British and Irish Baseball - Making Another Attempt

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JUNE 1871

The Metropolitan League season has reached the half-way point and it is the Old Westminsters who now lead the way in the standings. With the teams having played two of the four weeks of scheduled double games, the Westminsters defeated Greenwich twice on the final Saturday in June to open up a lead at the top. Those losses dropped Greenwich out of first place and the Royal Artillery Barracks won two against Kensington to move level in second place. The Regent’s Park have had a mixed month but ended it with two wins over Angel to join Greenwich and the Artillery, dropping Angel back to an even record. Newcomers Peckham are only a game behind that tie for second, but Hackney’s first season in being ruined by postponed games. With eighteen rounds of fixtures played, Hackney have only managed twelve games and have a lot to make up in the second half of the season. Champions the City of London Club are enduring an awful season, losing four of five in June to share eighth place with improving Clapham.

The Liverpool and District League is shaping up for an exciting three-way battle for the inaugural title as Liverpool St Patrick’s lead by a fraction from both St Helens and Toxteth as the season approaches half-way. They moved ahead by beating neighbours Toxteth, only for defeat to St Helens the following week to keep them close to the two chasers. That win was an important one for early season pace-setters St Helens, who had lost their previous two games without scoring a run. A four-game winning run has moved Linacre up to an even record, while Great Float endured a poor month but remain two games ahead of struggling Sankey.



In the Manchester and District League, Rochdale’s undefeated run ended in their eleventh game as second placed Oldham earned a narrow 3-2 success. Oldham were undefeated themselves in June but still sit three games back, one ahead of champions Salford whose impressive month was spoiled slightly when it ended in defeat against Irwell. Irwell are fourth with an even record, while among the strugglers Stockport lost every game in June and ended the month with a 12-0 humiliation at the hands of Rochdale. They now sit in a tie for last place with Belle Vue.

Leeds Central won all three games in June to extend their winning run to seven and sit fractionally ahead at the top of the Leeds and Bradford League. A 1-0 loss to Wakefield at the beginning of the month dropped Bowling into second place, while Bradford are now two games back after ending June with an extra innings defeat against Leeds. Wakefield also have a winning record but are three games back, while Halifax have slipped back down the standings after their undefeated May was followed by a winless June. Huddersfield managed only their second win this month, 3-1 over Wakefield, but remain a game adrift in last place.



The university season is over for another year and it turned out to be a reversal of last year, when Trinity won the Oxford title easily but there was a tie at the top of the standings in Cambridge. This year, it was in Cambridge where the league turned out to be no contest as one of the teams who lost out in the tiebreakers last year, Queens’ College, went undefeated in June to extend their winning run to ten games and finish six clear of St Catharine’s at the top of the standings. The excitement came in Oxford, where Brasenose led going into June but opened up with a defeat to Balliol which made the race much closer. Unfortunately for Balliol, they proceeded to lose their next two to hand the initiative back to Brasenose, who had only to win their final game to take the title for the second time. That final game was against reigning champions Trinity, who were finishing strongly having won five out of six leading into that game. Trinity took the win 5-0, and Brasenose found themselves facing a tiebreaker, where the only uncertainty was the opposition.

Balliol and Trinity were tied on seventeen wins and ten defeats with a meeting between them to come in their final game, and the winner would tie for first place and meet Brasenose to decide the championship. Balliol took an early 4-0 lead and Trinity’s reign as champions looked to be over, but a four-run fifth tied it and Balliol fell apart late on, handing Trinity a 9-4 victory and a place in the tiebreaker. With the head-to-head meetings tied at two wins each, a coin toss was needed to determine home advantage and as reigning champions, Trinity were allowed to call. Their call was correct so they played the extra game at home, and took control early on with a three-run second. Brasenose couldn’t find a way back and indeed the game ended in a repeat of the previous meeting, a 5-0 success for Trinity. They completed a successful title defence having been three games back at the start of June.



Attention in Oxford and Cambridge now turns to the third annual Varsity Series, with Cambridge defending the title they won a year ago. It is their turn to host the first game on the opening day of July, with Oxford hosting the second four days later.

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TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1871 VARSITY SERIES

There was a sense of history repeating itself in this year’s Varsity Series as for a second successive year, Cambridge came back from losing the first game to take the series in three. The first game, played at Cambridge, was an astonishing battle which only ended as darkness fell, with both teams glad it was being played in mid-summer as otherwise play would surely have been suspended. Cambridge had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning when St Catharine’s man Bertram Chapman produced the hit needed to bring home Daniel Arnall of Queens’, only for Oxford to tie the game in the fifth as the ball got past Emmanuel catcher Patrick Hampshire, allowing Merton’s Henry Barber to score with two out. Incredibly, despite many hits and scoring opportunities, nobody found another run until the teams had been battling for more than six hours and all but one of the forty players across both rosters had been involved in the game. Balliol’s Nathaniel Myers started the twenty-first inning with a hit, and then when he was standing at second base with one out, Timothy Warboys of Merton College managed to produce the hit that both teams had been seeking for so long. Oxford led 2-1, and when Cambridge could not reply in their half of the inning, the visitors took the win.



Last year Cambridge kept their hopes alive by winning the second game at home, but this time they had to do it in Oxford and needed a strong performance from pitcher David Dawson of St Catharine’s. It was Dawson’s pitching which turned the series around a year ago and so it proved one more, as Oxford managed just two hits and no runs against him all afternoon. Cambridge had aken the lead in the fourth, when Bertram Chapman was again the man to bring a runner home. In the event that one run would have been sufficient, but Cambridge could not rely on that being the case and added two more in the next inning, the first brought home by a hit from pitcher Dawson himself, and then a ball hit by St John’s man Samuel Ford was caught deep enough in the outfield to bring home another. That was all the scoring for the day, and with a 3-0 victory Cambridge tied the series. As champions, they had the right to call the coin toss for home advantage in the deciding game and called correctly, so the teams remained in Cambridge for another game three days later.



Cambridge took the initiative immediately in the third game, with Bertram Chapman once again the man involved. Just as in the first game he managed to bring Daniel Arnall of Queens’ home from third, giving Cambridge a 1-0 advantage. In the third inning, that became 2-0 when the same circumstance repeated once again, Chapman hitting a ground ball which allowed Arnall to score. With Dawson once again pitching magnificently, Oxford were in trouble but just as time was running out, they rallied in the ninth inning. With Balliol’s David Berry standing at second base and one out, Emmanuel’s Philip Harsnett was brought in to pitch in place of a tiring Dawson. He immediately allowed a two-base hit from Edmund Smerdon of Trinity College which scored one run and placed a potential tying run at second. Harsnett was able to compose himself however, getting the next two men out and securing a narrow 2-1 win which gave Cambridge the series for the second year in succession.



