British and Irish Baseball - Making Another Attempt

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Originally Posted by Lafayette53

This is an awesome dynasty. You are really showing off the capabilities of the various features in OOTP!

Thanks - the coming seasons are going to see a proliferation of new leagues which should eventually be the basis for developing a promotion/relegation pyramid system.

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1870 SEASON

The only significant change in English baseball this year is the addition of the first new senior competiton outside of London, the Manchester and District League.

There are minor alterations to the schedules of the other competitions, as the Metropolitan League’s start date moves back to the final Saturday in March. Additionally, the two university league have moved their start date forward a week, to allow more time to reschedule games as required and still complete the schedule before the Varsity Series. That means that the Metropolitan League will begin two weeks after the two University leagues instead of on the same date. It also seems likely that the Metropolitan League will feature some players who have now left Oxford or Cambridge and who appeared in the University competitions over the past two years.

Also this year, with the County Championship final having once again been between Essex and Middlesex last year, this year’s semi-final matchups are again switched so that Essex will host Kent and Middlesex will entertain Surrey. The tournament will continue to be played so that the semi-finals are three weeks before the start of the Metropolitan League season and the final two weeks before, meaning that this year’s final will take place on the same day as the start of the University leagues.


NEW LEAGUE: MANCHESTER AND DISTRICT LEAGUE
The new Manchester and District League will begin in early April, a week after the new Metropolitan League season. Eight clubs will play one another four times each for a twenty-eight game schedule, playing each Saturday until early October and concluding – weather permitting – a week before the Metropolitan League. The eight founding members of the league are:

BELLE VUE GARDENS
Ballpark: Belle Vue; Jersey Colour: Silver
The Belle Vue club, instrumental in the formation of the league, play in the grounds of the Zoological Gardens of that name to the eastern side of Manchester. Their jerseys are silver with black trimmings, with the team’s initials embroidered on the chest.

BOLTON LE MOORS
Ballpark: Mill Hill; Jersey Colour: Dark Brown
From the town of Bolton, to the north-west of Manchester, Bolton le Moors take their name from the local Anglican parish for the town and were formed by parishioners at the church. They play at Mill Hill, on the east side of Bolton and just across the River Tonge. Their jerseys are dark brown, representing the peat of the moors which surround the town.

IRWELL MEADOW
Ballpark: The Meadow; Jersey Colour: Pale Green
Irwell play close to the boundary between the boroughs of Manchester and Salford and take their name from the river which flows there and also from their field inside one of its meanders. They play in pale green and stitched onto their jerseys in pale mauve is a representation of the river containing the club's initials.

MOSS GROVE
Ballpark: Moss Grove; Jersey Colour: Green
From Moss Side in the south of Manchester, Moss Grove take their name directly from their home field. Their jerseys are adorned with the red rose of Lancashire, as well as the name of the club stitched above and below the flower.

OLDHAM EDGE
Ballpark: Henshaw Street; Jersey Colour: Orange
To the north-east of Manchester are Oldham Edge, named after the ridge which looks over the town. The club’s home field at Henshaw Street is on the edge of the ridge. The team will wear orange jerseys with the club initials interlocking in black.

ROCHDALE MILLS
Ballpark: MacMillan Street; Jersey Colour: Black
The Rochdale club play on a ground shared with a local cricket team and surrounded by mills, from which were formed a number of works teams. Members of those clubs eventually decided that one club for the town would be stronger and so the various works teams joined together. The club play in black jerseys with white stripes and use a version of the borough coat of arms as their logo.

SALFORD SEEDLEY
Ballpark: Langworthy Road; Jersey Colour: Dark Red
From the town of Salford to the west of Manchester, the club are named after the Seedley Bleach Works, where many of the founding players are employed. Their home field, also shared with a cricket club, adjoins the bleach works. Salford’s dark red jerseys are adorned with the club initials ‘SS’, interlocking and coloured pale yellow.

STOCKPORT CARRINGTON
Ballpark: Carrington Road; Jersey Colour: Gold and Dark Blue stripes
The only one of the eight teams not based in the county of Lancashire, with the town – to the south-east of Manchester – just across the boundary in Cheshire. Stockport’s club take their name from the road in which their home field is found as well as the nearby Carrington Bridge. Like Rochdale, their jerseys feature a version of the borough arms, although the stripes on the jerseys are much thicker, not unlike those worn by The Regent’s Park in the Metropolitan League.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Belle Vue Gardens, Bolton le Moors, Irwell Meadow, Moss Grove
Bottom Row (L-R): Oldham Edge, Rochdale Mills, Salford Seedley, Stockport Carrington


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1870 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

In the fourth year of the competition's existence, Middlesex have become the third different winners of the County Championship after the highest scoring tournment to date produced three exciting games to begin the new season in English baseball.

Two-time winners Essex entered the event seeking a third successive victory, and made a good start to their semi-final meeting with Kent as they took the lead in the second inning. With Greenwich pitcher James Hicks in fine form, that single run looked as though it may be enough to win as the score remained unchanged as the game entered the eighth inning. Kent suddenly came to life there however, as with two men already out they managed to get two men on base, before a home run by the City of London Club's Roland Thornton put them ahead 3-1.

That should have won the game for Kent, as they held that advantage into the ninth and with a runner at first base, needed only one more out for the victory. Now it was the turn of Essex to turn the game though, as Clapham's George Berry recorded a hit to keep the game going before the City Club's Leonard Daly added a two-base hit to bring both runners home and tie the game at 3-3.

The game reached the eleventh inning where there seemed little chance of a Kent run with two men out and nobody on base, but the Artillery's Abel Sharp and Charles Baker of Greenwich were able to reach base and another Artillery man, Walter Halding, found the hit to bring both home and put Kent back in front 5-3. Essex got one man on in their half of the inning but could not respond, and after two years as champions their hold on the title was over.



The other semi-final saw Middlesex, beaten in the last two finals by Essex, take a one-run lead over Surrey in the first inning, only for former champions Surrey to hit back immediately with three in the second to assume control. The score remained unchanged until the sixth inning, when with two men out and a runner at first base, Middlesex found their way back into the game with three successive hits, the last of them by the Artillery's Wilfred Shaw tying the score at 3-3.

There was no more scoring until the ninth, when with Surrey batting and nobody on base with two men out, Greenwich's John Ballard found a two-base hit to keep the inning going. Jim White of The Regent's Park was the next man up, and hit his restored Surrey's lead at 4-3. They could add no more and took a one-run lead into Middlesex's half of the inning, where the first hitter, another Greenwich man - Walter Tagg - was able to find a hit of his own. Tagg advanced to second base on a sacrifice and then with one out, the Old Westminsters' Edmund Farrell recorded the hit which tied the game again at 4-4.

Just as in the game between Essex and Kent, the teams played on into the eleventh where Herbert Webb of Kensington recorded a hit to begin Middlesex's half of the inning. Farrell was involved again as this time it was his sacrifice which advanced Webb to second base, allowing his Westminsters team-mate Andrew Stockdale the chance to bring the runner home. Stockdale duly found a hit, but the ball was not deep enough in the field and Webb was forced to wait at third base with one man out. It was another Kensington player, John Goodwin, up next and when he failed to hit the ball out of the infield, Surrey must have hoped to record two outs to take the game to the twelfth inning. However, Merton College man Edward Waters, a rare university player in the tournament in Surrey's infield, was unsure whether he had time to record both outs and decided to throw to home plate. A moment's indecision meant that throw was not in time, and Webb scored the winning run to take Middlesex through by a score of 5-4.




