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7 May, 1930 |
The Hampshire Hawks concluded the season in grand fashion -- they won the Home Nations Baseball Association World Test. They nailed it down at Rose Bowl by whipping the Sussex Sharks 5-3 to win it all. They took the series 4-1.
"They never let up and they never stopped trying the whole season," the Hawks manager proudly told reporters. "They hustled and fought the whole season and it continued in the playoffs. They are a very special bunch of guys."
To get their 6th World Cup, the Hawks won 11 of their last 12 test matches. In 14 test matches, they held their opponents to 2 runs or less in 10 of those matches. Only once did a team score more than 3 runs on the Hampshire bowlers.
As is the custom, His Majesty, King George V, went onto the pitch to award the Royal Medallion of the Tested to this year's most valuable players.
Sam Rice
Despite their bowling dominance, the Hampshire award winner was veteran RF Sam Rice. Sam hit .390 and was key to the Hawk offense. He led the team with 8 RBIs, 8 runs scored and 4 stolen bases, but it was his veteran leadership which keyed critical Hawk rallies.
Lefty Stewart
In Sussex's surprising run to the World Test, it was Lefty Stewart who won the key matches for the Sharks. Lefty was 3-1 with a 1.20 ERA. He held opponent batsmen to a paultry .211 average.
Sussex's Charlie Jamieson's 2-run four ball broke a 3-3 tie in the 5th to enable the British All-Stars to again win the all-star classic held at Grace Road. The Celtic All Stars had just tallied 3 in the top of the frame to level the match, prior to Jamieson's blast off loser Jim Tobin. Warwickshire's Hank Greenberg went 3 for 3 and was named the man of the match.
It's All-Star Game time! Time for the
superstars to shine!
Every year at the midpoint in the season the Home Nations Baseball
Association takes a break in the schedule to play the annual All-Star
Game. It's a battle of the superstars -- The British All-Stars versus
the Celtic All-Stars.
The All-Star Game will spotlight the best hitters, the best pitchers
and the best fielders, all doing battle against one another, all trying
to prove their league is best.
The British roster will feature these outstanding players:
C J. Bard (LEI)
C J. Kendall (SUS)
1B H. Greenberg (WAR)
1B B. Terry (WOR)
2B R. Hornsby (WAR)
2B R. Sandberg (SUS)
3B E. Morgan (MID)
3B A. Rosen (WAR)
SS P. Rizzuto (WAR)
SS E. McKean (KEN)
CF T. Speaker (WOR)
RF R. Youngs (SUS)
LF S. Amoros (WAR)
LF C. Jamieson (SUS)
CF S. Spence (WOR)
SP L. Cadore (NOR)
SP B. Gullickson (ESS)
SP H. Ehmke (DER)
SP E. Knetzer (KEN)
SP C. Patten (SUS)
MR M. Wohlers (KEN)
CL J. Rincon (SUS)
CL S. Reed (ESS)
MR B. Sutter (NOT)
MR T. Henke (MID)
And the Celtic roster will have these elite performers:
C J. Stenzel (LAR)
C M. Nokes (BUC)
1B G. Sisler (HAM)
1B S. Hertz (CLO)
2B E. Delahanty (BUC)
2B R. Durham (LIM)
3B T. Pendleton (CLO)
3B R. Hodgin (HAM)
SS M. McGeary (HAM)
SS A. Vaughan (SOM)
CF O. CHARLESTON (CLO)
CF C. Klein (BUC)
RF J. Moore (GLA)
LF M. Greenwell (GLO)
RF G. Anderson (SOM)
SP R. BROWN (HAM)
SP F. Smith (HAM)
SP J. Tobin (HAM)
SP S. Weaver (CLO)
SP B. Black (NOT)
MR R. Hernandez (LIM)
MR C. Bradford (HAM)
MR E. Dugan (BUC)
MR C. Sweeney (SOM)
SP M. Murakami (PEM)
Home Nations Baseball Association officials are confident that their Opening Day schedule will draw in baseball-hungry fans from all walks of life.
Kicking off what promises to be an
eventful season are match-ups between:
Leicestershire Foxes @ Warwickshire Bears
Derbyshire Phantoms @ Yorkshire Phoenix
Nottinghamshire Outlaws @ Worcestershire Royals
Sussex Sharks @ Middlesex Crusaders
Kent Spitfires @ Essex Eagles
Durham Dynamos @ Lancashire Lightning
Limavady Greyhounds @ Buckie Whalers
Hampshire Hawks @ Pembroke Red Foxes
Clontarf Bulls @ Gloucestershire Gladiators
| Club News |
Clontarf’s cranks packed Castle Grounds again in 1928 and the Bulls didn’t disappoint, breaking the century mark in County wins for the seventh time in nine HNBA seasons. (Indeed, their 103-59 mark fell 12 wins short of their 115-47 “Pythagorean” projection.) Once again, however, the team failed in the Test matches, falling to their bitter rivals, the Hawks, in the Cornish Cup series.
The Bulls put on an unparalleled exhibition of bowling in 1928, posting a sensational team ERA of just 2.11. George Dumont (more about “Pea Soup” below) led the way with an HNBA best 1.51 ERA and a 19-6 mark, with veteran southpaw Henry Keupper going 20-6 1.79
The batting, however, was less impressive in 1928. The front office could not be faulted, having acquired Minnie Minoso and Tony Lazzeri on transfer, but both disappointed: Minoso hit just .221 with 6 fours in 101 games before being shipped to the Hawks at the transfer deadline for Juan Gonzalez; Lazzeri was hitting .357 with 4 boundaries in 21 games when he arrived from Worcestershire, but hit just .235 with 4 more boundaries over 134 games for Clontarf.