It was no surprise that once again Dawson was named Best Pitcher in the series, while Arnall was named as Best Player for his seven hits, three of which turned into runs for Cambridge. One further announcement which was made following the series was that both university leagues were going to grow from eight teams to ten for the 1872 season, with two more colleges fielding teams in each competition. There is no official announcement yet of the identities of the news teams, but it has been confirmed that both leagues will play a thirty-six game schedule, with additional midweek games. It is thought that there was sufficient interest in Oxford for the league to have grown to twelve teams, but that was not the case at Cambridge and it was decided that the leagues should retain the same format, to simplify the scheduling of the Varsity Series.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JULY 1871

The Old Westminsters lead the Metropolitan League by one game at the end of July, despite a mixed month which brought three defeats in seven games. They have been helped by the Royal Artillery Barracks losing four successive games after the teams had opened the month by sharing two, and also by Greenwich dropping their last two games. That has allowed The Regent’s Park to move clear in second place, having beaten both of those two teams in July, while in third are newcomers Peckham, winners of their last four games including victories over the Westminsters, Artillery and Greenwich as they emerge as surprise contenders for the title. Angel seem to lack the consistency needed to challenge, while last year’s winners the City of London Club had a better month with five wins from seven but are too far back. Hackney have now lost their last ten games in a disrupted season which incredibly saw eight of their first twenty-four games postponed.

Defeat against Liverpool St Patrick’s didn’t prevent St Helens from ending July as leaders of the Liverpool and District League, as they won their other three games this month while St Patrick’s lost three times. Four defeats from five games, including losses to both of the leading two, leave Toxteth in danger of falling out of the running as they drop back to an even record, in a tie for third with a Great Float team who have won the last three. It was also a poor end to the month for Linacre, who lost their last three, but all of those teams are still close enough to fight their way back into the race should they produce strong form in August. Despite winning their last two games, Sankey seem sure to finish last.



Rochdale still have a three game lead in the Manchester and District League, although the gap is narrowing a little after two consecutive defeats, one of them against second placed Irwell. Irwell have now won their last six and were undefeated in July, moving them clear of both Salford and an Oldham team who lost three of their five games in the month. Those four teams are well clear of the rest, with Moss Grove and Belle Vue seemingly set to contest last place as they lost further ground on Bolton and Stockport.

A close three-way fight continues in the Leeds and Bradford League, with Bowling and Leeds sharing first place at the end of the month. Bowling may not have expected three wins and two defeats to be enough to gain ground in the race, but Leeds also faltered and Bowling’s narrow 3-2 win when the two met in mid-July has left the level. Bradford were the team to benefit most from the two leaders stumbling a little, as despite opening the month with defeat to Bowling they won their next four games and sit just fractionally behind in third place. Wakefield have a winning record in fourth place but look to be too far back, while Halifax, Woodhouse and Huddersfield are closely matched as they try to avoid finishing last.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: AUGUST 1871

There is a tight four-way fight at the top of the Metropolitan League as August comes to an end, with the Old Westminsters still fractionally ahead despite an interrupted month in which only two of their four games were played and they were beaten by the Royal Artillery Barracks in one of those. The Regent’s Park are leading the chase despite defeat against surprise contenders Peckham, who themselves are only one game back in third place. Peckham lost out on the chance to catch the Westminsters when their month-ending meeting was postponed. Greenwich won two and lost two in the month and are fractionally further back in fourth, while the Artillery looked to have fallen out of the race before their win over the Westminsters kept their hopes alive. At the foot of the standings, Kensington lost every game in August but remain well ahead of Hackney, despite Hackney finally ending their losing run at thirteen games with victory at Greenwich.

Midway through the month, St Helens looked sure to be the first champions of the Liverpool and District League when they opened up a three game lead, only to drop their next two including a loss against Liverpool St Patrick’s which reduced the gap to just a single game. Toxteth won three out of four in August and are just fractionally behind Liverpool in third, while Linacre defeated both of the two leading contenders to move up to a winning record. They now site just two games behind, while even Great Float are not completely out of the running despite holding a losing record. Sankey Brook are sure to finish last after a very poor first season.



Manchester and District League leaders Rochdale continued to falter in August as losses to Stockport and Moss Grove meant that they had dropped four out of five having lost just once in fifteen games prior to that run. They recovered their form at the right time to end the month by defeating champions Salford however, a loss which leaves Salford a game behind second placed Irwell, who also beat them this month. Oldham are out of the race having lost three out of four in August, and now only share fourth place with improving Bolton, who were undefeated this month. Belle Vue, who shared last place with Rochdale a year ago, could not be further removed from them this year as three defeats from three in August leaves them looking ever more likely to end up in last place again.

The league has also announced the results of the ballot to elect two new member clubs for the 1872 season. Six clubs applied, but the vote was expected to be a three-horse race and so it proved. The works team from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway’s factory at Miles Platting on the north-eastern edge of Manchester were favoured to land one spot in the league and so they did, earning votes from six of the eight teams, while the other place was expected to be between clubs from Bury and Ashton-under-Lyne. Bids from Wigan, Burnley and Blackburn had been largely expected to fail as the clubs were inclined to vote for members from closer by, which proved to be the case. Wigan did get the support of one club, but Burnley and Blackburn could not muster a single vote between them. The vote for Wigan proved to be crucial as if it had gone instead to Ashton, there would have been a need for a second ballot, but instead it handed Bury a place in the league. They won five votes to Ashton’s four and will join the league along with Miles Platting for next season. With ten teams now in the league, it is expected that the format will mirror that of the Metropolitan League, with a thirty-six game scheduled and double games in the summer.

Leeds and Bowling remain tied at the top of the Leeds and Bradford League as its inaugural season approaches its conclusion. Bowling had slipped a game back after opening August with defeat against Woodhouse Lane, only for Leeds to falter against last placed Huddersfield at the end of the month. Bradford are not out of the race, but they were beaten by both the co-leaders this month to leave them with a good deal of catching up to do. Wakefield continue to hold a winning record but are too far back to win the championship. Huddersfield remain in last place despite their victory over Leeds, two games behind Woodhouse.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: SEPTEMBER 1871

After an unusually rainy year in London, the Metropolitan League season is ending in some confusion due to the number of rescheduled games taking place after the intended end of the season. There are eight such games but incredibly six of them involve Hackney, who have suffered so many postponements, and often through no fault of their own as it was their opponents’ field which was unfit for play. Entering October, the Old Westminsters lead by a fraction having won four of their five games in the last month, but newcomers Peckham are still maintaining their challenge as they won five out of six and indeed briefly led the standings before a narrow defeat against Clapham returned them to second place. The only other team with a realistic chance are The Regent’s Park, but they are two games back after ending September with a 7-0 loss at the hands of Peckham. A number of the rescheduled games involve the Westminsters or the Regents, meaning that while all have provisional dates to be played, the league is intended to switch games around if necessary to ensure that no championship contender has an unfair advantage.

