A Historical Perspective of Baseball in Normington

[Hrycaj]

1841:

The 1841 baseball season began with Cherry Arch Governor Harry Edwards once again inviting clubs to their clubhouse in Ipsen for what he hoped would be an annual meeting of baseball clubs. Edwards felt that an annual meeting would be a great way to strengthen existing bonds as well as add new clubs into the fold. It was also an opportunity for a complete review of the rule set. Edwards thought it was important for club representatives to have a stake in the direction of competition. Edwards felt that if he treated clubs as stakeholders in a bigger venture he would meet his goal of creating the first ever baseball league. Unfortunately for Edwards, he underestimated just how much some clubs wanted to challenge the status quo. The February 13th meeting started off well enough as everyone present was pleased with how games unfolded the year before and saw no reason to alter any of the playing rules. The Haygreen Baseball Club of Oxberry even decided to join the growing number of clubs honoring the Cherry Arch rule set, as it was now generally referred to as. The main issue from the meeting came when Edwards announced that the second Cherry Arch Cup would be held between the 28th and 30th of May. Westgate President Abel Williams (defending champions) took issue with the proclamation issued by Edwards. Williams wanted his Westgate Club to host the tournament. Williams felt that as defending champions, Westgate should have the first option to host the tournament. Edwards made an attempt to argue that the Cherry Arch Club held some sort of proprietary rights to the tournament named after them. Williams however had the trophy and the leverage. If clubs wanted the Cup, they would have to win it at the Westgate tournament. Edwards was the first to blink but maybe not for the surface reasons some at the meeting may have thought. It was not like the Cherry Arch Tournament held some sort of decades long tradition or anything. It also wasn’t the only tournament that was run in 1840. The success of the Cherry Arch Cup which was held in May of 1840, motivated other clubs to host their own tournaments. For whatever reason though, maybe because it was the first tournament, the Cherry Arch Cup was considered the preeminent showcase of baseball club talent in Normington. Simply put though, this was about money. It was not lost on the other clubs that hosting a tournament could turn a tidy profit and those clubs wanted a piece of the action. For Edwards though it needed to be about more than money. Edwards couldn’t afford to be alienating clubs, especially the more talented ones. If the Cup was that important though, would it not make more sense to build up a competitive fervor to claim it? Does this somehow bring clubs that much closer to creating a league? Edwards could always turn a profit by hosting another tournament so why not give Williams and the Westgate Club what they wanted? Of course, we have no idea whether or not that was indeed Edwards' mindset, but it would explain why he didn’t put up more of a fight to have his club host the tournament.

Westgate made the decision to hold the Cherry Arch Cup during the last weekend in September of 1841. This was a tactical decision on their part as it marked the beginning of the fall Bass and Walleye fishing seasons in Normington. With the heat of the summer months waning, the lake water turns over allowing the cooler water to rise up and the warmer water to recede into the depths. This natural phenomenon causes a feeding frenzy among all species of fish as they gorge themselves in preparation for their winter hibernation. Many harbor cities like Ipsen celebrate this time period with various fish festival celebrations. Westgate thought that combining the Cherry Arch Cup with a local fish festival would attract great numbers of spectators which in turn would result in a more substantial profit for the host club.

With the Westgate tournament taking place toward the end of the playing season, clubs had the opportunity to establish supremacy. This resulted in a very strong playing field for the 1841 tournament for the Cherry Arch Cup.

Quarterfinal:

Westgate beat Haygreen 28-27.

This may have been the most dramatic game in baseball history at this point. After demanding that the Cherry Arch Cup be held at the Westgate playing grounds, and setting up the quarterfinal matchups, Westgate almost lost to an upstart Haygreen club. While Haygreen might have been a new club they were plenty talented and had already won one tournament earlier in the season at Sunset Gate. Westgate had won the opening coin toss and elected to bat first so they needed to hold off a Haygreen attack in the last half of the 9th inning to secure the victory.

Sunset Gate beat Stormstown 38-19

Conan Brown and Rhys Cummins were noted to have had big games in this win for Sunset Gate.

Cherry Arch beat White Bridge 54-18

The Cherry Arch offensive attack was just too much for White Bridge to overcome. Perry Barnes (Cherry Arch Secretary) noted that their club played with an intense singular focus. Our goal was to win the tournament and take back the trophy from the demanding Westgate boys.

Moon Lodge beat Clover 55-16

Moon Lodge credited their defensive capabilities as the reason for the victory over Clover.

Semifinal:

Westgate beat Sunset Gate 29-13

For the second season in a row Westgate advanced to the final with a win over Sunset Gate. Unlike the spirited 38-36 match from a year ago, this match was more of an exhibition in defensive play for the Westgate Club.

Cherry Arch defeated Moon Lodge 42-34

Harry Edwards and the boys could not be stopped. They had the opportunity to watch Westgate handle Sunset Gate earlier in the day so they knew exactly what they had to do. The Cherry Arch offense exploded and could seemingly score at will. They simply outlasted the Moon Lodge club to earn an opportunity to play in the Final.

Final:

Throughout the tournament the accounts of the rift between Edwards and Williams from the February baseball meeting were circulating amongst spectators at both the tournament and fish festival. Once Cherry Arch secured the last out in their semifinal match against Moon Lodge the excitement for the Final began to spread considerably. The Sunday match was set for 1 pm in the afternoon with Westgate winning the toss and electing to hit immediately. It may have been the largest crowd to ever watch a baseball game and they were treated to a spectacle.

The offense for both clubs was on display. It was an exciting back and forth effort that kept spectators riveted to the action for the entirety of the match. It was a shame that such a match had to end but when the final out was recorded it was Westgate holding on for a 43-40 victory. Since Abel Williams did not need to present his club with a trophy they just successfully defended he instead took the opportunity to congratulate the Cherry Arch Club on a well played tournament and added that they (Cherry Arch) had a strong chance of being invited back for next season’s tournament. If the events of the last seven months were not enough, Abel William’s empty congratulations would be the spark that would produce baseball’s first rivalry. As upset as Edwards and the rest of the Cherry Arch Club may have been it was amazing publicity for an already growing sport.

[Hrycaj]

1842

For the third straight year, on a February afternoon, Harry Edwards invited club representatives to converge and discuss all things baseball. Of course, Abel Williams of Westgate was in attendance with an idea. As two time Cherry Arch Cup champions, the boys of Westgate were feeling mighty confident in their baseball prowess. After last year's meeting, Harry Edwards didn’t even make an attempt at organizing a Cherry Arch Tournament at Bevan Park (C.A. home grounds)but simply asked Williams when it would be held at Wharton Grounds. Williams shared that the tournament would run as it did the previous season during the last week of September to once again align it with the fish festival in Ipsen. Here is where the controversy begins. According to historical sources, Williams also decreed that there would be an application process for clubs that were interested in participating. Williams expected written applications to be submitted no later than July 31st, so he could go through them and select deserving clubs. Previously, tournament participation was on a first come first serve basis, and generally speaking the best clubs in the area became de facto participants. This level of singular control was unheard of and it made Edwards suspicious. In Williams' defense though, the sport was growing and it was probably time for some sort of selection process to take place. Williams also shared that the tournament would grow to 16 clubs and be the “grandest display of baseball ever held in Normington.”

By 1842 it was clear that the Cherry Arch rule set had become the primary rule set for most competitive baseball clubs. There were still some holdout clubs that honored pelting and other such differences, but their numbers were shrinking considerably. The success of competitive gatherings most likely had a lot to do with this evolution. The Cherry Arch version of the game was growing rapidly and clubs were more than happy to fall in line with the rule set that was most popular. At the end of July Abel Williams had received 21 submissions for the Cherry Arch Cup. After going over all applications a 16 team tournament bracket was constructed and shared with awarded clubs. Here is a list of how the brackets were constructed:

Bracket 1:

White Bridge
Cherry Arch
Stormtown
Amich’s Bridge
Moon Lodge
South Town
Sunset Gate
Woolgrove

Bracket 2:

Westgate
Pearl Crossing
West Port
Forges
Summer Gate
Iron Grove
Bright Steps
Highfield

What may or may not jump at the reader right away was that it would appear that old Abel stacked the deck in his favor. All of the best performing clubs (other than Westgate)shared the same bracket. To reach the Final all Westgate had to do was navigate through lesser talented and newly formed clubs. While the other side of the bracket would be tougher road to victory. Cherry Arch was less than pleased about the bracket construction but they were not alone in their contempt. As irritated as some clubs may have been, none of them were willing to relinquish their spot in the tournament. In the end all 16 clubs invited would descend upon the Westgate District of Ipsen during the annual fish festival at the end of September to battle for the Cherry Arch Cup.