The final was played on Kent's home field after they called the coin toss correctly, and with neither team having yet won the competition there was certain to be a new champion by the end of the afternoon. The home team made the better start, striking first in the second inning and then after Middlesex had tied the score in the fourth, responding in their half of the fourth to restore their lead at 2-1.

Kent held the advantage into the sixth, when with Middlesex batting, a runner at second base and one man out, everything changed. The City Club's Simeon Farrell (younger brother of the Westminsters' Edmund) and the Artillery's John Pinhay found consecutive two base hits, the former allowing Stockdale to score the tying run and the latter bringing Farrell back home to give Middlesex a 3-2 advantage.

From that point on, the Artillery's Henry Clarke, pitching for Middlesex, did not allow a runner to get past first base until the ninth inning, by which time his team had added another run to stretch their advantage to 4-2. With time and opportunity running out, two consecutive hits with one man out gave Kent hope of saving the game but Clarke composed himself and duly dismissed the Regents' Adam Tustain and Greenwich man Charles Baker to end the game. Middlesex took the win 4-2, giving them a first championship and allowing Clarke, who was named as Best Pitcher, to add another success to his two league championships with the Royal Artillery Barracks. Matthew Vanstone, a new man with the Old Westminsters who was playing catcher for Middlesex, took Best Player having recorded two hits in each of his team's games.



Attention now turns to the league season, with the university competitions having begun as the County Championship final was being played. Observers are expecting Christ Church, whose opening game was postponed, to fail in the defence of their championship at Oxford, with former winners Brasenose expected to battle with Merton College, who started so well a year ago before falling out of the race. At Cambridge, champions Gonville and Caius are expected to struggle with Queens' College most people's call to succeed them. That prediction was reinforced when Queens' beat Caius 1-0 in the first game of the season.

There are still two weeks to go before the Metropolitan League begins its sixth season, with one more week after that before we see the first action in the newly formed Manchester and District League.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MARCH 1870

The sixth season of play in the Metropolitan League got underway on the last Saturday of the month, with many predicting that two-time defending champions the Royal Artillery Barracks will struggle to get anywhere near a third crown, largely due to perceived poor hitting. Greenwich Meridian, who were within a single out of taking the title last season, are widely backed to go one better this time although former winners The Regent’s Park are also well fancied, due to the strength of their hitting line-up.

Play got underway with a repeat of the final tiebreaker game from last season, as the Artillery faced Greenwich, and the outcome was much the same. The Artillery were again the winners by a one-rune margin, although this time they took an early lead and then held off a ninth-inning Greenwich fightback to take a 3-2 victory. The Old Westminsters were the other club in last year’s three-way tie and they also made a winning start, needing eleven innings but eventually getting past Clapham 3-1. The Regent’s Park took first inning lead at Kensington but let the game slip away in the later innings and fell by the same score, while there was a disastrous start for last year’s worst team the City of London Club, as they were overwhelmed 12-2 by Angel Islington.



In contrast to the brand new Metropolitan League season, the university competitions are nearly one quarter through their campaign already and in Oxford, it may appear at first glance that the standings are upside-down. Few expected Christ Church to win another title, but nobody thought that alongside Balliol, they would be winless at the end of March. It should be noted though that Christ Church have played only four games as their first two were postponed. In complete contrast, New College finished last a year ago with only seven wins all season but this time they have almost matched that total already, winning their first six games to move clear in first place. Trinity lead the chase with four wins from five, ahead of a group of clubs on even records.

At Cambridge, there is also a team standing undefeated at the end of March, that being Jesus College. They came so close to winning the championship last year before falling away late on so will be determined to keep their fine start going, but St Catharine’s and Queens’ are only one game behind with five wins from six themselves. Everybody else has a losing record, so it may already be the case that the eventual winners will be one of those three leading teams. At the bottom of the standings, Emmanuel are the only club still to record a victory.



The final news this month is the impending start of the Manchester and District League’s first season, where it is one of the smaller town clubs who are being most widely backed to win the championship. Stockport are seen as favourites by many people, with both strong pitching and strong hitting, although Rochdale and Salford shouldn’t be too far away either. Everyone else looks closely matched in the middle of the pack, with the exception of Oldham who seem sure to struggle for runs, and are widely backed to finish last.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: APRIL 1870

April ends with Angel Islington as the sole undefeated team in the Metropolitan League, albeit from only four games as two of their fixtures have been postponed. Champions the Royal Artillery Barracks are making light of predictions that they might struggle to challenge again as they are close behind with four wins from five, having only slipped up against the Old Westminsters. The two leaders meet in their next game, a meeting which already looks important in the context of the season. Having finished last a year ago with only eight wins from thirty games, the City of London Club are a surprise presence in third place, three successive wins taking them already halfway to last season’s total.

Everyone else has a losing record, with the Westminsters one of three teams on two wins and three defeats, having followed their win over the Artillery by losing the next two. Kensington and The Regent’s Park are also moving in the wrong direction, while Clapham started with three defeats before wins over Greenwich and Kensington moved them up the standings. It is Greenwich who are the other surprise story of the year so far, as they were many people’s favourites to win the championship but began with five defeats. They finally earned a win to end the month, 2-1 in eleven innings against the Old Westminsters.

In the new Manchester and District League, one team has made a very strong start and already leads by two games with just five played. Salford were expected to have a strong year, but have started in remarkable form as they have allowed just three runs in winning all five of their games. Oldham made a strong start with three wins but have since lost the last two by identical 6-5 scorelines to Irwell and Rochdale. Irwell join them in a tie for second, where Moss Grove are also on three wins and two defeats. Stockport were well backed to challenge but lost their first two, although wins over Irwell and Bolton now move them up to an even record. Bolton and Belle Vue are struggling so far, managing just one win between them.



At Oxford University, last year’s worst team New College still lead the way having won their first eight games, but three wins and three defeats since that point have allowed Trinity to close the gap by winning their last four. Champions Christ Church have improved from a poor start but are still some way back in the middle of the pack. Over at Cambridge, Jesus College won their first nine games but have now lost four of the last five, losing the lead to Queens’ who have won their last five. St Catharine’s have joined Jesus College in second place with a three game winning run of their own, while nobody else has a winning record leaving a three-horse race for the title already.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MAY 1870

The Metropolitan League has surprise leaders at the one-third mark of the season, as the City of London Club have moved clear in first place on the back of a seven game winning run. The month began with the Royal Artillery Barracks taking over in first place having ended Angel’s winning start in extra innings, but the reigning champions ended the month with defeats against both Kensington and the City Club. City have now won eight games out of ten – the same number as they managed in the entire thirty game programme a year ago.

Victory over the Artillery formed part of an undefeated month for Kensington, who share second place with the champions, but Angel lost three of four and now sit two games off the pace in fourth place. Everyone else has a losing record, with the two teams who contested last year’s tiebreakers with the Artillery proving a particular disappointment. The season is turning out to be a disaster for Greenwich, who lost all their games and are a distant last in the standings, with just one win from ten games.