Of the other teams, the Royal Artillery Barracks ended September in fine form but a loss to Peckham early in the month seems to have ended their hopes, while Greenwich are out of the race after losing three of their five games in the month. Angel have fallen back to an even record, while outgoing champions the City of London Club are now guaranteed to end with a losing record. Hackney picked up another win against the City Club, but are a long way back in last place.

The Liverpool and District League should be decided already, but St Helens have faltered at the last and allowed Liverpool back into the race. After recording two wins on each of the first two Saturdays in September, and seeing Liverpool lose on both days, St Helens led by four games with five to play but proceeded to lose their next two, while Liverpool won each time. The two met on the final Saturday of the month with St Helens knowing a win would settle the championship, but they let slip a 3-0 lead to fall 4-3 and now lead by just a single game with two remaining. They will still be champions if they win their final two, but any further slip could see Liverpool catch up. With four wins from five in September, Great Float are not mathematically out of the running but it will be tough for them to win the title, while a poor month has ruled out Toxteth. Sankey are guaranteed to finish last.



Irwell Meadow are now the only team who can deny Rochdale the Manchester and District League championship, after champions Salford lost four successive games in September to fall out of the running. All else being equal, Rochdale would be champions already had they beaten Irwell when the two met in mid-September, but Irwell took a 1-0 win to keep the race going. Rochdale will be champions if they defeat Irwell in their final game, or if they win against Moss Grove a week earlier and Irwell lose on the same day. Should that not happen, Irwell can still force a tiebreaker or even win the title outright if all results go their way. Elsewhere, Oldham now have a losing record after a poor month which brought four defeats, while Moss Grove won every game in September as they finish strongly. Belle Vue are guaranteed to finish last, and indeed are four games worse than anybody else.

The race is run in the Leeds and Bradford League, where Bowling Old Lane are the first champions. The team from Bradford’s southern suburbs, who some felt should not have joined the league, took the title ahead of Leeds, one of the loudest critics of their inclusion. Bowling won all six games in September, starting with victory over Leeds, and secured the crown at the end of the month by defeating Huddersfield. Bradford’s win over Leeds on the same day leaves those two teams tied for second, and increases Bowling’s lead to three games, giving their success the appearance of being more straight forward than it has been. Either Leeds or Bradford will finish second, while it will be Woodhouse or Huddersfield who end up last as both teams managed just a single win in September.



In other news, two more new leagues have been announced for next year. One will be the second league in Yorkshire, based around the city of Sheffield, while the first competition in Scotland will see several clubs in the Glasgow area doing battle.

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UPDATE: 14 OCTOBER 1871

The Old Westminsters are closing in on the Metropolitan League title after Peckham could only share two games with the City of London Club today. Peckham are one behind with just one to play, but that game is against the Westminsters in two weeks time. League officials could move the Westminsters’ final game against Hackney should the title race still be alive at the end of the month, as they are keen for the season not to stretch too far into November. Already it has been decided that with The Regent’s Park out of the race, Hackney are going to play at the Regents and Kensington on the same day, making the short journey of just over two miles by horse and carriage immediately after the conclusion of the first game. No teams have any desire to be playing in late November, so every club involved was happy with the arrangement, Hackney in particular keen to get their difficult first season in the league completed. The Westminsters’ game with Hackney is due to be a week after that, but could be brought ahead of those two games.

Elsewhere in England, there will be a tiebreaker in the Liverpool and District League and there could also be one in the Manchester and District League. In Liverpool, St Helens collapsed to five successive defeats to end the scheduled fixtures but having won their penultimate game to draw level, Liverpool St Patrick’s could not take advantage in the final round of fixtures, losing to Great Float when a win would have brought the title. With four wins in the six meetings, St Patrick’s will host the extra game. In Manchester, victory over Irwell in their final game would have seen Rochdale crowned champions but despite leading 2-1 after seven innings, they allowed runs in the eighth and ninth to lose 3-2. Should Irwell win their rescheduled game with Moss Grove next week, an extra game will be needed, for which Irwell would have home advantage having won three of four against Rochdale.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1871

The Old Westminsters have become the first team to win the Metropolitan League three times, taking the title back five years after their second crown. Their final winning margin was three games, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. The Westminsters’ win over Kensington meant that with one game left for Peckham, the best they could do was force a tie if they defeated the Westminsters and then lowly Hackney did likewise. In the meeting of the top two teams, Peckham twice led only for the Westminsters to tie it and the game reached the eighth at 2-2. Two runs there seemed to have won the championship for the Westminsters, but Peckham rallied themselves and scored three in the ninth to take a 5-4 lead. With runners at second and third and only one out, they would have hoped to add more but John Woodman’s attempt to score on a ball caught in the outfield was unsuccessful and the inning ended with just a one run lead, for which Peckham paid the price. After a hit from Daniel Holmes to start the Westminsters’ ninth, outfielder Edmund Farrell circled the bases to score two and win the game 6-5, and secure the championship.

Another win over Hackney saw the Westminsters end the year with eight successive victories and a three game winning margin, but Peckham should be proud of their first season in the league. The Regent’s Park won their final two rescheduled games to take third place, including one over Hackney who did well to then hurriedly travel to Kensington and win a game on a different ground. After all their postponements and a thirteen game losing run, winning nine of their thirty-six games is not as bad a season as they had looked set to have, but they still finish four behind Kensington in last place.

It was a devastating end to the campaign for St Helens, whose end of year collapse handed the inaugural Liverpool and District League crown to Liverpool St Patrick’s. Having lost their last five games to squander a four game lead in the standings, St Helens had to go to Liverpool for a tiebreaking game and in truth were never in the hunt, so destroyed was their confidence. Although they scored a second inning run to tie the game at 1-1, Liverpool found five in the third and did not look back, eventually running away to an 8-2 success. Much like Irwell, Liverpool deserve credit for winning five of their last six including the tiebreaker to claim the title, but St Helens have only themselves to blame, especially after losing a 3-0 lead against Liverpool in late September when victory would have sealed the championship.



