British and Irish Baseball

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British Baseball News
Saturday 1 April 1876

The last time Angel Islington met the Royal Artillery Barracks, the game saw Angel clinch last season's Metropolitan League championship. When the two faced each other again today, their title defence took another blow as the Artillery came away with a 3-2 victory. With three wins out of four, the Artillery are tied at the top of the standings with the City of London Club, who comfortably beat Peckham Rye today.

Also tied at the top are recent strugglers Kensington Victoria, whose dramatic improvement saw them earn a narrow win over Clapham Common. The day's other action brought a big victory for the Marylebone Regents over Greenwich Meridian, while the Hackney Exiles scored two runs in the seventh to overturn a 4-3 deficit and beat Westminster.

Liverpool and Oldham remain unbeaten in the Lancashire League, with Liverpool having recovered from a 1-0 deficit to extend champions Bolton's surprisingly poor start. Oldham's undefeated run looked over when they fell behind in the ninth against Toxteth, but they rallied to grab the victory. Elsewhere Blackburn remain without a win as they lost heavily to Irwell Meadow, while two runs in the twelfth earned Ribble a victory at Belle Vue. Ribble's Eustace Bull incredibly pitched all twelve innings without allowing a run.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Royal Artillery 3-2 Angel, Peckham 1-5 City of London, Westminster 4-5 Hackney, Clapham 1-2 Kensington, Greenwich 2-10 Marylebone

Lancashire League: Ribble 2-0 Belle Vue (12), Irwell 8-2 Blackburn, Bolton 2-5 Liverpool, Toxteth 3-4 Oldham

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 8 April 1876

The shock story of the early weeks of the season in the Metropolitan League is undoubtedly the form of Kensington Victoria. Expected to be down at the bottom of the standings again, they are instead tied at the top after overcoming the Royal Artillery Barracks in eleven innings today. They are tied with the City of London Club, who overturned a 2-1 deficit in the eighth inning of their game with the Marylebone Regents.

Champions Angel Islington may have got their season back on track by grabbing a victory over the Hackney Exiles thanks to a ninth inning run, while Peckham Rye have had a reasonably good start and today earned a big win over the Westminster Academics. The day's other game saw Clapham lead from the start in beating Greenwich Meridian.

The shock in the Lancashire League is the poor form of champions Bolton, who today lost a fifth successive game when they went down to defeat against Irwell Meadow. Liverpool St. Patrick's are the clear leaders, after they made it six wins from six games with a huge 15-3 win over an Oldham team who had also been undefeated at the start of play. There was another big win in the game between Ribble and Toxteth, with Ribble coming out on top 15-5, while Belle Vue comfortably beat Blackburn to leave their opponents still without a win.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Hackney 2-3 Angel, Marylebone 2-4 City of London, Clapham 5-1 Greenwich, Kensington 4-2 Royal Artillery (11), Peckham 10-3 Westminster

Lancashire League: Blackburn 2-10 Belle Vue, Irwell 5-4 Bolton, Oldham 3-15 Liverpool, Toxteth 5-15 Ribble

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 15 April 1876

Kensington Victoria and the City of London Club continue to lead the Metropolitan League after a remarkable day of baseball which saw both teams almost lose from dominant positions. Kensington led Peckham Rye 10-0 but had to hang on when the lead was cut to 10-8, while the City Club let slip a 7-0 lead against Westminster only to win it in eleven innings, inflicting a fifth successive defeat on the Academics.

The Royal Artillery Barracks are leading the chase, after they beat Clapham Common thanks to the game's only run in the sixth inning. The Marylebone Regents got their record back to even with a win over the Hackney Exiles, but champions Angel could not do likewise as they fell to a narrow defeat at Greenwich in a game which took sixteen innings to produce a winner.