There is a three-way tie at the top of the Manchester and District League, with former outright leaders Salford having lost their undefeated record against Stockport at the start of the month. They were then defeated by Oldham and Irwell in the next two games, before recovering to end May with victory over Rochdale. Salford’s struggles had allowed Irwell to take over in first place, but they finished the month with a shock loss to an improving Belle Vue team, dropping them back into a tie for first. Oldham are in that tie as well, as they sit on a three-game winning run.

Moss Grove had been going well until two successive defeats to end the month, while Stockport and Rochdale are struggling for consistency and sit on even records. Belle Vue lost their first six but having earned a first win against Stockport, have gone on to win the next two as well and move clear of Bolton at the bottom of the standings. Bolton defeated Belle Vue in their first game of the season but since then have lost all eight and look set to be cut adrift.



At Oxford University, Trinity College look set to become the third different champions in as many years after early season pacesetters New College won just two of their eight games in May. Trinity won six of their eight, and with such a swing in fortunes the race would have been effectively over already had New College not won the meeting of the two late in the month. The race at Cambridge is much tighter, with Queens’, Jesus College and St Catharine’s still tied at the top of the standings. Queens’ had been out in front but were beaten by both their rivals this month, while St Catharine’s appear to be the form team having won their last three and ended May with a 4-0 win over Jesus College.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JUNE 1870

The City of London Club still lead the Metropolitan League but wasted a chance to move further ahead as the month came to an end, falling to a narrow defeat against Clapham as the game between chasers Angel and the Royal Artillery Barracks was postponed. The City Club won two out of four in June, compared with Angel and the Artillery each taking two from three. Those clubs have now played respectively two and three games fewer than the City Club. Three defeats to start the month saw Kensington fall back from the race, while Clapham won their last three and The Regent’s Park their last two as both moved up to even records. The Old Westminsters and Greenwich continue to struggle, with Greenwich’s twelve defeats from fourteen matching their total from the original thirty game schedule last year.

Nobody would dare to predict the first winners of the Manchester and District League at this stage, with six of the eight teams split my just one game in the standings. Oldham and Salford had looked to be edging clear of the pack, but were both defeated in their last two games of the month. Irwell, having suffered two successive losses themselves, responded by winning their last two to draw level again. Stockport and Rochdale have played two games fewer as both of their scheduled meetings so far have been postponed, but both have winning records and the same number of defeats as the leading three. Moss Grove ended the month with a win over Oldham to stay in the race themselves. Two wins in the month for Bolton mean that they are now only one game behind Belle Vue at the bottom of the standings.



Trinity College easily won the Oxford University Championship, having secured first place with four games still to play by beating Merton early in June they went on to finish six games clear of anyone else. A poor finish cost New College second place outright, a position they shared with former winners Brasenose, but it was still a fine performance from New College having finished last a year ago. Outgoing champions Christ Church had looked set for a good final placing, but lost their last five to end with a losing record.

The ease of Trinity’s win in Oxford was in complete contrast with the drama seen in Cambridge, as the season ended in a three-way tie between Queens’, St Catharine’s and Jesus College. Successive defeats, one of them to Queens’, looked to have ruled out Jesus College, but their hopes remained alive when Queens’ lost two games in a day against Clare College to leave the two teams tied at the end of their scheduled fixtures. St Catharine’s were now in prime position, with a rescheduled game against lowly Trinity to come a week later where victory would secure the title. Defeat would leave all three tied however, and aware of that possibility, organisers switched the game with another rescheduled Trinity fixture to leave enough time for extra games to be played without delaying the Varsity Series against Oxford.

Having erased an early 2-0 deficit, St Catharine’s did indeed drop that game 3-2 in eleven innings, producing the three-way tie. The same mechanism was used as we saw in the Metropolitan League last year, with Jesus College avoiding the first game by virtue of holding the best record in games between the three. Queens’ and St Catharine’s were tied in their meetings, necessitating a coin toss for home advantage, which Queens’ called incorrectly. The game was tied at 1-1 heading into the eighth, where Queens’ seemed to have ended their opponents’ season when they scored two to take a 3-1 lead. St Catharine’s hit back immediately though, with three in their half of the inning to move ahead 4-3. Queens’ had no reply, and it was their season which ended there and then.

With the better head-to-head against St Catharine’s, Jesus College played the final tiebreaker at home and took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, only to give up the advantage in the fourth. There was no more scoring until the tenth inning, when with runners at first and third and two out, third baseman Lewis Williams found the winning run for Jesus College. St Catharine’s had twice lost games in extra innings when a win would have made them champions. After all the drama of that finish, attention now turns to the Varsity Series, with last year’s winners Oxford playing the first game at home this year.

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TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1870 VARSITY SERIES

The second Varsity Series was a much lower scoring affair than the first, but was none the worse for that as it provided a very close fought contest which required three games to decide.

Home advantage in the first game went to Oxford this year, as part of the alternating pattern agreed a year ago. The game was very tight and remained scoreless until the eighth inning, when it was the visitors from Cambridge who struck first. Having had runners at second and third with nobody out and seen two men fail to bring the runs home, Cambridge must have feared that the chance was going to slip away but Walter Gove of St Catharine’s found a hit to score one. That was all Cambridge got however and they were immediately made to regret failing to score the second run. In Oxford’s half of the eighth, a fielding error allowed Merton’s Henry Whistler to reach first to start things off and then with one out, a two-base hit from New College man Albert Elliott tied the game at 1-1. Heading to the ninth, Cambridge pitcher David Dawson of St Catharine’s was starting to tire and Emmanuel’s Percy Sanderson came into the game to replace him. He immediately gave up a hit to Andrew Hayter of Merton and then with Hayter standing at second and only one out, Brasenose’s Benjamin Jackson produced the decisive moment, driving home the winning run for Oxford.



Going back to last year’s series, Cambridge had now lost three games out of three against Oxford and had to win the next one to avoid another series defeat. Playing at home in the second game, they faced another tense, low scoring battle which once more was still scoreless heading into the eighth inning. Oxford pitcher Samuel Read, from Brasenose College, was once again the first to falter as Walter Gove, leading off the inning for Cambridge, produced a home run which gave his team the lead. Again that single run was all they got, but this time it was enough as pitcher David Dawson recorded the three outs easily in the ninth to end the game with a three-hit shutout. A 1-0 Cambridge win tied the game and led to a coin toss to decide who would play at home in the decisive third game. As reigning champions, Oxford called the toss and they called correctly, meaning that it was back to Oxford for the third game.



This time the game did not stay scoreless for anywhere near as long, as Oxford pitcher Read faltered early. Four consecutive hits to start the third inning helped Cambridge to bring home three runs and take control of the game. Oxford tried to respond, but could do nothing until the seventh inning when with men and second and third base and one out, a run scored on a caught ball deep in the outfield to reduce the deficit to 3-1. If Oxford thought they still had a chance of taking the game, they let that opportunity slip right away as Gonville & Caius man Arthur Armand started the eighth with a two-base hit, moving over to third after a reckless pitch got away from catcher Samuel Nicholls and then scoring in the same fashion, on a ball caught deep in the outfield. That gave Cambridge a 4-1 advantage and pitcher Dawson did not let it get away, removing the next six Oxford batters to ease through the eighth and ninth innings and secure the series for Cambridge. They were series winners for the first time, with Dawson named as the Best Pitcher of the competition and Gove, who had that decisive hit in the second game, winning Best Player honours.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: JULY 1870

Two years ago, the City of London Club and the Royal Artillery Barracks battled through most of the season for the Metropolitan League championship and that seems set to be the case again this season, as they are separated by the smallest of margins approaching the final third of the campaign. In truth it wasn’t the best month for either, as the City Club lost two of their five games, falling to Angel and Kensington, while the Artillery also lost twice, going down to Greenwich and then in the second of two games in a day against Clapham. Having played one extra game though, the Artillery did close the gap a little and both teams sit on six losses for the year, City leading the way by virtue of having played and won one more game.

