THE BASEBALL ALLIANCE: Baseball in the British Isles

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1891 MID-SEASON

Kensington right hander John Solley started the season in impressive fashion by pitching a no-hitter against Sheffield on opening day. It was all downhill for Solley and the Knights after that. Solley carried a 9-16 record into the all-star break, and Kensington dropped into the Dominion Association cellar. In the attics were Glasgow, last year's Cup winners and once again the BA's biggest spenders. The Gaelics, fending off challenges from Leeds and Manchester, picked up Stephen Ogburn from London at the beginning of May for first baseman Harry "Shady" McBride, and Ogburn repaid the favor by going 14-3 for the Glaswegians. The Gaelics also received stellar service from journeyman right hander Ian Sturdy, who compiled a 15-2 record. Glasgow's bats continued to pound DA pitching, with George Martindale leading the attack with a .311 average. Even the loss of Chris Merkley and Brendan Fitzwallace in May to injuries did not slow down the Gaelic advance. Manchester, behind the 20-5 record of starter Ed Organ, challenged Glasgow early in the season for the lead, but the pre-season loss of Matthew Hood hobbled the pitching staff, and the Millers fell off the pace in late May. Taking Manchester's place were Leeds, who finished strong in the second half of 1890 and continued to play well in 1891. The Ironsides had a formidable pitching duo in Harry Lewis and William Barnsley, who combined for a 30-18 mark, and benefitted from solid hitting by Flannan Shortridge and second-year man Henry Clews. Lambeth played uninspired ball until June, when they went on a 17-6 tear. Veteran righty Graham Rowan led the Lambs' staff with a 15-8 record. Stoke had the Association's best hitter, Dutch center fielder Hakan Schep, who was batting .360 as play ceased for the all-star hiatus, but the Potters were hit hard by injuries and languished in eighth place.

It was a tight race in the Empire League. Bradford held the whip hand for most of the first half. The Badgers, whom the punters predicted to win the pennant, had a dominating pitching staff, led by the starting trio of River Burrows, John Bothwick, and Stephen MacTavish, who together compiled a 42-29 record. The box corps held opposing batters to a miserly .222 average, by far the best mark in the BA. Bradford's hitting, however, did not match the brilliance of the pitching staff, and the Badgers stumbled into a 2-9 rut in mid-June that allowed Westminster, on 22 June, to take over first place. Peer starter William Isaacs, coming off a 23-23 year in 1890, regained his form and went into the break with a 20-9 mark. It was Westminster's hitting, however, that kept the team in contention. In Albert Oglethorpe, Dylan Back, and Oran Taafe, the Peers had three of the top five hitters in the League, and the team was hitting .275 at the mid-season point, best in the major leagues. Defending pennant winners Liverpool challenged Bradford early, but the starting trio of Ernie Pease, Keith Underhill, and Ben "the Human Eyeball" MacDonald were unable to duplicate their success of last year and the Argonauts drifted downward to sixth place. Birmingham kept close to the top of the ladder with a solid hitting attack, featuring outfielders Dave Jorge and Tony Tofield. Dublin had the second-best pitching in the League, behind Bradford, with John Witheridge leading the staff with a 15-9 record. Micah Clark led the hitters with a .300 average, but when he was sidelined with a broken wrist in mid-June, the Shamrock attack suffered. Portsmouth surprised observers by finishing the first half in fourth place, only four games behind Westminster. The Neptunes received excellent work from the starting duo of sophomore Eric "Hacker" Farnsworth and veteran Louis Hockridge, obtained from Westminster in a pre-season deal.



It was Manchester's turn to host the All-Star Game, and it proved to be another close contest. The visiting Empires established a 4-0 lead by the bottom of the fifth, only to see the Dominions come back to score four times in the next three innings to tie the game going into the seventh. The Empires, aided by three Dominion errors, put four runs across in the top of the eighth against Leeds right hander Barnsley. The two teams traded single runs in the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth, which left the Dominions looking up at a 9-5 deficit. The Dominions then rallied for four runs, with the game-tying hit coming off the bat of Glasgow's Martindale. In the top of the tenth, the Empires tallied a run when Nottingham's Stephen Carmickel tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Salford's Nick Plumtree. But the Dominions came right back in their half of the tenth. London ace Sweeney Valence loaded the bases on walks, and then successive one-out singles by Stoke pitcher John Mack and Sheffield outfielder Joseph Knifton plated two runs to win the contest for the Dominions by the final score of 11-10. Knifton had three hits in the game, but the press gave the MVP honors to Birmingham center fielder Ferris Purefoy, who had two hits, including home run, and two runs batted in.

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1891 FINAL

It was a shocking conclusion to the Dominion Association race. The smart money had always been on Glasgow to repeat as Association champions, and the Gaelics did everything they could to fulfill those expectations. Glasgow's offense, led by Shaun MacKillop (.293, 5 HR, 76 RBI) and Christopher Mytton (.279, 7 HR, 104 RBI), dominated opposing pitchers with a .273 team average. Chris Merkley (.316, 2 HR, 51 RBI), limited by injuries, contributed to the attack. In the pitcher's box, Ian Sturdey (29-9, 2.09), an undistinguished ten-year veteran serving his second stint with Glasgow, surprised everyone with his twenty-nine victories and an ERA that was third-best in the loop, while Stephen Ogburn (30-19, 2.48 ERA) came over from London in May to contribute twenty-eight wins to his new teammates. The Gaelics had fifty-one wins and a comfortable five-game margin over Leeds as play resumed after the all-star break, but star outfielder Calum Meikle (.284, 2 HR, 48 RBI) broke his elbow on 24 July, and Glasgow soon started slipping in the standings. Leeds, meanwhile, continued to maintain pressure on the Glaswegians. The Ironside offense, behind Flannan Shortridge (.307, 5 HR, 86 RBI), Tony Tofield (.297, 5 HR, 86 RBI), and Dan Grimoldby (.292, 2 HR, 70 RBI), couldn't match Glasgow's juggernaut, so they relied instead on a top-hole pitching staff. William Barnsley (34-15, 1.76 ERA) had a breakout year, leading the Association in wins and ERA. Staff mate Harry Lewis (23-14, 2.42 ERA), rookie Jayden "Chink" Gilbert (13-4, 2.70 ERA), and Austrian righty Lukas Nestroy (21-13, 3.27 ERA), obtained from Stoke in a mid-July trade, rounded out a pitching corps that limited opposing batters to a .242 average. When Leeds met Glasgow for a crucial four-game home-and-home series starting on 23 August, the Ironsides trailed the Gaelics by only one-and-a-half games. In a convincing display of pitching prowess, Leeds took the first three games by scores of 2-1, 3-0, and 3-0, and the Ironsides took over first place, a position that they held for the remainder of the season. The rest of the DA's teams were bystanders to the drama that unfolded at the head of the table. Stoke center fielder Hakon Schep (.343, 9 HR, 79 RBI) was the Association's premier batsman, but a separated shoulder in July limited his playing time. Lambeth shortstop Sheedy Mulroy (.282, 12 HR, 106 RBI) displayed surprising power in capturing the Association's home run and RBI crowns, and Paul "Shufflefoot" Salsbery (30-19, 2.34 ERA) led the loop in strikeouts, but the Lambs could do no better than a distant third place. Manchester sophomore pitcher Ed Organ (31-17, 2.16 ERA) had a standout year, but reliever Jake Bundy (1-13, 3.06 ERA) was shockingly ineffective out of the bullpen for the Millers.

The Empire League also featured a close race. Westminster, whose hitters punished the opposition all year long, topped the table coming out of the all-star break. The Peers had three starters finish above the .300 mark, led by Oran Taafe (.317, 2 HR, 69 RBI). In the box, William Isaacs (32-19, 2.40 ERA) recorded his third thirty-win season. Taafe, however, sustained an arm injury in mid-September that ended his season early, and the Peers had trouble finding anyone who could fill the second and third spots in the rotation. Westminster struggled in August, dropping nineteen of twenty-eight games, and ceded first place to Birmingham. The Blue Stockings, behind Tony Tofield (.297, 5 HR, 86 RBI) and Dave Jorge (.303, 2 HR, 60 RBI), had an offense second only to Westminster's but their pitching was far superior. Killian Spong (33-18, 2.53 ERA), in his fifth year in the BA, recorded his first winning season in stunning fashion. Twenty-seven-year old rookie Chris Cooke (17-6, 2.34 ERA) came through when veteran Albert Durrans (21-23, 2.53 ERA) had an off-year in the box. Bradford, picked to win the League at the beginning of the campaign, fell to fourth place before picking themselves up in September and making a run for the pennant. Kane Speechley (.298, 5 HR, 82 RBI) and Liam Stelfox (.294, 8 HR, 76 RBI) led the Badger offense, while the pitching staff, helmed by crafty veteran River Burrows (29-16, 2.66 ERA), featured three twenty-game winners. When the Badgers hosted the first-place Blue Stockings for a three-game set on 22 September, the two teams were separated by four games in the standings. Bradford took the first game, but the Birminghams came back to win the remaining two, which effectively ended Bradford's dreams of winning the pennant, as Birmingham, despite losing Jorge to an injury on 25 September that will keep him out of the Cup Finals Series, went on to claim their fourth EL flag. London, behind League-leaders Kevin Terry (.337, 6 HR, 72 RBI) and Sweeney Valance (35-14, 2.49 ERA) finished strong to end up in a third-place tie with rivals Westminster, while last year's pennant winners, Liverpool, suffered from poor hitting and a rash of injuries to key starters and limped home in fifth place.



1891 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v. LEEDS

As the post-season opened in Leeds, St. James Field played host to its first Cup Finals game since 1871. Aces Barnsley and Spong faced off against each other, and it was Leeds's Barnsley who came out on top with a 7-2 victory. The home team scored all of their runs in the bottom of the fifth, sending eleven men to the plate and battering Spong for eight hits to go along with two Birmingham errors. In game two, the Blue Stockings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, aided by a two-base error by left fielder Alastair Hoath (.254, 0 HR, 55 RBI). Leeds, however, tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, and then took the lead with a run in the fifth when Hoath drove in speedy Leegan Lyd (.279, 2 HR, 36 RBI) with a base hit. The Ironsides added two more tallies in the eighth, and Lewis pitched a complete game three-hitter for the 6-3 victory. The scene shifted to Birmingham for game three and so did the results. Leeds erased an early 3-0 deficit to go up 4-3 in the top of the fourth. In the home half of the inning, Birmingham came roaring back with four runs off Ironside starter Nestroy. The Blue Stockings added an insurance run in the sixth, and Spong, pitching on two days rest, scattered seven hits for an 8-4 triumph. Tofield had three hits for the winners, and Ferris Purefoy (.264, 4 HR, 51 RBI) drove in three runs. A slugging match followed in game four, as the teams accumulated twenty-five runs and thirty-three hits. Tied 10-10 at the end of regulation time, Leeds put two runs across in the top of the tenth against reliever Lance Ryle (1-1, 1.93 ERA). Ironside skipper Michael Hartshorne brought in Clyde Nethersole (0-1, 3.48 ERA) to preserve the lead, but the right hander proceeded to give up three runs on four hits, with the winning run coming home on a base hit by Adam Dobbie (.274, 1 HR, 70 RBI). Dobbie ended the day with three RBI, while Hoath and Grimoldby collected three hits each for the losers. Lewis took the box again for the Ironsides in game five, and he pitched another masterpiece, going the distance for a four-hit, 5-3 victory. Henry Clews (.280, 5 HR, 80 RBI) had three base hits for Leeds, while teammate Don Dinsmore (.278, 0 HR, 62 RBI) had two hits and two RBI. It was Spong versus Barnsley again in game six in Leeds. Birmingham went ahead with single runs in the first and third before Leeds could respond with a tally in the bottom of the third. In the fifth, the Ironsides scored a run when Barnsley hit a double that scored Grimoldby to tie the game. Lyd then hit a sharp liner that fell in for a single, moving Barnsley to third. Spong, well aware of Lyd's 52 stolen bases, threw wildly to first in an attempt to keep the runner close, and Barnsley scampered home with what proved to be the final and deciding run. Birmingham managed only a single hit after that, and Barnsley finished with a five-hitter and a 3-2 triumph. Dinsmore, playing in his fourth Cup Finals Series, hit an impressive .409 with three RBI and four runs scored on the way to the MVP title.

THE MINORS

The Croydon Cavaliers of the Stoke organization defeated the Preston Wasps, Newcastle's triple-A affiliate, for the championship of the Second Tier.

In the Third Tier, Bradford's Swansea Swans took three out of four games to best Edinburgh's farmhands, the Bournemouth Travelers, in their championship series.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .337 Kevin Terry, London
HR: 12 Albert Oglethorpe, Westminster
RBI: 104 Donegan Sim, Camberwell
R: 113 Bert Doggett, London
SB: 69 Charlie Atwater, Birmingham
Pitching
W: 35 Sweeney Valance, London
L: 30 Jack Perkins, Edinburgh
K: 195 William Isaacs, Westminster
ERA: 2.08 Stephen "Whitey" MacTavish, Bradford
SV: 12 Thomas Knox, Liverpool

Oglethorpe finished in the top five in each of the triple crown categories, but only led in home runs.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .343 Hakon Schep, Stoke
HR: 12 Sheedy Mulroy, Lambeth
RBI: 106 Sheedy Mulroy, Lambeth
R: 109 Flannan Shortridge, Leeds
SB: 75 Leo Ryan, Manchester
Pitching
W: 34 William Barnsley, Leeds
L: 31 William Liddard, Kensington/Hull
K: 227 Paul "Shufflefoot" Salsbery, Lambeth
ERA: 1.76 William Barnsley, Leeds
SV: 12 John "Silk Stockings" Langille, Sheffield

Only one of the top five in the batting average category -- Schep -- finished in the top five in hits. That distinction went to Ed Densmore of Kensington, who collected 176 hits in 608 at-bats for a .289 average. Ryan set a BA record, with 75 stolen bases, as did Portsmouth rookie Oliver Galbraith, who was caught stealing a record 62 times.