It was first against last in the Lancashire League and with Liverpool undefeated and Blackburn winless, there looked only one possible outcome and so it proved. Liverpool now have seven wins out of seven to begin the season. Belle Vue are now tied for second with Oldham, after winning their meeting today by overcoming a 5-2 deficit. Ribble could also have been in that tie for second but let slip a 3-1 advantage in losing to Irwell Meadow, while champions Bolton finally ended their losing run by coming from behind to beat a struggling Toxteth team.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Royal Artillery 1-0 Clapham, Angel 1-2 Greenwich (16), Marylebone 3-0 Hackney, Kensington 10-8 Peckham, City of London 9-8 Westminster (11)

Lancashire League: Liverpool 6-3 Blackburn, Ribble 3-4 Irwell (10), Belle Vue 7-5 Oldham, Bolton 2-1 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 22 April 1876

Two years ago, Kensington Victoria only won six Metropolitan League games all season. This year they have reached that mark in just seven games, after earning a tenth inning win over struggling champions Angel Islington today. Kensington remain tied at the top of the standings with the City of London Club, who beat Clapham Common today and are looking very impressive. The City Club will remember though that last year they won their first eight games before fading out of contention.

Pre-season favourites the Royal Artillery Barracks remain third after a big win over Greenwich Meridian, while the Marylebone Regents are the only other team with a winning record after hanging on for a narrow win over a Westminster Academics team that has now lost the last six games. Hackney and Peckham are both stuck in the middle of the pack after the Exiles comfortably won their meeting.

There is still no stopping Liverpool St. Patrick's in the Lancashire League, as they came back from 1-0 behind to beat neighbours Toxteth and extend their winning start to the season to eight games. Their lead in the standings is now three, after narrow defeats for Belle Vue and Oldham against Irwell and Ribble respectively. Those four teams are now all tied for second. Champions Bolton might be finding their form at last, as they earned a big win over a Blackburn team who are still looking for their first win.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Clapham 2-8 City of London, Angel 2-3 Kensington (10), Westminster 1-2 Marylebone, Hackney 7-1 Peckham, Greenwich 2-10 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Irwell 2-1 Belle Vue, Bolton 10-3 Blackburn, Toxteth 1-2 Liverpool, Ribble 4-3 Oldham (10)

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 29 April 1876

The story of the Metropolitan League season so far is undoubtedly the incredible turnaround of Kensington Victoria. Last in the league for three years running, with the two worst records ever seen in the last two years, they end April as the clear leaders after winning in extra innings again today. Their 5-4 win leaves Westminster adrift at the bottom of the standings and is Kensington's third extra innings win in four games.

Kensington are outright leaders because on a low scoring day, the City of London Club were beaten 1-0 at champions Angel Islington despite out-hitting Angel ten to three. There were also 1-0 wins for Greenwich over Peckham and for Clapham over Marylebone, with Clapham pitcher Elijah Snider recording a two-hit shut-out. Elsewhere, the Royal Artillery Barracks slipped to a home defeat at the hands of the Hackney Exiles.

In the Lancashire League, Liverpool's undefeated run is over after they lost an early lead and fell 6-1 at Irwell Meadow, who have now won their last five. Irwell are tied for second with Belle Vue, who comfortably beat Toxteth. Also tied for second are last year's bottom team Ribble Viaduct, whose win today left Blackburn still winless after nine games. Bolton's turnaround continued with a 4-2 win over and Oldham team who won the first five games but have now lost the last four.

Scores:

Metropolitan League: City of London 0-1 Angel, Marylebone 0-1 Clapham, Peckham 0-1 Greenwich, Westminster 4-5 Kensington (10), Hackney 3-1 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Oldham 2-4 Bolton, Liverpool 1-6 Irwell, Blackburn 1-5 Ribble, Belle Vue 5-1 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 6 May 1876

The amazing run of Kensington Victoria shows no signs of slowing down as the surprise leaders of the Metropolitan League have now won six successive games. Today they comfortably saw off the challenge of the Hackney Exiles to remain one game ahead of the City of London Club, who beat the Royal Artillery Barracks thanks to a four-hit shut-out from pitcher Oscar Edds.