There was a dramatic end to the Manchester and District League’s second season as well, as Irwell Meadow led throughout their final game at Moss Grove to force a tiebreaker with Rochdale, who had led by five games shortly after the halfway point in the year. With Irwell holding home advantage in the extra game, pitcher Charlie Clayton shut down the Rochdale hitters and once more his team led from the first inning to take the game 3-0 and win the championship. Between them the two teams dominated the league, as nobody else had a winning record, but Irwell won their final seven games to snatch away a title which had seemed Rochdale’s for so long. Across the last fourteen games of the year, Irwell won twelve – for which they deserve great credit – but Rochdale won just six of the last fourteen having lost only one of the first fifteen, and will feel that they allowed the championship to slip from their grasp.

There was little to decide in the Leeds and Bradford League, but Bradford’s final day win over champions Bowling, coupled with defeat for Leeds, saw Bradford claim second place outright and ensure that the city of Bradford occupied the top two positions. Two extra inning wins in October for Huddersfield, one over Woodhouse Lane, left those two teams tied for last place.



We now move into the time of year when all the leagues hold their annual meetings, with the Manchester and District League set to officially welcome Miles Platting and Bury into membership. All the season’s awards will also be handed out, before a short close season due to the late finish in the Metropolitan League. Several clubs have expressed concern about the season running into mid-November, but the league is not intending to change its schedule just yet. It is felt that with Hackney suffering so many postponements, this was a unique year – but the situation next autumn will surely be closely monitored.

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END OF SEASON REVIEW: 1871

With the Old Westminsters taking the Metropolitan League crown, it was perhaps no surprise that their manager Joe Allaire was named Best Manager in the league, having taken the team close to success in his first two years before winning a championship in the third. It was also no surprise that star pitcher Daniel Armstrong was named as the league’s Best Pitcher, the second successive year he has taken the honour. He surely had a claim on the Best Player award as well having recorded a .330 batting average in addition to his pitching success, but that went to Jim White of The Regent’s Park. He seemed set to finish on a new record high average for the league when he sat at .438 with seven games to play, but recorded just three more hits. Nevertheless, his .389 was comfortably the best in the league.

In Manchester, Irwell’s championship winning skipper Isaac Roch was named Best Manager, while the Best Pitcher award was little consolation for Rochdale’s Benjamin Thompson after his team missed out on the title. Gerald Lawton’s batting average of .396 for Salford was the best in the country and earned him Best Player. The league’s meeting also confirmed the admission of Miles Platting and Bury for the 1872 season, and also confirmed that the schedule format will mirror that of the Metropolitan League, with each team playing the other nine on four occasions, with double games in the middle of the season.

In the Leeds and Bradford League, Edwin Halliday took Best Manager having led Bowling to the league’s first championship, but like Irwell they didn’t take either of the two main playing awards. Best Pitcher was Maurice Walker of runners-up Bradford Beck, while third-placed Leeds provided the winner of Best Player as Benjamin Perry took the honours. The only man to win Best Manager without leading his team to the championship was Cornelius Simmonds of St Helens, who took the honour in the Liverpool and District League despite his team’s late collapse which saw them lose the title in a tiebreaking game. Champions Liverpool did supply Best Player as Samuel Moynihan took the prize, while Great Float’s strong second half to the year helped Jesse Davidson to get the votes for Best Pitcher.

With four leagues now in play across England, there has been some discussion about which is strongest, particularly whose champion might be considered to be England’s top team. Just like last year when most people felt that the City of London Club were much stronger than Salford, it is the Metropolitan League which gets the nod as the best again, perhaps unsurprisingly as the longest established competition. However, to the annoyance of many in the Manchester area a number of observers in the north have suggested that both Liverpool and Bowling would be likely to get the better of Irwell, while being very closely matched themselves. Perhaps one day the leading teams in each of the league will meet one another, enabling us to be sure once and for all who is the strongest.

With another season over, there will in fact be three new leagues to follow next year rather than just two, as the first league in southern England outside of London has been announced. It is not far outside of London it must be said, covering the remainder of the county of Middlesex which lies outside the Metropolis. The league, like those in Sheffield and Glasgow which were announced earlier in the year, is expected to have six teams taking part, with the same thirty game schedule already used in London and Liverpool. Details of all three competitions are expected to be confirmed in the new year, along with the changes to the championships in Oxford and Cambridge as they grow to ten teams.

1871 ROLL OF HONOUR
Metropolitan League: Old Westminsters (3rd title)
Manchester and District League: Irwell Meadow (1st title)
Leeds and Bradford League: Bowling Old Lane (1st title)
Liverpool and District League: Liverpool St Patrick’s (1st title)
Oxford University Championship: Trinity College (2nd title)
Cambridge University Championship: Queens’ College (1st title)
County Championship: Middlesex (2nd title)
Varsity Series: University of Cambridge (2nd title)

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1872 SEASON

The growth of the game of baseball seems to be happening at an ever faster pace as this year, both university competitions grow in size, as does the Manchester and District League in just its third season. Additionally, there are three new leagues to follow in Middlesex, south Yorkshire and for the first time, in Scotland. All three are set to follow the path set by the Metropolitan League and followed by the Liverpool and District, of a six team league playing a thirty game schedule.

One thing that will not be changing this year is the format of the County Championship, as the rumoured inclusion of teams from Lancashire and Yorkshire has not come to pass. It is believed that they could not agree with the existing four teams on how to fit in another round of the competition. Some wanted to start a week earlier, others felt that was too soon and wished to end the season a week later. That was rejected as the counties were concerned about the late end to the Metropolitan League last season. Discussions are believed to be ongoing though, so it may well prove to be the case that this year's championship is the last with just four counties involved. The practice of switching semi-final opponents is continuing, which means that this year's tournament will see two-time defending champions Middlesex host Kent, while last year's runners-up Surrey entertain Essex.

There are no changes to the Metropolitan League format this year, or indeed those of the Leeds & Bradford or Liverpool & District Leagues, however there is one visual change in London. With the City of London Club and Hackney having worn white jerseys when facing one another last season, league officials felt that this contrast between the home team and the visitors worked exceptionally well and so the wearing of white jerseys by the away team has now been made mandatory in the Metropolitan League.

NEW TEAMS: MANCHESTER AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
The Manchester and District League’s two new clubs, Bury Ground and Miles Platting Works, have officially joined the competition. Bury, named after the area where they play, wear blue jerseys with the club name embroidered across them. Miles Platting, a works team from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, play in a shade of green slightly darker than that worn by city rivals Moss Grove. Those teams will use white jerseys when they travel to play each other, similar to the City of London Club and Hackney in the Metropolitan League.