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1891-92 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Albert Oglethorpe, Westminster (.309, 12 HR, 101 RBI, 64 R, .495 SLG, 15 K)
Pitcher: Sweeney Valance, London (35-14, 2.49 ERA, 447.2 IP, 176 K, .244 OAVG, 44 CG)
Manager: John Burdon, Birmingham (91-63, 1st place)
Rookie: Frank "Peach" Samson, Newcastle (20-15, 2.61 ERA, 282.1 IP, 100 K, .244 OAVG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Hakon Schep, Stoke (.343, 9 HR, 79 RBI, 90 R, 50 SB, .454 OBP, .481 SLG)
Pitcher: William Barnsley, Leeds (34-15, 1.76 ERA, 444 IP, 193 K, .222 OAVG, 1.14 WHIP, 5 SHO)
Manager: Michael Hartshorne, Leeds (101-53, 1st place)
Rookie: Carl Dancer, Manchester (28-22, 2.63 ERA, 417.2 IP, 124 K)

Oglethorpe's win was something of a surprise. Although he led the League in home runs and slugging, he only played 117 games and was second to London's Kevin Terry in WAR, a usually reliable indicator of how the voters would poll for the outstanding hitter trophy. To put Samson's achievement into some perspective, the rest of the Newcastle pitching staff went 42-77 with a 3.10 ERA.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In addition to John Solley's opening-day no-hitter for Kensington, two other no-hitters were thrown. On 18 April, two weeks after Solley's gem, Leicester's Gallaher Wisker baffled Leeds, giving up two walks and striking out three. On 5 September, Birmingham rookie Chris Cooke recorded the League's only no-hitter of the year when he blanked Edinburgh. In Cooke's next start against Liverpool, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning when Breslan Goudman led off the frame with a squib down the third base line that catcher Michael Samways watched as it died in fair territory for a base hit. Birmingham's Adam Dobbie hit for the cycle on 11 August against Newcastle. It was the first such accomplishment in the BA since 1888. Edmund Leppard hit 32 triples for Portsmouth, besting the previous mark of 30 set by Brad Kellaway in 1890.

LEAGUE NEWS

The rich got richer as League pennant-winners Leeds signed the much-courted free agent rookie catcher Mick Eccles to a three-year contract for $16,531. London prevailed in the auction for second-baseman Liam Kernuish. The coveted prospect signed for three years in exchange for $18,320. Distant relative Euan Kernuish, a right hander with a lifetime 180-237 record, was traded at the close of spring training by Bristol to Manchester for utility infielder Callahan Laverick.

Spring training's first victim was Leicester starter Gallagher Wisker, who was felled by an inflamed shoulder muscle and will miss most, if not all, of the upcoming 1892 campaign.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The Peers were in first place from 22 June to 5 August, a span of forty-five days. Long enough to leave the bitter taste of disappointment lingering on the palate after a dreadful 9-19 August that dropped the Peerage all the way to fourth place. Only a 17-8 rally in September pushed the club back up to third place, four games behind pennant winners Birmingham. The hitters couldn't be blamed for the debacle. In addition to the League's outstanding hitter, Albert Oglethorpe, two other regulars surpassed the .300 threshold: Oran Taafe (.317, 2 HR, 69 RBI) and Dylan Back (.301, 2 HR, 64 RBI). Paul Rushworth (.291, 4 HR, 101 RBI), hitting clean-up for much of the year, equalled Oglethorpe's team-leading RBI total, while Sammy Ruttledge (.375, 0 HR, 33 RBI) platooned with Oglethorpe at the backstop position.

Instead, it was the pitching staff that remained the weak link for Westminster. Aside from William Isaacs, who returned to form with a 32-19 record, the rest of the staff was a puzzle. Connell Roughton and Riley "Whiskey" Barrowcliff started the season as the two and three starters in the rotation, but they both went down with injuries and were replaced by youngsters Ciaran Dalziel, who had failed to crack the rotation in 1888, and Alec Carlson, a southpaw who began the year in the bullpen after going 9-3 in a spot starter's role in 1890. Both had impressive debuts as regular starters and stayed in the rotation when Dalziel and Barrowcliff returned. Dalziel cooled down considerably and Roughton reclaimed his place in the rotation, but Carlson stuck in the number three spot, which didn't bode well for the veteran Barrowcliff's future with the team. Indeed, Barrowcliff was shipped off to Edinburgh shortly after New Year's Day, along with minor league outfielder Tobias Mallam, for middle reliever George Petherbridge.

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1892 MID-SEASON

As expected, it was a two-team race in the Dominion Association this year -- it just wasn't the two teams that everyone thought it would be. Leeds and Glasgow dominated the DA last year, and started the season occupying the first and third ranks of the highest payrolls in the major leagues. Glasgow, with a team batting average of .276, fulfilled expectations by being at or near the top of the standings throughout the first half of the year. Defending Cup holders Leeds, on the other hand, contended early but stumbled in June, falling back eventually into third place. Glasgow had the loop's best hitter in Robin Stanford, who was a big part of the Gaelics' Cup-winning campaign in 1890 before having an off-year in 1891. His .338 average at the all-star break paced the DA, while Calum Meikle, sidelined much of last season with a broken elbow, came back fit and in fighting trim in time for opening day. Leeds was hit by a series of injuries to key players, with regulars Dan Grimoldby and Flannan Shortridge going down for extended periods. Worse was the fate of speedster Leegan Lyd, who became the latest casualty of the broken elbow epidemic that has vexed the Association. As the Ironsides floundered, Islington pushed aggressively to the fore. Nobody had anticipated that the Owls, a once-great team who last finished above sixth place in 1888, would contend this year, but that was before second-year infielder Owen MacKinley compiled a .322 average and the starting duo of Samuel "Pebbly" Moncreiffe and Andrew "Midget" Gunton combined for a 32-16 mark at the halfway point. Belfast, who finished last season tied for sixth place with Islington, ambushed the opposition with a 17-7 start, but fell back into fourth place by June, despite outfielder Ross MacEwan's Association-leading seven home runs. Kensington started slowly but caught fire in the second half of June, going 11-4 at one stretch to settle into fifth place.

The League saw another close contest, as defending champions Birmingham battled Liverpool and Dublin early on for the lead. The Blue Stocking attack featured infielder Dave Brumley's .309 average, while the pitching staff relied on veterans Kilian Spong and Allan "Gummy" Durrans, who together accounted for twenty-seven of Birmingham's fifty victories. Liverpool benefitted from the resurgence of starters Ernie Pease and Ben "the Human Eyeball" MacDonald, who were instrumental in Liverpool's 1890 pennant-winning campaign. Dublin, a .500 team last year, startled everyone by opening with a 16-7 mark, but then quickly fell to the middle of the ladder by the end of May. Bradford matched Birmingham's hitting but surpassed them in pitching, with the staff holding opposing batters to a .229 average, nineteen points below the League standard. River Burrows led the staff with a 14-9 mark. The Badgers, however, could not match the tempo set by Westminster, who started strong and then overcame a weak May by blazing through the schedule in June, going 18-7 and taking over sole possession of first place from Birmingham. Once again Westminster's offense was unrivalled, as the Peers punished opposing pitchers at a .280 pace. Paul Rushworth, splitting time between right field and first base, led the majors with a .356 average, while catcher Albert Oglethorpe's seven home runs topped the League. Pitcher William Isaacs, however, was the real star of the team, compiling a 20-6 record at the midsummer break. Newcastle, after last season's disastrous 62-92 finish, rose Lazarus-like from the dead to end the first half in fourth place, nine games above .500. London briefly contended for the lead in May before drifting downward, as the team could not overcome slumps from starting pitcher Sweeney Valance and infielder Kevin Terry.



Liverpool's Salthouse Park hosted the All-Star Game for the first time, and a packed house of 4,540 spectators witnessed a fine contest. The Dominions started things off by putting across a run in their half of the first inning off Dublin left hander John Witheridge. The Empires responded with two runs in the bottom of the second when they bunched three singles and two walks against Islington ace "Midget" Gunton, and another run in the third inning when Badger outfielder Liam Stelfox tripled home Westminster's Oran Taafe. The Peer infielder hit his second double of the game in the fifth, keying a two-run inning that ended the scoring. Eight Empires pitchers the Dominion stars to four hits en route to a 5-1 victory. Stelfox, with two hits in as many at-bats, plus a walk, an RB and a run scored, was named the game's most valuable player.

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1892 FINAL

The tight races that the first half of the season portended in both the Empire League and the Dominion Association did not develop in the second half, as the front runners all-but lapped the field in the final months. At the halfway point, Westminster held a slim lead over Birmingham in the EL. The Peers enjoyed the best-hitting lineup in the majors, thanks in large part to Paul Rushworth (.335, 0 HR, 90 RBI), who finished second in the League batting race. In the box, William Isaacs (37-14, 2.44) recorded the most victories of any pitcher since Riley "Whiskey" Barrowcliff's 37 wins in 1886. Birmingham's offense was led by Dave Brumley (.307, 9 HR, 82 RBI), while the duo of Allan "Gummy" Durrans (24-16, 2.32 ERA) and Kilian Spong (23-16, 2.77 ERA) anchored the pitching staff. The Peers, however, suffered through a horrible 20-30 slump that started immediately after the all-star break and lasted all the way through the end of August, while Birmingham could play not much better than .500 ball during the same period. Surpassing both of them on the ladder were Liverpool. The Argonauts started the second half at a full gallop and didn't slacken their pace until they reached the finish line. Behind the formidable pitching trio of Ernie Pease (34-11, 2.25 ERA), Ben MacDonald (24-14, 2.83 ERA), and Breslin Sullivan (20-13, 3.04 ERA), the Liverpudlians went 59-19 in the second half, leaving all competitors in their wake. London briefly bobbed up to as high as second place before a spate of injuries and inconsistent hitting relegated them back into fourth place. Newcastle, behind infielders Godfrey Corderey (.313, 1 HR, 46 RBI) and Stephen Geoghegan (.263, 12 HR, 83 RBI), saw a twenty-three game improvement over their 1891 finish, but they were never a serious threat to the Argos. In September, Westminster staged a furious comeback, winning twenty-three of their final twenty-eight games, but by then Liverpool had already wrapped up their third League pennant.

Glasgow found themselves fending off a pesky challenge from Islington as the second half dawned in the Association. Possessing the best team average in the loop, the Gaelics' lineup, featuring Chris Merkley (.305, 7 HR, 98 RBI) and Calum Meikle (.300, 5 HR, 73 RBI), boasted five regulars batting over .290, while catcher Christopher Mytton (.281, 10 HR, 100 RBI), the third member of the "CM Crew," led the club in homers and RBI. The pitching chores were handled by Mackenzie Burry (34-15, 2.36 ERA) and Stephen Ogburn (28-10, 1.67 ERA). Islington's offense, helmed by Robbie Clinton (.305, 7 HR, 60 RBI), was no match for Glasgow's, but the pitching staff, with two thirty-game winners in Samuel Moncreiffe (33-16, 1.63 ERA) and Andrew "Midget" Gunton (30-19, 2.02 ERA), was far superior. The Gaelics started the second half with a 14-7 streak, while Islington could only manage a 14-10 mark. It got worse from the Owls from that point on, as the Glaswegians picked up steam in August, compiling a 21-8 record, while Islington were left spinning their wheels, playing .500 through the last two months of the season. Last year's Cup winners, Leeds, enjoyed a fine performance by William Barnsley (30-18, 2.13 ERA), but were hobbled by a series of injuries to key players Dan Grimoldby (.331, 1 HR, 67 RBI) and Flannan Shortridge (.303, 0 HR, 50 RBI), and so could not take advantage of Islington's predicament. Whatever dreams the Ironsides had of repeating as DA pennant winners ended on 6 August when Ben George (20-13, 2.10 ERA), obtained from Newcastle in the off-season, injured his back and spent the rest of the season in hospital. Stoke got another good season out of Hakon Schep (.309, 8 HR, 77 RBI), despite two trips to the DL, and the Potters again were the cream of the expansion crop. Kensington's John Solley (25-18, 2.46 ERA) looked like he was all set to establish himself as one of the BA's finest pitchers when, on 20 September, he tore a ligament in his arm that doctors say will keep him out of action through most of next season. Neither Stoke nor Kensington, however, could keep up with the blistering pace set by Glasgow, who clinched the pennant in mid-September.



1892 CUP FINALS SERIES: LIVERPOOL v. GLASGOW

In a rematch of the 1890 finals, Liverpool came back from a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning of game one by scoring four runs, then watched as the visiting Gaelics tallied single runs in the sixth and eighth to tie the score. In the bottom of the ninth, Edmund Tomkinson (.197, 2 HR, 17 RBI) dropped a base hit in front of right fielder Justin Peart (.283, 0 HR, 15 RBI), who, in his eagerness, overran the ball, allowing Brelan Goudman (.270, 3 HR, 40 RBI) to score from second with the winning run. Game two saw the Argos score in each of the first four innings against Gaelic starter Ogburn and take a 6-1 lead into the sixth. A three-run rally by the Gaelics in the top half of that inning fell short, and the home team added two more runs to finish with an 8-4 victory. Dan Harvey (.177, 1 HR, 8 RBI) was the unlikely batting hero with two hits and two RBI for the Argonauts, and Breslin Sullivan (20-13, 3.04 ERA) picked up the win. In game three at Holyrood Field in Glasgow, Liverpool came from behind in the sixth, down 3-2, to score three runs, with the key hit a bases-loaded, two-run single off the bat of Sheridan Fysh (.252, 9 HR, 67 RBI) against Gaelic starter Burry. Glasgow made it close with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but Liverpool added two runs in the ninth to win it 7-4 for "the Human Eyeball" MacDonald. Glasgow had only one four-game losing streak all year, but they were looking at elimination in game four as they sent Ogburn to the box to face a fully rested Pease. Liverpool center fielder Gabriel Vesey (.219, 0 HR, 68 RBI) led off the game with a rare home run, and the Argos took a 2-0 lead into the third when Glasgow tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Liverpool took back the lead with a single tally in the fifth, but Glasgow responded with a run in the eighth, and the score stood tied at three after nine innings. In the top of the tenth, Vesey led off with a single and advanced to third on a Patrick Rascal (.292, 4 HR, 70 RBI) base hit. The next batter, Paul Nott (.277, 4 HR, 69 RBI), hit a 2-2 pitch into left that was just deep enough to score the swift Vesey for the inning's only run. In the bottom of the tenth, Shaun MacKillop (.291, 7 HR, 78 RBI) managed to reach first on a two-out error, but lefty reliever Thomas Knox (9-7, 1.63 ERA) came and induced Merkley to loft an easy fly ball to center for the final out as Liverpool completed only the second sweep in Cup Finals history by a score of 4-3. Pease, with a 2-0 record and a sparkling 0.96 ERA, was named the MVP.

THE MINORS

The Dudley Tigers won their second Northern Conference pennant in three years, and the Manchester minor leaguers defeated Dublin's affiliate, the West Bromwich Oaks, in a four-game series to capture the Second Tier championship.

