British and Irish Baseball

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week One: Saturday 8 March 1873

The new season in the Metropolitan League got underway today with plenty of runs being scored everywhere, but nowhere more than at Hackney where the league record for the most total runs in a game was broken. The Exiles led visitors Clapham Common 4-2 after the first inning, then fell 7-4 behind in the third before rallying to lead again after five. Two runs in the sixth put Clapham on top 9-8 and when they added another in the seventh to make the final score 10-8, there had been eighteen runs in a Metropolitan League game for the first time.

The Marylebone Regents are fancied to do well this year and they underlined that by handing the City of London Club a losing start to their title defence. The Regents had lost fifteen successive games against the City Club, their last win nearly four years ago, but a four-run second inning put them in control today.

The teams who finished second and third last year met at the Royal Artillery Barracks, where the game was decided in Peckham Rye's favour by a seven run fifth inning. Many expect Kensington to struggle this year and they got off to a losing start despite leading Angel Islington 2-1 after five innings. A three-run seventh turned the game around for Angel. Finally, all the scoring happened in the seventh inning in the day's other game where Greenwich took the lead with four and the Old Westminsters could only respond with three.

Scores:
Clapham Common 10-8 Hackney Exiles
Angel Islington 6-2 Kensington Victoria
City of London Club 2-8 Marylebone Regents
Greenwich Meridian 4-3 Old Westminsters
Peckham Rye 9-3 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Angel Islington 1-0
Clapham Common 1-0
Greenwich Meridian 1-0
Marylebone Regents 1-0
Peckham Rye 1-0
City of London Club 0-1
Hackney Exiles 0-1
Kensington Victoria 0-1
Old Westminsters 0-1
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-1

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Two: Saturday 15 March 1873

We are just two weeks into the season and there is just one team with two wins to their name, although Peckham Rye did not get the chance of a second win as a heavy rain shower left their field unplayable. Their game with Hackney will be made up by playing two when the teams meet in August.

The only team with two wins is the Marylebone Regents, who scored two in the first at Greenwich today and went on to win it 3-0. There is also only one team with two defeats, Kensington Victoria, who went to the ninth tied at 1-1 against the City of London Club only to lose when the City Club's Sidney McIntyre was hit by a pitch with runners at every base.

The Old Westminsters have their first win after an eighth inning run proved the difference in their game at Clapham Common, while last year's runners-up the Royal Artillery Barracks also got off the mark with a much bigger victory. They scored five in the first, two in the second and two more in the third on their way to an 11-1 success at Angel Islington. The Artillery's first baseman Job Streeter became the first player in the league to reach ten home runs for his career, while counting last season and this together he has now achieved at least one hit in twenty-two successive games, the second longest streak we have seen.

Scores:
Royal Artillery Barracks 11-1 Angel Islington
Kensington Victoria 1-2 City of London Club
Old Westminsters 2-1 Clapham Common
Marylebone Regents 3-0 Greenwich Meridian
Hackney Exiles v Peckham Rye postponed

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 2-0
Peckham Rye 1-0
Angel Islington 1-1
City of London Club 1-1
Clapham Common 1-1
Greenwich Meridian 1-1
Old Westminsters 1-1
Royal Artillery Barracks 1-1
Hackney Exiles 0-1
Kensington Victoria 0-2

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Three: Saturday 22 March 1873

The Marylebone Regents haven't had much to cheer since winning the inaugural Metropolitan League title eight years ago and two seasons ago had the worst record ever seen in the league, but they look good this season and now have three wins to start the campaign after scoring two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to overcome Angel Islington.

The Regents are now the only undefeated team in the league, after Peckham Rye failed to recover from giving up three runs in the second at Clapham Common. Kensington Victoria remain winless, although they might have thought a first victory would come after they tied their game with the Royal Artillery Barracks at 3-3 in the eighth. The Artillery however replied with two in the ninth for the win.

Hackney are also without a win, the Exiles having given up runs in the first two innings in falling to defeat at the Old Westminsters, who look a much better team than the one which made such a poor attempt to defend the championship last year. Elsewhere today, the City of London Club earned their second win as a three-run fourth inning gave them control of their game at Greenwich Meridian.

