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as5680 · 03-31-2021, 05:31 PM

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.

03-31-2021, 05:31 PM	#107
as5680 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Didcot, England Posts: 1,426	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.