The Birkenhead Whales of the Lambeth system won their second Britannia Conference title and first Third Tier crown when they swept the Cheltenham Flyers, Islington's AA franchise.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .340 Callough Rashleigh, Nottingham
HR: 12 Stephen Geoghegan, Newcastle
RBI: 90 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
R: 126 Paul Nott, Liverpool
SB: 59 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
Pitching
W: 37 William Isaacs, Westminster
L: 31 John Bothwick, Bradford
K: 183 Cawthra Ellwood, Dublin
ERA: 1.58 Connell Roughton, Westminster
SV: 14 Thomas Knox, Liverpool

Rashleigh, in his third year in the majors, finished in the top three in each of the triple crown categories. Vesey discovered the secret to stealing 59 bases despite a .219 batting average: he had 116 hits (including 12 triples) and 64 walks and made 99 stolen base attempts, meaning that he attempted to steal second about every other time he reached first base.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .312 Michael Joicey, Leicester
HR: 11 Henry Clews, Leeds
RBI: 100 Christopher Mytton, Glasgow
R: 111 Robin Stanford, Glasgow
SB: 59 Joe Lynam, Belfast; Jay Wacher, Stoke
Pitching
W: 34 Mackenzie Burry, Glasgow
L: 34 Al Henry, Leicester
K: 203 Earl Corbett, Belfast
ERA: 1.63 Samuel "Pebbly" Moncreiffe, Islington
SV: 8 John "Silk Stockings" Langille; Callough Micklethwaite, Bristol

Joicey, at twenty-three, is one of the youngest players to win the batting crown. He spent six weeks on the sidelines with injuries and finished with 489 plate appearances, only eleven more than the minimum needed to qualify for the title. Mytton led the Association in RBI for the third time.

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1892-93 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Paul Nott, Liverpool (.277, 4 HR, 69 RBI, 126 R, 155 BB, .435 OBP, 36 SB)
Pitcher: William Isaacs, Westminster (37-14, 2.44 ERA, 476.1 IP, 176 K, 1.17 WHIP, 47 CG)
Manager: Lindsay Candleman, Liverpool (105-49, 1st place)
Rookie: Helmut Ruff, Dublin (23-26, 2.45 ERA, 415.2 IP, 115 K, .249 OAVG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Calum Meikle, Glasgow (.300, 5 HR, 73 RBI, 110 R, 119 BB, .437 OBP, 30 SB)
Pitcher: Samuel "Pebbly" Moncreiffe, Islington (33-16, 1.63 ERA, 448.1 IP, 135 K, .227 OAVG, 1.08 WHIP)
Manager: Charlie Robson, Islington (91-63, 2nd place)
Rookie: George Tricker, Bristol (19-20, 2.64 ERA, 365 IP, 115 K, 50 GS)

A bold choice for outstanding hitter in the Empire League. Nott was nowhere near the top of the batting race, but he led the League in OBP, walks, doubles, and runs scored, and he won the gold glove at second base. With a League-leading WAR of 7.9, Nott was actually a logical pick for the award. Islington skipper Robson prevailed over pennant-winner George Freebody, who, despite leading Glasgow to their only two pennants in DA play, was let go after the season when his contract expired. He was immediately hired by Sheffield.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The season's only no-hitter took place on 17 May when Dublin's Cawthra Ellwood blanked the Badgers. Westminster utility infielder Sherman Woodland hit for the cycle a week into the season in a game against Camberwell. Paul Nott's 155 walks set a major league mark, as did Liverpool reliever Thomas Knox's fourteen saves.

ALLIANCE NEWS

Plunging batting averages -- .249 in the League and .247 in the Association -- had owners worried about spectators transferring their loyalties to higher scoring games, like cricket. After reviewing the problem for over a year, the Rules Subcommittee issued its report at the Brighton winter meetings, recommending that the pitching distance be increased to sixty feet six inches. "A nice round number," said subcommittee member and umpire Bill Clumb.

Ben "the Human Eyeball" MacDonald, a vital member of the Cup-winning Liverpool pitching staff, was sidelined with a sore shoulder in spring training that doctors say will keep him on the sidelines until after the all-star game. MacDonald has a lifetime 253-172 record and has pitched in five Cup Finals Series with Islington and Liverpool. If that wasn't bad enough, teammate Breslan Goudman injured his elbow on 25 March that will likewise keep him out of action until the second half of the season.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

For the second year in a row, Westminster stood at the top of the League table at the all-star break, and for the second year in a row the Peers fell apart in the second half. "We have petitioned the BA to end the season in early July," said manager John Tunstall, only half in jest. It does point up that Westminster's biggest problem lately hasn't been pitching or defense, it has been August.

The hitting certainly wasn't the problem this year. Paul Rushworth had another monster season, batting the ball around at a .335 tempo and leading the team to a combined .272 average, best in the majors. Outfielders Pat Lindahl and Oliver Pluckrose both batted above .300 in platoon roles. And Dylan Back was back with a .282 average in the leadoff position, although his stolen base total plunged to 29, while Adam Boaden halted his four-year slide by rebounding with a solid .271 average and .443 slugging percentage. On the other hand, Oran Taafe, after three years of batting above .300, finished with a subdued .272 average, and Albert Oglethorpe dropped thirty-six points off his 1891 average to finish at .273. As a result, for the first time in four years the League's outstanding hitter award was not bestowed upon a Peer.

William Isaacs, in contrast, walked off with his third outstanding pitcher trophy. This year he even had help in the rotation, as Connell Roughton emerged as a viable second starter, going 25-14 with a League-leading 1.58 ERA, and rookie Michael "Shotgun" Bucknell replaced left hander Eric Carlson in the second half and pitched well, winning fourteen of nineteen decisions. But the followers of the team have seen backup starters come and go with some regularity in Westminster, and only time will tell if Roughton and Bucknell are the answers to the Peers' pitching woes.

On a sad note, team owner Ambrose Redlaw passed away on 28 February 1893. Redlaw, who purchased the team in 1879, saw the Peers win three League pennants and a BA Cup, but that elusive second Cup remained out of reach in the end. His place will be taken by his son, Ambrose Redlaw, Jr., who learned of the news while on his yacht in Biarritz. "I say, that's dashed inconvenient," stated Junior when informed of his father's untimely demise.

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1893 MID-SEASON

Liverpool picked up where they left off as the Empire League started its 1893 season. The Argonauts had three regulars in the lineup -- Clyde Clare, Sheridan Fysh, and Gabriel Vesey -- hitting over .300, but with batting averages ballooning throughout the BA due to the increased pitching distance, everyone else had a handful of .300 hitters as well. Instead, Liverpool's strength continued to reside in their pitching staff. The right-left combination of Conor Monkmon, getting his first chance at the starting rotation due to the pre-season injury to Ben MacDonald, and Ernie Pease accounted for thirty-one of Liverpool's fifty-two victories. Newcastle and Birmingham made early challenges to Liverpool's lead. Alf Mander, a career .231 hitter going into the season, led Newcastle with a .356 average until a shoulder injury in late June put him out of action for what doctors predict will be about five weeks. It was, however, the Millers' defense that set them apart from their competition. Birmingham, attempting to recapture the magic of their 1891 pennant-winning season, put together the best pitching staff in the League, but weak hitting dropped them from contention in May and into fourth place. London climbed from a slow start behind the hitting of Alec Kane and the pitching of Albert "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier. Last year's highly touted and even more highly compensated rookie Liam Kernuish finally started earning his pay with a .317 average for the Bulldogs. Westminster were in the unfamiliar position of not leading the League in hitting, taking a second place to London in that category but still batting .303 as a team. In the box, William Isaacs led the League with a 2.04 ERA, but depth in the rotation remained a problem for the Peers. Bradford first baseman John Clinton's .381 average topped the League's batting race, and River Burrows led a pitching staff that was the equal of Liverpool's, but sloppy fielding and a lack of speed on the basepaths meant the Badgers could climb no higher than sixth place.

Before the season began, the punters not only predicted that Leeds would win the Dominion Association crown, they thought the Ironsides would crush their competition, and the first half of play seemed to confirm those predictions. After a mediocre 11-11 start, Leeds caught fire in May, going 23-5, and they never looked back. Five regulars batted over .300, with outfielder Flannan Shortridge and third baseman Carl Corderay in the vanguard of the attack, and the team as a whole hit at an Association-leading .299 average. It was the pitching, however, that was Leeds's main strength. In a year when the DA, as a whole, was hitting at a .282 average, Ironside pitchers held opposing batters to a stingy .242. William Barnsley an Jayden "Chink" Gilbert combined for a 40-8 record, and Ben George led the DA with a 1.57 ERA. Leicester mounted a spirited challenge to Leeds's dominance, with the Association's second-best pitching staff helmed by rookie Donoghue McQuhae. The Leopards, however, simply could not keep up with the blistering pace set by Leeds, and dropping five of seven games to the Ironsides did not help. Glasgow, last year's champions, got off to a horrible start, and were mired in the second division for much of the first half until a late surge pushed them into third place. The CM Crew -- Christopher Mytton, Chris Merkley, and Calum Meikle -- continued to perform well at the plate, although Meikle sprained his ankle in mid-June and likely won't be back in the lineup until August. The pitching, however, proved to be the culprit in the Gaelics' slow start, with only Dwayne Farquhar, acquired during the off-season from Belfast, having a good year in the box. Catcher George Pritchard and his Association-leading .381 helped Kensington to make an early run at the top of the ladder, but the Knights' pitching staff lacked the skill and stamina to compete at the Ironsides' level.



The All-Star Game returned to Sheffield's Hart's Head Field for the first time since 1871. "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier started for the Empires, and he was pelted by five runs and seven hits in his two innings of work. Christopher Mytton and Stoke outfielder Hakon Schep provided the muscle, belting back-to-back doubles in the first inning. The Dominions continued to punish the Empire pitchers, scoring aces in the third and fourth innings, while the Empire hitters could only manage a single run against Leicester reliever Michael Sprake. The visitors scored again in the eighth, but it was not enough to overcome their initial deficit, and the Dominions prevailed by the final score of 7-2. Leeds center fielder Leegan Lyd, who had three hits, an RBI, and a run scored, received the MVP accolades.

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1893 FINAL

Liverpool looked like they would breeze through the Empire League's second half schedule as they had done in the first half. Up by five-and-a-half games at the all-star break, the Argonauts relied on their strong starting rotation, featuring Conor Monkmon (26-19, 3.41 ERA) and Ernie Pease (19-12, 3.35 ERA), and their bullpen, helmed by Thomas Knox (12-4, 11 SV, 2.25 ERA). But the pitching corps, so dominant in the first half, struggled in the second, and the Argonaut lineup, although boasting five regulars batting over .300, lacked the depth necessary to compensate for the decline in pitching. As Liverpool struggled, Bradford soared. The Badgers, mired in sixth place at the halfway point, picked up steam after the break and then ran over the competition in August, compiling a 20-8 record in the month. Bradford had a formidable offense, featuring League's best hitter, John Clinton (.365, 5 HR, 59 RBI), and Matthew Byrd (.312, 7 HR, 107 RBI). It was the pitching, however, that carried the team in the second half. The rotation had three twenty-game winners: River Burrows (28-13, 2.79 ERA), John Bothwick (28-20, 3.09 ERA), and Stephen MacTavish (21-21, 3.24 ERA). On 26 August, the Badgers finally surpassed Liverpool and took over sole possession of first place, and a three-game sweep of the Argos in late September confirmed Bradford's predominance. Newcastle overcame a weak July by going 19-9 after August to slip into second place. The Greys had three .300 hitters in their lineup, including Alf Mander (.336, 6 HR, 65 RBI), who competed for the batting title despite spending over six weeks on the sidelines with injuries, and Shayne Bauman (.321, 0 HR, 104 RBI), while the pitching staff was anchored by Frank Samson (34-15, 2.92 ERA), the League's winningest hurler.

While the League race took an unexpected turn after the all-star break, the Dominion Association pennant chase had all the unexpected plot twists of the average Punch and Judy show. Leeds were only marginally less awesome in the second half as they were in the first. The Ironsides had an unbeatable combination of superior offense and extraordinary pitching. Flannan Shortridge (.343, 6 HR, 85 RBI) and Mick Eccles (.333, 2 HR, 73 RBI) led the attack, while leadoff hitter Legan Lyd (.310, 9 HR, 89 RBI) paced the club in homers and Henry Clews (.287, 7 HR, 96 RBI) topped the list in RBI. In the pitcher's box, Leeds boasted two thirty-game winners -- William Barnsley (38-11, 2.39 ERA) and Jayden Gilbert (33-11, 2.36 ERA) -- along with the DA leader in ERA, Ben George (25-17, 2.35 ERA). No other team came close to challenging Leeds, who clinched the pennant in mid-September. Glasgow recovered from their early-season doldrums to finish in second. Catcher Christopher Mytton (.358, 8 HR, 106 RBI) captured the DA batting title, with Chris Merkley (.351, 4 HR, 70 RBI) close behind. On the other hand, Dwayne Farquhar (33-17, 2.80 ERA) helmed a pitching staff that opposing batters hit for a .286 average, third-worst in the Association. Leicester's Conor Duke (.326, 9 HR, 78 HR) was one of many whose batting average increased along with the pitching distance, but the Leopards lacked a dominant pitcher, and they fell to third place. Manchester's Al "Old Iron Hands" Boggan (.281, 13 HR, 109 RBI), a .225 hitter in 1892, led the DA in home runs and runs batted in, and Ed Organ (27-19, 2.69 ERA) continued his fine pitching, but the Millers suffered from a lack of depth and rash of injuries to key players.



1893 CUP FINALS SERIES: BRADFORD v. LEEDS

It was Burrows versus Barnsley in game one of the Cup Finals at Leeds's St. James Field. Bradford broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth off consecutive doubles by Byrd, Clinton, and Henry "Wahoo" Dunning (.285, 2 HR, 82 RBI). Leeds retaliated with three runs in the sixth, keyed by Barnsley's two-out, two-run triple. The home team added two more runs in the eighth and held off a late Badger rally to prevail by a score of 7-5. In game two, Leeds put three runs on the board before Bradford made it close with two runs in the top of the fifth. The score stayed that way until the eighth, when the Ironsides exploded for a five-run inning off Bradford starter Bothwick that included a bases-loaded walk to Lyd and a two-run triple by Shortridge. Gilbert recorded the complete-game victory, and Clews had four hits for the winners. It was a seesaw contest in game three. Leeds jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first, but Bradford came back to tie it in the third and then take the lead in the fourth. It was 7-4 in Bradford's favor when Leeds scored four times in the eighth, but the Badgers came back to take the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning. In the ninth with a man on third and two outs, Carl Corderoy (.329, 4 HR, 88 RBI) hit a clutch single that tied the game and sent it into extra frames. In the top of the twelfth, Clews led off with a triple. Two batters later, normally sure-handed first baseman Kane Speechley dropped a throw, which allowed Clews to score what proved to be the winning run. Badger center fielder Cedric Uren (.306, 1 HR, 56 RBI) had two triples and a base hit in a losing effort. With their backs to the wall, Bradford turned to Bothwick to face a well-rested Barnsley in game four. The teams traded runs in the fourth inning, and then Leeds scored twice in the top of the fifth. Legan Lyd drove in a run with a double, stole third, and scored on a single by Eccles. The Ironsides added single tallies in the seventh and ninth, and Bradford were looking at a four-run deficit as they took their at-bats in the bottom of the ninth. With two runners on and two outs, Speechley hit a single that scored one, followed by a Byrd double that scored another. With the tying run in scoring position, the League's best hitter, John Clinton came to the plate. He lifted the first pitch from Barnsley into medium left field for an easy putout, and Leeds had swept their way to their second Cup in three years. Lyd, with a .450 average, six RBI, and six stolen bases, was the consensus pick for MVP.

