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Opening Day in South Shields.

Fans Cheer Ramsay in Tynesiders' Loss to Swifts.

Walsall began their 1924 season on the road Monday in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, at the grounds at Horsley Hill to take on the Tynesiders in a match that would resemble more of a mismatch. The Tynesiders appear to be a very poor side that will almost certainly contend for relegation in September.

Nevertheless, Swifts are the perennial champions and EOI Cup winners who draw extremely well wherever they go whenever they go there, and South Shields would be no different, especially for the opening day’s match. And so over nine thousand expectant spectators showed up on a chilly, windy May Monday to witness the champions play their local nine, but there was also more to all this than just that. For last November, Walsall went to America and Cuba to play the vaunted New York Yankees, and it was there that Jamie Ramsay took his famous parting shot at the great Babe Ruth, one that questioned both Ruth's fitness and his nationality identification skills.

How would the great Scottish baseballer be greeted by a grounds full of Englishmen in his first game after that statement? Why, with all nine thousand standing and loudly applauding him, of course. What else would one expect?

It is no secret that we British have a bit of what might fairly be termed an “inferiority complex”, as it pertains to the sport of baseball. The game is clearly played at a higher level in America—no one could reasonably argue otherwise if one wished to be taken seriously. However, it is one thing to recognise and accept one’s inferior position, and quite another to be on the receiving end of a malignant patronisation from the superior party. In that way, we British, whether English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish, are all in this together. We stand united as one David in protest against the insult of the Goliath, and that is what the Sanddancers were cheering for on Monday. Each time Ramsay arrived on home plate to discharge his duties, he received a warm ovation, albeit less so as successive trips mounted.

The match itself was a cracking affair as South Shields took a lead of three runs into the ninth innings, during which Walsall mounted a five runs attack to eventually steal the game from Tynesiders by a final score of nine runs to eight. It should be noted that during that final innings, when Ramsay arrived on plate for his turn with all bases occupied, and having already scored three base hits at the expense of Tynesider pitcher Willie Palmer, a murmurous booing arose to greet Ramsay, and in reply he smiled broadly, for all was finally back to normal.