The 2015 season is now pretty much over for most slowpitch softball leagues around the country. Below are reports on what’s been happening in some of these leagues during August as the season drew to a close.
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CENTRAL SCOTLAND SOFTBALL LEAGUE
The Saltires are the champions of the Central Scotland Softball League 2015!
The perennial CSSL champions managed to forget last year’s disappointing campaign, where they finished third, to bounce back and grab the championship once again -- an extraordinary 12th title. The Saltires went through the season with only one loss on their record, which came in the very last game of the season against the surprise team of the year, Rocks.
The Saltires were followed closely by the Honey Badgers, who had a record of 14-2, both losses coming against the Saltires. Big Pimpin’ came third and the Rocks came fourth, the best finish in their team history.
A big congratulations to the Saltires and thanks to all the team that competed in this year’s league.
Edinburgh Festiball
The Edinburgh Festiball was the last tournament of the year for many, and Glasgow teams were well represented. In the Comp level, the Hairy Coos and the Legends played some great softball to come second in their respective groups, each with a record of four wins and one loss, which gained them entry to the top competition on Sunday. The Coos had a rather impressive 84 runs for and 21 runs against.
Unfortunately, both were knocked out in the semi-final by very strong teams that wound up in the final – the London Battle Cruisers and Manchester Greensox. These two teams played a fantastic final where the Greensox eventually won 12-11 over seven hard-fought innings.
AJ’s and Honey Badgers represented the CSSL at Rec level. AJ’s recorded an impressive two wins on the Saturday, considering they had a few rookies playing their first tournament, and that put them in third position in their group, one of the best results they have had in a tournament.
Honey Badgers ended Saturday with a record of 4-1-0, which was just enough to put them in first place in their group and propel them into the top Rec competition on Sunday.
On Sunday, AJ’s kept up their momentum and played some excellent softball in some very tight games. Unfortunately, they drew one game and lost another by just one run, which wasn’t enough to get them to the Rec final, but they should hold their heads up high after that performance.
Glasgow’s only silverware came from the Honey Badgers, who got the runner-up prize in the Ben Riach competition. They lost against the Manchester Fish in their first game on Sunday morning but managed to bounce back and win their next two games to make it to the final. There they faced the Fish again, but just couldn’t get the bats going and lost the game 9-4.
It was another great Festiball and CSSL teams are already looking forward to next year.
BRISTOL SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
The final regular-season games in the Bristol League took place during the week commencing 10 August. In probably the most evenly-contested season in Bristol softball history, the top end of all three divisions still had crucial games where any slip-up could change the final positions, and all three divisions had the potential for extra playoff games to be required.
Third Division
Breaking Bats needed to beat the Flycatchers to ensure that they won the division outright and to avoid having to play Base Invaders in a playoff for the title, and they managed to do this with a comfortable 21-9 victory.
In second place, Base Invaders needed to beat Ice Cold Pitchers to take advantage of any slip-up by Breaking Bats and, more crucially, to maintain their advantage over Chipmonks for the second promotion spot. Base Invaders were dominant in their match and came out on top by 21-3.
Well done to both teams for their promotions and good luck to them next season.
Second Division
Scorgs went into their last game of the season knowing they had the division title sewn up and promotion to the First Division guaranteed, and they came up against a Monmouth Rockets team that has had a year of fluctuating fortunes. However, showing the potential they have hinted at all season, the Rockets put Scorgs to the sword with a 26-9 win.
At the start of the evening, the second promotion spot was occupied by LSDs and Greasy Mitts, who were locked on 70 points and had both a win and a loss against each other. Perhaps the pressure told on both teams, as LSDs lost by one run to Lucky Strikes and the Greasy Mitts were taken apart, 27-15, by The Force. So a playoff was required to determine the second promotion spot.
The playoff game took place the following Thursday on a showery evening. LSDs could only field nine players due to having used their ringer allocation for the season and having players on holiday or injured. Even so, LSDs dominated early on. But Greasy Mitts, who were the home team, slowly clawed back the deficit and at the bottom of the sixth inning the score was pretty much even.