THE MINORS

Belfast may have finished in eleventh place in the DA, but their farm club, the Bolton Rovers, captured the Northern Conference crown and went on to defeat the Southern Conference champions Croydon Cavaliers, Stoke's affiliate, in four games for the Second Tier championship.

The Hackney Mudlarks, Westminster's Third Tier club, swept the Colchester Gunners of the Nottingham system for the AA crown.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .365 John Clinton, Bradford
HR: 10 Clyde Clare, Liverpool; Sheridan Fysh, Liverpool
RBI: 109 Sheridan Fysh, Liverpool
R: 138 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
SB: 78 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
Pitching
W: 34 Frank "Peach" Samson, Newcastle
L: 27 Sweeney Valance, London
K: 119 William Isaacs, Westminster
ERA: 2.51 William Isaacs, Westminster
SV: 14 Jack Lovibond, Bradford

Isaacs came within three wins of the pitching triple crown.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .358 Christopher Mytton, Glasgow
HR: 13 Al "Old Iron Hands" Boggan, Manchester
RBI: 109 Al "Old Iron Hands" Boggan, Manchester
R: 117 Carleton Rat, Lambeth
SB: 65 Leegan Lyd, Leeds
Pitching
W: 38 William Barnsley, Leeds
L: 30 Conor Walden, Belfast
K: 133 Earl Corbett, Belfast
ERA: 2.35 Ben George, Leeds
SV: 17 Michael Banwell, Leicester

Barnsley's thirty-eight wins were the most by any pitcher since George Carrudders's forty-seven wins in 1885. Banwell started only four games for Leicester but ended with an 18-13 record. He went 0-3 as a starter, and four of his wins came after blown saves. Not surprisingly, Leicester had the fewest complete games -- thirty-six -- of any team in the BA.

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1893-94 OFF SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Liam Kernuish, London (.328, 3 HR, 93 RBI, 107 R, 23 3B, .443 OBP, .503 SLG)
Pitcher: William Isaacs, Westminster (31-17, 2.51 ERA, 470.1 IP, 119 K, 43 CG)
Manager: Shaughan Murchieson, Bradford (93-61, 1st place)
Rookie: Gilligan Ractigan, Edinburgh (24-19, 3.37 ERA, 390 IP, .264 OAVG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Flannan Shortridge, Leeds (.343, 6 HR, 85 RBI, 98 R, .440 OBP, .496 SLG)
Pitcher: William Barnsley, Leeds (38-11, 2.39 ERA, 436 IP, 118 K, .252 OAVG)
Manager: Michael Hartshorne, Leeds (105-49, 1st place)
Rookie: Dow Kershaw, Leicester (.319, 10 HR, 96 RBI, 62 R, .475 SLG)

About the only drama at the annual awards presentation banquet was guessing which Leeds player would get the outstanding hitter trophy. Leegan Lyd, with more hits, home runs, RBI, and runs scored than Shortridge, plus an Association-leading 65 stolen bases, could have easily been named the DA's outstanding hitter. The voters continued their love affair with mediocre rookie pitchers. Ractigan had a good record, but gave up 219 walks and had a horrible 1.56 WHIP. London first baseman Finlay MacNicol (.347, 4 HR, 61 RBI) arguably had a better year on a team that didn't finish in eleventh place.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Three new members were inducted into the BA Hall of Fame. George Templeman spent his entire seventeen-year career in Salford, winning 322 of 610 decisions and carrying a 2.15 ERA into retirement. He was joined by Connor "Plumber" Ayling, the hitting star for the great Manchester teams of the 1870s and '80s. Ayling finishd with 1739 hits and a .337 batting average, and appeared in seven Cup Finals Series, where he batted .371. He was voted DA outstanding hitter four times and named to twelve all-star squads. Also inducted in ceremonies in Clappersgate was Robert Burman, the outstanding catcher who spent his most productive years with Liverpool. Burman had 1750 hits over a seventeen-year career and retired with a .305 lifetime batting average. He won the EL outstanding hitter award three times along with two gold gloves, and appeared in ten all-star games.



Portsmouth first baseman Edmund Leppard hit 34 triples, a BA record. Seven players bested the old single-season mark of 204 hits in a season, with Glasgow catcher Christopher Mytton's 221 hits topping the list. Liverpool speedster Gabriel Vesey set the single-season mark with 78 steals. Michael Banwell appeared in 83 games and recorded 17 saves for Leicester, both single-season records. Leeds ace William Barnsley threw the only no-hitter of the year, a 1-0 gem against Manchester on 7 August. Teammate Leegan Lyd became the first player to win the All-Star Game and Cup Finals Series MVP awards in the same year. On 17 July, Conor Walden, playing in his fifteenth season for the Belfast Unions, had the dubious distinction of becoming the first pitcher to lose three hundred games. His career record at season's end of 238-311 was due, in no small measure, to playing for Belfast for fifteen years.

ALLIANCE NEWS

BA owners were generally pleased with the results of increasing the pitching distance to sixty feet six inches, even though attendance was down overall from last year. Observers note that the decrease came almost entirely in the DA, where a dull pennant race dominated by a small-market club had a negative effect on attendance throughout the Association. Team balance sheets, however, did not seem to suffer, and, for the first time in recent memory, every club finished the season in the black.

Camberwell shortstop Stephen Pople, a .306 hitter in 1893, went down with an ankle injury in spring training that will put him on crutches until after the all-star break. Dan Grimoldby, acquired by Belfast from Leeds in the off-season, will miss most of April with a strained abdominal muscle suffered in a spring game against Leicester.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

As with the rest of the BA, Westminster was both the beneficiary and victim of the widespread batting average inflation. Five regulars -- Oran Taafe, Oliver Pluckrose, Adam Boaden, Paul Rushworth, and Dylan Back -- hit over .300 for the year, with Taafe coming in second to John Clinton in the League batting race with a .347 average. Boaden's .331 was particularly welcome, as it marked Boaden's return to the .300 level for the first time since 1888, the year he won the League's outstanding hitter award.

On the other hand, the pitching suffered. William Isaacs defied the trend on his way to his fourth outstanding pitcher award and posted a League-leading 2.51 ERA, in contrast to the League average of 3.71. The rest of the staff, however, had mixed success. Connell Roughton, with a 21-16 record, was having a good year when he was sidelined with a strained hamstring on 14 September that ended his season early, but his 3.83 ERA was a concern. Michael Bucknell was a disappointment, finishing 16-16, while Alec Carlson, who many hoped would be the team's long-sought-after left-handed starter, was a disaster, going 3-6 with a 6.13 ERA before being relegated to the bullpen.

As the 1894 pre-season dawned, Islington general manager Danny Smith paid a visit to team owner Ambrose Redlaw, Jr., who was taking the waters at Baden-Baden. A few hours later, Smith made a stunning announcement: the Owls had dealt legendary pitcher Andrew "Midget" Gunton and minor league shortstop Kevin Spencer to Westminster in exchange for hitting sensation Oran Taafe and reliever George Petherbridge. The Peer faithful were simultaneously shocked and delighted by the news. Visions of a rotation featuring Isaacs and Gunton were cruelly shattered, however, when Isaacs developed elbow problems in spring training that will keep him out of action for at least five months.

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1894 MID-SEASON

In contrast to recent years, it was a close race in the Dominion Association. Leicester, behind the hot hitting of first baseman Dow Kershaw, leapt out to a 9-0 start before settling back into fourth place in June. Rookie starter Downey McRae, obtained from Bristol in the second week of the season, led the DA with a 3.07 ERA at the break. Taking Leicester's place were Lambeth, a slick-fielding team with few established stars. Left fielder Joe Rolden and second baseman Henry Dormer led the team in hitting, while veteran Graham Rowan helmed the pitching staff. Lambeth's climb to the top was no less surprising than the challenge mounted by Bristol, who, like Lambeth, finished in the middle of the pack in 1893. Infielder Declan Morris, who led the DA with eleven homers at the break, upped his batting average more than one hundred points over last year to lead the attack, while Canadian shortstop Dave Zwicker, at only twenty-three, tore up Association pitching with a .553 slugging percentage. Defending Cup champions Leeds, buoyed by the masterful pitching of William Barnsley and Jayden Gilbert, started off well and contended for the lead through May, but a sluggish June, caused by injuries to Leegan Lyd and Alastair Hoath in late May, pushed them down into third place. Glasgow were plagued with devastating injuries to key players. First Chris Merkeley was felled by a shoulder injury in May that ended his season, then Calum Meikle damaged his elbow at the start of June and also ended up on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Finally, in mid-June, young center fielder Merlin Reed, batting .358, broke his kneecap and joined Merkeley and Meikle on the disabled list for the remainder of the current campaign. Hull outfielder Michael Selwood flirted with .400, and pitcher Brody Leshane posted a fine 3.42 ERA to lead the Kings into a fourth-place tie with Leicester.

With William Isaacs in hospital and Oran Taafe dealt to Islington, Westminster could have been excused for dreading the 1894 season, but new acquisition Andrew "Midget" Gunton bettered expectations by going 19-11 while rookie right hander Owen Pegler, rushed into service when Connell Roughton was injured, went 13-7 and earned a spot in the rotation. Outfielder Oliver Pluckrose led the offense, and rookie first baseman Nevan Rathmall, promoted directly from double-A Hackney, hit .405 despite a trip to the DL. Bradford, the incumbent pennant holders, got off to a slow start, going 7-15 in April, before recovering form and challenging Westminster for first place. River Burrows, who picked up his three-hundredth win in June, and Stephen "Whitey" MacTavish led the pitching staff, while Aidan Maxwell, acquired from Islington in the off-season, inspired the offense with his .388 average. Camberwell stood atop the League table at the end of May, but a mediocre June and six straight losses going into the midsummer hiatus plunged the Whitecaps into third place. Second-year man William Eames led the team with a .369 batting average, but he sprained his thumb at the beginning of July and will be out until mid-August. Kieran "Chick" Lucott batted .386 for Birmingham, but it was not enough to compensate for a pitching staff that, apart from Killian Spong and his 16-7 record, posted a 5.24 ERA. Last-year's runners-up, Newcastle, were the only club in the League that did not have a team batting average above .300. A fine pitching staff, though, featuring Bob Adamson and Frank Samson, kept the Greys in contention. Edinburgh's Everton Balmforth finished the first half hitting .406, which put him on target to be the first player to achieve that mark. The Chieftans, however, had the worst pitching in the League, which meant they could rise no higher than ninth place.



Birmingham's Exhibition Park played host to the All-Star Game for the fourth time, and, as might be expected in a year where batting averages exploded throughout the BA, it was a high-scoring affair. The visiting Dominions scored five times in the first off starting pitcher "Midget" Gunton, with the big hit coming in the form of a bases-loaded double off the bat of Islington's Stephen Harold. The Empires, however, battled back, scoring in each of the first three innings to tie the score at five apiece, and then taking the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth. The Dominions retook the lead with three runs in the eighth, but the Empires responded with two in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the ninth, the Dominions batted around and scored four times against Nottingham relief ace Dennis Elnor, who walked in two runs with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the ninth, the Empires could manage only a single tally against Manchester reliever Jim Santini, and the Dominions survived with a 12-10 victory. Christopher Mytton and Manchester infielder Douglas Belgrove each had three hits for the winners, with Belgrove taking the MVP laurels by virtue of his two RBI.

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1894 FINAL

In a year when hitting dominated, no hitters dominated quite like those of Lambeth in the Dominion Association. With a team average of .323, the Lambs were lions at the plate. First baseman William Pierpont (.382, 17 HR, 118 RBI), playing in only his second full season in the majors, was the standout star of the lineup, while Paul Salsbery (28-13, 3.78 ERA) and Graham Rowan (23-16, 4.25 ERA) ably carried the pitching burdens. Leading by a game over Bristol at the all-star break, however, Lambeth stalled, going 11-10 after the resumption of play and then, at the beginning of August, they dropped a three-game series at Bristol. The Dockers, in contrast to the Lambs, came charging out of the gate in the second half, going 16-5 and knocking Lambeth off their top perch before sweeping them at home in August. Although lacking the consistency of the Lambs, Bristol hit more home runs and scored more runs than any other team in the Association. Declan Morris (,348, 20 HR, 160 RBI) tore up the record books with his twenty return-trippers while leading the Association with seventy-four stolen bases, and teammates Dave Zwicker (.348, 8 HR, 105 RBI),Benedict Fleming (.347, 9 HR, 124 RBI), and Mike Chestnut (.346, 2 HR, 52 RBI) provided a formidable challenge for any opposing pitcher. The left-right combination of Garvin Lache (27-14, 4.24 ERA) and Dirkjan Quist (25-13, 4.43 ERA) provided competent support from the box. In September, the Lambs made a renewed run at the Bristols, but dropped three of four games to Leeds in a crucial late-month series to fall out of contention and then out of second place. The Ironsides were slow to defend their title, and most dismissed their chances after a dismal 13-15 August. But Leeds, behind Association-best hitter Mike Eccles (.332, 4 HR, 86 RBI) and the superb pitching duo of William Barnsley (34-15, 3.65 ERA) and Jayden Gilbert (30-17, 3.50 ERA) roared back in September. Leicester, a close contender for the lead at the season's midway point, fell off the pace in the second half despite strong performances from starters Downey McRae (24-15, 3.63 ERA) and Al Henry (20-15, 3.68 ERA). Glasgow, crippled with injuries in the first half, was not much luckier in the second, as Thad McGarry (.346, 3 HR, 24 RBI) and Finlay Buxton (.358, 5 HR, 62 RBI) spent extended stays on the disabled list.

Westminster had trouble maintaining their momentum as the second half opened, and when the Peers dropped three of four games at home to Camberwell in late July, they fell out of first place. Camberwell featured the left-handed hitting duo of William Eames (.348, 3 HR, 83 RBI) and Chris Scott (.344, 10 HR, 89 RBI) in the middle of the lineup and a pitching staff anchored by Wayne Smith (26-20, 4.39 ERA) and Conor Barclay (25-17, 4.13 ERA). After a hot July, however, the Whitecaps cooled down considerably in August, while Westminster regrouped. William Isaacs (14-3, 4.09 ERA) returned from the DL on 6 August and made an immediate impact, as his addition to the rotation helmed by Andrew "Midget" Gunton (37-20, 3.60 ERA) revived the Peers' fortunes. Behind the League-leading hitting of Paul Rushworth (.385, 6 HR, 121 RBI) and the slugging of Albert Oglethorpe (.354, 13 HR, 132 RBI), Westminster put together winning streaks of eight and fifteen games in the last two months and ran away with the pennant. Defending champions Bradford, in second place at the midsummer break, relied on the pitching of Stephen MacTavish (24-16, 3.75 ERA) and River Burrows (22-20, 4.30 ERA) and the hitting of Aidan Maxwell (.375, 6 HR, 85 RBI) to carry them, but the Badgers lacked a reliable third starter after John Bothwick (21-22, 4.83 ERA) went a disappointing 14-19 and suffered the indignity of being claimed off waivers by Salford. Liverpool sprung from seventh to third place behind the hitting of Paul Nott (.342, 12 HR, 70 RBI) and Sheridan Fysh (.325, 10 HR, 117 RBI), but an already thin pitching staff suffered when staff ace Keith "Bananas" Underhill (16-8, 3.42 ERA) suffered a shoulder injury on 14 July that scuppered his season. No team in the BA hit better than London's .328 team batting average, except for whatever team faced London's pitchers. Opponents averaged .333 against the Bulldogs, and Sweeney Valance (24-22, 3.88 ERA) was the only starter with an ERA below 4.80.