Scores:
Peckham Rye 2-5 Clapham Common
City of London Club 4-0 Greenwich Meridian
Royal Artillery Barracks 5-3 Kensington Victoria
Angel Islington 1-5 Marylebone Regents
Hackney Exiles 1-3 Old Westminsters

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 3-0
City of London Club 2-1
Clapham Common 2-1
Old Westminsters 2-1
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-1
Peckham Rye 1-1
Angel Islington 1-2
Greenwich Meridian 1-2
Hackney Exiles 0-2
Kensington Victoria 0-2

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Four: Saturday 29 March 1873

The Marylebone Regents reach the end of March undefeated after they earned a narrow win over the Old Westminsters today. The Regents outhit their opponents ten to two but could only get one run home, in the third inning. Fortunately for them it was enough to secure the victory.

After losing their first game of the season, the defending champion City of London Club have now won three in succession after they broke a 1-1 tie with two in the sixth against Angel Islington and added two more in the seventh to make sure. The City Club are tied for second with Clapham Common, who used to be renowned for poor starts but have begun surprisingly well for a second successive season. Today they scored two in the sixth and another in the eighth to move clear of the Royal Artillery Barracks, for whom Job Streeter fell two games short of equalling the record for hitting in successive games.

In the battle of the last two teams without a win, runs in the seventh and ninth innings of a tight game got Kensington Victoria off the mark and left Hackney at the bottom of the standings. Finally today, Peckham Rye scored three in the sixth to overcome visitors Greenwich Meridian.

Scores:
Angel Islington 1-5 City of London Club
Kensington Victoria 3-1 Hackney Exiles
Marylebone Regents 1-0 Old Westminsters
Greenwich Meridian 1-4 Peckham Rye
Clapham Common 5-2 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 4-0
City of London Club 3-1
Clapham Common 3-1
Peckham Rye 2-1
Old Westminsters 2-2
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-2
Angel Islington 1-3
Greenwich Meridian 1-3
Kensington Victoria 1-3
Hackney Exiles 0-3

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Five: Saturday 5 April 1873

The Marylebone Regents are no longer undefeated this season after they went down to a surprise defeat against a Kensington team who have had a poor start. The Regents had tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning but fell behind again in the sixth and could not get back on level terms.

They remain clear at the top of the standings though, as the City of London Club and Clapham Common were both beaten as well. The City Club trailed the Old Westminsters 5-0 after three innings and failed to recover, while Clapham also could not overcome a poor start as they gave up three runs in the first in losing to Greenwich Meridian.

Peckham are now in second place, after Rye took a 3-2 lead over Angel Islington in the second inning and never gave it up. Angel have now lost four successive games and sit at the bottom of the standings after the Hackney Exiles earned their first win of the season. The Exiles let slip a 3-0 lead in the sixth against the Royal Artillery Barracks, but found the win in the first extra inning.

Scores:
Peckham Rye 6-2 Angel Islington
Old Westminsters 5-2 City of London Club
Greenwich Meridian 4-2 Clapham Common
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-4 Hackney Exiles (10 innings)
Kensington Victoria 3-2 Marylebone Regents

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 4-1
Peckham Rye 3-1
City of London Club 3-2
Clapham Common 3-2
Old Westminsters 3-2
Greenwich Meridian 2-3
Kensington Victoria 2-3
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-3
Hackney Exiles 1-3
Angel Islington 1-4

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Six: Saturday 12 April 1873

At the moment there is no sign that the excellent start the Marylebone Regents have made to the season is coming to an end. Today they overcame Hackney after breaking a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning and going on to add further runs in the seventh and eighth. Of note for Hackney was the return to action of pitcher Harry Hardy, injured in the second game of last season and unable to play until today.

The City of London Club are not quite themselves at the moment as their defence of the championship has stuttered a little. Today they lost a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning at Clapham Common and then lost to a single run in the seventh as Clapham continued their surprisingly good start.

Clapham are tied for second with the revived Old Westminsters, who are transformed from their poor season last time. The Westminsters put up three in the third and three more in the seventh in earning a big win over last season's runners-up the Royal Artillery Barracks. At the moment the Artillery seem to be suffering as the Westminsters did last year, unable to repeat a good season next time around.