With that development having become mandatory for all teams in the Metropolitan League, it may well be the case that in the future all teams will have a white jersey into which they can change in the event of a colour clash, although that has not officially been adopted as a rule as yet. The growth of the Manchester and District League means that its schedule will mirror that of the Metropolitan League, with thirty-six games for each team.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
L-R: Bury Ground, Miles Platting Works


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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NEW TEAMS: OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITIES

The Oxford and Cambridge University Championships also grow to ten teams each. Teams from Pembroke and King’s Colleges are now part of the championship in Cambridge, while Wadham College and St Edmund Hall join in Oxford. The Oxford University Championship could have grown to twelve teams, but with insufficient interest for Cambridge to do the same it was decided that the competitions should retain the same format, to simplify the scheduling of the Varsity Series.

Both leagues will play a thirty-six game schedule, with midweek games scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays one week and just on Wednesdays the next. After every nine games, there is a spare midweek with no scheduled games and the idea is to allow rescheduled games to be placed there, reducing the likelihood of too many double games or fixtures late in June.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
L-R: St Edmund Hall, Wadham College


MAP OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY TEAM LOCATIONS:


CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
L-R: King's College, Pembroke College


MAP OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY TEAM LOCATIONS:

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NEW LEAGUE: MIDDLESEX COUNTY LEAGUE

The Middlesex County League was not the idea of any individual club but rather the committee who select the Middlesex team for the County Championship. They are trying to encourage more players from the county and from the areas of the Metropolis taken from the county to join clubs. This is in an attempt to strengthen their team for the County Championship, although some would say that having won the last two championships it is not necessary. The league consists of three teams from the west of the county and three from the east. Although they are from small towns, these are in areas where the population is starting to grow as people move out of London, a trend which will surely only continue as time goes on.


From the west of the county come Ealing Dean, Isleworth Brewery and the Old Harrovians. Ealing Dean take their name from the former hamlet of that name, now grown into Ealing itself, where their home field has been built on a former gravel pit. They play in dark red, with dark green as a secondary colour. Isleworth’s team are the works team of the large brewery just outside the town and their jerseys are light brown in colour. The Old Harrovians are the old boys’ team of Harrow School, playing just across town from the school itself and using the school’s colour of blue for their team jerseys.

From the east of the county are Tottenham Lock, Enfield New River and Edmonton Green. Tottenham take their name from the lock on the River Lee Navigation which runs near to their home field. They play in yellow jerseys, with the team name embroidered in maroon. Enfield's name reflects the 'New River', which was built to supply water to London and which flows alongside their field. The blue of the river cutting through the green of the countryside is the inspiration for their striped jerseys. Edmonton Green are named after the old village green where the club’s founders met up before practice sessions. They now play just down the road from the green, but use the green colour for their jerseys.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Ealing Dean, Edmonton Green, Enfield New River
Bottom Row (L-R): Isleworth Brewery, Old Harrovians, Tottenham Lock


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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NEW LEAGUE: SHEFFIELD AND DISTRICT LEAGUE

The Sheffield and District League was the idea of two clubs from that city, Sheffield Philadelphia and Sanderson’s Weir. Sheffield Philadelphia are not named directly after the city of that name in America, but rather the Philadelphia Steel Works in the centre of Sheffield, where the club founders worked. Their home field is two-thirds of a mile away at Crookes Moor, while their jersey colours are blue and gold. Sanderson's Weir, who began playing on a patch of wasteground alongside the weir of that name on the River Don. As well as the river, the ground is surrounded by steel works which undoubtedly inspired the club's jersey colour of steel grey.

The two founders invited a third club from their city, Hallamshire Rifles, who are a military team formed by the Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps. They play at the Hyde Park ground in Sheffield, which they also use as their drill ground, and play in red jerseys with a sheaf of arrows from Sheffield’s coat of arms as their symbol. The other three teams come from the nearby towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. Barnsley Shaw Lands play at Shaw Lane, just to the west of the town, and wear old gold jerseys. Doncaster Northern are the works team of the Great Northern Railway’s plant in the town. They play in green jerseys and have their home field at Crimpsall Island, an area between two channels of the River Don. The final team are Holmes Tail Goit, from Rotherham, whose name comes from that of a small streams which runs past their home field. Their jerseys are dark blue.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Barnsley Shaw Lands, Doncaster Northern, Hallamshire Rifles
Bottom Row (L-R): Holmes Tail Goit, Sanderson's Weir, Sheffield Philadelphia


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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NEW LEAGUE: GLASGOW AND DISTRICT LEAGUE

The final new league is the first in Scotland. Also consisting of six teams who will play a thirty game schedule, the Glasgow and District League features five clubs from in and around the city as well as one from nearby Paisley. Owing to concerns about available daylight time at a higher latitude in spring and autumn, games in the first three weeks and last three weeks of the season will begin at 2pm rather than 3pm.

From the centre of Glasgow come Dundashill Distillery, who are the distillery's works team and play on an area of converted wasteground alongside. They play in gold jerseys, with a simplified outline of a pot still as their logo. To the south of the city are Lanark-Renfrew Border, whose name gives away their location on the border of the counties of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire - with the infield of their home ground lying in the former and the outfield in the latter. Their jerseys are dark blue with the letters 'L' and 'R' in dark red on either side of the chest. Govan Cross play just outside the city itself and like Middlesex side Edmonton, take their name from the place where the club's founders used to meet to arrange practices. Govan play in dark gold with a silver cross logo and the club's initials in blue.

Just across the River Clyde from Govan are Burgh of Partick, who play in black jerseys with the club name embroidered in red. They play at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick. Tollcross Burn play out to the east of Glasgow and began as the works team of the nearby Clyde Iron Works, although they now accept players from outside the works. Their jerseys are green, with stripes in a darker shade of green. Furthest away from Glasgow are White Cart Water, who come from Paisley and are named after the river that runs through the town. They play in a field alongside the river and their colours are blue and gold.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Burgh of Partick, Dundashill Distillery, Govan Cross
Bottom Row (L-R): Lanark-Renfrew Border, Tollcross Burn, White Cart Water


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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*** NB: Due to problems with my save which have now been resolved, the 1872 County Championship had to be replayed. The results of games were kept the same. ***

TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1872 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

If this year is to mark the end of the era of a four-team County Championship, it has finished with a tournament which was an exact replica of last year's. The big talking point this time around was the impact of the new Middlesex County League on the roster of the reigning champions, and there was much talk prior to the semi-finals about their decision to include seven players from the new league in their twenty-man selection, including all five pitchers. The choice as starter was Jim Aldridge of Edmonton, yet to appear in any competitive game, and it was a selection which was fully justified.