Angel and Kensington are two games further back and will need fine winning runs to make a serious bid for the title, Angel in particular having suffered damaging defeats to each of the two leading teams this month. Of the teams in the bottom half of the standings, Clapham ended the month well to move in sight of an even record, while The Regent’s Park are seeing their season crumble, having lost all five of their games in July. They remain comfortably ahead of Greenwich, although last year’s runners-up did win three and lose just two in the month as they showed signs of improvement at last.

In additional news from the Metropolitan League, the vote to determine the two teams who will join a new expanded ten-team competition for next season has now taken place. Six applications were received from clubs wishing to join the league, three from each side of the River Thames. From close to each other in south London were teams from Camberwell and Peckham, while there was also an application from a works team at the Surrey Commercial Docks in Rotherhithe. From north of the river, there was an application from Hammersmith and also from the Hackney organisation who were formed as an offshoot of the City of London Club and who narrowly missed out next time. Finally, an application came from east of London in the form of a team from West Ham.

Each of the eight existing members having the right to cast two votes. Favourites to be elected were the team from Hackney, while the second position was expected to be between a club from Hammersmith and a newly formed team from south of the Thames, Peckham Rye. In the event, the Peckham club produced an extremely impressive presentation to put to the existing members and won the support of five teams, finishing top of the vote. Hammersmith had believed that they were guaranteed a vote from The Regent’s Park, only for the Regents committee to seemingly change their minds at the last moment and cast a vote for Hackney instead, a decision which made all the difference. That left Hackney with four votes and Hammersmith just three, with Hackney taking the second place in the league. The clubs from the Surrey Commercial Docks, Camberwell and West Ham were left trailing behind in the vote. Peckham and Hackney will officially join the league at the annual meeting in the autumn, at which time the schedule for the new ten team competition will be decided. It is thought most likely that teams will face one another four times, giving a thirty-six game season, although that would provide difficulties in how to fit the games in without the season running too late into the autumn.

Of the clubs to miss out, reaction was varied. The Hammersmith club, while disappointed, stated that they would apply again should the league decide to admit further new clubs. Camberwell on the other hand believed that with the team from nearby Peckham elected, they may be forced to close down. The Commercial Dock and West Ham clubs felt aggrieved at missing out on the perceived basis of social class and geography respectively. Both vowed to apply again, with the Commercial Dock workers urging the league not to exclude industrial works teams from membership. West Ham meanwhile felt they had been rejected due to being outside the area covered by the Metropolitan Board of Works and vowed to investigate the possibility of forming a league with other clubs from Essex, although at present there may not be enough clubs sufficiently developed for this to be a realistic plan.

However, there will be at least one more league for baseball followers to keep track of next year as a league based in Liverpool will begin play. It is expected that there will be either two or three clubs from Liverpool involved, with interest as well from Warrington and St Helens in what looks set to be a six-team competition. There are also rumours of the first league in Yorkshire, with clubs in Leeds and Bradford negotiating the details of a possible competition. It has further been suggested that Lancashire are seeking admission to the County Championship, but as yet there has been no response from the four counties which make up that competition.

In the Manchester and District League, teams continue to struggle for consistency and the race is still very tight, with four teams split by one game having each recorded the same number of wins. Salford lead the way but played only three times in July, winning twice, as the weather intervened. One of the postponed games was against championship rivals Irwell, who sit fractionally behind in second place after ending the month with a dramatic loss to Oldham, 8-7 in fourteen innings. Oldham are one game off the pace alongside Moss Grove, who began the month with three wins but ended with two losses. The other four teams have losing records, although Stockport, Belle Vue and Bolton are in strong form at the moment. Bolton in fact have the best run in the league at the moment with four successive wins, having won just three of fourteen before that. Those wins move them ahead of Rochdale at the bottom of the standings, Rochdale having lost all five of their games in July.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: AUGUST 1870

There is a sense of history repeating itself in the Metropolitan League as the City of London Club have faltered in the second half of August, allowing the Royal Artillery Barracks back into the championship race, just as they did two years ago when the Artillery won their first title. The City Club had entered August with a slender lead which they extended by defeating The Regent’s Park to start the month, while the Artillery were beaten by the Old Westminsters. When the City Club then defeated the Artillery 6-0 a week later, the margin appeared to be reaching a significant size, only for City to fall against Greenwich in their next game, allowing the Artillery to close the gap with a win against Kensington. The month ended with City losing to Angel and the Artillery defeating Greenwich, leaving City just a fraction ahead again but with momentum shifting against them.

Don’t rule out the Old Westminsters just yet, as they were undefeated in August and are just two games off the pace having won their last five, while Angel are not out of the race either but saw their hopes diminished when they lost twice in a day to the Westminsters. They begin September with two against the Artillery and surely need to win both to retain realistic hopes of the title. Kensington had a poor month, winning just one of five, and have fallen to a losing record for the year, while The Regent’s Park are moving clear of the bottom of the standings after winning their last three. Clapham lost every game in August but remain two ahead of last placed Greenwich.

In the Manchester and District League, Salford moved a step closer to becoming the first champions when they ended August with a vital win over Irwell, the two teams having gone into that game tied for first place. Salford have now won their last three and lead by one game, with Oldham a further game behind in third. Moss Grove have now fallen back to a losing record after a winless month, while having battled up to an even ten wins and ten defeats, Belle Vue have slipped back again. Bolton are in fine form of late, their awful start an increasingly distant memory, while Stockport continue to fail to live up to expectations as they slide towards the bottom of the standings. Rochdale remain in last place, but their extra innings win over Moss Grove to end the month of August leaves them just a fraction behind Stockport.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: SEPTEMBER 1870

The City of London Club enter October with a one-game lead at the top of the Metropolitan League standings, but missed a chance to put a clear distance between themselves and the Royal Artillery Barracks, who are still in the hunt for a third successive crown. The City Club won their first three games in September and with the Artillery only sharing two in a day against Angel to begin the month, their lead grew to a full game. On the final Saturday in September, the Artillery faltered in spectacular fashion with a 7-0 loss at the hands of the Old Westminsters, but the City Club could not take advantage, falling 3-2 at home against The Regent’s Park and keeping that margin at just a single game. Intriguingly, the two meet in the first game of October, meaning that with two games to play they will either be tied, or City will have a two game lead and need just one more win to be champions.

Despite that win over the Artillery, the Old Westminsters are as good as out of the running as they are three behind with three to play, but they are now clear in third place as Angel have lost their last three and fallen back to a losing record. They share fourth with The Regent’s Park, whose win over the City Club was their sixth in the last seven games. At the bottom of the standings, Greenwich have now caught Clapham whose end to the season is proving very disappointing. Greenwich on the other hand have now won eight of their last thirteen, a real improvement on their awful first half to the campaign.