Opening Round Bracket 1:

White Bridge (Ispen) beat Cherry Arch (Ispen) 40-26
Stormtown (Oldgate) beat Amich’s Bridge (Meadowside) 23-16
Moose Lodge (Ipsen) beat South Town (Millharbour) 42-39
Sunset Gate (Millharbour) beat Woolgrove (Mound) 39-32

This bracket definitely featured the more successful competitive sides in Normington. White Bridge behind Bender and Wood was easily able to handle Edward's led Cherry Arch Club. Amich’s Bridge was a new entry and gave Stormtown a competitive game. Moose Lodge slipped past South Town and Sunset Gate, a strong club out of Millharbour, took care of newcomer Woolgrove 39-32.

Opening Round Bracket 2:

Westgate (Ipsen) beat Pearl Crossing (Jipson) 48-27
Forges (Mersey) beat West Port (Fenkell) 60-51
Iron Grove (Claburn) beat Summer Gate (Millharbour) 51-14
Bright Steps (Greenwald) beat Highfield (Newall) 50-24

The plan for Westgate to stack the deck in their favor was not thought out all that well. Initially the plan looked like it was going to work out perfectly for Westgate as they easily handled a weak Pearl Crossing club out of Jipson in their opening game. According to newspaper reports at the time though, once spectators understood the extent of Westgate's duplicity, they quickly began to turn on the club and actively rooted against them in subsequent matches. Although the tournament was held in the Westgate District that apparently didn’t guarantee unwavering support.


Quarterfinals:

Stormtown beat White Bridge 29-21
Sunset Gate beat Moon Lodge 47-34
Westgate beat Forges 47-21
Iron Grove beat Bright Steps 54-50

The one upside to the brackets being unfairly stacked is that it provided for some really good dramatic baseball matches in the early rounds for spectators to enjoy. Stormtown, which was the only club representative from Oldgate, showcased some superior defense in their victory over White Bridge in the first game of the quarters. Sunset Gate brought the offense in their victory over Moon Lodge and even though they were roundly criticized the Westgate club easily beat Forges out of Mersey. The game of the round though belonged to a pair of newcomers in Iron Grove and Bright Steps. Both sides were dominant offensively treating spectators to a riveting back and forth match.


Semifinals:

Sunset Gate beat Stormtown 48-30
Westgate beat Iron Grove 16-14

Sunset Gate punched their ticket to the final with a strong offensive showing but it was the second semifinal game that held all the drama. Westgate did secure the victory but it was a close thing. First the crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of the Iron Grove side from Claburn. Second, the Westgate side complained to the umpire on a number of occasions that the Iron Grove side’s pitcher (Roome) was using an illegal delivery. They may have had a point. In an era where baseball teams routinely scored 40+ runs in a match this game finished 16-14. The rule states that the pitcher must deliver the ball in the location of the batters preference. Westgate claimed that Roome was delivering the ball with too much speed for the Westgate hitters to make desired contact. Whether the umpire simply did not agree or was influenced by the crowd he refused to order Roome to alter his delivery. This of course, prompted the Westgate hurler (Watson) to pitch the same way. The result was a low scoring game (relative to the era).

Final:

Sunset Gate beat Westgate 40-36

The final saw both pitchers revert back to customary deliveries and scoring was back up as a result. An animated crowd was on hand to see if Abel Williams and the rest of the Westgate Club could finish off their last hurdle and win the Cherry Arch Cup for a third consecutive year. Sunset Gate however, was not one of the pushover clubs, and since they had to go through the best clubs in the tournament, they were battle hardened. Of course, Westgate were no slouches themselves. It must have been a surreal experience for the Westgate Club. They were hosting the tournament but the crowd was decidedly pro Sunset Gate. In a very exciting game, Sunset Gate outlasted the boys from Westgate to dethrone the champs and take the Cherry Arch Cup out of the Ipsen to Millharbour for the first time ever.

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Once again, posting any sort of standings as official is completely subjective. We simply do not know what the real records of clubs were. Even still, posting what we have compiled at least gives the reader an idea of what clubs were a bit more dominant than others. It is interesting to note that the Westgate loss in the Cherry Arch Cup Final is the only recorded loss they took for the season. Makes one wonder if doctoring the tournament brackets was even necessary?

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[Hrycaj]

1843

It is interesting how seemingly unrelated events would lead to change. When Harry Edwards held his annual baseball meeting in February he was approached by several club representatives about a specific rule change. It would appear that there were a number of clubs that were interested in changing the rules for pitch delivery. Looking back it shouldn’t come as a complete shock as the competitive nature of games had been steadily growing. Why would a pitcher simply want to feed a ball to a hitter when they could do so much more? Of course this realization may not have been uncovered if Westgate hadn’t stacked the tournament deck the year before leading to the controversial semifinal game against Iron Grove. This is not to say that this evolution wouldn’t have happened anyway, but in this particular case there are some anchor post connections that could be made.

It would appear that Edwards had no issue with the potential change. He seemed to truly be an individual that wanted to satisfy the whole over accomplishing his personal agenda. Or it could be viewed that he saw success of his personal agenda closely linked with keeping as many clubs as happy as possible. The goal of course, was to create a fully fledged league, unfortunately another year would pass without his vision being realized. The pitch delivery rule though, would change. In an overwhelming majority it was decided that batters would still select the location of the delivered pitch but the hurler would be able to deliver the ball with as much force (underhand still) as he saw fit. This change unfortunately would lead to unintended disaster and more change.

Henry Morgan, who was in attendance as the highest ranking representative from the Sunset Gate club announced that the Cherry Arch Cup (the first to not be held in Ipsen) would take place at the end of September to take advantage of their fish festival (Millharbour is also a port city). It also seemed that Sunset Gate was not going to fall into the same trap that Westgate did. Their tournament would also feature 16 clubs but matchups would be drawn randomly out of a hat. The uncertainty of a random drawing was a popular solution. It should be noted however that we have no record of what the process was to become one of the 16 clubs selected for the Cherry Arch Cup.


As alluded to earlier, the alteration to the pitch delivery rule was a complete disaster as it completely bogged the game down. Without a ball and strike count (these things have yet to be invented) batters refused to swing until they saw something they liked. One account from the time talked about how the unrelenting patience of the batters destroyed the rhythm of the game. Scoring was down but game times soared. It does come as a bit of a shock that Edwards and company did not see this as a possible byproduct of the rule change. By the time of the Cherry Arch Tournament in late September, it was clear that the game had a problem. Spectator reaction to the Cherry Arch Cup sealed the deal. Many openly complained about the length of the games and the absence of action. As the tournament went deeper crowds became thinner which is the exact opposite of what had happened in years past. Here is how the tournament played out.

Using a random draw system, here were the opening round results for both brackets:

Bracket #1

Sunset Gate (Millharbour) beat Bright Steps (Greenwald) 21-10
Forges (Mersey) beat Westgate (Ipsen) 14-12
Summergate (Millharbour) beat Clover (Ipsen) 25-16
Moon Lodge (Ipsen) beat Tailorsfield (Ipsen) 21-19

Forges upset Westgate in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal while defending champions Sunset Gate had probably the most convincing win on this side of the bracket.

Bracket #2

Iron Grove (Claburn) beat Highfield (Newall) 15-11
West Port (Fenkell) beat White Bridge (Ipsen) 14-12
Stormtown (Oldgate) beat Groves (Winterhalter) 21-20
Cherry Arch (Ipsen) beat Pearl Crossing (Jipson) 22-13

Something to notice with the early round scores was just how close many of the games were. It is unfortunate that the length and rhythm of the game was the cost of such close competition.

Quarterfinals:

Sunset Gate beat Forges 18-16
Moon Lodge beat Summergate 19-15
West Port beat Iron Grove 12-10
Cherry Arch beat Stormtown 25-22

Some really tight matches in this round. Defending champs Sunset Gate slipped past Forges and Cherry Arch looked convincing in their victory over Stormtown.

Semifinals:

Moon Lodge beat Sunset Gate 25-21
Cherry Arch beat West Port 23-16

In a very long, tight affair, Moon Lodge was able to dethrone the champions in the first semifinal game of the day. In the second semifinal match Cherry Arch came one step closer to their ultimate goal by beating the West Port Club out of Fenkell.

Final:

Moon Lodge beat Cherry Arch 22-15

With the Finals set it was a foregone conclusion that the Cherry Arch Cup would return to the city of Ipsen. The only question that remained was whether it would be housed in the Cherry Arch or Moon Lodge District? The game, which was sparsely attended as the numbers continued to shrink, featured two clubs that were district neighbors in Ipsen. While Cherry Arch didn’t have the fierce rivalry with Moon Lodge like they did with Westgate according to sources, Cherry Arch was very invested in winning the match. This of course was not to suggest that Moon Lodge didn’t want to win the cup themselves, just merely pointing out that Harry edwards had a much better relationship with Charles Brewster than he did with Abel Williams. As much as Cherry Arch may have wanted victory it wasn’t to be. The Moon Lodge attack was just too good and beat Cherry Arch by seven runs.