1894 CUP FINALS SERIES: WESTMINSTER v. BRISTOL

The opening game of the Cup Finals Series at Westminster's Vincent Square Park saw Isaacs start for the home team against Lache. The Peers got on the board early with two runs in the first, and carried a 6-4 lead going into the top of the ninth. With Ken Stollings (.336, 2 HR, 52 RBI) on second and two outs, pinch hitter Henry Watson (.332, 2 HR, 38 RBI) lined a base hit into short center field. Stollings tried to score, but the throw from Bill Larnach (.375, 3 HR, 41 RBI) beat Stollings easily and the Peers prevailed. Zwicker had three hits, including a solo home run, and three RBI in a losing effort, while Oliver Pluckrose (.357, 6 HR, 101 RBI) had three hits for the home squad. In game two, Bristol held a tenuous 3-2 lead when they exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh against "Midget" Gunton. Callough Micklethwaite (5-1, 5.77 ERA) came on in the eighth to relieve starter Quist, and the Dockers held on to defeat the Peers 8-5. Stollings and Declan Morris each had three hits for the winners. Game three saw postseason play return to Bristol's Westbury Field for the first time since 1875. Westminster right fielder Pluckrose broke open a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a solo home run, and the visitors went on to score three more times as starter Isaacs scattered eight hits for a 6-2 victory. Dylan Back (.319, 0 HR, 74 RBI) had two hits and three runs batted in for the Peers. Gunton pitched masterfully for Westminster in game four, allowing only four base hits over nine innings while his teammates pummeled Lache and relievers John Butterworth (12-8, 12 SV, 3.27 ERA) and Micklethwaite for sixteen runs and seventeen hits. Bristol's defense contributed to the rout by committing seven errors, three of them by Ian Dagger (.301, 0 HR, 35 RBI). Westminster's Michael "Shotgun" Bucknell (17-12, 4.13 ERA) faced Bristol's Bill Silander (20-22, 4.91 ERA) in game five. The Peers reeled off four unanswered runs before the home team got on the board with a single tally in the fifth. Bristol scored again in the bottom of the seventh, and the teams traded runs in the eighth. Bucknell retired the side in order in the ninth to take a 5-3 victory, and the Peers celebrated their third BA Cup victory. Westminster's pitching staff limited the vaunted Dockers' lineup to a meager .237 batting average, with the dangerous Declan Morris held to a paltry .238. The hitting star for Westminster was Pluckrose, whose .364 average and four RBI earned him the most valuable player award.

THE MINORS

The Northern Conference continued to dominate the Second Tier championships, as the South Shields Vikings of the Edinburgh minor league system defeated the Huddersfield Bens of the Leicester organization in a three-game sweep.

Albion Conference champions Hackney won their second straight double-A championship when they bested the York Whitecoats, Birmingham's affiliate, in a four-game set.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .385 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
HR: 16 James MacKimmie, London; Logan "Sugar" MacLay, Edinburgh
RBI: 144 Alois Schifferer, Dublin
R: 156 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
SB: 76 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
Pitching
W: 37 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
L: 27 Aaron Coulthard, Nottingham; Cahern Tickner, Nottingham
K: 127 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
ERA: 3.40 Conor Monkmon, Liverpool
SV: 11 Dennis Elnor, Nottingham; Jack Lovibond, Bradford

Schifferer, a twenty-two-year old second-year man from Austria, set the EL mark for RBI in a season. Two pitchers from the same team shared the League lead in losses for the first time ever.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .389 Mick Eccles, Leeds
HR: 20 Declan Morris, Bristol
RBI: 160 Declan Morris, Bristol
R: 156 Declan Morris, Bristol
SB: 74 Declan Morris, Bristol
Pitching
W: 34 William Barnsley, Leeds
L: 34 Earl Corbett, Belfast
K: 149 Ewan MacFie, Manchester
ERA: 3.36 Brody Leshane, Hull
SV: 12 Michael Banwell, Leicester; John Butterworth, Bristol

Declan Morris, in his third major-league season, dominated the leader boards like no other player before him. He also led the Association in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, total bases, and sacrifice flies.

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1894-95 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Paul Rushworth, Westminster (.385, 6 HR, 121 RBI, 22 3B, 115 BB, 15 K, .573 SLG)
Pitcher: Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster (37-20, 3.60 ERA, 505.1 IP, 127 K, .294 OAVG, 48 CG)
Manager: John Tunstall, Westminster (96-58, 1st place)
Rookie: Bill Llewellyn, Edinburgh (.380, 1 HR, 81 RBI, 100 R, 40 SB, .562 SLG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Declan Morris, Bristol (.348, 20 HR, 160 RBI, 156 R, 29 3B, 74 SB, 119 BB, 15 K, .611 SLG)
Pitcher: William Barnsley, Leeds (34-15, 3.65 ERA, 428.2 IP, 119 K, .293 OAVG, 3 SHO)
Manager: Joe Hensley, Bristol (94-60, 1st place)
Rookie: Tony Dart, Sheffield (.391, 8 HR, 68 RBI, 89 R, .452 OBP, .540 SLG)

Morris was an easy choice for outstanding hitter in the DA. Rushworth had more competition in the EL, but he was in the top five in each of the triple crown categories and led in average and also in runs scored. London's Liam Kernuish (.358, 5 HR, 99 RBI) led the League in WAR, but he missed four weeks in the middle of the season with a finger blister, which must have weighed on the minds of the award voters. Gunton became the first player to win the outstanding pitcher award in both the DA and the EL.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

River Burrows collected his 300th career victory, all in a Bradford uniform, as he defeated Edinburgh 12-4 on 23 June. Ben George earned his 300th win on 13 September while guiding Leeds past the hapless Sheffields 7-4.

Befitting a season in which the hitters ruled, a number of batting records fell under the onslaught. Michael Sellwood of Hull and Ed Densmore of Kensington both tallied 236 hits, besting the previous mark, set by Christopher Mytton in 1893, by fifteen. Birmingham outfielder Bryan Conway ripped thirty-nine triples, shattering the mark set last year by Edmund Leppard. Four players bettered the mark for doubles in a season set by Stephen Geoghegan in 1887, foremost among them Camberwell's William Eames with forty-four. Islington right fielder Stephen Harold became the first player to hit three home runs in a single game when he did it on the first day of June against three different Stoke pitchers. William Pierpont of Lambeth duplicated that feat on 1 September in a game against Leicester. There were four hitting streaks of thirty or more games: Keith Martin, Manchester (34 games); Mike Eccles, Leeds (34); Patrick Allmark, Lambeth (32); and Paul Honeyfield, Hull (30). Five players hit for the cycle, the most in one season.

ALLIANCE NEWS

"More runs mean more people through the gates," said Base Ball Commission chairman Sir Radcliffe Baloneigh, expressing a sentiment common to the BA's ownership. While some purists were outraged by the swing toward the inflated batting averages and high-scoring games which resulted from the increase in the pitching distance to sixty feet six inches, the money that rolled into team coffers could not be ignored. League hitters averaged .312, while Association batters were not far behind at .310. Of course, pitching suffered apace, with the Association-wide ERA balooning to 4.39 and the League's to a shocking 4.56. Calls for a return to the fifty-foot pitching distance, or for a rule that would at least count foul balls as strikes, were dismissed by the Rules Subcommittee, although the committee did crack down on unscrupulous infielders deliberately dropping pop flies in order to get cheap double plays by instituting an infield fly rule.

On 27 November 1894, Algernon Battersby, longtime owner of the Birmingham franchise and founding member of the EL, died while vacationing in the south of France. His son, Algernon Jr., will take his place at the helm of the Blue Stockings. London, looking to improve their woeful pitching, dealt second baseman Maurice Wyles to Liverpool in exchange for left hander Ernie Pease, who starred for the Argonauts in their pennant-winning 1890 and 1892 campaigns. Sheffield shelled out $10,218 to secure the services of left-handed free agent reliever Billy "Guv'ner" Bolt for three years.

Islington owner Paul Wakeling announced at the end of the season that the Owls would be moving from their cramped quarters at the Essex Street Grounds into a new home field in time for the 1895 season. Instead of a structure made primarily from wood, the new stadium will be of a more permanent character, built mostly of steel and concrete. It will be located on the site of the current park, with demolition starting soon after the team's final home game.

Birmingham outfielder Kieran "Chick" Lucott, who batted .406 in 1894 but spent ten weeks on the DL, will miss all of 1895 with a knee injury he suffered during spring training.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

There was jubilation in the streets of Westminster as the Peers returned from Bristol, fresh from their victory in game five of the Cup Finals Series. A parade down Victoria Street was followed by a rally at Parliament Square, where the prime minister, Lord Roseberry, graciously offered a few congratulatory remarks, despite being a keener enthusiast of football than baseball. Singled out for special praise were Paul Rushworth, whose .385 average led the League and who won his second outstanding hitter award, and "Midget" Gunton. As an Islington Owl in 1886, Gunton had defeated Westminster three times in the Cup Finals Series and earned the lasting ire of Westminster's partisans. All was forgiven, however, as Gunton was an absolutely vital piece of the Peers' success in 1894, carrying the team for four months until William Isaacs could resume his place at the apex of the rotation.

The top two spots in the rotation, therefore, are secure. The third spot, however, remains a puzzle. Owen Pegler was drafted into a starting role when Connell Roughton was injured and pitched well enough to stay in the rotation when Roughton returned. Pegler, though, went down with a sore shoulder on 17 July and did not return. Manager John Tunstall had no choice but to call in "Shotgun" Bucknell, who pitched indifferently through much of the season before winning eleven of his final fourteen decisions. These right handers will likely vie for the remaining spot in the rotation during spring training, as Roughton and left hander Eric Carlson were dealt away in the off-season to Stoke and Edinburgh respectively.

The most pleasant surprise of the season was the performance of rookie Nevan Rathmell, whose play at first base had Westminster enthusiasts responding "Oran who?" when asked about their former favorite, Oran Taafe. Rathmell was too good to leave on the bench, even though Rushworth often occupied first base, Rathmell's natural position. As a result, the youngster played five different positions during the year. His defensive lapses were counterbalanced by his .336 batting average and thirty-one stolen bases, most on the team. Switch-hitting second baseman Jake Buchanan, acquired in the middle of last season from Dublin, was another youngster who exceeded expectations. Often batting second behind Rathmell, Buchanan finished with a .318 average and crossed the plate 150 times, topped only by Rushworth's League-leading total of 156.

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1895 MID-SEASON

It was crowded at the top of the Empire League ladder as the first half drew to a close. Camberwell led for most of the way, sustained by the best-hitting lineup in the loop. Steven Kearton led all League batters with a .394 average while driving in 51 runs, and the Whitecaps boasted three other regulars batting over .340. Camberwell skyrocketed to the top with a 21-6 record in May, only to plunge back to the earth by going 16-15 after the start of June. Birmingham stayed close on Camberwell's tail throughout the first half. The Blue Stockings relied on the best pitching staff in the League, which featured the starting rotation of Nicky Margerson, Michael Ramsay, and Kilian Spong. At the plate, sophomore infielder Mike Barter supplied the offensive punch with a .388 average. Defending Cup holders Westminster started slowly, spending most of April and May in the middle of the pack before exploding in June with a 19-7 mark. Paul Rushworth and Oliver Pluckrose continued their hot hitting, while William Isaacs, fully recovered from his elbow problems, accumulated nineteen wins before the all-star break. The Peers swept a four-game series from Nottingham on the eve of the break to take the lead by a slim half-game margin over both Camberwell and Birmingham. London were struck with a rash of injuries, including an elbow injury in spring training that caused first baseman Keith Rainford to miss most of April. In limited duty, though, he still managed to hit .405 for the Bulldogs. The acquisition of Ernie Pease, however, did not solve London's pitching woes, as the veteran lefty went a disappointing 7-11 in the first half. John Clinton led Bradford with a .378 average, but star first baseman Kane Speechley took three separate trips to the DL, which caused his hitting to suffer, and the Badgers went into the midsummer hiatus two games below .500.

Islington and Leeds battled for the top spot in the Dominion Association for much of the first half. Islington started the year with a twelve-game winning streak, sweeping Sheffield, Bristol, and Leicester at home as crowds flocked to the new 9,496-seat Wakeling Field. The Owls combined a solid offense, headed by infielders Ronald Brooker and Oran Taafe, and a fine pitching staff featuring Samuel "Pebbly" Moncreiffe and Jarlath Lindow. The Owls' hot April, however, was followed by a decidedly chilly May, as they dropped eighteen of twenty-eight contests. Leeds, meanwhile, won twenty-two games in the month to surpass Islington in the standings. Catcher Mick Eccles paced the Ironside offense, but it was the pitching staff, boasting a combined 2.78 ERA, that powered the Leeds machine. Starters Jayden Gilbert, William Barnsley, and Shaun Payling combined for a 38-14 record and a 2.30 ERA. As Islington fell in the standings, Lambeth took their place. Outfielder Joe Rolden's .388 average led all DA batters and paced a lineup that hit a combined .322, best in the Association. Right hander Graham Rowan had a fine first half, compiling a 14-4 record, and the Lambs went into the break riding an eight-game winning streak, including a double-header sweep of defending champions Bristol. The Dockers were beset with injury woes, but the worst blow to the Bristols came from an inexplicable slump that affected Declan Morris. Coming off a record-breaking .348 average and twenty home runs in 1894, Morris could only manage a weak .308 average and two homers in 1895. The pitching staff, led b Garvin Lache, was not strong enough to compensate for the lack of production at the plate, and the Dockers fell to a distant fourth place.



Lambeth's Riverside Park was the site for the 1895 All-Star Game. After trailing 2-0 early in the game, the Dominions scored once in the third and then took the lead with two runs in the fifth against Liverpool reliever Keehan "Doodles" Halsall. Bradford's John Clinton then tied the game in the top of the sixth with a solo homer off Kensington hurler Wayne Gillett. With the score knotted at three apiece in the top of the ninth, the Empires sent nine men to the plate and scored five times off local favorite Jim Santini. A two-run triple by Salford's Joey McCluskie was the big hit in the inning. The Dominions made a valiant try at a comeback in their half of the ninth, scoring three times courtesy of two Empire errors, but it was not enough as the visitors held on for a 8-6 victory. Westminster's Oliver Pluckrose, with two hits and three RBI, garnered the MVP honors.

