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

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Baseball League 1929
Second Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1929
Second Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1929
Second Division Top Systems

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Baseball League 1929
Second Division Financial Report

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Dawes and Charlton Athletic Utterly Embarrass Plymouth Argyle

Despite a hopeful start for the Pilgrims of Plymouth Argyle after four wins in their first five matches during first week of the season, the “bottom fell out” for the club on Saturday and they were trounced by Charlton Athletic by the score of 28 runs to four in front of 5,500 delirious Addicks supports at the Valley in Charlton, London.

Argyle entered the bottom of the third innings with a manageable deficit of a single run, but the floodgates opened as Athletic scored fifteen runs in the frame on fifteen runs on only ten hits and four base on balls yielded by the generous starter Williams, who gave way to Middleton during the innings. Middleton himself could not contain the Addicks as he conceded eight runs between that same innings and the next, and the rout had reached the point of no return.

Addicks nicked some extra runs here and there in the remaining innings and, by ending up with 28, have established a high mark for team runs scored in a single match both for the Third Division, and for the League by any home team. An examination of the record has revealed four instances in which a team had scored at least 28, all by visitors, and three of those instances occurring in the 19th Century.

Third base man Ernie Dawes had the most splendid day on attack of any baseballer since the inception of the Third Division. His day started quite auspiciously when in the top of the first innings he took an unbelievable catch along the third base foul line of a line drive that would certainly have been a threebee at the Valley. In the bottom of the innings he hit a tremendous home run, nearly 450 feet, far beyond the boundary between left and centre fields, scoring three runs in the persons of Sumner, Murray, and himself.

In the momentous third, Dawes batted twice. The first time he made a single and batted home North from third, then himself scoring on Turner’s fly ball out; the second time Dawes received a base on balls that plated Sumner yet again, while Dawes scored later on Robson’s single. In the fourth, Dawes hit a twobee to score North once more, and he scored again on Burn’s single. In the sixth innings Dawes drew a base on balls and, after having advanced to third on Burns’s single, scored on pinch batsman Isherwood’s fly ball out. Finally, in the seventh innings, Dawes made a single and scored when Turner reached on short stop error.

When the close of play rang and the individual numbers were tallied up, the record for Dawes showed six times at the bat, six times on base, six runs scored, and six runs batted in. It was the first time any Third Division batsman had scored six in a single game, and the first time in the League since old Ernie McDonald scored six for West Ham United on May 23rd, 1903 in a 26 runs to nil caning of Everton.

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Aldershot Finish Season Falling Short in Thrilling Last Innings.

The end of the Baseball League season arrived on Saturday, the first season in the League for the Aldershot club. They had a fair season for a newly arrived team from a very small town nestled in the lulling hills of Hampshire, known mainly for the garrison barracks and the new Boxall Lane speedway track and the Adventure of the Crooked Man. It has been most definitely not been known for baseball, since in fact the town club have toiled in the nether regions of amateur and professional leagues for nigh on three decades. But they became quite good over time and earned their try at League ball, and in the Southern Section of the Third Division this year they more or less held their own, winning 58 of their first 125 matches, going into the 126th and final match Saturday against Crystal Palace at Recreation Ground.

Things were going fine for the Shots initially, as they had taken a five runs to one lead going into the sixth innings, at which point they fairly collapsed. Pitcher Smithson was keen to avoid the badge of dishonour that might come with losing his twentieth match of the season, but he simply could not hold the fort against the Eagles. Seven singles and a run scoring outfield fly ball in quick succession brought home half a dozen runs, and Smithson was on the losing end of the score yet again, to his awful chagrin. Relief did not come to him until after having yielded two more in the seventh innings and, when the Manager Fuller come to get him, Smithson shuffled off the mound and towards the dugout, to the disapprobation of what was said in the official record to be 2,489 supporters, but what appeared to the eye to be a couple thousand less.

Pitcher Wade could scarcely do better, conceding single tallies in the eighth and ninth innings, and as the Shots stared at a scoreboard reflecting a six runs deficit with but three outs left, they appeared to be merely waiting for the close of play so they could lick their wounds and contemplate during the close season what they could possibly do to be competitive next year in a Division that was proving very difficult for them.