Facing Kent in their semi-final, Middlesex took the lead in the first inning when the Royal Artillery Barracks’ John Pinhay came up to bat with runners at first and third and nobody out. Although his ground ball led to two outs, another Edmonton man David Warme came home to score. Meanwhile, Aldridge was pitching superbly. By the seventh inning, he had allowed just five hits as Middlesex still led 1-0, and it was there that they put the game beyond Kent. One run had already scored on a hit from the Old Westminsters’ Andrew Stockdale when Miles Bell of The Regent’s Park came up to bat with two out and runners at second and third. Kent needed to keep the game close, but Bell found a hit to score two more and make the score 4-0. There was no way back and despite two hits in the eighth and another in the ninth, Aldridge completed an eight-hit shutout to secure a 4-0 victory for Middlesex and a place in the final for the fifth successive year, as they sought a third successive title.



The other semi-final matched up the two pitchers who had battled for the Metropolitan League championship last year, Daniel Armstrong of the Old Westminsters representing Surrey, and Peckham's Augustus Milledge, playing for Essex. Both were in fine form, and the game reached the fifth inning with no score, but it was there that all the drama took place. The Old Westminsters’ Hubert Watts reached base for Essex with one out, and then with two down it was George Reeves of Greenwich whose two-base hit gave his team the lead. Surrey wanted a quick reply and they got one in their half of the inning, as with runners at second and third and two out, Noah Sanders of Angel brought both home to turn the game around. Surrey now led 2-1, and pitcher Armstrong was in no mood to allow the advantage to slip. He did not allow a single batter to reach base across the last four innings, carrying Surrey through to a 2-1 win and a place in the final.



The stage was set for a repeat of last year's final between Middlesex and Surrey. Champions Middlesex called the coin toss for home advantage correctly, and so would play on their home field again in the final. Surrey made a fine start when the Westminsters’ Harold Simpson brought home a run with two out in the first inning, but the advantage did not last as the Artillery’s John Pinhay delivered a hit which tied the game in the Middlesex half of the first. In the third inning, Jim White of the Regents had a chance to restore Surrey’s lead if he could find a hit with two outs and a runner at third, and he duly delivered to give his team a 2-1 advantage. After Middlesex wasted a glorious chance to turn the game their way in the fourth, they began the fifth with a two-base hit from pitcher Aldridge, with his Edmonton team-mate David Warme following that by producing a three-base hit which tied the game at 2-2. Miles Bell of the Regents then hit a ball deep into the outfield, which was caught for the first out but allowed Warme to come home and give Middlesex a 3-2 lead.

Just as Daniel Armstrong had shut down any hopes of an Essex fightback in Surrey’s semi-final, this time Aldridge did the same to them as he allowed them just one hit in the remaining four innings, an eighth inning effort where Surrey could not advance the runner beyond first. When Sanders hit a simple ground ball in the ninth, Middlesex had completed a 3-2 victory and secured a third successive championship, making them the first county to win the tournament three times. A surprise choice before the tournament, Aldridge was named as Best Pitcher, while it was Surrey’s Edmund Thackray who took Best Player despite being on the losing team in the final. He recorded five hits in just seven attempts across the two games he played, a fine effort which went unrewarded in the tournament but which earned him deserved individual recognition.



Nothing has yet been officially announced, but it seems increasingly certain that Lancashire and Yorkshire will join the championship in 1873. With six teams taking part, a change in format will be needed and we wait to hear confirmation of how the championship will look next year. For now, attention turns to the club season with the Metropolitan League starting its eighth season next week, and the Manchester and District League its third. Focus will be on the two new clubs in the Manchester and District League, especially given the strong performances of new clubs in London where the Royal Artillery Barracks won the championship at the first attempt and Peckham finished as runners-up in their first season a year ago. The university season also begins on the same day, with expanded ten-team competitions in Oxford and Cambridge.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MARCH 1872

Last year’s top two, the Old Westminsters and Peckham Rye, have made a poor start this time after losing three of their four games so far. The Westminsters started out with a 2-1 loss in extra inning to Greenwich and have only a win over Hackney to their name, while Peckham defeated the Royal Artillery Barracks on opening day but have lost all three since. Both are already three games behind The Regent’s Park, who are the only undefeated team, while Greenwich are one game back alongside surprise strong starters Hackney, who finished last a year ago. Everyone has at least one win after the Artillery and the City of London Club ended March with wins over Clapham and Angel respectively.

Of the other established leagues, Oldham are the only undefeated team in the Manchester and District League despite having their first two games postponed, as they have since defeated Miles Platting and Belle Vue. Moss Grove won their first three but ended March losing against Bolton, while Rochdale also have three wins from four as they rebound well from losing the title in a tiebreaker last year. Champions Irwell have also only played two, losing to Rochdale before a win over a struggling Stockport team. Newcomers Miles Platting and Bury each have two victories, while Belle Vue and Stockport are winless. Leeds and Bradford League teams have only played once, with victories for Woodhouse, Wakefield, Bradford and champions Bowling. Postponements mean that most teams in the Liverpool and District League have also only played one game, with Sankey and St Helens joining champions Liverpool in winning on opening day. Toxteth defeated Liverpool in the only game played in week two, leaving those teams tied on even records.

In the new leagues, the Old Harrovians have recorded wins over Tottenham and Ealing to sit as the only undefeated team in the Middlesex County League after two rounds of games. Isleworth, who have lost to Edmonton and Enfield, are without a victory while everyone else has one win and one loss to their name. Doncaster and Holmes Tail, whose second week meeting was postponed, are both undefeated from a single game in the Sheffield and District League. Barnsley are without a win after losing to Doncaster and Hallamshire. All three Sheffield clubs have a win and a defeat. Up in Scotland, Dundashill have won two from two in the Glasgow and District League, while Lanark-Renfrew have done likewise. Govan and Burgh of Partick have lost twice.

The university seasons are at the one quarter mark already, with champions Trinity tied for first place in Oxford as they challenge for a third successive title. They are level with New College, who often seem to start strongly, but who lost the outright lead with defeat to Trinity in the last game of the month. Magdalen are just a fraction behind alongside newcomers Wadham College, but the other new team St Edmund Hall are in last place having lost their last six. At Cambridge, champions Queens’ opened up by losing to both Gonville & Caius and newcomers King’s, but won their next six to share first place by the end of the month. King’s are a surprise presence in the tie for first place themselves, along with Jesus College who took the title two years ago. Clare are just behind despite finishing last season at the bottom of the standings. In last place are the other new team Pembroke College, who like St Edmund at Oxford have lost six successive games.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: APRIL 1872

The Regent’s Park look the class of the Metropolitan League this season so far as they have opened up a lead at the top of the standings. Despite a surprise loss to unexpected early season contenders Hackney, the Regents won their other three games in April and have now taken seven of eight to begin the year. Hackney’s defeat to Greenwich means that those two teams share second place, while the Old Westminsters are finding form in defence of their title as they won all four in April to sit just two games off the pace. Having been strong ever since joining the league, it is turning out to be an awful year for the Royal Artillery Barracks who lost every game this month and sit last, with just one win from eight games.