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1895 FINAL

Westminster attempted to become the first team to repeat as League champions since Birmingham won three straight pennants from 1881 to 1883. Once again, Paul Rushworth (.374, 4 HR, 106 RBI) captured the League batting crown, while outfielder Oliver Pluckrose (.333, 3 HR, 118 RBI) drove in more runs than anyone else. In total, the Peers fielded eight regulars who finished the season with batting averages in .300 territory, and the team as a whole batted .314. In the box, William Isaacs (38-12, 3.80 ERA) put together another trophy-worthy performance, and Andrew "Midget" Gunton (27-17, 3.27 ERA) was not far behind. Nevertheless, the Peers came out of the all-star break by dropping five of their first eight contests, which opened up a possibility for Camberwell and Birmingham to advance. The Whitecaps hit a combined .318, better than any other team in the majors. Outfielders Chris Scott (.343, 11 HR, 90 RBI) and William Eames (.332, 2 HR, 105 RBI) topped the squad charts in average, while catcher Andrew Ogilvie (.313, 12 HR, 94 RBI) won the League home run title. Simon Lindley (25-14, 3.35 ERA), a mediocre pitcher for Leicester and Stoke the previous five years, proved what he could accomplish with a good team behind him. Birmingham lacked the kind of firepower possessed by Westminster and Camberwell, but the Blue Stockings excelled in the pitching department. Nicky Margerson (22-14, 2.18 ERA) earned the League's ERA honors and helmed a staff that posted a 3.02 ERA. Despite the small window of opportunity presented by a slumping Westminster in the second half of June, neither Camberwell nor Birmingham jumped through, and August proved to be a disaster for both challengers. The Peers, in contrast, won nineteen of twenty-eight games in the month and opened up a commanding lead that allowed them to clinch the pennant by the middle of September. Edinburgh, behind the hitting of Bill Llewellyn (.340, 0 HR, 94 RBI), surprised everyone by playing their best ball after July, going 37-22 and moving up to fourth place. London pulled off a pair of stunning trades at the deadline, sending James MacKimmie (.314, 5 HR, 76 RBI), last year's home run king, and former outstanding pitcher award winner Sweeney Valance (21-17, 3.58 ERA) to Hull and Dublin respectively. It did no good, as the Bulldogs dropped into fifth place.

The race in the Dominion Association lacked even the minimal drama that existed in the EL. Leeds maintained their dominant position at the head of the DA table throughout the second half, never facing any serious challenge. The Ironsides featured a formidable combination of solid hitting and fine pitching. The offense featured Alastair Hoath (.345, 4 HR, 82 RBI) and Mick Eccles (.339, 4 HR, 66 RBI), while Flanan Shortridge (.357, 3 HR, 98 RBI), platooned against left handers, missed qualifying for the batting title but still led the team in RBI. In the box, Jayden Gilbert (24-11, 2.63 ERA) and William Barnsley (23-12, 2.95 ERA) starred for Leeds. On 20 September, with the pennant well in hand, Leeds general manager James MacKeith inexplicably traded starter Shaun Payling (21-12, 3.31 ERA) to Bradford for Kane Speechley (.288, 5 HR, 57 RBI), a fine shortstop who will, nevertheless, be unable to help them in the postseason. Lambeth maintained their hold on second place by virtue of their .314 team batting average, best in the DA. Joe Roldan (.376, 3 HR, 107 RBI) took the Association batting title, and six other regulars cracked the .300 barrier. Bristol, behind the fine hurling of Garvin Lache (22-13, 2.94 ERA) and Dirkjan Quist (18-12, 2.64 ERA), posted a 42-34 record in the second half, but that couldn't make up for their disappointing first half, and the reigning pennant winners had to settle for third place. Christopher Mytton (.368, 11 HR, 120 RBI) continued his stellar work behind the plate in Glasgow, but the usually dependable Chris Merkeley (.283, 7 HR, 82 RBI) was traded to Liverpool at the end of July for Conor Monkmon (11-15, 3.80 ERA), who at least shared the popular CM initials. Islington, who started the season with twelve straight wins, dropped like a stone in the second half. Base ball immortal George Carrudders (14-20, 3.98 ERA), returning to the rotation from the bullpen after the departure of "Midget" Gunton, showed that his best days were definitely behind him, and the Owls fell to fifth place.



1895 CUP FINALS SERIES: WESTMINSTER v. LEEDS

Leeds had the home-field advantage as the Cup Finals Series began. In the opener, Isaacs, starting for the visiting Peers, gave up a run in the bottom of the second, and then, in the third, he left the game with what was later diagnosed as a "tired arm" that would sideline him for the rest of the series. Owen Pegler (4-5, 5.37 ERA) pitched surprisingly well in relief, giving up only one run. Leeds starter Gilbert, however, was even more stingy, yielding a single run to the normally hard-hitting Peers and coming away with a 2-1 victory. Westminster came back in game two behind Gunton, scoring three runs in the first and fourth innings. The Ironsides responded both times with single runs, but Gunton pitched masterfully in scattering ten hits for an 8-3 win. Pluckrose went four-for-five at the plate, including two triples, and Jake Buchanan (.328, 5 HR, 110 RBI) added a single and a two-run homer for the visitors. Due to the injury to Isaacs, Gunton was pressed into service to start game three at Westminster. He promptly gave up nine runs to the Ironsides in the second inning, as the Ironsides sent thirteen men to the plate and scored all of their runs with two outs. The visitors continued to pile it on, and the final result was a 15-7 thrashing of the home team. Eccles and Douglas Hankin (.302, 7 HR, 92 RBI) each had four hits for Leeds, with Hankin also collecting five RBI. It was Michael Bucknell (22-19, 3.99 ERA) against Barnsley in game four. The Peers scored three runs in the opening frame on Nevan Rathmell's (.312, 2 HR, 114 RBI) bases-loaded triple, but Leeds came back to score four times in the top of the third. The Peers responded with four of their own in the fifth, and they went on to coast to a 12-5 victory. Rathmell ended up with four RBI, and Pluckrose added two more hits to his total. The Peers broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning of game five by scoring six runs. Buchanan, who homered in the first inning, became the first player to hit two return-trippers in a Cup Finals game when he blasted a three-run shot in the seventh, and Gunton pitched a complete-game six-hitter for the 7-1 win. Leeds ace Gilbert came on to start game six, and he pitched a masterpiece, giving up only two runs on two hits in an 8-2 triumph. Gilbert contributed to his own cause with three hits, including a double, and William "Gaffer" Love (.304, 1 HR, 91 RBI) had two hits and drove in two for the victors. It all came down to game seven, which pitted Barnsley versus Gunton. The teams traded runs in the first inning, and Westminster followed by scoring twice in the top of the second when rookie Rhys Milne (.382, 4 HR, 58 RBI) hit a run-scoring triple and then came home on first baseman Shortridge's error. Leeds got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning with a Hankin home run. The score stood at 3-2 in the ninth when Buchanan, with a man on and two outs, hit a towering shot over the left field fence for his fourth home run of the series. Hankin singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth but strayed too far off the bag and was picked off first by Gunton. Carl Corderoy (.303, 2 HR, 55 RBI) followed with a base hit, but he was stranded there when Adam Dobbie (.268, 0 HR, 21 RBI) grounded out to second, and the Peers claimed the rubber game of the Series by a final score of 5-2. Pluckrose finished the series with twenty-two hits and a .500 batting average, but it was Buchanan, with four home runs, eleven RBI, and eleven runs scored who garnered the MVP trophy.

THE MINORS

The South Shields Vikings captured their second-straight Northern Conference championship, but the Edinburgh minor leaguers fell to the Burnley Maroons, the Southern Conference titleists and Kensington's triple-A affiliate, in a five-game series for the Second Tier Championship.

Belfast's double-A club Southampton captured their first Albion Conference crown, but the Tars were swept in the Second Tier Championship series by the Colchester Gunners, Nottingham's farm team.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .374 Paul Rushworth, Westminster
HR: 12 Andrew Ogilvie, Camberwell
RBI: 118 Oliver Pluckrose, Westminster
R: 164 Jake Buchanan, Westminster
SB: 96 Gabriel Vesey, Liverpool
Pitching
W: 38 William Isaacs, Westminster
L: 26 John Bothwick
K: 130 William Isaacs, Westminster
ERA: 2.18 Nicky Margerson, Birmingham
SV: 8 Chad Alcorn, Newcastle

Vesey's 96 thefts set the BA season mark for stolen bases, besting his own record of 78 steals set in 1893. Buchanan's run total was also a major league record, eight more than Declan Morris's mark set last year.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .376 Joe Roldan, Lambeth
HR: 14 Alexander "Tanny" MacAlonie, Bristol
RBI: 115 Christopher Mytton, Glasgow
R: 127 Alastair Hoath, Leeds
SB: 66 Jay Wachert, Stoke
Pitching
W: 24 "Prince" Henry Carmickel, Kensington; Jayden "Chink" Gilbert, Leeds
L: 23 three pitchers
K: 116 Earl Corbett, Belfast
ERA: 2.63 Jayden "Chink" Gilbert, Leeds
SV: 13 William "Ripper" Bruce, Sheffield

For the first time since 1889, there were no thirty-game winners in the DA, and twenty-four wins constituted the lowest number of wins ever to lead one of the major leagues. As more and more teams adopt four-man pitching rotations, it is expected that the days of the thirty-game winner are numbered.

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1895-96 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Paul Rushworth, Westminster (.374, 4 HR, 106 RBI, 132 R, .452 OBP, .487 SLG)
Pitcher: William Isaacs, Westminster (38-12, 3.80 ERA, 476 IP, 130 K, 55 GS, 44 CG)
Manager: John Tunstall, Westminster (96-58, 1st place)
Rookie: Steve Beaumond, Portsmouth (.394, 4 HR, 53 RBI, 62 R, .482 SLG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Alexander "Tanny" MacAlonie (.359, 14 HR, 78 RBI, .463 OBP, .540 SLG, 55 SB
Pitcher: Jayden "Chink" Gilbert, Leeds (24-11, 2.63 ERA, 346 IP, .252 OAVG, 1.22 WHIP)
Manager: Burt Guyatt, Leeds (99-55, 1st place)
Rookie: Jack Pendell, Manchester (15-19, 3.07 ERA, 296.1 IP, .281 OAVG)

Rushworth got the nod for his third outstanding hitter award primarily because of his batting average, but he has always been more of a singles-doubles hitter. Camberwell's Chris Scott (.343, 11 HR, 90 RBI), in contrast, had a League-leading .511 slugging percentage, was a better fielder, had twenty-nine stolen bases, and was arguably more valuable to his team.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Bradford outfielder Russ Black stole six bases in a 15 June game against the Shamrocks and their catcher, Arthur Compton, whose arm must have been in a sling. In that game, the Badgers stole a total of thirteen bases. There were thirty-four hitting streaks of twenty games or more. Sheffield's Aaron "Fatty" Trethewey, once the ace starter for the Steelers and two-time DA outstanding pitcher, now relegated to the bullpen, gave up three runs in the top of the twelfth inning to Leeds and was saddled with the defeat. It was his three-hundredth loss to go with 364 victories, all in a Sheffield uniform. After going 14-20 for Islington, thirty-eight-year old lefty George Carrudders finally called it quits. He retired with a lifetime mark of 387-268.

ALLIANCE NEWS

Graham Crowley, venerable owner of the London Bulldogs and lion of the Empire League, must have been impressed with neighboring Islington's performance at the gate, as the Owls drew close to thirty thousand extra spectators to their new concrete-and-steel ballpark. Not to be outdone, Crowley ordered the construction of a structure that would rival Wakeling Field in size, to be completed in time for the 1896 home opener.

The deadly rite of spring training took its toll in advance of the new season. Keith Raniford, a talented role player for London who compiled a .323 batting average over six seasons, suffered a fractured hip that doctors declared would prevent him from donning a uniform ever again. William Ellard, the twenty-three-year old left hander who went 19-16 for Kensington last year, injured his elbow in a 16 March exhibition that will keep him out of the Knights' rotation for three months.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

After winning the Cup on the road for the second straight year, the Peers arrived back in Westminster to a celebration fit for kings. At the rally in Parliament Square, "Midget" Gunton, his arm still packed in ice after starting four games in the series, and Paul Rushworth, the hitting star for the team, offered thanks to the cheering multitudes on behalf of their teammates. The only hiccup in the proceedings was the failure of prime minister, Lord Salisbury, to appear at the ceremony. His aides were apparently unable to rouse him from his postprandial nap. Owner Ambrose Redlaw, Jr. was also expected to speak, but he was spending a holiday in Monte Carlo and sent his regrets.

The 1895 version of the team was, if anything, better than the 1894 Cup winners. Rookie outfielder Rhys Milne performed admirably in the field and at the bat, hitting .346 in 99 games and stealing 45 bases. Jake Buchanan played a solid second base and was the perfect number two hitter in the lineup, crossing the plate a record 164 times. In the box, a healthy William Isaacs showed that he still had the stuff to win 38 games and his fifth outstanding pitcher award, although his 3.80 ERA was cause for some concern.

There were, however, chinks in the Westminster armor. The injury to Isaacs in the Cup Finals Series showed how shallow the Peers' pitching staff is, and the team was only saved by Gunton's legendary durability and stamina. Manager John Tunstall has expressed a desire to switch to a four-man rotation to give his weary veterans a rest, but the Peers don't have anyone who can really step up and fill the third starter's role, let alone the fourth. And the team's defense remains a concern, although first baseman Nevan Rathmell was the first Peer infielder to win a gold glove since 1885.

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1896 MID-SEASON

Close races in both the EL and DA captivated the attention of the base ball world. In the Empire League, Edinburgh, who had never finished higher than tenth before last year's surprising fourth place finish, stunned the competition, riding an eleven-game winning streak in April to move into first place. Infielders Mark Ferguson and Bill Llewellyn led the Chieftan offense. The team's lack of depth, however, began to show in May after starter William Rowse went down with an elbow injury, and the team plunged to seventh when Ferguson went on the disabled list in mid-June. Birmingham moved into the vacated top spot behind a pitching staff, featuring starters Lukas Nestroy and Kilian Spong, that led the League. The Blue Stockings, though, lacked the offensive strength to distance themselves from their closest competitors, Portsmouth. The Neptunes, who ended the 1895 season in ninth place and had never finished higher than seventh, had quietly put together a fine squad, both at the bat and in the box. Eric Farnsworth headed the pitching staff with a 16-2 record, while outfielder Jack Hawken and catcher Mike Chestnut led the offense. Reigning BA champions Westminster lost their two best players, pitcher William Isaacs and outfielder Paul Rushworth, to injuries in the first week of the season. Without them, the Peers struggled, and they played .500 ball for much of the first half. Liverpool depended heavily on pitcher William Birkenshaw's right arm and his 12-5 record. On the eve of the All-Star Game, the Argonauts made a questionable trade when they sent their best hitter, center fielder Gabriel Vesey, to Newcastle in exchange for Edmund Leppard. At the time of the trade, Vesey was batting .324 while Leppard was hitting only .240. Bradford made a run for the top of the standings in May before settling back into fifth place. Shaun Payling led the pitching staff with a 13-6 mark.