The Artillery are now in a three-way tie for third place alongside Clapham and Marylebone. Clapham scored three runs in the tenth inning to overcome a Peckham Rye team having a poorer season than expected, while Marylebone edged past Angel Islington 2-1. Reigning champions Angel need to start scoring more runs if they are to have any hope of getting into the title race, as they have jointly the fewest in the league as well as the worst team batting average. Finally today, last placed Westminster ended their losing run by defeating Greenwich Meridian.

In the Lancashire League, Liverpool St. Patrick's maintained their lead at the top by scoring five runs in the tenth to beat Belle Vue. Irwell Meadow are now alone in second place after beating Toxteth to earn a sixth consecutive win, while at the tenth attempt Blackburn finally got a win this year when they overcame an Oldham team who have now lost their last five. Champions Bolton are moving in the right direction and today beat Ribble Viaduct for their fourth successive win.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Royal Artillery 0-3 City of London, Kensington 5-0 Hackney, Angel 1-2 Marylebone, Clapham 4-1 Peckham (10), Greenwich 1-4 Westminster

Lancashire League: Liverpool 7-2 Belle Vue (10), Oldham 3-5 Blackburn, Ribble 1-2 Bolton, Toxteth 2-8 Irwell

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 13 May 1876

The winning run of Kensington Victoria is over after this morning's leaders in the Metropolitan League slumped to a heavy loss at home to Greenwich. The City of London Club took advantage to move into a tie at the top of the standings with a comfortable win over Hackney, while the Royal Artillery Barracks are on their own in third after overcoming last placed Westminster. Defending champions Angel finally found a bit of form with the bat as they enjoyed an excellent win over Clapham Common, while Peckham Rye ended their four game losing run by leading from the start to beat the Marylebone Regents.

Liverpool's lead in the Lancashire League remains at two games even though they slipped up today. The leaders lost at home to Ribble Viaduct, who are having a much better season than many anticipated, but maintained their advantage as Irwell Meadow were beaten by an Oldham team who ended their recent losing run. Champions Bolton are looking ominously strong again as they defeated Belle Vue to record a fifth successive win, while in the battle of the bottom two Blackburn earned their second win to leave Toxteth alone in last place.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Clapham 0-6 Angel, Hackney 1-6 City of London, Greenwich 6-1 Kensington, Peckham 3-0 Marylebone, Westminster 1-4 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Bolton 3-1 Belle Vue, Toxteth 3-5 Blackburn, Ribble 4-3 Liverpool, Irwell 3-5 Oldham

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 20 May 1876

The City of London Club are looking very good in the Metropolitan League at the moment, as they moved a game clear at the top of the standings today by beating Peckham Rye 2-0, pitcher Oscar Edds earning his second complete game shut-out in three games. Kensington Victoria are now faltering just a little and lost for the second game in succession when a costly late error put Clapham back ahead after Kensington had come back from 4-0 down to tie it.

At the moment there appears little chance of Angel Islington successfully defending their title, as they lost a game they looked to have won at the Royal Artillery Barracks. Angel took a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning but the Artillery hit right back for the win. Elsewhere Greenwich came from 1-0 down to beat the Marylebone Regents in a close game, while the Hackney Exiles overcame last placed Westminster more comfortably.

Liverpool St. Patrick's are three games clear again in the Lancashire League after ending the recent good run of reigning champions Bolton today. Irwell Meadow lost ground after losing to a revived Blackburn, who have now won their last three. Ribble also slipped up as they lost to Belle Vue in extra innings, with those two sides now tied for second with Irwell and also Oldham. This afternoon Oldham led from the start to keep Toxteth's dreadful season going, with the Princes now having lost eleven out of twelve.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Kensington 4-6 Clapham, Marylebone 1-2 Greenwich, City of London 2-0 Peckham, Angel 2-3 Royal Artillery, Hackney 5-1 Westminster

Lancashire League: Liverpool 5-2 Bolton, Blackburn 3-2 Irwell, Belle Vue 6-4 Ribble (12), Oldham 7-5 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 27 May 1876

The City of London Club are now two games clear in the Metropolitan League standings after holding on for a narrow victory when the Marylebone Regents threatened to tie today's game in the ninth inning. The City Club move further ahead because early season surprise leaders Kensington lost for the third successive week, this time falling 6-4 to a Royal Artillery Barracks team who are now tied with them for second place.