Four wins from four games in April have moved Manchester and District League champions Irwell into first place, completing a five game winning run after they dropped their opener this year. Three teams are just a fraction behind them though, led by the team Irwell beat in a tiebreaker last year, Rochdale. Newcomers Miles Platting are there too, and they could have been out in from themselves had they not narrowly dropped an extra innings game against Rochdale. Salford are in that tie too, their only defeat this month being a narrow loss to Irwell. At the bottom of the standings, Belle Vue sit last and they are trying to transform their fortunes by taking advantage of the interest in the zoological gardens alongside their home field, where the new star attraction is the elephant Maharajah, who arrived from Scotland this month. A silhouette representation of the elephant has replaced the ‘BV’ monogram on the players’ jerseys.

The reigning champions are also out in front in the Leeds and Bradford League, where Bowling Old Lane responded to a surprise defeat at the hands of lowly Huddersfield by beating Leeds to end the month. They sit fractionally ahead of Woodhouse, whose own attempt to recover from their first defeat of the season was thwarted when their game against Hunslet was postponed. Halifax and Wakefield both ended the month with successive victories and sit just a game back, but last year’s contenders Bradford and Leeds are struggling for consistency so far. Hunslet have started consistently in a way that they will not like, as they are the sole winless team in any league as April comes to an end.

In the Liverpool and District League, champions Liverpool St Patrick’s gave up sole possession of first place when they ended the month with a defeat against Great Float team who are improving after a poor start to the year. St Patrick’s were joined in a tie for first by Toxteth, which will be broken one way or the other weather permitting in the first game of May, as the two teams are scheduled to meet. Fractionally behind sit St Helens, who won their first three games but have ended April by losing to both of the clubs that are now ahead of them.

Among the new leagues, the Old Harrovians already look like they may be the first winners of the Middlesex County League. However, having won their first five games, their undefeated came to an end on the final weekend of the month as they fell to an unexpectedly heavy 6-0 defeat against Tottenham. Tottenham are now one of four teams tied for second place on even records, with Isleworth already two games behind in last place having won just once in five this year.

Unfancied Doncaster lead the way in the Sheffield and District League, their only loss so far coming after an uncharacteristically poor start against Sanderson’s Weir. Another small town club, Holmes Tail of Rotherham, sit just behind despite a very mixed month, as the three Sheffield clubs are all proving inconsistent as they sit on even records after six games. In Scotland, Lanark-Renfrew ended Dundashill’s undefeated start in the Glasgow and District League but still sit fractionally behind in second place, as they lost two of their four games in April. Burgh of Partick are the form team, as having lost their first three games of the season they have now won the next three to move up into third place.

The universities have reached the half-way point and there looked to be nothing to stop Trinity College winning a third successive title in Oxford as they entered the final game of the month leading by three games having won their last seven. However, they let slip an early lead in that game against Brasenose and went down to a narrow 2-1 defeat. That allowed Merton and newcomers Wadham to move to within two, with Brasenose a little further back in fourth. St Edmund Hall are enduring a very poor first season, with eight successive losses and just three wins from eighteen so far this year. At Cambridge, Jesus College lead the way but nobody is showing great consistency at the moment. Newcomers King’s are second, one game back, with Clare a fraction further behind. St Catharine’s had been the form team with six wins to start the month of April, but they lost their last two and are two games off the pace in fourth place.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MAY 1872

The Regent’s Park look increasingly like the champions of the Metropolitan League in waiting as they completed an undefeated month and extended their advantage in the standings to three games. That was despite a change of pitcher, as former star Mark Howe returned after more than a year having recovered from a bad injury. He returned with a fine performance in the 3-1 victory against Clapham, and although it is tough for stand-in George Upshaw to lose the position, Howe is clearly the first choice once again. The Regents’ lead has grown because Greenwich and Hackney, who are tied for second place, could only manage two wins and two defeats each, while champions the Old Westminsters had a win, a defeat and two games postponed.

Champions Irwell still have a lead in the Manchester and District League, but after an eight game run their winning streak came to an end against Salford in the final game of May. That brought Salford level with Rochdale and newcomers Miles Platting, who also both lost their final games of the month, in a three-way tie for second place. The reigning champions also lead the way in the Leeds and Bradford League, but Bowling Old Lane now have company in first place after a surprise loss to lowly Hunslet in their final game of the month. They are joined by Wakefield, as the team from the league’s smallest town won three of their four games in May to move into contention. Having lost 4-0 to Bowling earlier in the month, Woodhouse are a fraction behind in third place, while Halifax are now a game off the pace having lost to both the co-leaders in their last two games.

In the Liverpool and District League, there are less than two games between all six clubs as a tight race seems inevitable, but once again it is the reigning champions leading the way at the moment. Liverpool St Patrick’s scored just two runs in their four games, but still managed two wins and sit fractionally ahead of Great Float, who they meet in their first game of June. Toxteth lost three of four in May but are still only one game back, fractionally ahead of the other three clubs. In the Middlesex County League, early pacesetters the Old Harrovians have been overtaken as they were beaten in each of their last three games in May. Edmonton are the new leaders as they won every game this month, including a dramatic eighteen inning victory over the Harrovians, as they extended their winning run to six in total. Nobody else has a winning record, with Ealing two games off the pace in third on an even five wins and five defeats.

Doncaster Northern are still the leaders of the Sheffield and District League, but their four game winning run was ended by Sanderson’s Weir in the final game of May and it is Weir who have moved clear of the rest of the pack in second place, as they won three of four in the month. Nobody else has a winning record, which means that already it may be down to Weir to chase Doncaster if there is to be a close race. Up in Scotland, a mixed month for Dundashill means that they are now fractionally behind Lanark-Renfrew in the Glasgow and District League, having lost their meeting 2-0. Having started the month losing to Lanark-Renfrew, Tollcross won their remaining three games and are now clear in third place.

The university season is now at the three-quarter mark and Trinity still lead by three games in Oxford. They opened the month with a win over Merton and then won six more games in succession after that, but Merton responded well to stay in touch. They won their next six as well, before both of the leading two ended May with two defeats, allowing newcomers Wadham to edge closer as they sit third, four games off the pace. In Cambridge, it is all much closer with a new team very much at the heart of the race. King’s College have won their last five games, including victories over fellow contenders St Catharine’s and Jesus College, and they currently share first place with Jesus College. St Catharine’s sit one game behind, while Trinity, who have struggled in the championship before this year, have also won their last five and are only two off the pace.