The Dominion Association saw Islington maintain a tenuous hold on first place through much of the first half of the season. The Owls topped the Association in team batting average with a .306 mark, as Ronald Brooker (.370) and Robbie Clinton (.360) led the way, while Oran Taafe topped the circuit in runs scored. In the box, starters Samuel Moncreiffe, Jarlath Lindow, and John Witheridge combined for a 35-18 record. Islington started by winning thirty of their first forty-six games, but then slowed considerably after June 1. That provided a chance for Leeds, who started slowly but picked up steam in May behind the torrid hitting of catcher Mick Eccles, who finished the first half with a .405 average. Meanwhile, the Ironsides put together a starting rotation that rivalled Islington's, as Jayden "Chink" Gilbert, William Barnsley, and Ben George accumulated a 35-19 combined mark. Glasgow played slightly better than .500 in the first four months of the campaign behind the hitting of veteran slugger Christopher Mytton and the starting pitching of Matthew Meaden and Tom Oulton. The Gaelics' chances of improving on their third-place position were damaged when Calum Meikle fractured his cheekbone in a 19 June game. He'll be out of the lineup for at least seven weeks. Hull kept pace with Glasgow through May and then shot past them into third place in July behind starting pitcher Brody Leshane's 14-5 record. But then the Kings' leading hitter, left fielder Michael Sellwood, hurt his knee in late June, and Hull promptly dropped six straight, including a double-header to Sheffield at home, to drop back into fourth. The Steelers, in need of starting pitching help, obtained Michael Ramsey from Newcastle on 13 June, but, in his fourth start with his new team, he injured his elbow and will probably miss the rest of the season.



Edinburgh had the honor of being the first expansion team to host an All-Star Game, and Holyrood Field was packed with 2,526 spectators as the BA's best squared off in the midsummer classic. The Dominions scored four runs in the top of the first off Birmingham starter Nestroy, with Islington center fielder Dean Isted's two-out, bases-loaded double accounting for three. The visitors scored again in the second before the Empires put two runs on the board in the bottom of the inning when Westminster catcher Albert Oglethorpe hit a triple with two men on base. The teams traded runs in the fourth inning, but it was all Dominions from then on, as five different relievers held the Empires to five hits and no runs, while the visitors scored four more times, including a solo home run in the ninth off the bat of Glasgow's Stephen Geoghegan, and the Dominions went on to prevail by the final score of 10-3. Lambeth shortstop Patrick Allmark and Leeds's Eccles each had three singles for the victors, while Oglethorpe had three hits in a losing cause. Isted, with only one hit but four RBI, was given the game's MVP award.

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1896 FINAL

It was a two-team race in the Dominion Association. Islington led for most of the season, bolstered by the best offense in the circuit. With Robbie Clinton (.378, 8 HR, 95 RBI) and Ronald Booker (.351, 5 HR, 104 RBI) leading the way and six regulars hitting .300 or better, the Owls put together a team average of .305. In the box, the Islingtons relied on Samuel Moncreiffe (23-13, 2.54 ERA) and Jarlath Lindow (25-12, 2.74 ERA) at the top of a three-man rotation. The Owls came charging out of the midsummer hiatus, winning seventeen of their first twenty-one games, opening some distance between them and second-place Leeds. The Ironsides relied primarily on their Association-leading pitching staff, which featured William Barnsley (24-11, 2.64 ERA), Jayden Gilbert (23-13, 3.07 ERA), and Ben George (18-10, 2.92 ERA), along with relief ace George Chaundy (5-6, 4 SV, 2.01 ERA). At the plate, catcher Mick Eccles (.380, 6 HR, 96 RBI) won the DA batting crown, while Douglas Hankin (.322, 8 HR, 110 RBI) drove in more runs than anyone else. Islington's hot July was followed by a chilly 11-16 August, while Leeds rallied with a 17-10 record in the month. By the beginning of September, only a half-game separated the two teams. They matched each other step-for-step until Islington dropped three straight in Glasgow, and Leeds stayed just out of reach the rest of the season, finally clinching the pennant on 3 October with a win over Manchester. Sheffield were the experts in clutch hitting. Tenth in the Association in batting, the Steelers were still third in runs scored, in part by relying on walks, home runs, and stolen bases to manufacture runs. Pete Quiqley (.288, 7 HR, 73 RBI) typified this situation by scoring 110 times and stealing 79 bases. Hull right hander Brody Leshane (28-8, 3.11 ERA) led the DA in victories, while Michael Sellwood (.370, 5 HR, 88 RBI) paced the offense. After a 17-8 July, however, the Kings tumbled, with a rash of injuries to key players stopping the team's momentum. Stephen Geoghegan (.317, 13 HR, 76 RBI) spent nine weeks on the DL and played only 97 games for Glasgow but still managed to lead the Association in homers, with teammate Connor MacOmish (.336, 12 HR, 82 RBI) right behind, but the Gaelic pitching staff was below average, and the Glaswegians were lucky to finish in fifth place.

When the Empire League resumed play after the all-star break, Birmingham held a slim one-game lead over Portsmouth. The Blue Stockings dominated their rivals with the best pitching staff in the circuit. Veteran Killian Spong (26-12, 2.66 ERA) and Austrian ace Lukas Nestroy (22-13, 3.11 ERA) anchored a staff that combined for a 2.99 ERA. At the plate, Percival Heddon (.354, 1 HR, 79 RBI) and Bryan Conway (.337, 0 HR, 102 RBI) headed a lineup that featured six regulars hitting above .300. Birmingham visited second-place Portsmouth for a three-game series at the start of the second half and swept the Neptunes, then went on to win five more games in a row. After that, the rest of the League played catch-up, as the Blue Stockings maintained the drumbeat of victories all the way through the end of the campaign to capture their fifth pennant. Portsmouth led the League with a .305 team batting average behind sophomore slugger Steve Beaumond (.396, 4 HR, 71 RBI), who missed four weeks with a wrist injury, but the Neptunes were second-to-last in walks and had trouble scoring runs. Eric Farnsworth (27-9, 2.68 ERA) anchored a rotation that consisted of him and three guys who, unfortunately, were not Eric Farnsworth. Liverpool played well enough in the second half to climb two rungs on the ladder to second place. The much-criticized deal that sent Gabriel Vesey (.323, 4 HR, 39 RBI) to Newcastle was praised as an inspired move when Vesey, in his third game for his new team, tore a muscle in his shoulder that forced him to retire from the game. Weak-hitting Bradford, eleventh in the League in batting with a .283 team average, shook off a bad July by going 33-25 the rest of the way and passing Westminster into third place. The Badgers got there behind the pitching of starters Stephen MacTavish (22-11, 3.24 ERA) and Shaun Payling (21-10, 3.12 ERA) and reliever Jack Lovibond (8-5, 6 SV, 2.19 ERA). Westminster, six games above .500 at the halfway point, played six games below even in the second half to finish at .500 and in a three-way tie for fifth place. William Isaacs (29-18, 3.39 ERA) recovered from his April injury to have another fine year, but Andrew "Midget" Gunton (22-28, 3.08 ERA) lost twelve one-run decisions as the Peers had an uncharacteristically weak offense. Edinburgh's offense was decimated by injuries, including a back strain that sidelined shortstop Bill Llewellyn (.369, 1 HR, 68 RBI) for six weeks. Camberwell, led by center fielder Griff Knight (.343, 9 HR, 90 RBI), trailed only Portsmouth in team batting average, but the Whitecaps' pitching, apart from Simon Lindley (21-15, 3.77 ERA) was not up to the same standards.



1896 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v. LEEDS

Birmingham came into the postseason hoping to reverse the outcome of the 1891 Finals, when Leeds prevailed in six games. Game one at Leeds's St. James Field pitted Birmingham ace Killian Spong against Jayden Gilbert. The teams were tied at 2-2 in the top of the eighth when, with two outs and a runner on third, the Blue Stockings recorded five straight hits, culminating in a bases-loaded, three-run double by Aidan Murray (.268, 5 HR, 68 RBI). Leeds loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Spong escaped by retiring Flannan Shortridge (.321, 6 HR, 75 RBI) and Eccles to preserve the 7-2 victory. Leeds recovered in the second game, breaking a one-all tie in the fourth with two runs, and adding an insurance run in the seventh on a Beck Youngson (.315, 1 HR, 37 RBI) triple with a man on base to prevail by a final score of 4-1. Nestroy, who gave up five hits and five walks, took the loss. It was a pitchers' duel in game three at Birmingham as Gilbert and Spong faced off again. Iarla McLanaghan (.256, 1 HR, 8 RBI) hit a solo home run in the fifth to put Leeds ahead, but Birmingham tied it two innings later when Spong hit a sacrifice fly that scored pinch runner Dave Jorge (.286, 0 HR, 33 RBI). The score stayed tied going into the tenth when the Ironsides managed three runs on four hits, including a run-scoring double by Flannan Shortridge (.321, 6 HR, 75 RBI). Gilbert pitched a scoreless tenth, and Leeds prevailed 4-1. Game four was tied at one apiece when the Blue Stockings put a run across the plate in the bottom of the third, and the home team went on to score three more times while Nestroy scattered nine hits for a 5-1 win. Cahern Merry (.302, 1 HR, 64 RBI) and Heddon had three hits each for Birmingham, while Kane Speechley (.284, 2 HR, 65 RBI) collected three singles for Leeds. Game five saw Leeds jump out in front with two runs in the first, and they extended their margin to 6-1 before Birmingham mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh with three runs. It was not enough, however, as Leeds, behind Ben George (18-10, 2.92 ERA), held on for a 7-4 win. Leeds returned home needing only one more win for the Cup. They turned once more to Gilbert, while Birmingham again countered with Spong. The Ironsides struck quickly with two runs in the first and single tallies in the second and third to put Birmingham in a 4-0 hole. The Blue Stockings responded with two runs in the top of the fourth, but Gilbert held the visitors scoreless as the home team scored four times on three hits and two walks in the seventh and added another run in the eigth. Birmingham made one last effort in the top of the ninth when they scored three times courtesy of two Ironside errors, but Bryan Conway tried to score from second on a Richard Knatchbull (.321, 4 HR, 96 RBI) single and was thrown out at the plate by left fielder Alastair Hoath (.293, 3 HR, 58 RBI) to end the game and give Leeds a 9-5 win and their third Cup. McLanaghan, with a .391 average, four RBI, and the only home run in the series, was named the MVP.

THE MINORS

The Greenwich Admirals, Bradford's triple-A affiliate, captured their fourth Southern Conference title and went on to defeat Belfast's farm club, the Bolton Rovers, in a five-game series to gain the Second Tier crown.

The Bradford organization also boasted the Third Tier champions, as the Albion Conference titleists Swansea Swans swept the winners of the Britannia Conference flag, Glasgow's Hartlepool Harts, in three games.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .369 Bill Llewellyn, Edinburgh
HR: 15 Richard Cureton, Nottingham
RBI: 105 Thie Bloemheuvel, Newcastle
R: 125 Owen Rising, Birmingham
SB: 81 Owen Rising, Birmingham
Pitching
W: 29 William Isaacs, Westminster
L: 28 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
K: 128 William Isaacs, Westminster
ERA: 2.66 Killian Spong, Birmingham
SV: 9 Marc "Little All Right" Keeping, Portsmouth

A lot of new names on the leader boards. Rising and Cureton are in their second years in the BA, Bleomheuvel (a Dutch native) and Llewellyn are in their third.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .380 Mick Eccles, Leeds
HR: 13 Stephen Geoghegan, Glasgow
RBI: 110 Douglas Hankin, Leeds
R: 133 Oran Taafe, Islington
SB: 88 Amhlaoibh Merrill, Leicester
Pitching
W: 28 Brody Leshane, Hull
L: 27 Ciaran Dalziel, Bristol
K: 122 Earl Corbett, Belfast
ERA: 2.54 Samuel "Pebbly" Moncreiffe, Islington
SV: 17 William "Ripper" Bruce, Sheffield

"It's pronounced 'OW-leev,'" repeated an exasperated representative from Leicester.

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1896-97 OFF-SEASON

AWARDS

Empire League
Hitter: Logan "Sugar" MacLay, Edinburgh (.360, 8 HR, 82 RBI, 87 R, 25 3B, 38 SB, .473 OBP, .579 SLG)
Pitcher: Eric "Hacker" Farnsworth, Portsmouth (27-9, 2.68 ERA, 333 IP, 71 K, 32 CG)
Manager: Michael Hartshorne, Birmingham (91-63, 1st place)
Rookie: Freddie Trafford, Bradford (.314, 4 HR, 67 RBI, 70 R, 34 SB, .443 SLG)

Dominion Association
Hitter: Mick Eccles, Leeds (.380, 6 HR, 96 RBI, 110 R, .411 OBP, .466 SLG)
Pitcher: Brody Leshane, Hull (28-8, 3.11 ERA, 336 IP, 98 K, 31 CG)
Manager: Burt Guyatt, Leeds (93-61, 1st place)
Rookie: Casey Pidcock, Kensington (18-12, 2.57 ERA, 297 IP, 87 K, .270 OAVG)

It was a changing of the guard at the annual awards banquet, as none of the players chosen had been honored before. Eccles was an easy choice for outstanding hitter with his .380 batting average, but he accomplished that mostly with singles: of his 237 hits, only 23 were for extra bases. Christopher Mytton (.352, 11 HR, 104 RBI) of Glasgow finished in the top five in all of the triple crown categories, was second to Eccles in WAR (9.1 to 8.3), and won the gold glove at catcher, which is also Eccles's position.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The doors of the Hall of Fame opened wide for James Granger, the fourteen-time all-star who played for Manchester, Leeds, and Bradford during his twenty-one-year career. The ironman infielder played ten straight seasons (1870-79) without missing a game, and played in eight Cup Finals Series. He received three gold gloves and was named the DA's outstanding hitter in 1872. Granger retired with 2,651 hits, 1,232 RBI, and 1,598 runs scored, career marks which are still unsurpassed.



Three pitchers joined the three-hundred wins club this year. Andrew Gunton of Westminster entered the select fraternity of pitchers on 25 July after beating Camberwell 6-2, and teammate William Isaacs joined him on 18 September by defeating Bradford 6-4. Just down the road, London's Albert "Old Stubblebeard" Courtier notched his three hundredth win when he defeated Birmingham 7-6. Christopher Mytton became only the second player to reach the 2,000 hit plateau when he singled off Lambeth pitcher Eric Walker. Mytton also scored his 1,000th career run later in the season.

Catcher Pat Mecham (.347, 4 HR, 72 RBI) of Lambeth hit safely in forty-four consecutive games, setting a BA record that eclipsed the previous mark of 39 games set in 1873 by Cian McDermott. The streak began on 28 May and ended on 29 July, when Mecham went 0-5 against Kensington's Casey Pidcock. The next day, Mecham started another hitting streak that lasted for twenty-one games.