Peckham have had a good start but stumbled today in losing to an eighth inning run at Kensington, Victoria having won their last three games after losing the first three. Also today Angel Islington moved off the foot of the standings as they led all the way from the first inning in winning at Greenwich.

Scores:
City of London Club 1-2 Clapham Common
Angel Islington 4-1 Greenwich Meridian
Peckham Rye 1-2 Kensington Victoria
Hackney Exiles 1-4 Marylebone Regents
Royal Artillery Barracks 1-8 Old Westminsters

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 5-1
Clapham Common 4-2
Old Westminsters 4-2
Peckham Rye 3-2
City of London Club 3-3
Kensington Victoria 3-3
Angel Islington 2-4
Greenwich Meridian 2-4
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-4
Hackney Exiles 1-4

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Seven: Saturday 19 April 1873

At the start of the season, the experts predicted a good season for the Marylebone Regents and a poor season for Clapham Common. So far, they were right about one but not the other as those two teams sit tied at the top of the standings, after an exciting week which saw every game decided by one run.

The Regents suffered defeat at the Royal Artillery Barracks after giving up two runs in the first inning and only getting one back in the seventh, but they still have a share of first place. Clapham joined them after a dramatic game at Angel Islington. Angel had taken a 2-1 lead in the eighth only for Common to score two in the ninth to snatch victory.

Kensington Victoria were also expected to struggle this year and like Clapham, are exceeding expectations. They have now won four successive games after scoring three sixth-inning runs to overturn a 2-0 deficit and defeat the Old Westminsters. Bottom of the standings right now are the Hackney Exiles, who tied their game with Greenwich at 2-2 in the fourth only to lose it to a single run in the ninth.

The City of London Club, dominant for so long, may be starting to feel the passage of time as they have now lost three consecutive games and dropped into the bottom half of the standings. Today they fought back from 4-0 down in the sixth and 5-4 down in the eighth at Peckham, but lost the game when Rye scored the crucial run in the eleventh.

Scores:
Clapham Common 3-2 Angel Islington
Greenwich Meridian 3-2 Hackney Exiles
Old Westminsters 2-3 Kensington Victoria
City of London Club 5-6 Peckham Rye (11 innings)
Marylebone Regents 1-2 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Clapham Common 5-2
Marylebone Regents 5-2
Peckham Rye 4-2
Kensington Victoria 4-3
Old Westminsters 4-3
City of London Club 3-4
Greenwich Meridian 3-4
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-4
Angel Islington 2-5
Hackney Exiles 1-5

[Hageneezz]

Very cool!

I am in the process of making an English Baseball Association, the team from your city are the Plymouth Pilgrims (not an original name, i agree)

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Eight: Saturday 26 April 1873

Unfancied Clapham Common now lead the Metropolitan League on their own after a 3-0 win over Kensington Victoria today. Young pitcher Elijah Snider, new to the league this year, earned his first complete game shut-out as he allowed Kensington just five hits. Clapham moved clear because the Marylebone Regents have just faltered a little bit, losing at Peckham Rye after failing to recover from a two run first inning. Peckham take over second place in the standings.

The City of London Club got over their recent bad run with a comfortable win over the Hackney Exiles, leading all the way from the first inning and opening up a 6-0 advantage before Hackney scored three in the ninth to make it look closer. There was another complete game shut-out from a pitcher at Greenwich, with Oisin Sherin allowing only four hits to the Royal Artillery Barracks as Meridian won it with a three-run seventh.

In the day's other game, Angel Islington opened up a five run lead over the Old Westminsters after seven innings, holding on after the Westminsters closed the gap to 5-3 in the ninth.

Scores:
Old Westminsters 3-5 Angel Islington
Hackney Exiles 3-6 City of London Club
Kensington Victoria 0-3 Clapham Common
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-3 Greenwich Meridian
Marylebone Regents 1-2 Peckham Rye

Standings:
Clapham Common 6-2
Peckham Rye 5-2
Marylebone Regents 5-3
City of London Club 4-4
Greenwich Meridian 4-4
Kensington Victoria 4-4
Old Westminsters 4-4
Angel Islington 3-5
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-5
Hackney Exiles 1-6

[as5680]

Originally Posted by Hageneezz

Very cool!