Only the top three now have winning records, as Greenwich continued a recent run of good form by beating Clapham Common to draw level with them in the middle of the pack. Champions Angel Islington are very inconsistent at the moment but looked good today in beating the Hackney Exiles, while Peckham's win over Westminster leaves the Academics three games worse off than anyone else.

In the Lancashire League, Liverpool's lead is back down to two games after they fell to Oldham in an exciting ten inning game which saw both teams let leads slip away. Oldham remain tied for second with Belle Vue, who led throughout to end Blackburn's recent revival. Bolton may yet have a chance of holding on to their title after grabbing the winning run in the ninth inning to beat Irwell Meadow, while Toxteth earned just their second victory of the year by edging out Ribble in extra innings.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Greenwich 3-1 Clapham, Angel 8-2 Hackney, Royal Artillery 6-4 Kensington, City of London 3-2 Marylebone, Westminster 1-4 Peckham

Lancashire League: Belle Vue 4-1 Blackburn, Bolton 3-2 Irwell, Liverpool 7-8 Oldham (10), Ribble 2-3 Toxteth (10)

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 3 June 1876

The City of London Club continue to lead the Metropolitan League by two games after easily overcoming last placed Westminster today to record their fifth successive win. Their closest challengers kept up the pressure though, as the Royal Artillery Barracks won for the fourth week in succession, moving clear of Clapham Common with four runs in the eighth inning of a previously close game. Kensington ended their recent poor run by defeating Peckham Rye to stay in touch at the top.

Elsewhere, Angel Islington struggled with the bats in falling to a 6-0 loss at home to Greenwich Meridian, who have now won their last four to move up into the top half of the standings. Both Hackney and Marylebone are struggling a little this year but it was the Exiles who came out on top in their meeting today, a sixth inning run earning a narrow 2-1 win.

In the Lancashire League, Liverpool St. Patrick's came back from 1-0 behind to defeat struggling Blackburn and hold on to their lead at the top. It is Belle Vue who are now alone in second place, after they also recovered from an early deficit to overcome Oldham. Irwell Meadow also stayed in touch after their win at Ribble, but Bolton's hopes of holding on to their title suffered another blow as they surprisingly lost 1-0 at home against last placed Toxteth.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Greenwich 6-0 Angel, Westminster 3-10 City of London, Peckham 1-3 Kensington, Hackney 2-1 Marylebone, Clapham 0-5 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Oldham 1-5 Belle Vue, Toxteth 1-0 Bolton, Blackburn 1-4 Liverpool, Irwell 5-3 Ribble

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 10 June 1876

The Metropolitan League has arrived at its summer double games with the situation at the top of the standings unchanged after all of the top three teams won their games today. The City of London Club were outhit seven to four by Clapham Common but still managed to earn a narrow 2-1 win. They could not extend their two game lead though as the Royal Artillery Barracks overcame Greenwich 6-2 and Kensington Victoria recovered from a 4-1 deficit to beat Angel Islington. Even before the half-way mark of the season, Angel's hopes of another championship look to be over.

In the day's other games, the Hackney Exiles got their record up to an even seven win and seven losses by beating Peckham Rye, while the Westminster Academics gave up two runs in the ninth to lose to Marylebone. It was a fifth successive loss for Westminster in what is turning out to be a dreadful season for them.