The Cherry Arch Cup of 1843 was a success in that a winner was awarded but a total loss if the attempt was to spread interest in the game. It wasn’t just the spectators that were grumbling either. Many clubs, frustrated by the new length of games, reverted back to the older playing rules creating a complete mess in terms of historical accuracy. It is not even worth it to post historical records for the season because the information is even less reliable than it usually was.

So concerned was Edwards about the future of the game that he wasted no time petitioning clubs for a baseball meeting in November of ‘43 instead of waiting until February of ‘44. With all the work Edwards had put into organizing the game by this point it is no wonder that he was concerned. Much to his relief many of the area clubs answered the call and made the trip to the Cherry Arch clubhouse to discuss the future of the game. The main issue was how the rule of allowing pitchers to quicken their deliveries had destroyed the pace of the game. Emory Simmons, the Stromtown representative, simply called for a reversal of the rule to its previous state prior to the ‘43 season. There were a few clubs that were interested in taking that route. Damien Bender of White Bridge was not one of those people though. While Bender was in agreement that the game pace was a concern he also pointed out that the games were actually very competitive. Bender also debated whether it was wise to once again neuter the pitcher after making them a larger part of the game strategy. Once the door has been opened could you simply close it again? Bender’s arguments were very persuasive but did not come anywhere closer to solving the problem. The most interesting addition to the conversation came from George Chamberlain, the representative of the West Town club in Mersey. West Town was not a club that had ever played in a Cherry Arch Cup. In fact they were one of the clubs that did not adopt the original Cherry Arch Rules even though they were present at the inaugural 1840 meeting. It was later discovered that Chamberlain was only at the meeting to rub elbows. Reluctantly, Chamberlain shared his club’s adopted playing rules which he believed might solve the issue at hand. Over the years Chamberlain admitted to adopting many of the Cherry Arch rules except for one unique rule concerning the pitcher/batter dynamic. West Town had adopted a pitch count for each batter to keep the game moving. This way pitchers could play an important role on defense and the batters couldn’t just wait them out. When questioned further Chamberlain offered that the club agreed upon an accepted zone that ran from the chest to the knees across the width of the plate and determined that was an acceptable area for a batter to strike the ball in. If the batter failed to swing at a pitch in the zone it was deemed a strike against the hitter. If it was outside of the zone it was not a strike against the hitter. If a batter failed to make contact in three attempts they were out. If the pitcher missed the zone three times before a batter made contact or had three strikes against them they were awarded first base. Obviously, this is the beginnings of the modern strike zone. Chamberlain concluded the Mersey rule (for lack of a better distinction) brought back the rhythm of the game while allowing for pitching strategies.

It would have been fascinating to sit in that room listening to Chamberlain explain the rudimentary beginnings of a rule that would become a staple of modern baseball. Were people confused? Were they at all intrigued? It would appear most were dismissive. West Town was considered a minor club. They had never adopted the Cherry Arch Rules and never played in any major tournaments because of that decision. West Town’s brand of baseball (although similar to the Cherry Arch set in almost every other way) just wasn’t taken that seriously. It is interesting to note that in just four short years clubs had already developed a pecking order. What Chamberlain needed (if he even cared) was backing from one of the larger clubs. Enter the gregarious Senior Warden of the Moon Lodge Baseball Club, Charles Brewster. Brewster, who was a successful businessman, and had been described as having a personality the size of the room. His infectious personality made him quite the popular fellow. Brewster chimed in that Moon Lodge had played White Town on two separate occasions in between trips to Millharbour in the previous season. During both occasions they used the White Town rules as a change of pace. Brewster spoke favorably of both the pace and competitiveness of the games. To take things a step further Brewster announced that as defending Cherry Arch Cup champions the next year's tournament would be held using a combination of the existing Cherry Arch rules alongside the pitch count rule created by the Mersey Club. Even with Brewster’s grand announcement clubs did not come to a consensus about what the actual rule would be. In the end it was determined that clubs would simply have to come to an agreement prior to the match being played. For Edwards, this was the worst news possible as it marked another year where he failed to get clubs to see his grand vision. What Edwards could not have known though was that Chamberlain and Brewster had unintentionally helped his cause.

[Hrycaj]

1844:

Before we dive into the season, now would be a good time to do a recap of the active clubs that we know about that were operating in 1844. This list of course, is not definitive. Also, the teams represented in italics were known clubs that played under a much different rule set. These rule sets were diverse (ex: Pelting) enough that the clubs couldn’t be lumped in with the clubs playing under the “Cherry Arch Rules” or something that was pretty close to them.

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For many, the 1844 season must have felt like a step back in time to what the game was like in the 1830’s. Although, in truth it probably wasn’t anywhere near as chaotic as the earlier decade (there were only a few rule sets to pick from) it was still a step back in terms of establishing a centralized rule set. Things did not get any better as the season unfolded either. Clubs never seemed able to adopt a certain pattern of play for any amount of time. The constant changes made it tough for teams to get into any sort of rhythm leading up to the Cherry Arch Cup that was held in September of ‘44 at the Moon Lodge playing grounds. This rang true for the tournament itself. In recent years, the Cherry Arch Cup had featured 16 clubs from around Normington set to do battle. In 1844 though, only eight clubs competed for the Cherry Arch Cup.

Quarterfinals:

Sunset Gate (Millharbour) beat Stromtown (Oldgate) 30-24
Forges (Mersey) beat Westgate (Ipsen) 16-10
West Town (Mersey) beat White Bridge (Jipson) 19-17
Cherry Arch (Ipsen) beat Moon Lodge (Ipsen) 25-13

With pitch count rules in effect for the tournament the outcomes of the matches were very interesting. Some clubs could still produce strong offensive performances but it would appear the days of clubs scoring close to 60 runs in any given match were gone. According to sources, the new strategic element was very popular amongst spectators as well, since it also restored the game's swift pace. Somewhere, Chamberlain must have been smiling.

On the field, Cherry Arch upset the defending champions getting them one step closer to maybe winning the cup with their namesake for the first time. West Town, although still considered a minor club by some, beat White Bridge possibly changing people’s attitude toward the classification of the club.

Semifinals:

Forges beat Sunset Gate 20-10
West Town beat Cherry Arch 27-10

A couple of lopsided matches found West Town in the Finals as they became the feel good story of the tournament.

Final:

West Town beat Forges 27-17

In an all-Mersey final match George Chamberlain’s West Town squad beat their cross town rivals pretty handedly to win the Cherry Arch Cup. Since the tournament was in Ipsen there were some that questioned the validity of the West Town win. Detractors felt that West Town simply won because they had more experience playing their “own game”. Supporters though, were quick to point out that White Town did not set the parameters of the tournament. Either way it would appear that the interest in baseball had returned.

According to some accounts Edwards had been working diligently behind the scenes throughout the ‘44 season corresponding with clubs in an attempt to once again unify the game under a specific rule set. As late spring gave way to summer, and the disorder of the year continued unabated, Edwards' message was starting to take hold with some. This also may have been the point when Edwards decided to switch up his tactics. Convincing a whole group of clubs at the annual meeting was clearly not working for him. Garnering support at an individual level may have proved more effective. Another theory was that playing loose matches and tournaments had run its course and some clubs were ready for a more stable setup. Or like most things, it was a combination of both factors mentioned and a few that have not been considered. However it happened, Edwards long standing wish of creating a league was gaining some serious traction for the first time as the year drew to a close.

[Hrycaj]

1845:

Most of the historical works written about the game choose 1845 as the starting point for obvious reasons. The creation of the first baseball league legitimizes the game to many. Hopefully, by this point the reader understands that there was so much more to the story just to get to this point. Furthermore, it almost never happened. The final team to commit to give the league an even balance did not join until mere weeks before the season was set to start. Here is how it all came together to the best of our current knowledge.