I am in the process of making an English Baseball Association, the team from your city are the Plymouth Pilgrims (not an original name, i agree)

Great! I had the Plymouth Pilgrims in one of my previous leagues (which is where my display picture is from). I will have a team from Plymouth in this game eventually, but going for a different name this time.

[Hageneezz]

Forgot to tell you Marylebone is my fav team from now on!

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Nine: Saturday 3 May 1873

With one complete round of games now played, we have an incredibly close season on our hands in the Metropolitan League as there are six teams all within one game of each other at the top of the standings. The Marylebone Regents and Clapham Common are tied at the top again, after the Regents won their meeting 3-0 today, their pitchers only allowing Common two hits between them.

Peckham Rye could have taken over at the top but they were not able to work out the Old Westminsters pitcher Caleb Dean. He got through the whole game allowing only four hits and no runs, with the Westminsters taking it 1-0 with a sixth inning run.

Any suggestion of the City of London Club's demise may be premature as they have won two consecutive games, shutting out a Royal Artillery Barracks team who cannot rediscover last year's form. Greenwich are also involved near the top of the standings after they edged out Kensington, an eighth inning run making the difference after Victoria had come back from 2-0 down to tie it.

The Hackney Exiles continue to struggle at the foot of the standings, scoring four in the fourth to tie their game with Angel Islington but still losing it after giving up runs in each of the next two innings.

Scores:
Angel Islington 7-5 Hackney Exiles
Greenwich Meridian 3-2 Kensington Victoria
Clapham Common 0-3 Marylebone Regents
Peckham Rye 0-1 Old Westminsters
City of London Club 4-0 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Clapham Common 6-3
Marylebone Regents 6-3
Peckham Rye 5-3
City of London Club 5-4
Greenwich Meridian 5-4
Old Westminsters 5-4
Angel Islington 4-5
Kensington Victoria 4-5
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-6
Hackney Exiles 1-7

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Ten: Saturday 10 May 1873

If the rest of the Metropolitan League don't work out how to score runs against the Regents, then the championship could well be heading to Marylebone this year. The Regents are out in front in the standings again after a third inning run gave them a 1-0 win at Angel Islington, meaning that they have allowed only eleven runs in ten games so far this year.

Clapham Common lost ground as they trailed throughout at Peckham, with Rye now taking over second place. Clapham find themselves tied for third with another surprise team this year, Greenwich Meridian. They were expected to be near the bottom of the standings but have now won four successive games after a comeback win at the City of London Club. The City Club led 2-1 going to the eighth but Meridian tied it there and scored two in the ninth for the win.

The Royal Artillery Barracks have struggled so far this season but they earned a narrow win over Kensington today, their runs coming in the third and eighth innings. Meanwhile last placed Hackney won for just the second time this year, scoring three in the eighth to overturn a 1-0 deficit against the Old Westminsters and hanging on when the Westminsters made it 3-2 in the ninth.

Scores:
Marylebone Regents 1-0 Angel Islington
Greenwich Meridian 4-2 City of London Club
Old Westminsters 2-3 Hackney Exiles
Clapham Common 2-4 Peckham Rye
Kensington Victoria 0-2 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 7-3
Peckham Rye 6-3
Clapham Common 6-4
Greenwich Meridian 6-4
City of London Club 5-5
Old Westminsters 5-5
Angel Islington 4-6
Kensington Victoria 4-6
Royal Artillery Barracks 4-6
Hackney Exiles 2-7

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Eleven: Saturday 17 May 1873

The 1873 season is shaping up to be the most competitive we have seen to date in the Metropolitan League. We have three teams tied at the top of the standings now, after the Marylebone Regents fell to defeat against the Old Westminsters today. The Regents haven't allowed many runs this year but gave up one in the first and another in the fourth, being able to respond with only one in the ninth.

Unfancied Clapham and Greenwich both took the chance to move level at the top, Clapham overcoming the Royal Artillery Barracks thanks in the main to a three-run third inning, while three in the second were they key to Greenwich's 4-1 home win over Peckham Rye. Meridian have now won five successive games as they defy pre-season expectations of a poor year.

Angel Islington's record against the City of London Club is famously poor, especially at home, but they got the better of the City Club today with a two-run fourth inning proving the difference. Remarkably, it was only Angel's second home win over the City Club in twenty-four meetings in Islington. In the day's other game, last placed Hackney gained ground on the pack after keeping Kensington off the scoreboard in a 3-0 win.