Up in Manchester, Salford had a mixed month of two wins and two losses but still lead by one game, now from Oldham who have overtaken Irwell and moved into second place. They have just two to play though, while Salford have four and know that three wins will be good enough to take the inaugural title. Irwell are two games back after three defeats in four games in September, but they too have four to play including one against Salford so are not out of the running just yet. Moss Grove are too far back as they sit fourth on an even record, despite beating both Salford and Irwell this month. There is a close battle to avoid last place, which Rochdale are currently losing as they sit fractionally behind Bolton.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1870

The Royal Artillery Barracks’ two-year reign as champions of the Metropolitan League is over, and it ended in circumstances remarkably similar to how it had continued a year ago. Last year it was a win over Greenwich in a tiebreaker game that secured a second title, this year defeat at home to Greenwich denied the Artillery another tiebreaker which could have brought a third success. They had begun October by drawing level with the City of London Club with two games to play, winning their final scheduled meeting 6-0. That seemed to shake the City Club who also lost their next game 6-1 to Greenwich, their third successive loss, but the Artillery couldn’t move ahead as they let slip a seventh inning lead to fall 2-1 to Kensington. That left the two teams tied with one game to play, and the weather was destined to play a part as a week of rain left the Artillery’s home field unfit for play, causing their game with Greenwich to be postponed.

The City Club’s meeting with Angel went ahead, and despite falling behind early on they turned the game around in the middle innings to record a 5-3 success. That forced the Artillery to win the rescheduled game with Greenwich a week later to force a tiebreaker, but they fell 1-0 behind in the fifth inning. Last year they took the title by turning around a 1-0 deficit late on, but this time it was Greenwich who added a second run in the eighth inning and the Artillery had no answer. They went down 2-0 and in doing so, handed the title to the City Club – a remarkable turnaround for a team who finished last with just eight wins to their name a year ago. Nineteen wins this time was enough to bring the championship for the first time, the fourth different winner in the league’s six season to date.

The defeat for the Artillery even denied them second place outright, as the Old Westminsters finished with four successive wins to join them on eighteen wins and twelve defeats, the same mark as both had posted a year ago before the tiebreaker games. The Westminsters performed admirably in the second half of the campaign to finish just one behind the City Club, winning fourteen of their final seventeen games. The Regent’s Park took fourth place having finished with two wins to end on an even record, while Angel’s promising campaign ended badly as six successive defeats dropped them into the bottom half of the standings. They shared fifth place with both Kensington, who also finished badly, and Greenwich – who won their last five games and eleven of the last sixteen having taking just two of the first fourteen. That left Clapham alone in last place, two games behind anyone else.

In the Manchester and District League, rain also caused problems with scheduling in the final weekend of the season, even as far as pushing the final game into November. Salford had begun the month closing in on the championship, but the postponement of their game with Stockport delayed the process somewhat. Victory over Oldham brought them to a meeting with Irwell, by then eliminated from the race, knowing that a win would secure the championship while a defeat would keep Oldham in the race a while longer. The game was tied going to the ninth inning but it was Irwell who found three runs to take the win, leaving Salford waiting at least one more week.

Another rescheduled game with Rochdale followed, where again the situation was the same – a win brought Salford the title, a defeat and the race would go on to their and Oldham’s final games a week later. Salford took a second inning lead and although Rochdale fought hard, this time the league leaders had done enough. A 1-0 victory secured the inaugural crown for Salford, and when both they and Oldham lost their final games the margin ended up at two games. Remarkably, that defeat left Salford having allowed more runs than they scored during the season, but that didn't stop them from taking the championship. Oldham had to share second place with Stockport, who disappointed for much of the year having been tipped to do well but finished strongly with four successive wins. The last of those came against Moss Grove in a twice postponed match-up which due to other rescheduled games, had to be played on the first Saturday in November. The clubs were not keen for the season to run so long with the days growing ever shorter, and having dealt with fading light in their previous games they agreed to start that final game at 2pm rather than the usual 3pm. In response, the league agreed that in future seasons, any game played after the intended end of the season would begin an hour earlier.

Defeat in that final game left Moss Grove on an even record in a tie for fourth place with Irwell, who finished the season poorly having looked potential champions for much of the year. At the bottom of the standings, Bolton won their final two games to end one ahead of Rochdale and Belle Vue. For Belle Vue, it was a disappointing end to the year after they looked to have put a poor start behind them with a good run in the middle of the season. Despite the issues with rain and scheduling in October, the league’s first season was deemed to be a resounding success and although the format will be unchanged next year, there are already rumours that the competition will grow to ten teams for the 1872 campaign. Both leagues now move on to their annual meetings, when the season’s awards will be handed out.

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END OF SEASON REVIEW: 1870

The City of London Club’s successful season in the Metropolitan League was marked at the annual meeting when Frank Simpson was named as Best Manager for the year in his first season in the role, while centre fielder Simeon Farrell was also honoured in his first season as he was named Best Player after a remarkable year. Farrell set a new record for the best batting average seen in the league, becoming the first man to exceed .400 as he ended at .403. It was a year for newcomers as the Old Westminsters’ Daniel Armstrong took Best Pitcher in his first season, denying the City Club’s William Rood who may have thought that with a new mark for strikeouts in a season to his name, that he would take the honour. Armstrong was tougher to score against however and got the votes from his fellow players, having brought the Westminsters through a strong second half to the year to finish just one game behind the City Club in the standings.

The meeting also formally welcomed Hackney and Peckham into the league, and saw a proposal that the ten teams should each meet four times, for a total of thirty-six games, unanimously agreed. Where there was disagreement was on the question of how to structure this schedule, with concern about the season beginning too early or ending too late. A proposal came from Kensington for the season to begin a week earlier and end a week later, with double games scheduled on the four weeks closest to the summer solstice to make up the difference. Clubs were receptive to the idea but still voted six to four against due to concerns about a late finish to the season should games have to be rescheduled. That led The Regents’ Park club to propose an amendment that the season begin two weeks earlier and plan to end on the same date, still with four weeks of double games at the height of summer, which was accepted by seven votes to three. The new format means that the County Championship will have to begin in February once again, having returned to the first two Saturdays in March this past spring, with no spare week between its final and the start of the Metropolitan League campaign.

The Manchester and District League also held its annual meeting in the same week, with Salford’s Josiah Frost rewarded for his team’s championship winning campaign by gaining the Best Manager award. Best Pitcher went to Maurice Pritchard of Stockport, who guided the team through a strong second half to the year to finish in a tie for second. He was the toughest pitcher to score against, with his team’s problems in scoring runs early in the year the only thing preventing a serious championship challenge. Best Player went to Enoch Hope of Bolton, who had long seemed set to join Simeon Farrell in exceeding a .400 batting average for the year, only to fall just short when he failed four times to add to his first inning hit in his team’s final game against Moss Grove, ending on .395 for the year.

The clubs, keen to promote themselves as a rival to the Metropolitan League, voted six to two in favour of a proposal from Irwell to expand the league to ten clubs for its third season in 1872, inviting applications during the coming year to be voted on in the summer. The league also issued a challenge for its champion to take on the winner of the Metropolitan League, possibly as soon as February with a game between Salford and the City of London Club, but neither the Metropolitan League nor the City Club themselves seem to have any interest in such a match-up, at present considering their competition to be by far the stronger.

