP Alexander Shaw (SHF) - 8-9, 3.02 ERA, 140.0 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.3 WAR
RP Cameron Haney (LEI) - 2-4, 7 SV, 1.66 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 0.8 WAR
RP Alan Murphy (CRO)* - 3-0, 4 SV, 1.09 ERA, 33.0 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL Simon Anderson (CRO) - 5-1, 14 SV, 2.60 ERA, 52.0 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 3.5 K/9, 0.6 WAR
C Lewis Donald (SHF) - .275/.314/.398, 236 AB, 4 HR, 1 SB, 92 wRC+, 1.0 WAR
C Brendan Hayes (LEI)* - .293/.349/.445, 263 AB, 8 HR, 116 wRC+, 1.7 WAR
C Ian McCool (CRO) - .234/.311/.307, 244 AB, 3 HR, 76 wRC+, 0.3 WAR
1B Adam Mulligan (BPL)* - .345/.407/.573, 307 AB, 18 HR, 165 wRC+, 3.0 WAR
1B Thomas O'Hanrahan (CRO) - .269/.384/.485, 309 AB, 16 HR, 1 SB, 138 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
2B Fursey Chapman (BPL)* - .260/.372/.405, 296 AB, 8 HR, 3 SB, 117 wRC+, 1.0 WAR
3B Quinlisk Duffy (BPL)* - .313/.452/.604, 278 AB, 22 HR, 2 SB, 183 wRC+, 4.5 WAR
3B Ian McCallum (BRA) - .308/.379/.420, 338 AB, 4 HR, 122 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
3B James Rankin (SHF) - .302/.411/.473, 311 AB, 10 HR, 8 SB, 144 wRC+, 3.4 WAR
SS Kenneth Brookfield (CAR) - .370/.419/.541, 357 AB, 11 HR, 1 SB, 161 wRC+, 4.2 WAR
SS Kieran MacLaughlin (BRA) - .272/.330/.522, 312 AB, 17 HR, 2 SB, 125 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
SS Robert McIntosh (LEI) - .304/.382/.466, 283 AB, 11 HR, 132 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
SS Derry Michel (CRO)* - .294/.453/.476, 252 AB, 8 SB, 161 wRC+, 3.9 WAR
SS Derby O'Sullivan (NEW) - .306/.405/.490, 314 AB, 13 HR, 7 SB, 145 wRC+, 3.8 WAR
SS Ken Richardson (HUL) - .342/.451/.571, 310 AB, 11 HR, 178 wRC+, 4.7 WAR
LF Aidan Iles (CRO)* - .277/.411/.450, 307 AB, 5 HR, 14 SB, 141 wRC+, 3.5 WAR
LF Jude McKay (CAR)* - .280/.358/.612, 286 AB, 18 HR, 6 SB, 154 wRC+, 3.2 WAR (Injured)
CF Douggie Neville (LEI) - .291/.360/.472, 326 AB, 12 HR, 4 SB, 125 wRC+, 1.8 WAR
RF Josh Armstrong (NEW) - .279/.347/.483, 323 AB, 12 HR, 6 SB, 122 wRC+, 2.4 WAR
RF Zak Hearn (BRA) - .304/.362/.539, 332 AB, 7 HR, 4 SB, 136 wRC+, 3.3 WAR
RF Brandon Martin (HUL)* - .321/.435/.494, 308 AB, 2 HR, 2 SB, 158 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
RF Finley Stewart (CAR) - .284/.406/.485, 324 AB, 11 HR, 2 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.8 WAR