Scores:
City of London Club 2-4 Angel Islington
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-5 Clapham Common
Peckham Rye 1-4 Greenwich Meridian
Hackney Exiles 3-0 Kensington Victoria
Old Westminsters 2-1 Marylebone Regents

Standings:
Clapham Common 7-4
Greenwich Meridian 7-4
Marylebone Regents 7-4
Peckham Rye 6-4
Old Westminsters 6-5
Angel Islington 5-6
City of London Club 5-6
Kensington Victoria 4-7
Royal Artillery Barracks 4-7
Hackney Exiles 3-7

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Twelve: Saturday 24 May 1873

When the season began in March you would have had to go a long way to find anyone predicting that one third of the way through the campaign, Greenwich Meridian would be leading the way. That is the situation we find after week twelve though, as Meridian scored four eighth inning runs to come from behind and defeat Clapham Common in the day's big game.

The Marylebone Regents, who have been so tough to score against so far this year, had an uncharacteristically poor day as they allowed three in the third and four in the sixth in crashing to defeat at Kensington. Peckham Rye took advantage to move into second place, breaking a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning to overcome Angel Islington.

The City of London Club face a real fight to retain their championship this year, but they got their record back to even as a four-run fourth inning put them in control against the Old Westminsters. In the battle of two struggling teams, the Royal Artillery Barracks fell behind in the first inning but replied with two in the second to defeat the Hackney Exiles.

Scores:
Clapham Common 2-5 Greenwich Meridian
Marylebone Regents 1-8 Kensington Victoria
City of London Club 5-2 Old Westminsters
Angel Islington 2-3 Peckham Rye
Hackney Exiles 1-2 Royal Artillery Barracks

Standings:
Greenwich Meridian 8-4
Peckham Rye 7-4
Clapham Common 7-5
Marylebone Regents 7-5
City of London Club 6-6
Old Westminsters 6-6
Angel Islington 5-7
Kensington Victoria 5-7
Royal Artillery Barracks 5-7
Hackney Exiles 3-8

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Thirteen: Saturday 31 May 1873

Nobody wants to take control of the Metropolitan League this season as we once again have six teams separated by just one game in the standings, with two more clubs just one game further back.

Greenwich Meridian had won their last six but that run came to an end today as they fell behind in the first inning at Angel Islington and were never able to draw level. The Marylebone Regents are once again in a tie for first place, after they came back to win at last place Hackney. The Exiles took a 2-1 lead into the seventh but two runs put the Regents ahead and they added another in the eighth to make sure.

Peckham Rye could have taken first place, but they lost a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning against Kensington and gave up two more runs in the seventh to lose it. Clapham Common also slipped up as the defending champion City of London Club edged back into contention with a win. Clapham led for much of the game but the City Club turned it around with three runs in the sixth.

There haven't been many extra inning games this year but the Old Westminsters and the Royal Artillery Barracks made up for that today. Unbelievably, it took twenty-six innings to find a winner, the Westminsters taking it with two runs to break a 1-1 tie after the longest game in league history. It was very dark by the time the game came to an end, leading to questions about whether they really should still have been playing.

Scores:
Greenwich Meridian 1-4 Angel Islington
Clapham Common 1-5 City of London Club
Marylebone Regents 4-2 Hackney Exiles
Kensington Victoria 4-2 Peckham Rye
Old Westminsters 3-1 Royal Artillery Barracks (26 innings)

Standings:
Greenwich Meridian 8-5
Marylebone Regents 8-5
Peckham Rye 7-5
City of London Club 7-6
Clapham Common 7-6
Old Westminsters 7-6
Angel Islington 6-7
Kensington Victoria 6-7
Royal Artillery Barracks 5-8
Hackney Exiles 3-9

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Fourteen: Saturday 7 June 1873

We have certainly never seen a season like this one, as we reach the point where the summer double games begin next week with now seven teams within one game of each other in the standings. Both of this morning's leaders were beaten today, with Greenwich going down 3-0 to the Hackney Exiles, for whom pitcher Harry Hardy earned his first complete game shut-out, allowing Greenwich only seven hits.