While Edwards may have had the vision he stumbled time and again to unify the clubs. It wasn’t as if Edwards wasn’t liked or respected; he just lacked that charisma that is sometimes needed to get ego’s together. Edwards needed someone that could sway opinion. He needed Charles Brewster and that is exactly who he targeted. Brewster, who had been listening to Edward’s pitch for years, thought the time was finally right to profit off his idea. With Brewster and his Moon Lodge club on board, Brewster used his considerable influence to interest other clubs. Before Brewester could do that though an understanding about what rule set they would be pitching needed to be established. Edwards would have liked to get input from all involved but Brewster felt it would be easier to recruit clubs if he had an actual plan to pitch. The two minds quickly surmised that the Cherry Arch set with the “Mersey” additions had the best chance of catching on. Both Brewster and Edwards didn’t like the amount of bases awarded to hitters because of pitcher inaccuracy so they agreed that it would now take four balls before a batter was awarded a base. With the 4-3 count in place and the rest of the rules already established, Brewster felt that he would be able to sell the idea to clubs. Brewster’s first stop was to visit Abel Williams of Westgate to gauge their club's interest. Williams was an easy sell, any chance to beat up on Cherry Arch worked for his club. So with three in the fold Brewster next set his sights on Sunset Gate. Sunset gate was the most prestigious club operating in Millharbour during this time. Brewster and Edwards both thought the edition of Sunset Gate would give their league some instant credibility. Unfortunately, the Sunset Gate representatives weren’t so easy to convince. They balked at the idea of the extra travel that they assumed would become a regular thing for them. George Chamberlain of West Town in Mersey sought out Edwards and essentially demanded his club be included since the rules they were going to use were essentially their clubs creation. Neither Edwards nor Brewster had any objections and the league grew to four.

Cheery Arch
Moon Lodge
Westgate
West Town

After a promising start the momentum died down and it took several months to secure the remaining clubs. Brewster continued his contacts with Sunset Gate believing their inclusion was key, but also worked other angles. One of those angles was convincing Alexander Simmons of Stormtown to convince his club to join the league. Stormtown would be a nice addition as Oldtown is a nice halfway point between Mersey and Ipsen. Brewster was finally able to secure Stormtown’s inclusion in late January of 1845, growing the league to five clubs. The inclusion of Stormtown did nothing to help Brewster’s pitch with Sunset Gate though. As the club from Millharbour dug in their heels through February and early March, Edwards and Brewster grew desperate to grab a sixth club to even out the league. Brewster would finally abandon his efforts with Sunset Gate and pivot toward White Bridge out of Jipson to round out the league a mere weeks before the first games were set to start. With six clubs committed, the Normington Amateur Baseball League (NABL), the first baseball league of its kind, was created. Here is a recap of the founding member clubs:

NABL:

Cherry Arch (Ipsen)
Moon Lodge (Ipsen)
Westgate (Ipsen)
West Town (Mersey)
Stormtown (Oldgate)
White Bridge (Jipson)

It would have been interesting to know what Harry Edwards was thinking as the NABL was set to kick off their inaugural season on April 5th 1845. Was there a sense of relief at a dream realized? Or was there still a nervousness until games actually took place? Was there a concern of whether the league would actually get through a full season? Historically we know the answers to many of these questions but in the moment such concerns may have weighed heavily on Harry's lithe shoulders.
The NABL season actually went off without a hitch and thanks to some very favorable weather during the summer teams were able to faithfully play out their respective schedules. On June 1st Cherry Arch was atop the league with a 7-2 record, two games clear of 2nd place White Bridge and three clear of rival Westgate and Abel Williams. Cherry Arch would continue to be league leaders throughout the next two months as they entered August with a 10-7 record. However, Westgate and Stormtown were able to gain some ground and only sat a single game back from Cherry Arch, putting a lot of pressure on Edwards and company. Westgate really turned up the heat in August as they beat Cherry Arch on August 2nd to pull even with them in the standings. Westgate was just heating up though as they were already riding a three game win streak and added five more in a row which included another beat down of Cherry Arch on September 6th. For Cherry Arch it was a bad time to go into a tailspin as they only won a single game from July 26th through September 13th. As if that wasn’t bad enough for Cherry Arch they were about to be dealt a huge blow to their club pride.

When West Town won the Cherry Arch Cup in 1844 they became acutely aware of how the detractors explained away their victory. George Chamberlain and the rest of his club members took exception to the accusations and were determined to put together the most competitive tournament they could muster. They wanted to prove to everyone that they were indeed a top club and not one that simply had more experience with a particular rule set. The problem for Chamberlain though, was that West Town was not having a good season in the NABL. They were in fact tied for the worst record in the NABL with White Bridge going into the week of the tournament. Even with Cherry Arch essentially imploding over the course of August and September they still owned more wins than West Town. So when Chamberlain politely informed Cherry Arch that they would not be granted a spot in the Cherry Arch Cup, you could probably imagine how that sat with their members. The normally calm and cooperative Edwards probably had every right to be incensed at such a slight. However, there was not really anything anyone could do as the accepted tradition was for the defending champions to put the tournament together in any manner of their choosing. In all reality aside from West Town, it was a fine collection of baseball talent represented. Using a random draw this was how the tournament bracket came together.

The first matchup was between Iron Grove (Claburn) and Amich’s Bridge (Meadowside). Neither club was considered a heavy favorite to win the Cup but they were solid teams who could both boast to having won double to the amount of games they lost.

The second matchup was set to be an entertaining battle between two Ipsen clubs in Moon Lodge and Clover. Clover was enjoying a fine season with only three defeats to that point, but was that at the expense of not playing the other teams that joined the NABL? Moon Lodge on the other hand was currently sitting in second position in the NABL.

Game three was against a pair of old foes in Millhabour’s Sunset Gate going up against the NABL league leader in Westgate who was featuring a 15-9 record to that point in the year. Although Sunset Gate could not boast the win total that Westgate could, they were still considered a team that could win the whole tournament.

The fourth and final game was between 1844’s Cherry Arch Cup champion in West Town out of Mersey and a strong Ivy Lawn club from Oxberry. Based on what has already been written it is safe to say that Ivy lawn was the favorite to win this matchup.

Quarterfinals:

Iron Grove (Claburn) beat Amich’s Bridge (Meadowside) 10-9

No team plated more runs than Iron Grove in the Quarterfinal Round. Spencer Hesp was noted as being the most outstanding player of the match but other accounts call it a team effort.

Clover (Ipsen) beat Moon Lodge (Ipsen) 8-7

Clover was led offensively by Williams, Scotney, Ridding and Pinckney as the club overcame their defensive shortcomings to hold on to a one run victory over Moon Lodge.

Westgate (Ipsen) beat Sunset Gate (Millharbour) 7-4

Westgate was one of the hottest clubs playing at the time of the Cherry Arch Cup. They held a 15-9 record and were playing with confidence. Westgate hurler Sam Melrose was very effective as Westgate was able to take advantage of some Sunset Gate fielding miscues to win the game easily.

West Town (Mersey) beat Ivy Lawn (Oxberry) 7-6

West Town took a giant step in silencing some of their detractors by beating a heavily favored Ivy Lawn club in the final game of the quarters. Gabriel White was said to have led the charge with key hits all game long.

Semifinals:

Iron Grove beat Clover 7-5

Clover was seemingly in control holding a four run lead with just three outs to get. Iron Grove though, were able to stave off elimination by scoring four runs in the 9th inning sending it to extras. In the 11th the Ben Sims knocked in two runs with two outs in the inning which would prove to be the difference in the game. Clover probably couldn’t help to think they gave the whole tournament away by not closing out Iron Grove when they could.

Westgate beat West Town 8-4 (10 innings)

Although West Town would eventually lose this match they put up a solid fight behind the clutch batting of Samuel Winward. West Town even found themselves tied after 27 outs were made and had to play an extra inning. Unfortunately, defensive misuse would allow Westgate to take advantage and win the game.

Final:

Iron Grove beat Westgate 12-1

Westgate looked to be a lock to win the Cherry Arch Cup as it was assumed they had the superior club. That was not how it played out though. Iron Grove was able to hit Sam Melrose early, often and hard, leading to many hits and fielding mistakes by Westgate. Two of the Iron Grove standouts offensively were Bernard George and Callum Reynolds. Iron Grove pitcher Carl Lawrence, was also outstanding and limited the potent Westgate offense to a single run. The win would ensure that the 1846 Cherry Arch Cup would be played in the state of Danehurst for the first time ever.

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Even though Westgate had a poor final showing in the Cherry Arch Cup there was still a month left in the NABL season and a league title was very much within their reach. Playing determined baseball Westgate went 5-1 over their last six games to easily take the first NABL Championship. They finished 3.5 games better than the second place club in Stormtown. Cherry Arch would finish a game over the break even mark but it was definitely not the finish they were anticipating back when they still had the league at the beginning of August. Here is a look at the final standings for the season.

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It should be noted that any and all of the logos represented in this work are the complete work of modern imagination. League and team logos are decades away. Uniforms actually make an appearance much sooner than logos do, but we are still some time away from that evolution as well.