The league’s success has promoted further growth in the game in the north of England, with another two new leagues now announced to begin play in 1871. The Leeds and Bradford League joins the already announced Liverpool and District League in beginning play next spring, with at least six clubs due to take part, although discussions on the exact make-up of the competition are still ongoing and are expected to be confirmed in the new year.

1870 ROLL OF HONOUR
Metropolitan League: City of London Club (1st title)
Manchester and District League: Salford Seedley (1st title)
Oxford University Championship: Trinity College (1st title)
Cambridge University Championship: Jesus College (1st title)
County Championship: Middlesex (1st title)
Varsity Series: University of Cambridge (1st title)

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1871 SEASON

It has been a winter of great change in baseball as the game continues to grow in popularity and new competitions continue to be formed. New members Hackney and Peckham have joined the Metropolitan League, taking it to a ten team competition, while there are two new leagues to follow this year with the introduction of the Leeds and Bradford League and the Liverpool and District League. There are no changes to the Manchester and District League format this year, but that league is set to follow the Metropolitan League in growing to ten teams next year.

NEW TEAMS: METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

The Metropolitan League increases its schedule to thirty-six games to enable each team to play the other nine on four occasions, with several weeks of scheduled double games in the height of summer. Those games were originally planned to take place on the two weeks either side of the summer solstice, but in fact only one of them is before the solstice and three after. The league will start play two weeks earlier than in previous years, enabling it to finish on the same weekend weather permitting.

The new members are:

HACKNEY DOWNS
Ballpark: Downs Park Road; Jersey Colour: Red
The club formed by former committee members at the City of London Club joins the league having failed in a bid to be elected three years ago. Playing on what was formerly a patch of wasteground across the road from the parkland at Hackney Downs, the club initially played in exactly the same colour jerseys as the City Club but in the last year adopted a slightly brighter shade of red.

PECKHAM RYE
Ballpark: Peckham Rye; Jersey Colour: Brown
The Peckham club play on a field tucked away behind a row of recently built houses which face out onto Peckham Rye common. The club is not long established but with more people moving out to live in the southern suburbs all the time, their potential for growth is only going to increase as the years go by.

The election of Hackney means that for the first time, two clubs are playing in predominantly plain jerseys of a similar shade of the same colour. There has been concern that the shades of red were so similar, much more so than Angel and Clapham's very different shades of blue, that it would not be possible to tell the players apart. The league therefore ruled that one team should change its jerseys when those teams, the City of London Club and Hackney, faced each other. The City Club proposed that as the established league club, they should be allowed to keep their red jerseys for all games, but it was eventually decided that the home team for each game be allowed to play in red and the visiting team be required to change.

Immediately Hackney annnounced that they would simply reverse the colours on their jersey, playing in white with red lettering. The City Club have also decided to wear white as it is the main colour of the city shield, but did not feel that the white shield looked right on a white background. They will therefore embroider their 'CoL' monogram in red on the jerseys. With both teams having chosen white as a change colour, it was suggested that this was a good principle for any other clubs who might need to use an alternative jersey colour in the future. The league elected not to impose a rule about the colour of jerseys for away games, but agreed that with no teams playing in white, it was the most logical choice.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
L-R: Hackney Downs, Peckham Rye


AWAY UNIFORMS:
L-R: City of London Club, Hackney Downs


MAP OF METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TEAM LOCATIONS:


COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS
The earlier start to the Metropolitan League season has had a knock-on effect on the County Championship, forcing the semi-finals back into February with the final scheduled for the first Saturday in March. Because of concerns about finishing games in daylight with that earlier start, it was suggested that the semi-finals should begin at 2.00 pm rather than 3.00 pm. All four counties agreed to this change, with Surrey suggesting that to keep the organisation simple, the final should also begin at this earlier time. That change was also agreed, so all games in the tournament will now begin at 2.00 pm.

The application for a team from Lancashire to join the Championship has been rejected by the four counties which take part. While travel times may have been a factor, it is believed that the major reason for this was an unwillingness to have five teams included, as a suggestion was made that Cheshire might also join but there was no group from that county willing to set up a team. With a new league starting in Yorkshire, it has already been suggested that Yorkshire may wish to join along with Lancashire, possibly within the next couple of years. For this year, it has been decided to once again switch the semi-final matchups from a year ago. Champions Middlesex will therefore play Essex, while runners-up Kent will face Surrey. The two finalists from last year will have home advantage in those games.

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NEW LEAGUE: LEEDS AND BRADFORD LEAGUE

The Leeds and Bradford League was intended to be a six-team competition, just as the Metropolitan League was when it started out, but after disagreements about which teams should be admitted it has become an eight-team league as a compromise. Initial plans for the league were made by one team in Bradford and two in Leeds, who then invited the largest clubs from the nearby towns of Halifax and Huddersfield to join them.

The debate centred on the identity of the sixth team, with the Bradford club proposing a team from the fringes of the city’s southern suburbs. The two Leeds teams protested, claiming that the area was not developed enough to provide enough support for a club and suggesting instead a team from Hunslet, on the southern edge of Leeds. Bradford in turn felt that this would make the league too centred on Leeds and with the Halifax club agreeing, Huddersfield found themselves left in the middle.

They proposed a team from the town of Wakefield as a compromise, but Bradford were set on having a second team to represent their city. Huddersfield then suggested that both the initial candidates, along with Wakefield, be elected – to make an eight-team league and allow them to follow the format of the Manchester and District competition. This suggestion was accepted, meaning that the league will follow a twenty-eight game schedule and begin on the same day as the Manchester and District League on the first Saturday in April.

BOWLING OLD LANE
Ballpark: Bowling Old Lane; Jersey Colour: Green with Black Stripes
One of the controversial inclusions in the league, Bowling Old Lane come from the very southern edge of Bradford’s suburbs and were formed by the workers of the Bowling Dye Works. They are named after the road where their home field is located and play in green jerseys with narrow black stripes.

BRADFORD BECK
Ballpark: Valley Road; Jersey Colour: Red with Blue Stripes
Bradford Beck play their home games just north of the centre of Bradford alongside one of the few sections of the Bradford Beck stream which is not now underground. Their colours of red and blue are taken from the Bradford coat of arms, while the stripes on their jerseys are broader than those of their city neighbours.

HALIFAX BEACON
Ballpark: Beacon Hill; Jersey Colour: Maroon
Halifax Beacon are so called because when the club's founders were looking for a home field, they purchased some land high up on Beacon Hill, which overlooks the town. Their ground therefore has a reputation for being rather exposed to the weather. Halifax play in dark maroon jerseys with 'Beacon' embroidered across the chest in their secondary colour of pale orange.

HUDDERSFIELD ST JOHN’S
Ballpark: Fartown; Jersey Colour: Black
The Huddersfield club were formed by members of the St. John's cricket club and share their home ground with not just the cricketers but other sports as well. They take their colours from the town arms, the shield from which appears on their jerseys.

HUNSLET FORGE
Ballpark: Thwaite Lane; Jersey Colour: Yellow
Another controversial inclusion in the League, Hunslet come from a small town which is fast becoming park of the southern suburbs of Leeds. They are the works team of the Hunslet Iron Works, playing on a field nearby and wearing jerseys in a golden shade of yellow, with a shape intended to represent a flame embroidered in the centre.

LEEDS CENTRAL
Ballpark: Midland Goods Yard; Jersey Colour: Blue
Leeds Central, as their name suggests, play near to the centre of the city alongside the Midland Goods Station. They play in pale blue with black and white trimmings and the name 'Central' embroidered across their jerseys.