The Marylebone Regents lost narrowly to the Royal Artillery Barracks, who got the winning run home in the ninth, while after a troubled start to the season the reigning champions City of London suddenly find themselves in a tie for first place. They let slip a 3-0 lead in the sixth against Peckham Rye, only to move back in front immediately and hold on for a 4-3 win, their third in succession.

Clapham Common are also tied at the top, scoring four in the fifth to take control against Angel Islington, while a two-run seventh lifted Kensington past the Old Westminsters. Those two sides are certainly not out of contention either, as the championship is more wide open than ever before.

Scores:
Peckham Rye 3-4 City of London Club
Angel Islington 1-6 Clapham Common
Hackney Exiles 3-0 Greenwich Meridian
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-1 Marylebone Regents
Kensington Victoria 4-2 Old Westminsters

Standings:
City of London Club 8-6
Clapham Common 8-6
Greenwich Meridian 8-6
Marylebone Regents 8-6
Peckham Rye 7-6
Kensington Victoria 7-7
Old Westminsters 7-7
Angel Islington 6-8
Royal Artillery Barracks 6-8
Hackney Exiles 4-9

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Fifteen: Saturday 14 June 1873

This incredible season is getting more confusing all the time as, with the half-way point just a week away, there are no longer seven teams within one game at the top of the standings - there are now eight! None of the four teams tied at the top this morning could achieve two wins in the first round of scheduled double games, although the City of London Club and the Marylebone Regents both had chances to.

The City Club won their first game 7-4 at Hackney, although it was more one-sided than it looks as Hackney did not score until the ninth inning when they trailed 7-0. The Exiles, who have never really forgiven the City Club for keeping them out of the league back in 1868, had never beaten the defending champions but put that right in the second game today, scoring three in the eighth to break a scoreless tie and claim the win.

Marylebone scored two early on in their first game against Peckham, holding on when Rye got one back in the ninth, but dropped the second game when Peckham found runs in the sixth and eighth to win it. The Regents and the City Club are now in a three-way tie at the top with Kensington Victoria, who have won five successive games after beating Clapham twice today. In the first game they let slip a 1-0 lead in the ninth only to score immediately to win it 2-1, while in the second three early runs were enough to beat a Common team who couldn't score at all.

The only other team to win twice were the Royal Artillery Barracks, last year's runners-up taking both against Greenwich Meridian who have now lost their last four after a good run. A ninth inning run broke a 1-1 tie to win game one and three in the first set up a 4-1 success in game two. Angel and the Old Westminsters shared their games, but the Westminsters really should have won both. A three-run first inning secured the opening game and in the second, five runs in the eighth put them ahead 6-1. Angel incredibly rallied to score seven in the ninth and snatch victory.

Scores:
City of London Club 7-4 Hackney Exiles (Game One)
City of London Club 1-3 Hackney Exiles (Game Two)
Clapham Common 1-2 Kensington Victoria (Game One)
Clapham Common 0-3 Kensington Victoria (Game Two)
Peckham Rye 1-2 Marylebone Regents (Game One)
Peckham Rye 3-0 Marylebone Regents (Game Two)
Angel Islington 1-4 Old Westminsters (Game One)
Angel Islington 8-6 Old Westminsters (Game Two)
Greenwich Meridian 1-2 Royal Artillery Barracks(Game One)
Greenwich Meridian 1-4 Royal Artillery Barracks (Game Two)

Standings:
City of London Club 9-7
Kensington Victoria 9-7
Marylebone Regents 9-7
Peckham Rye 8-7
Clapham Common 8-8
Greenwich Meridian 8-8
Old Westminsters 8-8
Royal Artillery Barracks 8-8
Angel Islington 7-9
Hackney Exiles 5-10

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Sixteen: Saturday 21 June 1873

It didn't look likely a few weeks ago but at the half-way mark in the season, the defending champion City of London Club lead the Metropolitan League on their own after winning both their games against the Royal Artillery Barracks today. Trailing 2-0 in the first game, they tied it up in the fourth before winning it with three in the sixth and then in a tight second game, scored the only run in the eleventh inning.