Liverpool's lead in the Lancashire League is back up to three games after their win over local rivals Toxteth today. Belle Vue looked set to keep pace by beating Irwell, but gave up the lead with two men out in the ninth inning and then saw Irwell win it in the twelfth. The other games were also close, with Ribble snatching victory in the ninth inning against Oldham, while Bolton held off a late comeback from Blackburn to record a 4-3 win.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Kensington 8-5 Angel, City of London 2-1 Clapham, Royal Artillery 6-2 Greenwich, Peckham 1-3 Hackney, Marylebone 3-1 Westminster

Lancashire League: Blackburn 3-4 Bolton, Belle Vue 2-3 Irwell (12), Oldham 4-5 Ribble, Liverpool 2-0 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 17 June 1876

There is still plenty of the season to play, but the City of London Club are looking good for a seventh Metropolitan League championship at the moment. Today they edged to two one-run victories over Angel Islington in the first week of double games, results which leave the reigning champions Angel just one place off the bottom of the standings. The City Club on the other hand extended their lead, as both Kensington Victoria and the Royal Artillery Barracks could only share their games against Westminster and Hackney respectively. The Artillery meet the City Club for two games next week and really need to close the gap at the top.

Clapham Common are in a poor run of form at the moment and they lost both of their games today against Marylebone, allowing the Regents to get their record back to even. Greenwich and Peckham were only able to play one of their games as early afternoon rain caused the first to be cancelled. The weather dried up in time to play the second though, which Peckham won narrowly. The cancelled game will be made up at the end of the season.

In the Lancashire League, Liverpool's advantage at the top is down to two games after they were beaten by second placed Irwell Meadow this afternoon. Belle Vue could have closed the gap as well, but fell to a surprise home defeat against struggling Toxteth. Champions Bolton continued to edge closer to the top of the standings with a win at Oldham, while Ribble Viaduct grabbed three runs in the eighth to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Blackburn, who drop back into last place on their own.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Angel 3-4 City of London, Angel 2-3 City of London, Royal Artillery 0-3 Hackney, Royal Artillery 3-2 Hackney, Clapham 0-5 Marylebone, Clapham 3-6 Marylebone, Greenwich v Peckham ppd, Greenwich 1-2 Peckham, Kensington 2-0 Westminster, Kensington 1-5 Westminster

Lancashire League: Toxteth 5-1 Belle Vue, Ribble 3-2 Blackburn, Irwell 3-1 Liverpool, Bolton 4-2 Oldham

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 24 June 1876

At the half-way point of the season, the City of London Club lead the Metropolitan League by three games from the Royal Artillery Barracks after the two teams shared their games today. The Artillery edged the first 1-0, only for the City Club to lead throughout in taking the second 4-2. Kensington lost more ground on the leaders as they dropped both games against the Hackney Exiles, despite taking a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning in game one.

The Marylebone Regents have now won their last five games after two comfortable wins against Angel Islington, whose defence of their title is turning into something of a nightmare after six successive defeats. Angel are ahead of only Westminster after the Academics lost both of their games at Greenwich, while there was just one run in each game between Peckham and Clapham with each team taking one victory.

The Lancashire League is also at the half-way point and Liverpool St Patrick's still lead by two games after coming back from an early deficit to beat Belle Vue today. Irwell Meadow are keeping the pressure on after earning a big win over Toxteth, their fourth consecutive victory. Oldham are fading fast and a five run eighth inning sent them to a home defeat against Blackburn, while defending champions Bolton trailed throughout in losing at Ribble. They may need a second half of the season to match last year, when they won fifteen of the last seventeen games, in order to hold on to the title.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Marylebone 9-3 Angel, Marylebone 7-1 Angel, Peckham 1-0 Clapham, Peckham 0-1 Clapham, Westminster 1-4 Greenwich, Westminster 2-3 Greenwich, Hackney 4-3 Kensington (10), Hackney 3-0 Kensington, City of London 0-1 Royal Artillery, City of London 4-2 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Belle Vue 1-3 Liverpool, Blackburn 6-2 Oldham, Bolton 2-5 Ribble, Irwell 8-0 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Metropolitan League: Election of New Teams

