Baseball in the United Kingdom

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Part of the History of baseball series.

Contents 1 Introduction in the 19th Century 2 Resurgence prior to WWII 3 At present 4 Champions 5 External links

[edit] Introduction in the 19th Century

Part of the Baseball series on History of baseball

• Origins of baseball • Early years • First league • New York rules • Massachusetts rules • Alexander Cartwright • Abner Doubleday • First pro team • First pro league • Derived from: • Cricket • Compared to baseball • Rounders • Town ball • History of baseball in: • the United States • Worldwide • the United Kingdom • Canada • Japan • Cuba • Netherlands • Negro league baseball • Minor league baseball • Ken Burns' documentary • Baseball Hall of Fame • Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) • Baseball year-by-year • MLB season-by-season

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Baseball was officially first played in the United States, though forms of baseball or rounders have been played in the United Kingdom since at least the 18th century, and the traditional game of British baseball continues in Wales and Merseyside. In 1890 the international version of the game was introduced to the United Kingdom in Derby by Francis Ley, a Derby man who had discovered the game on a trip to the United States, and Albert Goodwill Spalding, an American sporting goods businessman who saw opportunities to expand his business across the Atlantic. One of the first baseball clubs was the Derby County Baseball Club which ran away with the first championship after the National Baseball League of Great Britain and Ireland was established in 1890. However, pressure from other teams in the league over the number of American players on the Derby team forced Derby to resign at the end of the league's first season, though the baseball club itself lasted until 1898.

[edit] Resurgence prior to WWII

Baseball's peak popularity in Britain was in the years immediately preceding World War II. Baseball teams shared grounds with football clubs (hence Derby County's home ground was named the Baseball Ground), and the game was run at a professional standard with up to 10,000 spectators per game.

One milestone of baseball in the United Kingdom was the 1938 victory of Great Britain over the United States to win the inaugural World Cup of Baseball.

[edit] At present

Today, there are more than 40 baseball teams and 875 adult players, ranging geographically from Cambridge to Liverpool, Southampton to Edinburgh.

There have been numerous league formats since 1890. The British Baseball Federation (BBF) is the governing body for baseball in the UK and the baseball leagues. Baseball clubs pay annual affiliation fees to be a member of the BBF and play in the BBF Leagues and Junior Leagues. There is also a full Great Britain Baseball Programme which comprises the Great Britain Baseball Academy, junior national teams and Great Britain 'Seniors' Baseball Team.

There are currently four tiers in the national game. The highest level is the National League followed by AAA, AA and A. All are split into a Northern and Southern Conference except for single A. The National League, AAA and AA have a final 4 tournament at the end of each season where the top 2 teams from the Southern Conference and the top 2 from the Northern Conference play a knock out match with the winning teams then progressing to the Championship Series. The Championship Series of the National League is best of 3, the AAA and AA championships are single games.

The season runs from April until August.

Baseball in Northern Ireland is affiliated to Baseball Ireland for practical reasons. Northern Ireland's only team, the Belfast Northstars play in the Irish Adult League.

[edit] Champions

1890 Preston North End F.C. 1892 Middlesbrough F.C. 1893 Thespian London 1894 Thespian London 1895 Derby County Baseball Club 1896 Wallsend - On - Tyne 1897 Derby County Baseball Club 1898 Derby County Baseball Club 1899 Nottingham Forest F.C. 1906 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 1907 Clapton Orient 1908 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 1909 Clapton Orient 1910 Brentford 1911 Leyton 1934 Hatfield Liverpool 1935 New London 1936 White City London 1937 Hull 1938 Rochdale Greys 1939 Halifax 1948 Liverpool Robins 1949 Hornsey Red Sox 1950 Burtonwood Bees 1951 Burtonwood Bees 1959 Thames Board Mills 12-3 East Hull Aces 1960 Thames Board Mills 6-1 Liverpool Tigers 1961 Liverpool Tigers 1962 Liverpool Tigers 8-3 East Hull Aces 1963 East Hull Aces 8-3 Garringtons 1964 Hull Aces 1965 Hull Aces 4-2 Stretford Saints 1966 Stetford Saints 3-1 Liverpool Aces 1967 Liverpool Yankees 4-2 Beckenham Bluejays 1968 Hull Aces 4-1 Hull Royals 1969 Watford - Sun Rockets 8-7 Liverpool Trojans 1970 Hull Royals 3-1 Hull Aces 1971 Liverpool Tigers 8-3 Hull Aces

1972 Hull Aces beat Hull Royals 1973 Burtonwood Yanks 23-3 Hull Aces 1974 Nottingham Lions 5-3 Hull Royals 1975 Liverpool Tigers 5-3 Nottingham Lions 1976 Liverpool Trojans 5-4 Spirit Of '76 1977 Golders Green Sox 9-5 Hull Aces 1978 Liverpool Trojans 14-12 Crawley Giants 1979 Golders Green Sox 9-7 Hull Aces 1980 Liverpool Trojans 12-1 Hull Aces 1981 London Warriors 23-1 Hull Aces 1982 London Warriors 16-7 Liverpool Trojans 1983 Cobham Yankees 10-3 Hull Mets 1984 Croydon Blue Jays 9-8 Hull Mets 1985 Hull Mets 10-8 London Warriors 1986 Cobham Yankees 12-5 Hull Mets 1987 Cobham Yankees 6-0 Southglade Hornets 1988 Cobham Yankees 16-1 Burtonwood Braves 1989 Enfield Spartans 15-9 Sutton Braves 1990 Enfield Spartans 22-3 Hull Mets 1991 Enfield Spartans beat London Athletics, two games to one 1992 BBF, Leeds City Royals, Awarded championship by walkover. 1992 NL, London Warriors beat Enfield Spartans, two games to nil 1993 BBF,Humberside Mets/Chicksands Indians, one game each+ 1993 NL, London Warriors 2-1 Enfield Spartans 1994 BBF,Humberside Mets beat Essex Arrows, two games to one 1994 NL, Enfield Spartans beat Waltham Forest Angels 1995 Menwith Hill Pirates beat London Warriors, two games to nil 1996 Menwith Hill Pirates beat London Warriors, two games to one 1997 London Warriors beat Kingston-upon-Hull Cobras, two games to nil 1998 Menwith Hill Patriots beat London Warriors, two games to nil 1999 Brighton Buccaneers 16-4 Windsor Bears 2000 London Warriors 11-7 Brighton Buccaneers 2001 Brighton Buccaneers 8-5 Windsor Bears 2002 Brighton Buccaneers 5-1 Windsor Bears 2003 Windsor Bears 9-4 Brighton Buccaneers 2004 Croydon Pirates 12-10 Windsor Bears 2005 Croydon Pirates beat Brighton Buccaneers, two games to nil 2006 Richmond Flames beat Croydon Pirates, two games to one 2007 London Mets beat Croydon Pirates, two games to nill

+ Game three of the 1993 final between Hull & Chicksands was cancelled because of the weather and never played, so both teams shared the Championship. +

[edit] External links

• BBF (British Baseball Federation)
• History of Baseball in the United Kingdom
• BBF Baseball
• Great Britain National Baseball Team
• Great Britain Baseball Scorers Association, the home of baseball scoring in the UK.
• Glasgow Baseball Association
• Croydon Pirates Baseball Club
• Edinburgh Diamond Devils Baseball Club
• London Mets Baseball Club
• Richmond Baseball & Softball Club
• Northampton Baseball Club