Aside from the NABL standings we have also been able to roughly put together a rough finish for the rest of the clubs operating outside of the NABL in Normington. As always, these standings are not to be taken as “official” but they do a nice job of at least highlighting who were the better clubs in operation during this time period.

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Final Thoughts: One thing we notice about the 1845 season was that the rule change to include a strike zone had seriously curtailed scoring but it would seem the pace of play issue had been resolved. From all accounts the Cherry Arch Cup was well attended and was devoid of any criticisms about the game itself. Although 1845 was a watershed moment for many because it marked the beginning of true “league play” the action on the field did not get the same recognition. In our opinion this was and continues to be a gross misstep by historians of the game. The type of game that was played in 1845 gets lumped in with all of the other years that shared the pitcher's box and a few other rules. Yet, just by simply looking at the game scores from 1840 to 1845 one can surmise that the game had emphatically evolved. The addition of the Mersey rule establishing a “strike zone” deserved much more credit than it had currently received historically. Baseball had real problems with the pace of it’s play in 1843. The future growth of the game was in jeopardy. This wasn’t revisionist history either. The caretakers of the early game realized there was a problem and actively sought remedies for it. The Mersey rule that Chamberlain originally introduced provided an impactful solution that allowed the game to dodge a bullet. Yet, the 1845 game will continue to be lumped in the “pitcher’s box” era. How the “pitcher’s box” even won the designation for an era should be questioned. The elimination of the pitch box for a mound really didn’t change the game all that much. It was the acceptance of the overhand delivery that was the real game changer. However, the acceptance of the overhand delivery was an attempt to curb offenses that were getting out of hand and return the game to a place that was created thanks to the Mersey rule.

[Hrycaj]

1846:

Without any major controversy to meet about, Harry Edwards moved his annual baseball meeting back to February. Edwards, who must have been pleased that the NABL was able to complete its inaugural season, still opened the invitation to any baseball clubs operating in Normington. Representatives from all six NABL clubs were on hand as well as a number of representatives from other clubs spread around Normington. According to meeting notes, clubs were happy with the state of the game and treated the meeting as an opportunity to enjoy eachothers company. Probably the most interesting development came from George Chamberlain when he announced he will no longer be an active player on the West Town Club. He would still act as club representative but he is quoted as saying “My knees are telling me that my playing days are over”. Several toasts were made in his honor which must have given Chamberlain a sense of pride and accomplishment. It wasn’t too long before that Chamberlain and his West Town Club were considered minor players on the baseball scene. Although the meeting was viewed as a positive event, one still wonders if Edwards was at all hopeful that more teams would lobby to join the NABL. According to records though, that did not seem to be the case.

In this era before player movement, most clubs featured the same players as they did the year before. So using that premise, it probably was not much of a stretch to assume that Westgate was the club that others would be aiming to take down. Westagate themselves must have felt pretty confident about the prospect of repeating as NABL champions, and perhaps even taking care of some unfinished Cherry Arch Cup business. Speaking of the Cherry Arch Cup, it would be held in the city of Claburn (Danehurst) for the first time ever. Iron Grove decided to hold the tournament in late September even though as a landlocked city, they did not celebrate a fish festival like the coastal cities did. This possibly suggests that a precedent had been set as to when the Cherry Arch Cup would be held yearly.

From what we could gather the NABL “race” was pretty tight as the calendar flipped to July. According to our records we believe that Moon Lodge, White Bridge, Westgate and Cherry Arch all sat at 8-5 in a four way tie for top spot. It would be really interesting to know if any official standings were kept? If the clubs in contention knew they were actually in contention? We have to believe they had some knowledge of these facts as Westgate certainly celebrated finishing in top spot in 1845. As for non NABL clubs that were looking good it would appear that Summergate (Millharbour) had not lost a match all season long. Bright Steps (Greenwald) and Forges (Mersey) were also enjoying nice campaigns.

Over the next two months the clubs in the NABL failed to create any meaningful separation between the four clubs sitting at the top. The fourth place club was a mere two games out. As the week of the Cherry Arch Cup was set to begin both Westgate and White Bridge had identical 15-9 records. As for other clubs around Normington we saw Summergate stumble as the heat of the summer intensified while Tailorsfield and Clover (both from Ipsen) got hot. One of the clubs that started cold but caught some momentum was Iron Grove. After starting out a few games under the even mark, Iron Grove was able to climb to what we feel was a 7-5 record. Respectable, but not one of the best clubs in operation. Not that any of it really mattered as they were going to host and play in the Cherry Arch Cup regardless of their record. Which of course led to some more controversy and hurt feelings.

When Iron Grove President, Bert Price announced the eight clubs that would battle it out for the Cherry Arch Cup, he only announced two clubs from the NABL and six at-large clubs in a manner of speaking. To suggest that only two clubs from the NABL were worthy of representation was ludicrous in and of itself, but to make matters worse, both Westgate and White Bridge were set to play each other in the opening round. For some it looked as if Iron Grove was intentionally trying to squeeze the NABL clubs. Of course, Price insisted that everything was on the level.

1846 Cherry Arch Cup:

White Bridge (Jipson)
Westgate (Ipsen)

Summergate (Millharbour)
South Town (Millharbour)

Clover (Ipsen)
Tailorsfield (Ipsen)

Forges (Mersey)
Iron Grove (Claburn)

Ipsen was well represented with nearly half the field hailing from the Ironhorse capital. Millharbour also had two entries making nearly 63% of the field from two of the biggest baseball cities in Normington. Iron Grove would have their work cut out if they wanted to retain the Cherry Arch Cup.

Quarterfinals:

White Bridge beat Westgate 11-10 (10 innings)

Accounts of the time said that Westgate had the game in hand before their defense eluded them. White Bridge was able to score many runs in the latter half of the match and force the game into an extra inning where they were able to hang a run on Westgate backup pitcher Les Watson. Westgate, who was the only club to play in every Cherry Arch Cup, could not mount a rally and were sent home.

Summergate beat South Town 7-0

South Town complained that Summergate hurler Robert Ward was using an illegal delivery (we have no idea what the actual complaint was) but the umpire was not having any of it. Ward and the Summergate defense played masterful baseball and held South Town to an embarrassing zero runs.

Tailorsfield beat Clover 10-5

This match was less about what Tailorsfield did and more about what Clover could not do, which was play defense. Credit should be given to Tailorsfield for putting the ball in play but from all accounts it was the Clover defense that gave the game away.

Forges beat Iron Grove 11-9

Rain moved in for this last match of the day and an already worn playing surface just got worse. Both clubs struggled to play defense as Forges simply outlasted Iron Grove to ensure there would not be a back to back champion this year.

Semifinals:

White Bridge beat Summergate 8-1

Whatever issues that South Town had with Robert Ward of Summergate were not shared by the White Bridge hitters. Bowness, Savage and Wakeham were all credited with multiple hits as White Bridge easily punched their ticket to the final.

Tailorsfield beat Forges 6-5

With the rain from the previous day out of the picture Forges had no one to blame but themselves for their sloppy play. Not that Tailorsfield played a perfect game by any stretch themselves but they were just that much better than Forges and were able to outlast them by one run.

Final:

White Bridge beat Tailorsfield 5-4

Having won the opening game coin flip, White Bridge elected to swing first and took full advantage by scoring three runs early. Those runs would prove to be enough to hold off the Tailorsfield comeback allowing White Bridge to claim their first Cherry Arch Cup in six attempts.

So even though Ipsen and Millharbour produced more clubs overall than the rest of the field it was the club from Jipson that was able to ultimately claim victory.

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For the second straight year Westgate would need to put the disappointment of coming up short in the Cherry Arch Cup behind them and concentrate on the heated race they found themselves in with a month left in the NABL season. White Bridge would stay red hot as they would not lose another game from the Cup till their match against Westgate in the second to last game of the season on October 17th. Westgate took care of their own business as well, setting up a big game between two clubs with identical 18-9 records.