As announced last winter, the Metropolitan League has held an election for two new teams to join the league for the 1877 season, taking total membership to twelve. There were six applications received from teams outside the league and the voting was the closest seen yet in such an election. Three of the applicants were among the unsuccessful candidates at the last vote five years ago, those being the teams from Hammersmith, West Ham and the Surrey Commercial Docks works team. West Ham's application was again controversial to some due to their being based outside the area covered by the Metropolitan Board of Works. Also applying this time were teams from Putney, Bromley Marsh and Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs.

Each of the ten current members was allowed to cast two votes, meaning there were twenty votes available. Cubitt Town and Bromley Marsh received little support, just one and two votes respectively. It is widely believed that this was due to concerns over the quality of their home fields. The other four applicants, however, were extremely evenly matched. Hammersmith and Commercial Docks were expected by many outside observers to achieve the highest total, but to some surprise the leading team in the vote were Putney, who were elected with five votes.

The remaining twelve votes were split evenly between Hammersmith, West Ham and Commercial Docks, with four each. This meant that a second ballot was needed, with the ten members each casting a single vote. This time, the Commercial Docks team was elected with four votes and Hammersmith and West Ham three each. Some have suggested that the vote may have been divided on geographic lines, with the four current members from south of the river supporting the application of another 'south' based team while the six from north of the river split their vote. The two new members will join the league at the winter meeting in January, with an announcement expected then as to how the schedule will change to accommodate the larger league.

The teams who missed out were understandably upset following the vote, with the West Ham club believing that their application was better than either of the successful teams and that they had been rejected purely due to geography. The club vowed to carry out the threat they made five years ago that if they were not to be admitted to the Metropolitan League, they would invite other clubs from the outer suburbs to form a separate competition. If that is to happen, it will surely not be as soon as next year due to a lack of time for arrangements to be made.

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British Baseball News
Saturday 1 July 1876

At the moment there seems to be nothing to stop the City of London Club from winning this year's Metropolitan League championship as they extended their lead in the standings further today. The City Club comfortably won both of their games at Greenwich Meridian, pitcher Oscar Edds earning a seven hit shut-out in the first. The Royal Artillery Barracks lost more ground as they lost the first of their games against Peckham Rye, although the Artillery recovered to take the second.

The unexpected early season form of Kensington Victoria seems long gone now as they dropped both of their games against the Marylebone Regents. Kensington have now lost their last five games, but the Regents are on a winning run of seven and are now up into third place. In the battle of the bottom two, outgoing champions Angel Islington beat Westminster in their first game thanks to a three-hit shut-out from pitcher Nathan Bailey but they then lost the second game heavily. Clapham Common made a late comeback in their second game with Hackney to ensure the day was shared with one win each.

The title race is getting closer in the Lancashire League, as Liverpool St. Patrick's lost a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning in falling to defeat at Belle Vue. Irwell Meadow are now just one game behind after beating Toxteth to earn a fifth successive win. Bolton are now just three games off the pace after a narrow victory over Ribble Viaduct, while the day's other game saw Oldham get their record back to even by beating Blackburn.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Westminster 0-3 Angel, Westminster 10-1 Angel, Hackney 2-1 Clapham, Hackney 4-6 Clapham, City of London 7-0 Greenwich, City of London 5-1 Greenwich, Marylebone 4-1 Kensington, Marylebone 2-1 Kensington, Peckham 2-0 Royal Artillery, Peckham 1-5 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Liverpool 3-4 Belle Vue, Oldham 3-2 Blackburn, Ribble 1-2 Bolton, Toxteth 2-5 Irwell

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 8 July 1876

The City of London Club look to be running away with this year's Metropolitan League championship after earning two wins over a fast-fading Kensington Victoria team today. The first game produced a moment of history for the league as the City Club's first baseman Jonas Myers became the first man to record five hundred base hits in his career. Myers, who has been with the City Club since the league began, is almost thirty-eight years old now but seems in the best form of his life. For Kensington however, their start to the season was remarkable but they have now lost their last seven games.