ALLIANCE NEWS

The mania for modern stadiums continued, as the owners of Hull, Stoke, and Bradford announced plans to build new ballparks in time for the 1897 season. A day before the season opener, Glasgow's Argyle Street Grounds were consumed in a giant conflagration that consumed the entire park. Team owner Dante Carafa announced that the team would play at a local public school grounds while construction began on a new ballpark, to be ready by the 1898 season.

As teams prepared for the annual rite of spring training in advance of the 1897 season, Belfast pitcher Conor Walden, the BA career leader in losses with 373, suffered a torn shoulder muscle that doctors predict will keep him out of action for four months. This may or may not be good news for the Unions.

WESTMINSTER NEWS

The Peers were hit by twin thunderbolts when William Isaacs sprained his ankle on 9 April and then, two days later, Paul Rushworth hurt his back. Isaacs came back in four weeks and Rushworth stayed out of the lineup for only three weeks, but Westminster never seemed to get untracked after those injuries. Perhaps even more serious was the injury suffered by Joe Allbutt. The hard-working youngster had won a spot in the starting rotation during spring training, and his 5-2 record and 2.45 ERA portended better things ahead, but on 17 May he suffered a torn back muscle that refused to heal properly, and Allbutt, on 3 August, decided to call it quits. The loss of Isaacs and Allbutt, combined with the season-long slump of "Midget" Gunton, highlighted the lack of pitching depth on the Peers' staff. Michael Bucknell finished with a woeful 19-20 record and a 3.74 ERA, while Sean Dawes and Grady Phillipp were both tried in the fourth spot and found wanting. Meanwhile, the less said about the bullpen the better. The relief corps combined for a 5.72 ERA, worst in the League. Michael Battersby, the team's relief specialist, injured his elbow in a 23 May game and missed the remainder of the season.

On the eve of the season opener, the Peers traded utility infielder Sherman Woodland to Bradford for first baseman/outfielder Cedric Uren, who was then immediately dealt to Camberwell for minor league starter Bevis Hurley. The twenty-five-year old Hurley, who shuttled between Camberwell's Second and Third Tier affiliates for the past three years, was immediately placed in the Westminster rotation. All of these front office machinations raised one question: who is making these deals? With owner Ambrose Redlaw, Jr. perpetually on vacation, the day-to-day operations of the team have fallen to Barnaby Heep, a shadowy figure who has taken the responsibilities of running the team in the owner's absence.

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1897 MID-SEASON

The big story at the mid-season point wasn't so much who was at the top of the standings but rather who was at the bottom. Leeds, the reigning Cup champions and winners of three of the last four DA pennants, started the season by losing eight of their first nine games and languishing in the Association cellar for the first month before clawing their way up to eighth place. Pre-season injuries to Bill Haydon and Flannan Shortridge threw the team off-balance, and then ace starter Jayden Gilbert left a 22 June game with an inflamed shoulder that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season. In the Ironsides' place at the top of the table sat Glasgow, leading the way with the circuit's best pitching staff. Starters Tom Oulton, Matthew Meaden, and Wayne Smith combined for a 34-19 record by the halfway point. At the plate, outfielder Connor MacOmish led the team and carried on the legacy of the CM crew. Close behind were Sheffield, who recovered from a dismal 8-14 start to go 37-18 the rest of the way. The turnaround came when the Steelers promoted rookie left hander Bill Jacobs from the Second Tier, and he responded by going 8-4 and stabilizing an otherwise shaky rotation. Hull played well in June behind the hitting of outfielders Michael Sellwood and Bert Laws, but suffered a devastating loss when incumbent DA outstanding pitcher Brody Leshane injured his shoulder in mid-June, an injury that team officials fear will keep him out of action for the rest of the year. Lambeth put together a lineup that combined for an Association-leading .314 average. Joe Roldan led the way with a .348 average. The Lambs' pitching, apart from Cahern Tickner, was not up to the same standards, however, and the team could climb no higher than fourth place.

The Empire League featured a close contest as the top four teams battled for first. Edinburgh, behind the hitting of third baseman Everton Balmforth and the pitching of sophomore right hander Sam Dinwiddie, led for much of the way, only to be overtaken in June by a surging Salford. The Bees, tenth-place finishers last year, owed much of their resurgence to career years from infielders Manus Peate and Kyle Kinnear, and the pitching of Italian import Nicola Petrocelli. Helping the cause, Calum Murray, a promising youngster in his second year in the Salford outfield, batted .366 before a late-June injury put him on the DL. Bradford got off to a 9-15 start before righting the ship and playing fifteen games over .500 for the remainder of the first half, paced by the hitting of sophomore second baseman Michael Devyr and outfielder Russ Black. Defending champions Birmingham were also slow out of the gate, but everything began to fall into place behind an offense led by Bryan Conway and Owen Rising, and a pitching staff helmed by Sean MacKillop. Nottingham started strong but crashed in May when a wave of injuries overwhelmed the team. The Foresters recovered in June, aided by the pitching of Dutch master Ids Snelleman and veteran Aaron Coulthard, who together put up a 26-14 mark. Westminster's .305 team batting average topped the League, as backup outfielder Bill Hoffer got his chance at a starting role and responded with a .357 average. The Peers' pitching, however, remained inconsistent, and the team needed a late 12-5 streak to finish the first half in sixth place.



Stoke's brand-new home, Potters Field, was the site for the 1897 All-Star Game, and a record crowd of 7,448 spectators packed the stands to see the action. The visiting Empires started the proceedings with two runs in the top of the first, only to be matched by the Dominions in the bottom of the inning. The Empires broke the tie in the third when Dublin speedster Alois Schifferer walked, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a base hit by Westminster's Nevan Rathmell. The Empires added another run in the fourth when Birmingham's Rising followed a double by Bradford's Devyr with a run-scoring base hit off Leeds reliever Clyde Nethersole. The Dominions got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth, but two Empire runs in the top of the seventh and another in the eighth put the game out of reach, and a Dominion run in the bottom of the seventh affected only the score, not the outcome. The star of the Empires' 7-4 victory was Devyr, who went three-for-three at the top of the lineup and scored twice.

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1897 FINAL

The BA pennant races both came down to the final day of the regular season. In the Empire League, eight teams at one time or another were battling for the lead. Salford and Edinburgh, tied for the lead at the all-star break, both quickly fell off the pace as the second half got underway, with Salford plunging all the way to eighth place. Birmingham, buoyed by a lineup that featured Bryan Conway (.358, 0 HR, 109 RBI) and Owen Rising (.352, 2 HR, 98 RBI) and a rotation anchored by Sean MacKillop (24-14, 3.06 ERA), rose to the top with a 12-6 mark after the resumption of play. Camberwell and Nottingham, though, remained hot on the Blue Stockings' heels. The Whitecaps relied on the pitching duo of Louis Hockridge (22-10, 2.48 ERA), obtained in an early-season trade from Dublin, and Keith "Brick" Lobb (22-15, 3.40 ERA), while the offense revolved around third baseman Nate Bartels (.334, 1 HR, 85 RBI). Nottingham's team ERA of 3.23 topped the League, and pitchers Ids Snelleman (27-11, 2.25 ERA) and Aaron Coulthard (21-15, 3.04 ERA) kept the Foresters in the thick of the race during the second half. Birmingham made a seemingly ill-advised trade at the deadline, sending Lukas Nestroy (15-14, 3.47 ERA), who was 11-6 with the Blue Stockings, to Bradford for catcher Henry "Wahoo" Dunning (.256, 3 HR, 74 RBI). Birmingham went 13-14 in August without Nestroy in the rotation, which allowed Camberwell and Nottingham to catch up. Through September fewer than two games separated the three teams. Nottingham was knocked out with two games left, while Camberwell and Birmingham were tied on the final day of the season. Birmingham, with MacKillop in the box, defeated London 5-3, while last-place Newcastle buried Camberwell 11-2 to give Birmingham their second-straight title. Westminster, having played diffidently for most of the season, came alive in September, largely on the strength of a lineup that featured five starters batting over .300. London played their best base ball in the second half, but ultimately could not overcome the hole they dug for themselves in the first half.

Sheffield and Glasgow staged a two-team duel for the DA pennant. Glasgow led most of the way behind the hitting of Christopher Mytton (.338, 10 HR, 103 RBI) and Bill "Piano Mover" Washington (.330, 4 HR, 89 RBI), a second-year import from the wilds of Texas. Tom Outen (26-11, 2.89 ERA) and Matthew Meaden (22-13, 3.01 ERA) headed the pitching staff, but the Gaelics' Association-leading 3.23 team ERA masked a .300 OAVG that was tenth in the DA. Sheffield manager Connor MacClung, who rebuilt his team after a 54-100 finish in 1894, made the most out of the limited materials at hand. Although the Steelers' .290 batting average was ninth in the Association, they scored 855 runs, third-most in the circuit. Because of injuries and extensive platooning, only one .300 hitter qualified for the batting title -- Simon Cheney (.368, 3 HR, 74 RBI), but regulars Pete Quigley (.277, 5 HR, 86 RBI) and Tony Dart (.261, 8 HR, 62 RBI) provided clutch hitting when needed. In the box, Richard Brown (19-16, 3.84 ERA) helmed the rotation, while fellow lefties Bill Jacobs (17-11, 3.14 ERA), a rookie, and Alec Carlson (16-10, 3.30 ERA), rounded out the staff. The two rivals matched each other step-for-step through September until Sheffield emerged at the top of the ladder for the first time with a win over Hull on 1 October. Glasgow, meanwhile, dropped its final three games to last-place Leicester, as Sheffield, ahead by one game on the final day, defeated Hull 4-3 in ten innings to capture their fourth DA flag. For Leeds, it was Love that made the world go 'round, as the Ironsides climbed all the way to third place on the back of William Love (.409, 6 HR, 97 RBI). Without Love's contributions, the team's .301 average would have been .288, next-to-worst in the Association. Hull had one of the best pitching staffs in the loop despite the loss of Brody Leshane (7-7, 3.30 ERA). Jamie Chattan (19-15, 2.88 ERA) and Arran MacKinder (18-7, 3.11 ERA) picked up the slack, but the Kings played without inspiration in the second half and fell to fourth place. Lambeth's .311 team batting average topped the DA, and the Lambs scored in bunches, but the pitching staff gave up 623 walks, over a hundred more than Leicester, which helped to explain a mediocre 3.71 team ERA.



1897 CUP FINALS SERIES: BIRMINGHAM v. SHEFFIELD

Sheffield hosted their first post-season contest since 1889, but Birmingham spoiled the celebration by scoring three times in the first inning when catcher "Wahoo" Dunning hit a bases-loaded triple off Jacobs. The Blue Stockings scored four more runs before Sheffield got on the board in the sixth with two runs, but it was not enough as Birmingham starter MacKillop stayed for the finish for a 7-2 victory. Dunning ended the contest with five RBI. Chris Cooke (7-0, 3.34 ERA), brought up by the Blue Stockings to fill the vacancy left by Nestroy, started game two and pitched a masterpiece. The Canadian right hander scattered eight hits en route to a 7-0 whitewashing of Sheffield. Conway had three hits for the winners, and Percival Heddon (.329, 3 HR, 59 RBI) drove in three runs on two hits. Cooke, starting on two days rest, got the call in game three. Once again Birmingham scored first with a run in the opening frame off Sheffield starter Brown. The floodgates opened in the third, when the Blue Stockings put three runs across, followed by another three runs in the fourth. Cooke, perhaps showing signs of tiring, gave up two runs in the seventh and again in the eighth inning, but defensive sub Sheedy Mulroy (.328, 1 HR, 11 RBI) wrapped up the scoring for the home team with a two-run homer in the eighth as Birmingham defeated Sheffield by a final score of 10-4. Rising and Cahern Merry (.300, 0 HR, 50 RBI) had three hits for the Blue Sox. Sheffield finally got on the board first in the game four, scoring three times off MacKillop, with the big hit coming on a two-run triple by Dart. It was all downhill after that for starter Jacobs and the Steelers. After scoring a single run in the second, the Blue Stockings put five runs on the board in the fourth off of four hits, including a two-run Dunning homer and a two-run triple by Merry. Birmingham then scored in each of the following innings, finishing with another five-spot in the eighth, as the home team punished Jacobs and reliever Brassal Thorndyke (6-1, 7 SV, 4.31 ERA) for eighteen hits on the way to a 17-3 victory and a sweep of the series. Dunning, Conway, Mike Barter (.372, 0 HR, 38 RBI), and Cahillan Sunderland (.286, 5 HR, 76 RBI) had three hits each for the winners, and Dunning added five more RBI to his total of eleven for the post-season. That, along with his .500 average and 1.071 slugging percentage earned Dunning the MVP honors, which went a long way toward vindicating the wisdom of the trade that brought him to Birmingham.

THE MINORS

For the second straight year, the Greenwich Admirals captured the Southern Conference title and went on to claim the Second Tier Championship, this time by defeating Edinburgh's farm club, the South Shields Vikings, in three games.

Also for the second year in a row, Bradford's affiliate in the Third Tier, the Swansea Swans, took home the Albion Conference title, but the York Whitecoats, Birmingham's youngsters and winners of the Britannia Conference, prevailed in the Third Tier championship series three games to two.

ALLIANCE LEADERS

Empire League
Hitting
BA: .371 Steve Beaumond, Portsmouth
HR: 11 Jeff Graham, London
RBI: 119 Jeff Graham, London
R: 118 Bill Llewellyn, Edinburgh
SB: 90 Russ Black, Bradford
Pitching
W: 31 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
L: 24 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
K: 122 Andrew "Midget" Gunton, Westminster
ERA: 2.25 Ids Snelleman, Nottingham
SV: 10 Lee "Turkey" Nance, Newcastle

Gunton led the League with 477.2 IP, which helps to explain why he led the League in wins, losses, and strikeouts. Teammate William Isaacs followed with 413 IP. No non-Peer pitcher had more than 353 innings pitched, as Westminster remained the last team to hold onto a three-man rotation.

Dominion Association
Hitting
BA: .409 William "Gaffer" Love, Leeds
HR: 12 Alexander "Tanny" MacAlonie, Bristol; Harvey Shakelady, Stoke
RBI: 105 Michael Sellwood, Hull
R: 117 Carlton Radford, Hull
SB: 89 Carlton Radford, Hull
Pitching
W: 26 Tom Oulton, Glasgow
L: 25 Walt Stamper, Leicester
K: 123 Cahern Tickner, Lambeth
ERA: 2.68 Harry Melville, Leeds
SV: 10 Waylon Hendrickson, Portsmouth

In addition to being the first player since 1877 to hit over .400 for a season, Love also set the season record for VORP at 84.3. His WAR, on the other hand, was a relatively modest 6.8, behind catchers Christopher Mytton of Glasgow and Frazer Bram of Kensington.