The October 17th match between White Bridge and Westgate would take place at Neary Field in Jipson. Westgate would jump out to an early lead before White Bridge would get their act together and start putting some balls in play. Westgate, it would appear, left their defense back in Ipsen and fell behind in the middle innings by six. They made a comeback late but it wasn’t quite enough as White Bridge was able to hold on for the victory. With the victory White Bridge must have felt they had the league championship all sewn up. They only had one more game and it was against Stormtown who had the worst record in the NABL in 1846. Yes, the game was in Oldgate but White Bridge had already shown by winning the Cherry Arch Cup that travelling was not really an issue. That is why they play the games though, because Stormtown upset White Bridge at home. Meanwhile, Westgate only had to travel a district over to the East end of Ipsen to beat Moon Lodge evening their overall record with White Bridge. Next up, controversy. Abel Williams of Westgate wanted to play White Bridge in a tiebreaker to determine league champion. Damien Bender from White Bridge countered by offering that the game had already taken place in the form of the Cherry Arch Cup where White Bridge beat Westgate on their way to the title. Both men had valid points and neither were willing to move from their stance. This was an unintended problem for the NABL. The league was simply a loose collection of clubs without any real governing body to judge disputes. Sure, it would appear that Harry Edwards was like an acting league commissioner because he organized the yearly meeting and created the league schedule, but those were labors of love for him. Edwards, nor anyone else had any true league authority. The dispute would need to be settled by the clubs themselves. Why White Bridge wouldn’t just take the contest will forever be unanswered but it could have possibly been about how Westgate had beaten them four times in six tries during the NABL season. It could also explain why Williams and the Westgate club so earnestly wanted to play the match. Was the Cherry Arch match a fluke for White Bridge? We would never know because without a resolution both clubs would claim supremacy. From a historical standpoint Williams comes out better because he actually wanted to play the game and decide the championship. However, we have no idea what the specifics of the situation really were? Where would the game be played? It was already late October and the weather had already turned uncharacteristically cold for some reason that year. Without knowing all the details it is hard to be too critical of Bender and the White Bridge Club.

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Unfortunately, many of the other clubs outside of the NABL do not get a whole lot written about them. The reason for this is that the information is so much harder to come by. This is not to say that the NABL records are easily attained either but they were a bit more organized in some respects. We will never be able to share statistics outside of win and loss records because those things were simply not kept. What we do know about action in specific games is information gleaned from memoirs, newspapers and other first hand accounts. None of these accounts however are completely thorough either. There also seems to be more available to clubs that were playing in the NABL than elsewhere. Maybe this suggests that NABL clubs were already setting themselves apart from the rest of the clubs playing in Normington. So looking at the “unofficial” records of the other clubs in existence in 1846, we like to think clubs like Tailorsfield, Clover, Forges and Bright Steps all had successful seasons. We just don’t know that for sure. One thing we are sure about is the continued mention of spectators at games. From our estimation it looks as if the sport is continuing to grow. Further evidential reinforcement of this theory lies in the fact that more clubs will join the ranks for the 1847 season.

[Hrycaj]

1847:

To this point not much has been said about roster makeup of the clubs operating in Normington at this time. Based on the census data (the first census data in Ipsen dates back to 1600!) available it would appear that most baseball club members were in their 30’s. None of this should come as a great surprise since it has already been established that college graduates formed and populated the first clubs. For other clubs to have followed suit seems altogether natural. Under further scrutiny though, why should this be the case? Where are the clubs populated with laborers in their 20’s? At its core, baseball is a young person's game, yet we have little evidence of young people actually playing competitively during this time. Were there too few of these clubs in operation if there were any at all? Actually, the answer is a resounding no. There were plenty of college and “labour” clubs playing baseball in the 1840’s. So why were none of these clubs represented in the NABL or as other prominent clubs featured in this work. Is this a clear example of classism at its ugliest? While classism was probably the driving reason for things it was not the only reason. Take the college clubs for example. The college game has been largely left out of this work since the 1835 mention of Oldgate and Oxberry facing off. There is plenty of evidence of the existence of numerous college clubs throughout Normington. What we are missing however are the fine (or even less than fine) details. Players, opponents, dates and outcomes are largely lost to history. We can either blame the indifference of youth to not care enough to log history or the uncomplicated fact that baseball was still played in its purest form at the college level. College populations were fickle to begin with and without a central governing body the college game frankly never evolved like the adult game did. So classism in the college game was not a factor at all. Things were a bit different with the labour clubs though.

With the labour clubs, classism does play a more prominent role as we address it 1847, but that was not the original reason for these club’s exclusion. The real culprit was style of play. As the game was evolving throughout the 1830’s there was no line of distinction between any club based on social hierarchy. It wasn’t until people like Harry Edwards (Cherry Arch) began to codify the rules of the game that lines of delineation became more clear. In Edward’s defense though, as the decade of the 1830’s drew to a close you already saw evidence of classism. So is this a chicken vs. egg argument about which came first? Did a “gentlemen’s agreement” about playing rules act as a measure to keep labour clubs out or did the labour clubs see this as a reason to stay away themselves? It is interesting to point out that the most prominent of labour clubs in the 30’s (Butcher Boy’s of Ipsen) were in attendance at the first rules meeting in 1840. We also need to be fair to the labour clubs and not paint them as brutal, lawless savages that hated rules of all kinds. The “labour game” for lack of a better term would absolutely adhere to a set of rules. It was just that their game was a bit more violent than the ones the other “elite” clubs were evolving towards.

The main hang up was the “pelting” rule. The labour clubs loved it. Everyone else, not so much. This may have been the biggest “line in the sand” rule in the history of the early game. The Butcher Boy’s left the 1840 meeting because of a rule specifically put in place to end the practice. So as the game grew during the 1840’s there was a separate parallel counter-culture game being played in the labour sections of the big Norming cities. Change was on the horizon though. After seven years of play the popularity of the “Cherry Arch” game was undeniable and there were clubs out there that felt that they could readily compete with these “elite” clubs if just given the chance. So if that meant dropping the “pelting” rule then that was what some clubs were willing to do. First up, the Butcher Boys of Ipsen.

Even though there was not an opening in the N.A.B.L. The Butcher Boy’s decided they would adopt the modified Cherry Arch playing rules and begin to play against those clubs. This isn’t to say that they still didn’t play “pelting” games but they made a clear decision to enter into the most popular form of the game at that time. According to our evidence they are the first labour club in Normington to do so. While the Butcher Boys may have capitulated on the rules, just their entrance into the game would bring some fresh change to the game. First thing to notice is the name of the club. In this time period clubs took on the moniker of the district they were from. Cherry Arch and Westgate for example are districts in Ipsen. In contrast, the Butcher Boys are a name of a profession that didn’t operate out of a centralized clubhouse like the other clubs did. The Butcher Boys would draw from a wider range of talent with the common characteristic being the profession. The other clubs operated out of a clubhouse with most of their membership living in or close to that specific district. Which leads to the second interesting change of note. Since the Butcher Boy’s drew from a wider range of territory they were able to grab the best players in the area and did not discriminate against players based on age like their counterparts did. Thus the Butcher Boy’s were made up of young talented players that were hungry to stick it to the elite clubs that were reaping all the public accolades. It would make for an interesting 1847 baseball season in Normington.

Before we get to the season though we have one more important change to discuss that had a dramatic impact on the game as a whole. Backtracking to February of ‘47 at the annual meeting of clubs Ellis Murray would successfully change the game of baseball as we had known it to that point. The exact details of what transpired were not recorded but Murray must have been an amazing pitch man. Somehow Murray, who had a cousin named Marcus that played for the Cherry Arch Club (this was probably how he got in the meeting in the first place) convinced the league to use a baseball of his creation during matches. To this point in history the game ball had not been a uniform piece of equipment from match to match. Baseballs varied in size, shape and weight. Murray wanted to change all that and become wealthy at the same time. Ellis Murray though, was not simply content to do business with the N.A.B.L. He was a one man selling machine and had most of the major clubs in operation using the Murray ball as it became to be known by the start of the season. So what was Ellis Murray’s wonderful sales pitch? Well maybe it came from his cousin Marcus. Years later in a memoir Marcus would lament how it was his idea that made his cousin rich. From all accounts it doesn’t look like Ellis agreed with his cousin's assessment as he didn’t share any of the profits with Marcus leading to an estrangement. Anyway, the legend was pretty straightforward. Marcus was complaining to his cousin over drinks in their younger years that he and many of the players in the league were upset with the lack of life in the game ball. Marcus believed the game was better back when the offenses were more successful. Ellis, who owned a company that supplied rubber boots to fishermen working in all of the coastal cities in Ironhorse, concocted an idea to melt down some rubber and wrap it in yarn and leather to create a new type of ball. The rest is history as they say. Of course with all legends, giant leaps are accepted to allow for the story to reach a favorable conclusion that fits together perfectly. For instance, how much rubber needed to be melted down? Why yarn and leather? Ellis sold rubber, where would he get the other materials necessary to create the baseball? Was baseball really that popular where he could melt down a valuable commodity for a chance business venture? All of these questions and presumably many more simply do not have answers. Then again, with all legends there may be a few kernels of truth which gave life to the legend in the first place. Whatever process or methodology Ellis used, he did create a new baseball, and it was a hot seller. Marcus (if he really did say this to Ellis) was right when he said hitters were frustrated. Simple math would prove that there were more hitters than pitchers playing baseball and they were very interested in using a ball that helped them (the hitters)perform better. If creating more action was the sales pitch that won clubs over it would be safe to say that the Murray ball delivered as advertised. It was well documented in club minutes that the Murray ball helped offenses tremendously as run scoring reached an all-time high.