WAKEFIELD INGS
Ballpark: Ings Road; Jersey Colour: Purple
Elected as a compromise, Wakefield were originally known simply as The Ings Baseball Club, after the area in which they play. On joining the new league, they have added the name of the town to their title. They play in a shade of pale purple and have added their initials embroidered in white.

WOODHOUSE LANE
Ballpark: Woodhouse Lane; Jersey Colour: Brown
The second club from Leeds to be involved in the formation of the league, Woodhouse Lane come from the city’s northern suburbs and their home field lies on one of the main roads leading away from Leeds. They play in pale brown with dark green trimmings.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Bowling Old Lane, Bradford Beck, Halifax Beacon, Huddersfield St John's
Bottom Row (L-R): Hunslet Forge, Leeds Central, Wakefield Ings, Woodhouse Lane


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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NEW LEAGUE: LIVERPOOL AND DISTRICT LEAGUE

The newly formed Liverpool and District League follows the Metropolitan League’s initial format of six clubs playing the other five on six occasions, for a thirty game season. Three teams from in and around the city of Liverpool are joined by three more from nearby towns to complete the inaugural line-up.

GREAT FLOAT WEST
Ballpark: Wallasey Bridge Road; Jersey Colour: Sky Blue
Great Float come from the town of Birkenhead in Cheshire, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool on the Wirral peninsula. They are named after the western section of the Great Float, the town’s dockland area, having been formed by workers there are playing very nearby. Their jerseys are a pale shade of blue.

LINACRE GAS
Ballpark: Canal Park; Jersey Colour: Brown
From the small town of Bootle, just to the north of Liverpool, Linacre are the works team of the Linacre Gas Works, opened a few years ago and now a major employer in the area. It is thought that the league would have been unlikely to admit a private club from such a small town but as a works team with a large supply of potential players, Linacre were invited. They will play in dark brown jerseys, while their home field of Canal Park is so named as it lies alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

LIVERPOOL ST PATRICK’S
Ballpark: Sheil Park; Jersey Colour: Dark Blue
St. Patrick's, as their name suggests, were formed amongst the city's Irish community and will play at Sheil Park on the eastern side of Liverpool. Their jersey colour is dark blue, with a shamrock featuring the club's initials embroidered on the chest.

SANKEY BROOK
Ballpark: Little Sankey Green; Jersey Colour: Dark Green
Sankey Brook represent the town of Warrington and have become the leading club in the area ahead of a couple formed closer to the town centre, largely because they have a larger home field and more room for spectators. They play in a shade of dark green with the club’s initial embroidered in pink.

ST HELENS HARDSHAW
Ballpark: Hardshaw Hill; Jersey Colour: Blue with black and white stripes
St Helens take their name from the area of the town where the club is based, with their colours coming from the coats of arms of prominent local families. They play in blue with white stripes which are edged in black, and have their initials embroidered on their chests.

TOXTETH PRINCES
Ballpark: Princes Road; Jersey Colour: Black
The Princes come from Liverpool’s southern suburbs and take their name from the Princes Park, named after the late Prince Consort and which lies just across the road from their home field. They will play in black jerseys, with an elaborate rendering of their initials in gold.

The Liverpool and District League will begin on the last Saturday in March, two weeks after the Metropolitan League but one week before the Manchester and District.

LOGOS AND UNIFORMS:
Top Row (L-R): Great Float West, Linacre Gas, Liverpool St Patrick's
Bottom Row (L-R): Sankey Brook, St Helens Hardshaw, Toxteth Princes


MAP OF TEAM LOCATIONS:

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TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1871 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

The 1871 season in English baseball has begun with Middlesex joining Essex as two-time winners of the County Championship after a successful title defence, remarkably achieved without allowing a single run.

The defending champions started off against Essex in the semi-final and it proved to be a very tense and hard fought match up. Middlesex's choice of Harry Johnson, a back-up pitcher from Clapham Common, to start the game for them was a surprise to many but his form was superb, as was that of Greenwich's James Hicks for Essex. Hicks actually allowed fewer hits, five to Johnson's seven, but his team couldn't find a run and it was Middlesex who scored the only run of the game in the third inning. Andrew Stockdale of the Old Westminsters produced a two-base hit with two out to bring home Kensington's Herbert Webb from second base, which was ultimately enough for Middlesex to take a 1-0 win and a place in the final.



The other semi-final saw Surrey travel to Kent, the only one of the four teams yet to win the championship. For the first half of the game, it looked set to be another close battle, remaining scoreless for the first five innings. In the sixth however, successive hits with two out from Angel's Noah Sanders and Jim White of The Regent's Park gave Surrey a 2-0 advantage and from there they grew in confidence. Four more hits in the seventh brought two more runs, and there was no way back into the game for Kent. They allowed further runs in the eighth and ninth, only finding one of their own in the eighth, as they collapsed to a 6-1 defeat and were left facing another year to wait for their first title. For Surrey, it was their first win since taking the inaugural title four years ago, having suffered three successive semi-final defeats since then.



The final was played on Middlesex's home field after they called the coin toss correctly, and the champions made a perfect start when a hit from Miles Bell, a newcomer at The Regent's Park, brought home a run in the first inning. With Johnson pitching strongly again, that in itself looked to be enough for the win but Middlesex added runs in the fourth and fifth as well to extend their advantage to 3-0. With Surrey's hopes already fading, Bell produced his fourth hit in as many attempts to begin the eighth and started another strong inning which brought two more runs, and put the game well out of reach. Middlesex took the win 5-0, to secure their second successive crown.



Unsurprisingly, the awards this year went to the two men who did most to secure the title for Middlesex. Two complete game shutouts brought the Best Pitcher title to Harry Johnson, while Miles Bell was named as best player for recording six hits in seven appearances at the plate across his two games in the competition. The focus now moves to the league season, with the newly expanded ten-team Metropolitan League beginning its seventh season next week, with the Old Westminsters many people's tip to win the championship for the third time. They ended last year just one game behind the City of London Club despite a very poor start to the year, and are expected to carry that strong form into the new campaign. The City Club themselves are not thought likely to retain the title, with The Regent's Park possibly the strongest challengers to the Westminsters. Unlike the last newcomers to join the league, Greenwich and the Royal Artillery Barracks, this year's new teams Hackney and Peckham are expected to struggle. The league is now better established and stronger, making it more difficult for new teams to start well. The university competitions at Oxford and Cambridge also get underway next week, with Worcester College tipped to do well in Oxford and Queens' and Emmanuel the most common choices as possible winners in Cambridge.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MARCH 1871

The Regent’s Park were backed to have a good season in the Metropolitan League and they have made a good start, sitting as the only undefeated team as March comes to an end. Having recovered from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Kensington 7-4 on the opening day of the season, wins over Hackney and Clapham mean they are alone in first place. They are chased by five teams who have won two out of three, including title favourites the Old Westminsters who were beaten by the Royal Artillery Barracks in their first game but have won both since then. The Artillery are also sitting on two wins, as are newcomers Peckham who defeated the Artillery last time out.

Champions the City of London Club won at Clapham on opening day but have since suffered narrow losses to the Artillery and the Westminsters. Peckham might be going well but their fellow newcomers Hackney are struggling, taking three games to score their first run and then losing that one 4-3 at Angel to sit in a share of last place without a victory to their name. The other team yet to win are Kensington, seemingly still trying to recover from losing that 4-0 lead against the Regents in their first game.