Surprisingly, the team’s one major acquisition during the hot stove season just past was an opening bowler, Sam Weaver, from Lurgan. Although management thought it would have to allow another opening bowler to leave on transfer to balance the books, some careful financial management allowed the team to hang on to all six of their openers, which proved a blessing when tragedy struck at Castle Grounds during a March 9 exhibition against the Hawks, with all-time HNBA four-ball leader Albert Pujols suffering a season-ending knee injury.
To their credit, the Bulls front office was quick off the mark, trading “Pea Soup” Dumont to the Lancashire Lightning for powerful slips fielder Steve Hertz. Along with Hertz, other likely newcomers to the Opening Day roster are colt southpaw change bowler Jack Leary, reserve slipsman Wally Pipp, and substitute fieldsman Eddie Mulligan.
The 2nd IX had a successful run in 1928, winning the Dales Shield for the 3rd time in 4 seasons and capturing their first Queen’s Competition Championship. For 1929, the attack, led by the “3 P’s” (Pounds, Polchow and Peppers), will be joined by opening bowlers Abe Johnson and Sloppy Thurston, a first round draft choice of the Bulls way back in 1924, who returns to the organization on transfer from Sussex. Barney Wolfe, who closed for the 2nd IX in 1928 (0-3 26/27 1.26), has moved up to the 1st IX; he'll be replaced by colt Jake Aydelott.
Despite the blow inflicted by the loss of Albert Pujols, Clontarf’s faithful are hopeful that the Weaver's arrival will offset Dumont's departure, and that Hertz, with the help of some better batting from Charleston, Gonzalez and Lazzeri, can make up for “the Machine’s” absence.
Nottinghamshire is like a kid on Christmas window-shopping, nose pressed against the window of playoffs and not getting a lick of the post-season gifts.
1929, unfortunately, could be yet another venture into "smell but don't touch" territory. First, the tragic injury to Willie Mays at the end of the '28 campaign will linger into the summer, and who knows what skills he will bring to a mid-season.
His replacement, young rookie draft choice, Lew Ford, who brings sufficient enthusiasm, but is untested in the expanses of Trent Bridge, will need to bring mature skills to please the Outlaw rabble.
Brought over in transfer to flank him are three veteran sluggers, Adam Dunn, Richie Zisk and Bruce Bochte. The pleasant Walton Cruise departed in transfer, but a rotation of remaining vet, Augie Bergamo, with the new trio of rangers will hopefully provide the offensive punch missing its Say Hey heart. Scouts wonder about the purported lack of defensive acumen, but only Dunn is a liability, and only a bit of one, of the new outers.
The infield remains intact, with SS Ray Chapman the clear leader, Billy Wambsganns the popular double play partner, and a hot corner trio of young Bobby Wallace, Hansom Jackson and the reliable Lodigiani. Billy Cissel waits in the wings.
The first corner will be ably manned by slugger Lyle Overbay backed by Dunn as Mike Diaz too transferred to greener pastures.
The backstop corps may see some new blood as Joe Sugden will start, but Brad Ausmus is pushing Randy Knorr for the backup position.
Bowling has always been a strength at the Bridge, but again, fates conspire against the Forest as steady Earl Moore and his 126 Outlaw wins was lost for the season. That means Artie Nehf moves to the ace position followed by Sad Sam, Bullet Miller, Jesse Barnes and one of a tough group; Holt, Black or Morton.
Relief is going to end well with new transfer Bruce Sutter, backed ably by Huismann and Taylor, with Cummings and either Holt or Black in reserve, whoever does not take a rotational bowler role.
The Queen's Outlaws will have a strong staff, particularly among the relief corps, with some raw hitters filling the lineup attempting to impress the big league club.
Ninety wins might be a stretch in '29, but if Mays comes back strong, another pennant run is a strong potential in the Forest.
| British Standings | ||||
| Midlands Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Worcestershire Royals | 19 | 8 | .704 | - |
| Warwickshire Bears | 17 | 10 | .630 | 2.0 |
| Yorkshire Phoenix | 15 | 11 | .577 | 3.5 |
| Nottinghamshire Outlaws | 15 | 12 | .556 | 4.0 |
| Derbyshire Phantoms | 14 | 12 | .538 | 4.5 |
| Leicestershire Foxes | 10 | 17 | .370 | 9.0 |
| Coastal Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Sussex Sharks | 19 | 8 | .704 | - |
| Kent Spitfires | 14 | 12 | .538 | 4.5 |
| Northamptonshire Steelbacks | 14 | 12 | .538 | 4.5 |
| Essex Eagles | 8 | 18 | .308 | 10.5 |
| Surrey Brown Caps | 8 | 18 | .308 | 10.5 |
| Middlesex Crusaders | 6 | 21 | .222 | 13.0 |
| Celtic Standings | ||||
| Cumbria Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Buckie Whalers | 18 | 8 | .692 | - |
| Larne Pirates | 17 | 9 | .654 | 1.0 |
| Durham Dynamos | 14 | 12 | .538 | 4.0 |
| Lancashire Lightning | 10 | 16 | .385 | 8.0 |
| Lurgan Setters | 9 | 17 | .346 | 9.0 |
| Limavady Greyhounds | 7 | 19 | .269 | 11.0 |
| Cornish Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Clontarf Bulls | 22 | 5 | .815 | - |
| Hampshire Hawks | 17 | 10 | .630 | 5.0 |
| Pembroke Red Foxes | 15 | 11 | .577 | 6.5 |
| Somerset Sabres | 12 | 15 | .444 | 10.0 |
| Glamorgan Dragons | 9 | 17 | .346 | 12.5 |
| Gloucestershire Gladiators | 8 | 19 | .296 | 14.0 |
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