As the summer unfolded one traditional storyline once again found its way to the forefront. It did not matter what ball was used Westgate was one of the top clubs in the NABL. Abel Williams' crew found themselves in top position at the beginning of September with (by all accounts) a very lethal offense. White Bridge, who was at the center of controversy a year before, was not having a great season. In fact, West Town was the only club in the NABL that proved to be a threat to Westgate. As for the other clubs in and around Normington the young Butcher Boys were pummeling opponents. According to un-official records the young club from Ipsen was 11-2 as the calendar switched over to September. Bright Steps (Greenwald) was also having a fine season but the Butcher Boys were easily the story of the summer as their supporter base continued to expand. Even so, what would be a season without some controversy though?

Although White Bridge was not having a stellar season, they were still the rightful hosts of the Cherry Arch Cup that was held the 3rd week of September 1847. This of course was where the controversy came in. Eight clubs from around Normington would make their way to Jipson to battle it out in the year’s premier tournament. The clubs that would make the journey were:

White Bridge (Jipson)
Sunset Gate (Millharbour)
West Town (Mersey)
Bright Steps (Greenwald)
Groves (Winterhalter)
West Port (Fenkell)
Moon Lodge (Ipsen)
Westgate (Ipsen)


Some of the clubs present came as no surprise. Westgate, Sunset Gate and Moon Lodge were clubs that participated almost every year. The surprise though was the clear omission of The Butcher Boys. It was obvious to many that they deserved a seat at the table. Unfortunately, for the Butcher Boys there was no universally accepted way to choose clubs. It was entirely at the discretion of the host White Bridge. The unconfirmed rumor was that the Butcher Boys were told that a third team from Ipsen would be too much as they wanted their tournament to have a more diverse flair to it. It will never be confirmed if that was the truth of the matter, but if it was, it would appear to be a very thin reasoning for The Butcher Boys exclusion. For those that subscribe to the classism theory this would seem to be strong evidence to back their point. Here is how the Cherry Arch Cup played out without one of the best teams in Normington involved.

Quarterfinals:

White Bridge over Sunset Gate 23-13
Bright Steps beat West town 23-22
Westgate beat Groves 36-29
West Port beat Moon Lodge 42-26

Looking at these results one really gets a feel for just how the game had changed with the introduction of the Murray Ball. Pitchers for the record, hated it.

Semifinals:

Bright Steps over White Bridge 24-23
Westgate over West Port 34-21

Bright Steps just edged out the host club to punch their ticket to the final. In the other end of the bracket it should have come as no surprise that Westgate had found themselves in the final game.

Final:

A case could be made that Westgate and Bright Steps were indeed the two best teams in the tournament. However, everyone was well aware that The Butcher Boys should have been allowed to play for the Cherry Arch Cup. This of course was of no fault by either club in the final, yet there was a dismissive attitude by many of the fans in attendance about the Final. It was too bad because the game must have been a marvel to see as both teams went back and forth with Westgate holding on to win their 3rd Cherry Arch Cup by the score of 22-21. Even though no other club had ever won more Cherry Arch Cups to that point in time it was a bit of a “monkey off the back scenario” as Westgate had last captured the cup in 1841.

With the win in the Cherry Arch Cup, Westgate was ready to catch West Town who had played a perfect September (other than their loss in the Cherry Arch Cup) and found themselves a game ahead of Westgate in the standings. For Westgate the motivation was simple. With the Cherry Arch Cup secured, if they could win the N.A.B.L they would have been the only club to win both in a single season which would have cemented them as the best baseball club in Normington.


One of the reasons people in Normington love baseball so much is because it creates its own heart stopping drama. Going into the final game of the season West Town was sitting pretty with a one game lead on Westgate with a game against a Cherry Arch Club that had been having just an awful season. All West Port had to do was take care of business one more time and they would have been able to claim a NABL title. First, Westgate had to do their part and beat a White Bridge Club, which they did by 3 runs. The irony here is all Cherry Arch could do by winning was help their bitter rival, which is exactly what they did by beating West Town 24-23 setting up a tie at the top of the league for the second season in a row.





Other Clubs in Operation (Un-Official)




Once again Westgate found themselves in the middle of a controversy as they desperately wanted to play West Town one more time to determine who the undisputed league champion was. Abel Williams even reached out to Sam Winward (who was now heading the West Town club) and offered to travel to Mersey to play at Forshaw Field. West Town however, didn’t feel that they needed to play Westgate again. Over the course of the season West Town finished with a 4-2 record against Westgate and all a loss would have done is muddy the issue even further. Westgate would claim they were champions and West Town would want to avenge the loss or argue that they still won more head to head games against Westgate. In Winward’s mind the matter was already settled. Then you had the issue of The Butcher Boys who were robbed of an opportunity to play in the Cherry Arch Cup and had an ax to grind with anyone from the N.A.B.L. The Butcher Boys, led by Paul Barnes, felt they were the pre-imminent team in Ipsen and challenged Westgate to a match to prove it. Abel Williams was not one to back down from a challenge. Westgate wanted to play White Bridge in ‘46, and West Town in ‘47. Since none of those clubs would agree to the challenge, the idea of a “Battle for Ipsen” seemed really intriguing, and profitable. Since Barnes used the anytime, anyplace tactic it was relatively easy for Williams to secure the match on their home field, Wharton Grounds.

The “Battle for Ipsen” would take place on a cool November 6th afternoon in Westgate. It was reported that the game was well attended as not only was it viewed as the battle for a city but also a battle between working and social classes. Like most games played with the Murray Ball the contest was a back and forth affair as each offense could easily erase a deficit. The giant separator, according to spectators, was the athleticism of the Butcher Boys. The Butcher Boys just seemed to be able to get to hits faster and made fewer mistakes by being in a better fielding position. The game was not a drubbing by any means but the 26-19 final left little doubt as to who the best team in Ipsen truly was.

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1848:

Like all the years before it, 1848 probably doesn’t register on many a baseball fan's radar. The clubs were not real teams yet, they represented districts and professions and not cities, and the game still looked much different. The reality though, is that the events of 1848 alone could fit into a book entirely on its own. We will do our best to give this momentous year the justice it truly deserves.

Harry Edwards: The Death of a Forefather

The Governor of the Cherry Arch Baseball Club and the man who deserved the lion’s share of credit for the creation of the N.A.B.L was dead at the age of 44. Edwards passed on January 3rd 1848 from what was called “consumption” at the time. Today we know that consumption is pulmonary tuberculosis which is a bacterial infection that normally attacks the lungs. What people didn’t understand in the 19th century was how the bacteria was passed, although they were well aware of how deadly it was for those who became infected. Although none of Edwards' writings hinted at any health issues, it would be hard to imagine he didn’t have some idea what was happening to him. What is a more plausible explanation was that Edwards may have tried to hide his symptoms (he was no longer an active player) from others. People with consumption were often locked away in sanatoriums at this time but a man with means, like Edwards, was clearly able to avoid that fate as he died in his own home. In life, Edwards was a successful lawyer that worked to protect the interests of “Edwards Shipping”, one of the largest shipping lines in all of Normington. As successful as he was in his field of endeavor, it is his contributions to the game of baseball that Edwards may have been most proud of. Not only was Edwards the inaugural Governor of the Cherry Arch Baseball Club, he set up the first meeting of clubs back in February of 1840 that codified the first set of playing rules. Edwards was also responsible for creating the first Cherry Arch Cup Tournament and creating the trophy that is awarded to the winner of the tournament. In 1845, with the help of Charles Brewster, Edwards helped to establish the N.A.B.L. and continued to act as its unofficial commissioner until the time of his death. When it comes to measuring those who have impacted the game of baseball and were responsible for its growth and success, Edwards would have to rank pretty high on such a list. Harry Edwards was interned at St. Whelan’s cemetery in a family crypt in Ipsen, Ironhorse.

The Battle of Redpenny:

Although Normington is a united country at this juncture in history, it does not mean that such a union was stable. Tensions between Ironhorse and Folmer over trading rights in the Indigo Ocean had been an issue for years. Without getting too deep into the minutia of the myriad of connecting issues related to these tensions, we will just stick to the basics when it comes to the battle of Redpenny.