The City Club's lead is now five games after the Royal Artillery Barracks shared their games with the Marylebone Regents, the Artillery winning the first but losing the second in extra innings. The Hackney Exiles are having a decent season this time around and they shared their games against Greenwich today to stay in fourth place, but champions Angel Islington could be officially eliminated from title contention as early as next week after suffering another bad week, losing both game to Peckham. Angel are now only one game ahead of Westminster at the bottom of the standings after the Academics shared their games with Clapham Common.

Liverpool St. Patrick's just held on to their narrow lead in the Lancashire League after a late comeback from 5-1 behind to beat Toxteth. They needed the win to stay a game clear of Irwell Meadow, who beat Belle Vue for their sixth successive win. Bolton and Ribble are both on the fringe of the championship race, three games behind Liverpool, after beating Blackburn and Oldham respectively today. The top two teams meet next week, with Irwell having the chance to draw level in the standings with a win.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Kensington 0-5 City of London, Kensington 2-6 City of London, Greenwich 2-1 Hackney (10), Greenwich 1-7 Hackney, Royal Artillery 4-1 Marylebone, Royal Artillery 2-3 Marylebone (10), Angel 5-6 Peckham, Angel 3-6 Peckham, Clapham 4-3 Westminster, Clapham 3-5 Westminster

Lancashire League: Irwell 4-0 Belle Vue, Bolton 9-3 Blackburn (10), Toxteth 5-6 Liverpool, Ribble 10-4 Oldham

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 15 July 1876

There is no change at the top of the Metropolitan League standings after the top three teams all won today, but it is difficult to see how anyone can possibly catch the City of London Club as they don't look like losing many more games this year. The City Club were actually outhit twelve to nine by Hackney today but still won 5-3, while the Royal Artillery Barracks overcame last placed Westminster to stay five games behind. Marylebone are one game further back in third after beating Peckham to record their ninth win in the last ten games.

Kensington's collapse continues as they lost for the eighth game running, this time 1-0 against Greenwich thanks to Meridian pitcher Joseph Fry's four-hit shut-out, the first of his career. There was also a complete game shut-out for Clapham Common's Elijah Snider, who allowed eight hits to Angel Islington. That result means that just nine months on from winning the championship, Angel are officially eliminated from contention this year with more than one third of the season still to play and must now concentrate on not finishing in last place.

The big game in the Lancashire League saw Liverpool St. Patrick's win at Irwell Meadow to increase their lead at the top of the standings to two games. Reigning champions Bolton are just one game further back after a narrow win over Oldham. The day's other games saw Blackburn defeat Ribble to move clear of last place, with Toxteth one game worse off than anyone else after their defeat against Belle Vue.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Clapham 2-0 Angel, Hackney 3-5 City of London, Greenwich 1-0 Kensington, Peckham 2-6 Marylebone, Westminster 1-5 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Oldham 2-3 Bolton, Liverpool 4-1 Irwell, Blackburn 7-3 Ribble, Belle Vue 3-0 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 22 July 1876

It just seems almost impossible for the City of London Club to lose a game at the moment, as the Metropolitan League leaders overcame losing the lead in the ninth inning and being outhit for the second week running to edge past Peckham Rye today, recording their seventh successive win. The Royal Artillery Barracks are clinging on bravely in the title race though, beating struggling Angel on pitcher Frederick Weddell's four-hit shut-out to stay just five games behind.

Elsewhere Marylebone's good run came to an end for now as they fell to defeat at Greenwich, while Kensington ended their long losing run by overcoming Clapham in a fourteen inning game. The Westminster Academics remain bottom of the pile after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of the Hackney Exiles.