The month ended with the first games in the new Liverpool and District League, where Liverpool St Patrick’s are most people’s favourites to win the championship, although the dockyard workers of Great Float West are also expected to go well. Great Float were beaten in their first game, 2-1 in extra innings by St Helens, but Liverpool started with a win over Linacre and their city rivals Toxteth opened up by defeating Sankey Brook.



Meanwhile, the other new competition this year, the Leeds and Bradford League, begins on 1 April along with the Manchester and District League. In the former, Bradford Beck and Leeds Central are widely tipped to contest the title with the other clubs all closely matched but a few games off the pace. Manchester and District League champions Salford are thought to be facing a potentially difficult season, with many backing Rochdale to take the championship this time. They had a poor season last year but have a new pitcher in their ranks, Benjamin Thompson, who may make a great deal of difference to their fortunes.

At the universities, Balliol College lead the way at Oxford with four wins from five games. Brasenose and New College also have four wins but from six games, while Christ Church are the other team with a winning record. At Cambridge, Queens’ lost their first game but have won all four since and lead the way by a fraction from Clare College, who ended the month with a surprise defeat to previously winless Trinity. Gonville and Caius, whose title defence last year ended in a disastrous share of last place, also have a winning record so far this time.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: APRIL 1871

April ends with Angel Islington and Greenwich Meridian sharing first place in the Metropolitan League, both having won four of their five games in the month. Angel’s narrow loss to the Royal Artillery Barracks had allowed Greenwich to edge ahead but they in turn fell to defeat against the City of London Club to end the month. The City Club seem to have little chance of defending their title, although that win was their second in succession after five defeats from their first six games. The Old Westminsters are also going well, 1-0 victories in each of their last two games leaving them just fractionally behind the leaders. The Royal Artillery Barracks and The Regent’s Park are one game behind, the Artillery ending April by becoming the first team to lose to newcomers Hackney, while the Regents’ season has been damaged by a serious injury to pitcher Mark Howe. The other new team Peckham started well but have now lost two in succession, while Clapham are already adrift in last place after six successive defeats.

In the Liverpool and District League, St Helens surprised many with a superb start to the year, winning their first five games, while Great Float were also a surprise in how poorly they began the campaign. They lost their first four, but turned form upside down by defeating St Helens 6-2 to end April. St Helens still lead the way with five wins from six, but Toxteth and Liverpool are close behind them. It is Liverpool who are the form team, with St Patrick’s having won their last three games. A small gap has already opened up between the first three clubs and the rest, with Linacre falling to the bottom of the standings despite a crushing 8-0 win over Sankey Brook during the month.



Well fancied Rochdale have started the Manchester and District League season in superb form and end April as the only undefeated team, but they had to survive a real scare against Oldham to do so. Oldham were also undefeated heading into the game and trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning, got three runners on with nobody out but were unable to score, meaning it was Rochdale who retained their perfect record. Champions Salford lost their first game but have won all three since, confounding predictions of a tough season so far. Stockport, who finished last season very strongly, won two of their first three but ended April with two defeats to lose ground. The Manchester teams are struggling so far, with Irwell, Moss Grove and Belle Vue all sitting on just one win from four games, sharing last place with Bolton.

The first season of the Leeds and Bradford League could be set to be a battle between the two clubs from Bradford, Bradford Beck and Bowling Old Lane. It took a comeback victory over winless Halifax to do it, but Bradford Beck end April as the only undefeated team having won all five of their games so far. Bowling are just one game back, with a narrow defeat to Wakefield their only failure so far. Wakefield are going well themselves in third place, while near neighbours Leeds Central, Woodhouse and Hunslet are all closely matched in the middle of the standings. Hunslet had started poorly with three defeats but have now won their last two, leaving behind Halifax and Huddersfield, neither of whom have won a game.



The university championships are already at the half-way mark, with former winners Brasenose leading the way at Oxford. They have won their last four to move a game clear of a Balliol team who ended the month by losing at home to Christ Church when victory would have earned a tie for first place. Champions Trinity looked set for another run at the title when they opened April with five successive wins, but three defeats to end the month leave them two games back. At Cambridge, Queens’ lead by two games but a narrow defeat to Emmanuel in their final game of the month has given hope to the chasing pack. That pack is now led by champions Jesus College, winners of their last two. The biggest surprise of the month was the form of Clare College, who lost all seven of their games in April to fall into last place in the standings.

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MONTHLY ROUND-UP: MAY 1871

Greenwich Meridian are back out in front of the Metropolitan League after a strong month which saw them defeat fellow contenders the Old Westminsters and The Regent’s Park. Indeed, that win over the Westminsters which began the month made all the difference because the Westminsters are just a fraction behind in second place having won all of their other games in May. The Royal Artillery Barracks sit a game further behind, but Angel and the Regents are losing ground. Angel suffered three defeats in their four games in May, while the Regents ended the month losing against both Greenwich and the Artillery. Both those teams sit two games off the pace, while three back on an even record are Peckham, who are enjoying a respectable first season. Champions the City of London Club are a long way back having lost two of three in May, while at the bottom of the standings Clapham have now lost their last nine and have just one win from eleven games all year.

St Helens and Toxteth share first place in the Liverpool and District League, in what seems set to be a close three-way battle. St Helens began the month with two defeats, only to recover with a 2-0 win at Toxteth to regain a share of first place. Liverpool St Patrick’s had been tied for first as well, but their thirteen-inning loss against Great Float in the final game of May dropped them one game behind the two leaders. Great Float are certainly improving but still have a losing record, while Linacre and Sankey continue to struggle. Sankey lost all their games in May and are currently well adrift in last place.



The only undefeated team anywhere in England is Rochdale, who are moving well ahead at the top of the Manchester and District League standings. They have now won all eight games they have played, while Oldham have fallen well behind after losing three out of four in the past month. Oldham are nevertheless the only other team with a winning record, as champions Salford lost their last two games of the month to fall back to an even four wins and four defeats. It was an improved month for both Irwell and Stockport, but Moss Grove and Belle Vue both won only once in May and are well back in a tie for last place.

In the Leeds and Bradford League, Bowling Old Lane lead the way after winning their first three games of May, including victory over city rivals Bradford. Bowling ended the month with a narrow loss to Leeds Central however, and it is Leeds who are in the best form as they won all four of their games in May without allowing a single run. They trail Bowling by a fraction, while Bradford fell a game behind when they ended the month by losing 2-1 against Hunslet. Halifax are next in line as they too won all their games in May, their poor start a fading memory. At the bottom of the standings, Huddersfield have just one win to their name while Woodhouse Lane are only just ahead of them having lost every game in May and their last six in total.



With five games to play Brasenose are well placed to win a second championship at Oxford University, although Balliol are not too far behind and the two are set to meet in their first game of June. Victory for Brasenose would move them to the brink of the championship, but a Balliol win would set up a fascinating end to the year. Third placed Worcester College have won their last five but appear to be too far behind. At Cambridge, the race is almost over for this season as a five game winning run, combined with two victories over champions Jesus College during May, has moved Queens’ four games ahead at the top of the standings. Three more wins from their remaining five games will be enough, but it is likely that even that will not be needed.