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[After a long delay caused by a lack of time to work on the game, I can now get this save running again - hopefully much faster from now on.]

MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JUNE 1872

Having entered the month clear at the top of the Metropolitan League standings, The Regent’s Park have been overtaken after a hugely disappointing run in which they lost five of their seven games in June, several of them by heavy margins. They have been passed by the reigning champions, the Old Westminsters, who won seven out of eight and have now taken twelve of their last fourteen, after losing three of four to begin the campaign. Greenwich are a further game back after they shared two with the Westminsters on the final Saturday of June, their win in the first game making them the only team to defeat the champions all month. Kensington are fractionally further back in fourth, but their defeats to both the Westminsters and Greenwich prevented them from getting closer.

In the Manchester and District League, Salford lead by a game from Rochdale, those two sides splitting the games when they met for two in a day. Champions Irwell have faltered, winning just three and losing five in the month of June. They ended by sharing two with Oldham, whose form is moving in the other direction and with whom they now share third place. Newcomers Miles Platting are fading after a strong start to the year, their two defeats to Salford at the end of the month leaving them three games off the pace as the season moves into its second half.

Champions Bowling are back fractionally ahead in the Leeds and Bradford League, having fallen behind when challengers Wakefield defeated them 4-1 to begin the month. Bowling won all four of their remaining games in June, and returned to first place when their city neighbours Bradford Beck won 3-2 against Wakefield. Woodhouse are the only other team with a winning record, but their form has been poor of late and they could struggle to sustain a challenge. In the Liverpool and District League, Liverpool St Patrick’s won three of their four games in June. Most significant was the month-ending win over St Helens which extended their advantage at the top of the standings. Linacre, who are tied for second with St Helens, also ended June with a loss and Liverpool look to be in a strong position at the midway point in the year.

In Middlesex, Edmonton have a comfortable lead despite losing their first two games of the month, as they went on to win the next three. At the moment they are the only team with a winning record, as three teams sit tied on even marks, with Isleworth and Tottenham moving in the right direction while the Old Harrovians slide back. In the Sheffield and District League, Doncaster edged slightly further ahead as both they and Sanderson’s Weir lost just once in June, but Doncaster played and won one more game. They lead by two, and Weir’s chance to close the gap at the end of the month was lost when rain caused the postponement of their game in Doncaster. Lanark-Renfrew have opened up a two game lead in the Glasgow and District League, despite losing twice in June, as they recorded a 2-0 win over rivals Dundashill Distillery and then saw Distillery beaten twice by lowly Govan a week later.

The season is over in the universities, where for a third successive year one championship was won easily while the other needed a tiebreaker to decide it. Trinity College were easy winners in Oxford, taking an unprecedented third consecutive championship. Their final winning margin was seven games, the crucial win being a 2-1 success over Merton early in the month after which they did not lose another game. The drama came at Cambridge this year, where former champions Jesus College and newcomers King’s battled for the title, while reigning champions Queens’ tried to catch up with a strong late run. Queens’ actually won their last ten games but it was still not enough, they had left their run too late.

King’s entered the last two games of the season one game clear of Jesus College, with the two to meet in their penultimate fixture. King’s knew a win would make them champions, but in a dramatic battle, they lost a 3-1 lead and eventually went down 4-3 in ten innings to leave the two tied heading to the final game. Both recorded comfortable victories and so an additional game was needed. King’s had actually won all of the first three meetings with Jesus College, losing only that game where victory would have brought the title, so they were hosts for the tiebreaker. Home advantage was of little help as they fell 2-0 behind in the third inning, and could find no response until the eighth when the deficit was cut to 2-1. King’s recorded one hit in the ninth but could not advance the runner past first base, and having won the title in a tiebreaker two years ago Jesus College had done the same again.

With the league seasons over, the universities now turn to the Varsity Series, where Cambridge are looking for a third successive series win. Oxford, whose sole success came in the first series three years ago, will host the first game this year, with Cambridge hosting the second.

[Hageneezz]

Fantastic stuff

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TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1872 VARSITY SERIES

The University of Oxford have ended Cambridge’s two-year hold on the Varsity Series and levelled the overall score at two series wins each, by taking this year’s contest in two games. It was an eagerly awaited matchup between pitchers Sidney Meystre of Worcester College for Oxford, and David Dawson of St Catharine’s for Cambridge. Both men have now completed their studies and will be leaving university this summer, so this series was the last chance for them to perform at this level.

Both pitchers were in fine form in the first game at Oxford, with no runs scoring in the first six innings. In the seventh however, it was Dawson who faltered first when he allowed hits to the first three Oxford men. With two on base and nobody out, the third of those hits came from Edmund Smerdon of champions Trinity College, bringing home Worcester’s Thomas Shepherd to give Oxford a 1-0 lead. Three batters later, with still only one man out and Dawson struggling to get through the inning, he hit Magdalen’s Simon Dawson with a pitch to force in another run and extend Oxford’s lead to 2-0. Although Cambridge negotiated the remainder of the seventh without further damage, they hit more problems in the eighth when they found themselves facing runners at second and third with nobody out. A long ball hit by Trinity’s John Russell was caught for the first out but was deep enough for Magdalen’s Thomas Knight to come home and the lead grew further to 3-0. Cambridge had no reply, Oxford pitcher Meystre successfully retiring the side in the ninth to complete a four-hit shutout and give Oxford a one-game lead.



Cambridge had to win the second game on their own field to keep the series alive, and made the worst possible start when poor fielding again gave Oxford runners at second and third with nobody out. Once more it was John Russell who brought a run home, this time with a base hit to centre field, giving Oxford a 1-0 advantage. Cambridge had to do something they had not managed up to that point, namely find a way to score against Meystre, but his pitching was simply outstanding. Although Cambridge recorded successive hits in the third inning, there were already two out at the time and they were unable to score. Aside from that chance, they forced a runner round to third base in the sixth inning and again in the eighth, but each time Meystre was able to get the third out before the tying run could score. A simple ninth inning gave him another complete game shutout, this time allowing five hits, and meaning that the single run was enough for Oxford to win the game 1-0 and the series two games to none.



To nobody’s surprise, Meystre was named the Best Pitcher for this year after recording two shutouts, while Fred Finch of Cambridge champions Jesus College was named as Best Player, having been responsible for three of the nine hits Meystre allowed. Oxford men came second and third in the voting, but split the vote to such an extent that Finch took the prize despite finishing on the losing team.