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Poor Redpenny. Thanks to geographical positioning they are named for a battle where not a single shot was fired in their city. Or the state of Alborne for that matter. Redpenny became famous for the simple fact that their city was used as a line of demarcation when it came to shipping rights between Ironhorse and Folmer. Everything West of the line was considered the Endless Ocean which was Ironhorse territory and everything East was considered the Indigo Ocean which Folmer owned the rights to. One can immediately see the problem. A line on a map creates serious confusion when it is applied to a physical surface. Vessels from both states frequently crossed over into another's territory. Both states agreed to a zone of acceptance where as long Folmer ships didn’t cross over Egerton in the West and Ironhorse ships past Morion in the East then all would be well. The zone of acceptance was never part of any treaty however and when it was discovered that better hauls existed in the Indigo Ocean all sorts of shenanigans materialized from companies out of Ironhorse. Angry words led to rash decisions. Companies began hiring privateers to act as protection which inevitably led to shots being fired. Whether those shots were fired in defense or in aggression is a matter of perspective and interpretation. What it did lead to was a trade embargo and a closing of the borders between Ironhorse and Folmer. This would have major implications for the game on the field.

N.A.B.L:

While it may seem the fallout of the Ironhorse/Folmer border closing wouldn’t have too large of an impact on the NABL, they would lose arguably one of their top clubs. West Town was the disputed champion from a season ago and always put together a competitive side. The loss of such a strong club threatened to upset the balance of the whole league. Furthermore, with the passing of Edwards the league as a whole was in serious trouble of continuing. Who would be the 6th club to round out the schedule that Edwards had originally created? It was a pivotal time for the league and thankfully Charles Brewster of Moon Lodge did his best to fill the void of Edwards’ leadership. Brewster as you know was a man that embraced the dramatics and his first and last conversation was with Paul Barnes of the Butcher Boys. Barnes needed little convincing and the Butcher Boys became the newest and youngest team in the N.A.B.L. Some of the other clubs were less than happy with Brewster for approaching the Butcher Boys. Some felt like an older club with more tradition was a better fit for the league. Brewster held firm though as he knew that after last season's “Battle for Ipsen” the Butcher Boy’s fanbase would be much larger than it currently was. Every game they were involved in would be an opportunity for money to be made. To Brewster, it was a no-brainer.

Breakdown of Clubs:

With the borders between Ironhorse and Folmer closed, baseball in Normington took on a regional flair in 1848. In the West you had the six team N.A.B.L which consisted of:

Westgate
Moon Lodge
White Bridge
Cherry Arch
Stormtown
Butcher Boys

Also in the West these ten independent clubs were in operation:

West Port
Clover
Cour’s Green
Groves
Pearl Crossing
Ivy Lawn
Pearlhill
Tailorsfield
Haygreen
Highfield

In the East these clubs dominated the circuit:

West Town
Bright Steps
South Town
Sunset Gate
North Gate
Forges
Amich’s Bridge
Woolgrove
Iron Grove
Summergate

As it has been noted before these were not the only 36 clubs in all of Normington. These are just the 36 where we have found some rough evidence as being at a slightly higher tier (and have recorded information for) than other club names we have run across in our research.

The popular theory is that with the border closed travel time between opponents was significantly shorter in many instances allowing for clubs to fit a few more games into their competitive schedules. Here is how the season played itself out.

Cherry Arch Cup:

The summer had not been too kind to Westgate and by the time the Cherry Arch Cup was set to be played during the third weekend in September, the boys from Ipsen knew their only shot at glory was through the tournament they would host. It would be an uphill battle though as some of the best clubs in the West were on hand to battle for dominance. The tournament field was made up of the following eight clubs:

Butcher Boys (Ipsen)
Stormtown (Oldgate)
Moon Lodge (Ipsen)
Westgate (Ipsen)
Groves (Winterhalter)
West Port (Fenkell)
Ivy Lawn (Oxberry)
Clover (Ipsen)

All of the matches would be played at Westgate Field on the Wharton Grounds.

Quarterfinals:

Stormtown over the Butcher Boys 31-23
Moon Lodge over Groves 38-27
Clover over Ivy Lawn 27-26
Westgate over West Port 45-44

The opening round of action drew massive crowds to see the fan favorite Butcher Boys go down in a stunner to Stormtown. Sources would say that it was a perfect beginning to an amazing day of action to the well attended event. Moon Lodge needed a furious rally at the end of the match to clip Groves by a single run. In game three of the day Clover gave up the lead in the top of the last inning just to get it back in the bottom half to claim victory over Ivy Lawn. The day's finale featured host Westgate keeping their tournament hopes alive with a come from behind one run victory over West Port. With three of the four matches decided by a single run, and the Westgate as the host still alive, the crowds were sure to return the next day for the semifinal round.

Semifinals:

Stormtown over Moon Lodge 36-25
Clover over Westgate 38-30

It would have been hard for the high drama from the day before to be repeated for a second straight day. In the semifinals the favorites carried the day which would in fact end Westgate’s chances of winning consecutive Cherry Arch Cups. The Final would feature Stormtown against Clover, with the winner claiming their first ever Cherry Arch Cup.

Final:

One of the great early baseball traditions in Normington is the Cherry Arch Cup being played the same weekend as the annual fish festival that occurred annually in several Normington cities. Since 1841 the Final has taken place on the last day of the festival and has come to mark the unofficial end of the celebration. In 1848 the Final featured a strong Stromtown club from the city of Oldgate against Clover, one of the many clubs from Ipsen. By all accounts Stormtown had the better club in ‘48 but Clover had the crowd as the Westgate field in Wharton Grounds was located in Ipsen. Is this possibly an early example of club pride bleeding over into city pride? With the crowd firmly on the Clover side they were able to handle Stormtown with relative ease to win their first Cherry Arch Cup.

Clover over Stromtown 32-19

Mersey Invitational:

As previously noted, the Cherry Arch Cup was not the only tournament that would take place over the course of a baseball season. It was simply the largest, most prominent and kept the best records thanks to a variety of sources. Other tournaments were not so lucky. Still, the largest reason as to why the Cherry Arch Cup was covered in this work above all others is because it was conducted using the agreed upon rule set adopted by the N.A.B.L. For 1848 though, we would like to document another tournament that took place. The sealed border between Ironhorse and Folmer iced out all of the Eastern clubs that traditionally entered into the Cherry Arch Cup. While no replacement tournament was created for clubs out East, Lyndon Stevens from Forges, had an idea to host a four team invitational during the final week of October featuring four of the top clubs in the East. Of course, identifying the top clubs was completely subjective since all records were unofficial. Although, based on those unofficial records it looks as if they did a pretty solid job in selecting clubs. All of the matches were to take place at Bailey Grounds, the home field of the Forges Club.

Mersey Invitational:

Forges (Mersey)
Iron Grove (Claburn)
South Town (Millharbour)
West Town (Mersey)

Semifinal:

Forges over West Town 40-25
Iron Grove over South Town 49-48

Iron Grove needed to pull out all the stops to get past South Town to earn a spot to take on Forges in the Final.

Final:

Forges over Iron Grove 44-27.

Forges’ was clearly the most dominant club in the Eastern half of Normington in the 1848 season. There is no record if any trophy was presented or if the invitational was merely for bragging rights.

N.A.B.L.:

With the first round defeat in the Cherry Arch Cup behind them the Butcher Boys went right back to dominating their N.A.B.L. schedule. Based on the records available it looks as if the Butcher Boys finished the season with an impressive 25-5 record, five games better than Stromtown who finished in second position. While the Butcher Boys were clearly beatable on any given day, over the long haul of an entire season, they were arguably the best baseball club in all of Normington. Here is a look at the final standings.

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Not long after the leaves changed color in Normington did they begin to pull away from the branches they called home signaling the end of another baseball season. As a constant reminder, records for all other clubs outside of the N.A.B.L. are pure speculation. It is still very challenging at times to get an accurate account of match outcomes. These standings were compiled by our research team and in no way are they meant to imply such standings were kept in this manner in 1848.

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1848 Aftermath:

Cherry Arch Folds:

With the loss of club patriarch Harry Edwards, this may have been a foregone conclusion. Without Edwards, the club was really not the same. Harry Edwards was Cherry Arch and to a greater extent the N.A.B.L. Both were in his blood and although others made an attempt to step up and fill the void, the shoes were simply too big to fill. Even still, had Edwards lived the future of the N.A.B.L. was already in jeopardy. “The Good Old Boys” league (with emphasis on the word “old”) was aging out. Players were in their late thirties and early forties and the game was passing them by. This wasn’t a Cherry Arch problem alone, but a league wide issue that was exposed when the Butcher Boys, with their young energetic squad, ran through the league like some conquering heroes. Along with Cherry Arch, the White Bridge Club out of Jipson would also fold before the calendar would flip to 1849. With the N.A.B.L. down to four clubs, Charles Brewster had his work cut out for him if he wanted to see the N.A.B.L. survive in ‘49.