There is no change in the Lancashire League as all the leading teams won today. Liverpool remain two games clear after a comfortable victory over Blackburn, while Irwell Meadow are still second after their win over Ribble. Bolton have now won their last four as they attempt to hold on to the title, beating last placed Toxteth with a three-hit shut-out from pitcher Enoch Davison, while Belle Vue are now clear in fourth after a big win at Oldham.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Kensington 4-3 Clapham (14), Marylebone 1-4 Greenwich, City of London 4-3 Peckham (12), Angel 0-3 Royal Artillery, Hackney 12-4 Westminster

Lancashire League: Liverpool 6-2 Blackburn, Ribble 2-7 Irwell, Belle Vue 10-2 Oldham, Bolton 4-0 Toxteth

Standings:

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British Baseball News
Saturday 29 July 1876

The gap at the top of the Metropolitan League is unchanged after the top two both won their games with dominant pitching performances. Oscar Edds' four hit shut-out for the City of London Club in their win at Marylebone was his fifth of the season, while the six-hit shut-out for Frederick Weddell of the Royal Artillery Barracks was his second in successive weeks as the Artillery overcame Kensington.

The Hackney Exiles are now up to a tie for third place after inflicting a sixth successive defeat on Angel Islington, the Exiles tying the game in the ninth and winning in twelve innings. Angel remain one game better than Westminster at the bottom of the standings after the Academics lost at Peckham, while Clapham moved further away from the bottom two with a narrow win over Greenwich Meridian.

There were also some fine pitching performances in the Lancashire League, none better than the two-hit shut-out from Ron Joseph of Liverpool in their win over Oldham. That was good enough to extend Liverpool's lead to three games, as reigning champions Bolton beat Irwell Meadow to move into a tie for second place. Bolton have now won five successive games and look like the strongest challengers to Liverpool's lead. There was another complete game shut-out from Eustace Bull of Ribble Viaduct as they beat Toxteth, while Blackburn produced a late fightback to overcome Belle Vue and move further clear of last place.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Greenwich 0-1 Clapham, Angel 2-3 Hackney (12), Royal Artillery 2-0 Kensington, City of London 4-0 Marylebone, Westminster 1-5 Peckham

Lancashire League: Blackburn 3-1 Belle Vue, Irwell 0-10 Bolton, Oldham 0-7 Liverpool, Toxteth 0-4 Ribble

Standings:

[as5680]

British Baseball News
Saturday 5 August 1876

The City of London Club's march to a seventh Metropolitan League title is relentless as they earned a ninth successive victory today with a comeback success over last placed Westminster. The Royal Artillery Barracks are bravely trying to hang on in case the City Club falter and they won their fourth successive by beating Clapham Common, but they may have to cope without pitcher Frederick Weddell for the rest of the season after he suffered an elbow injury in the game.

The Marylebone Regents are back into third place on their own after beating Hackney, while there was a rare win for outgoing champions Angel Islington who ended their recent dreadful form with victory over Greenwich. Kensington's collapse in the second half of the season continued as they lost at home to Peckham, who are themselves much improved of late.

The race for the Lancashire League title took a twist today as Liverpool St Patrick's gave up the winning run in the ninth inning to fall to defeat at Ribble. The chasers took full advantage, with Irwell Meadow coming from 2-0 down to beat an Oldham team who have now lost their last five. Bolton le Moors also won, beating Belle Vue 1-0 on a six-hit shut-out from pitcher Enoch Davison. They remain tied for second with Irwell but are now just two games off the pace. In the battle of the bottom two, Toxteth saw off Blackburn to move within one game of their opponents at the foot of the standings.

Scores:
Metropolitan League: Greenwich 3-7 Angel, Westminster 1-4 City of London, Peckham 5-2 Kensington, Hackney 0-3 Marylebone, Clapham 0-6 Royal Artillery

Lancashire League: Belle Vue 0-1 Bolton, Oldham 2-4 Irwell, Liverpool 4-5 Ribble, Blackburn 1-4 Toxteth

Standings: