The London Angels made it back to Division 1 of the Great Britain Fastpitch League (GBFL) with two wins behind the pitching of Kylie Marshall on Saturday 1 June at Richings Park. Meanwhile, the GB Under-16s came back to earth and went down to Division 2 as the league concluded its fourth day of play.
With the GB Women, GB Under-19 Men and Women and the GB Under-16 Girls all heading off to European or World Championship competition over the next couple of months, the GBFL will now take a break until August 17, and will conclude with a Finals Weekend on September 7-8.
Angels return
After spending two weeks down in Division 2, the London Angels finally reclaimed what they will consider their rightful place in Division 1 with a 12-5 win over Oxford and an 11-1 victory over Sussex. Angels' pitcher Kylie Marshall kept opposing batters off balance in both games, and the team hit form both at bat and in the field.
Meanwhile, following two weeks in Division 1, the GB Under-16 Girls, the league's surprise team thus far, suffered a 13-2 defeat at the hands of the mostly male Bucks Fastpitch Team, then lost 11-1 to the GB Under-19 Women and were demoted back to Division 2.
When the league resumes on August 17, the GB Under-16s will have just returned from what they hope will be a successful European Championship in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic.
Still unbeaten
Meanwhile, the London Meteors, an all-male team sprinkled with GB Men's Team players, continues undefeated on the season with two more wins on 1 June.
The first was a surprisingly close 8-5 win over the GB Under-19 Women, but the Meteors looked more like themselves in a 4-2 demolition of Bucks Fastpitch.
Scores
Division 1
London Meteors 8, GB U-19 Women 5
Bucks Fastpitch 13, GB U-16s 2
London Meteors 14, Bucks Fastpitch 2
GB U-19 Women 11, GB U-16s 1
Division 2
London Angels 12, Oxford 5
Sussex 10, GB U-19 Men 8
London Angels 11, Sussex 1
Oxford 9, GB U-19 Men 8