The (English) Baseball League (est. 1888): A History

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Baseball League 1924: Clubs

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Baseball League 1924: Club Locations


First Division




Second Division (Chelsea not labelled)




Third Division North




Third Division South

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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.

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Incredible Game Ends in Extra Innings at 15-14.

As much as the devotees of the sport of baseball claim to thrill to a taut match ruled by pitchers hurling zeros at hapless opposing batsmen, few events rouse the emotions of a crowd of spectators quite like what the Americans like to call a “barn-burner”, one in which so many runs are scored on each side that the game ends with some perhaps still uncertain of who won.

Such was yesterday’s match between the Chesterfield and Blackburn Rovers clubs at Ewood Park. Rovers jumped off the mark to a quick four runs lead in the very first innings. Spiteites chipped away with single runs in the second and fourth to draw within two, as Rovers answered with one each of their own in the fourth and fifth to regain the margin. Chesterfield then scored five in the seventh including a home run by third baseman Roberts, which Rovers answered with a single run in their seventh for a seven runs draw between the two.

Rovers looked to have the game salted away by scoring three in their eighth innings, but gave the lead away by yielding three runs on a base on balls, error and outfield fly out, and the game was drawn at ten going into the tenth innings.

Chesterfield, who have been in Champions' form of late by winning 13 of the last 16 games, bade for a 14th of 17 with a four runs tenth innings featuring a single, two twos and three walks, but in a match like this no lead is safe, and that was proven in the bottom of the innings. For even though it started fairly quietly with two outs, runners on first base and third and only one run scored, the bottom fell out of the game, for what followed were, in succession: base on balls; base on balls; single (two runs); hit by pitch; base on balls (run); and base on balls (run and match). Never had the seeming inaction of four pitches thrown outside the strike zone precipitated such rousing cheering as was heard in Blackburn during this game. That, dear reader, is the beauty that is baseball.

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24 Innings of Scoreless Ball, Then a United Win

A match unique in the annals of the Baseball League occurred, marking the first time a game proceeded into the 25th innings with neither side having scored even a single run. It was also the fourth instance in which a match was overtaken by darkness and suspended, to be resumed the following afternoon at one o’clock, in advance of the three o’clock start for the regularly scheduled match of the day.

Some 7,200 Oldham Athletic supporters sat through six hours of dull baseball at Derby Turn Thursday before late twilight forced cessation at the dawn of the 20th innings. To that point there had been a grand total of twenty two base hits between the Burton United and Oldham sides, only two of them going for as far as two bases, with a mere five base runners advancing as far as third base. Worse, there was not a single contested play at the home plate the entire match. Little wonder, then, that only a few hundred hardy optimists were left in attendance by the time close of play occurred.

A few thousand were already in their seats at one sharp the next day, but although the players were refreshed by sleep and base runners reached in each half innings played Friday save one, no scoring occurred until the top of the 25th as United wore down Claude Wyatt, pitching in relief. Wyatt allowed bases on balls to the first three batsmen, then yielded two singles to score two, almost giving up a third except for the put out at the plate by catcher Clayton. After another single, a double play brought the United half of the innings to an end. Latics made a bit of noise in their half, putting men on the first and third bases and two outs, but the aforementioned Clayton struck out looking at a perfect pitch in the heart of the batting zone to end the Marathon match. It was only the second match in League records to have gone as long as twenty-five innings, the previous instance occurring four years ago between Everton and Nottingham Forest.

After a short tea, the sides alighted from their dugouts for the scheduled match, which ended in a seven runs to five victory for the home side, saving the day for the new set of seven thousand spectators.

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Results

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Baseball League 1924
EOI Cup Series

Chesterfield defeated Walsall
Four Matches to Three

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Co-Champions and EOI Cup Winners




Chesterfield Spireites

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Co-Champions and EOI Cup Runners Up

Walsall Swifts

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Table

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Team Batting and Pitching

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Award Winners


Baseballer of the Year and Batsman of the Year: Ron Maudlin




Pitcher of the Year: Louis Cullen




Newcomer of the Year: Gerardus Vliegenthat

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Baseball League 1924
First Division League Leaders

Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Top Systems

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Baseball League 1924
First Division Financial Report

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Ninth Runs in Twelfth Lead to Thumping by Everton.

What had been a routine extra innings affair between the Blues of Everton and the Foxes of Leicester City turned into a rout as Blues plated nine runs in the top of the twelfth innings to put the match beyond doubt and take a twelve runs to three victory in Leicester City before 5,500 in attendance.

Blues sent fourteen batsmen to the home plate, nine scoring base hits, including a deep three base hit scoring two, as well as a base on balls and a struck batsman. Brian Wormald, who had begun the game for Foxes, walked third base man Stevenson to begin the innings. Wormald was promptly replaced by Ben Macaulay, the fine Foxes starter who immediately and inexplicably fell apart in relief, giving up six base hits and striking a batsman before yielding the mound to William Patton to finish the frame. Despite Macaulay’s awful form, it was Wormald who took the defeat, his seventh of the season against four victories, as it was he who gave up the decisive run.

The victory allowed Blues to remain level with The Wednesday in second place of the Second Division. There are twelve clubs clustered between five and ten lengths behind Accrington Stanley, who are in a commanding lead at the top of the table.

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Everton Secure Promotion with Twenty Eight Runs Margin.

Never before has such a humiliating defeat been meted out to an opponent such as Everton served on Thursday to The Wednesday. Blues tallied multiple runs in six different innings to end up with 28 in total, but also did so while keeping Owls from scoring even a single one. The result was the highest margin of victory in the annals of the Baseball League.

Everton matched the number of runs counted were among them. Four different Blues achieved four base hits each, with two others scoring three base hits apiece. Each player in the Blues batting order scored at least one run, save the relief pitcher Jones.

Farmer started for Blues and pitched six innings before leaving with a 26 runs to nil lead, seeing no purpose in returning after Blues scored an astounding fifteen runs. Farmer won his thirteenth match against eleven defeats. Love lost his twelfth game for Owls having given up nine runs in four innings, but his was not the worst form. That distinction goes to Jones, who allowed fourteen runs on six base hits and six walk while recorded only two outs in the disastrous seventh.

Everton for all practical purposes have secured their promotion to the First Division with the victory. They are two lengths clear of Notts County with two left to play, but have an advantage in runs difference with 147 against Notts’s margin of 64.

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Baseball League 1924
Second Division Results