The bottom of the ninth innings dawned coldly as Dow grounded out to the third base man against Palace starter Hill. Marsh singled deep into the hole between second base and first, for a single, a bit of luck there. Birt hit sharply to centre and Zorkin, the beloved “Mayor of Aldershot”, “blooped” a short fly that found the ground behind the short stop, and a run scored, other runners moving up a base each on the throw to the home plate. Hall hit a line drive to left, and there came another run, Zorkin to third. Pitcher Hill was getting nervous, a fact which revealed itself in a walk to Dewar. Murray then singled to score Zorkn, the third run of the innings, and now the bases were "loaded", three runs had scored, and incredibly, the winning run for Aldershot was now at the bat.

An epic battle ensued between Hill and opposite pitcher-now batsman Wade that went to three balls and two strikes, and then a foul ball, then another foul ball, then another foul ball, and then a very deep fly ball to left, closer and closer to the boundary, which was taken by left fieldsman Coleman with his right glove hand as he was bracing himself against the fence with his left, far enough for Hall to score from third and for Dewar to think very seriously about doing so from second.

But now with two outs and a spent Hill falling apart, Palace manager Parker had seen enough and summoned Taylor, erstwhile starter turned relief custodian, to clean up the mess. Hern came up and went for the fences from the outset, nearly twirling himself into the ground with a mighty swing on the first offering from Taylor. Hern repeated the swing on the next delivery and connected for a long hit between the right and centre fielders that bounced off the fence, sub runner O’Hagan scoring and Murray trying to bring the Shots level with a mad scramble for the plate. But the two throws, first from McFadden in right through to Musgrove at second, and second relayed to Turner at the plate, were absolutely perfect. Murray was out by inches, and that was it for Aldershot: innings, match, season.

Aldershot is known for a few things, mostly not quite so famous. But they will be known for the near victorious “comeback”, the fight to the end, the valiant desperate scramble to “snatch victory from the jaws of defeat”. It showed that even in a meaningless last match of the season, the pride of competition even amongst professionals can rear its head at odd times and remake a dreary lost cause into an exciting, valiant, exhilarating lost cause. They will talk about this match during the winter, and the effort will be attributed to the Shots of Aldershot, even if it is not remembered which club it was which actually won the game.

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Results

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Northern Section Promoted Club

Carlisle United Cambrians

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Southern Section Promoted Club

Gillingham Gills

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Tables

Three non-league sides challenged the two North clubs seeking re-election to Division 3 of the Baseball League. Voting -

40      Halifax Town              Re-elected to the League
37	Rochdale	          Re-elected to the League
2	Scun thorpe & Lindsey	  Not elected to the League
1	Thames	                  Not elected to the League
0	Workington                Not elected to the League

Three non-league sides challenged the two South clubs seeking re-election to Division 3 of the Baseball League. Voting -

38      Newport County      Re-elected to the League
25	Plymouth	    Re-elected to the League
19	Llaney	            Not elected to the League
14	Colchester          Not elected to the League
2	Kettering Town	    Not elected to the League

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Team Batting and Pitching

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Northern Section Award Winners



Baseballer of the Year: Hector Hawkridge




Batsman of the Year: Ivor Kingston




Pitcher of the Year: Pete Bailey




Newcomer of the Year: Ernie Lucas

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Southern Section Award Winners


Baseballer of the Year: Bertrand Seago




Batsman of the Year: Freddy Clarke




Pitcher of the Year: Max Hopkins




Newcomer of the Year: Wil Mockford

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division League Leaders

Northern Section

Batting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

Southern Section

Batting Leaders

Pitching Leaders

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Top Game Performances

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Top 20 Batsmen and Pitchers

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Top Systems

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Baseball League 1929
Third Division Financial Report

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Baseball League
First Division
Single Season and Career Records
1888 through 1929

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Baseball League
First Division
Award Winners
1901 through 1929

Baseballer of the Year

Batsman, Pitcher, Newcomer of the Year