Marylebone failed to keep pace after they shared their two games at Clapham Common. The Regents took the first 4-0, but never recovered from a three-run first inning in the second and lost it comfortably. They are now tied for second with Greenwich, who ended their recent slump by winning both against Kensington. Two in the fifth and three in the sixth won game one, while game two saw a six-hit shut-out from Meridian pitcher Oisin Sherin.

The other two pairs of games were both split equally. The Old Westminsters easily beat Peckham in game one, helped by a six-run sixth inning, but lost the second in extra innings. Hackney should have won game one at Angel Islington, but lost a 2-1 lead in the ninth and lost the game in the tenth. They recovered to win game two though, a four run sixth inning breaking a 1-1 tie and leading the Exiles to victory.

Scores:
Hackney Exiles 2-3 Angel Islington (10 innings, Game One)
Hackney Exiles 7-1 Angel Islington (Game Two)
Royal Artillery Barracks 2-5 City of London Club (Game One)
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-1 City of London Club (11 innings, Game Two)
Marylebone Regents 4-0 Clapham Common (Game One)
Marylebone Regents 0-6 Clapham Common (Game Two)
Kensington Victoria 1-5 Greenwich Meridian (Game One)
Kensington Victoria 0-3 Greenwich Meridian (Game Two)
Old Westminsters 10-2 Peckham Rye (Game One)
Old Westminsters 3-4 Peckham Rye (10 innings, Game Two)

Standings:
City of London Club 11-7
Greenwich Meridian 10-8
Marylebone Regents 10-8
Peckham Rye 9-8
Clapham Common 9-9
Kensington Victoria 9-9
Old Westminsters 9-9
Angel Islington 8-10
Royal Artillery Barracks 8-10
Hackney Exiles 6-11

[as5680]

Metropolitan Baseball League
Week Seventeen: Saturday 28 June 1873

In this unpredictable season, every time a team seems to be finding form they falter and there is a change at the top of the standings. The City of London Club are the lastest to do just that after they lost both of their games at home to Marylebone today, allowing the Regents back into first place. The first game was scoreless until the twelfth when the Regents took the lead, only for the City Club to tie it up. The Regents scored again in the thirteenth though and this time held on. In game two they took an early lead with two in the third and were never caught. Infielder Arnold Knight was the star of the day, hitting home runs in both games, including the winner in game one.

Peckham Rye are back up to second after they beat the Royal Artillery Barracks twice. Rye trailed 3-0 after two innings of the first game but came back to win it 5-3 and in the second game scored the only run in the seventh. It was also a double success for Clapham Common after a very low scoring day against the Hackney Exiles. Both games went to extra innings without a run being scored, but Common took the first game 1-0 in the tenth inning and the second by the same score after eleven.

The Old Westminsters might have had two 1-0 wins as well in their games at Greenwich, but slipped up in the ninth inning of game one as Meridian scored two to take it. In game two a single run, scored in the second inning, was enough for the Westminsters as pitcher Caleb Dean earned a complete game four-hit shut-out. Kensington and Angel also won one each, Angel scoring three in the eight to snatch the first game but Kensington hitting back to take the second.

The increased competitiveness of the league this year is underlined by the fact that with sixteen rounds of games still to play, every team has lost at least eight games - the same number that the City of London Club lost all last year in taking the championship.

Scores:
Kensington Victoria 3-4 Angel Islington (Game One)
Kensington Victoria 4-2 Angel Islington (Game Two)
Marylebone Regents 2-1 City of London Club (13 innings, Game One)
Marylebone Regents 4-1 City of London Club (Game Two)
Hackney Exiles 0-1 Clapham Common (10 innings, Game One)
Hackney Exiles 0-1 Clapham Common (11 innings, Game Two)
Old Westminsters 1-2 Greenwich Meridian (Game One)
Old Westminsters 1-0 Greenwich Meridian (Game Two)
Royal Artillery Barracks 3-5 Peckham Rye (Game One)
Royal Artillery Barracks 0-1 Peckham Rye (Game Two)

Standings:
Marylebone Regents 12-8
Peckham Rye 11-8
City of London Club 11-9
Clapham Common 11-9
Greenwich Meridian 11-9
Kensington Victoria 10-10
Old Westminsters 10-10
Angel Islington 9-11
Royal Artillery Barracks 8-12
Hackney Exiles 6-13