LSDs put some runs on the board in the top of the final inning, but these weren't enough after David Fee came to the plate and hit a home run to right centre field with runners on base and so the Greasy Mitts prevailed.
First Division
Flyers and Jets were locked together at the top of the First Division and both came through close final games, which each team won by two runs, to set up a playoff for the division title.
The first scheduled game, on the following Wednesday, was called off due to rain throughout the day and another game was set up for the following Wednesday. The league grounds weren't available, but after much hunting around an alternative venue was found.
Jets have had a problem all season with numbers of female players available to play and this game was no different, so the Jets could only field nine players. Flyers won the toss and chose to be the home team.
Jets took an early lead in the top of the first inning, with Mark Saunders taking a two-base walk and then being driven in by a line drive to right field by Danielle Dunphy, who also scored later in the inning. The Jets kept the Flyers scoreless in the bottom of the first, but then the Flyers prevented the Jets from scoring in the second inning and scored two themselves to tie the score at 2-2.
The third inning was a big one for Flyers, as they again kept the Jets scoreless before knocking in six runs to take the lead.
The next couple of innings were nip and tuck, with the Jets clawing back a little of the deficit but never being able to catch up completely.
However, with a determined effort in the top of the sixth inning, the Jets scored five runs and after the bottom of the sixth had been completed, the Flyers led by only 16-13.
The Jets came up to bat at the top of the seventh needing three runs to make the Flyers bat again. But the Flyers weren't going to let this game get away from them, and again prevented the Jets from scoring to take the game and the league title.
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SWINDON SOFTBALL LEAGUE (15th Anniversary Season)
The 2015 season is over, with the Panthers winning the league for the third year in a row. But the season has been closely-fought, with the winners only decided after the final game.
There have been a number of new players in the league this year, some new to softball and others who have moved to the area from other softball-playing towns or countries.
The one new team in the league this year was Tin Horse, and though they suffered a few mercy rule defeats early on, they were more competitive as the season went on and eventually recorded their first win, something other teams have taken a couple of years to achieve.
The final league standings were:
| TEAM | GP | W | D | L | RF | RA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 82 | 14 |
| Bombers | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 135 | 93 | 10 |
| Aries | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 119 | 43 | 10 |
| Dodgers | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 169 | 4 |
| Tin Horse | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 66 | 213 | 2 |
The hope is that in 2016 we can continue to grow the league and add a sixth team. Players from other nearby leagues (Oxford, Windsor, Bristol) will be very welcome if they are free on a Thursday evening to join in and help bring on more new players.
Swindon All-Star Team
On 5 September, a Swindon All-Star team was scheduled to travel to Bristol to play against teams from the Bristol and Cardiff Leagues.
We are the smallest of the leagues and few of our players travel to tournaments, but the hope was that we could put on a good showing and that this might help encourage more players to look for tournament teams next summer.
Indoor Softball
As the summer ends, our league will take a short break for a few weeks to let the organisers take time out for a holiday in Las Vegas (to play more softball) -- but after they return the indoor season will start.
The format will be an hour of skills training followed by an hour-long indoor game to put the new skills into practice, and then we’ll hold a third hour of “softball theory” which will be taught in the pub next door.
This is essentially a chance for seasoned players (read: old) to re-tell their softball stories from years gone by to a fresh new audience, and for new players to ask what the infield fly rule is, which glove to buy and why umpires don’t get the close decisions right.
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SOLENT SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Usually, this would be the end-of-season report from the SSL. However, there are still games to be played and positions in divisions to be resolved.
Division 1
With one game to play, the Portsmouth Dodgers know a win will clinch the division title they last won back in 2007. The Dodgers have been in the league since its inception and will hope to wrest the trophy from the OAPs and bring it back to Portsmouth for the first time in five years.
The relegation spot has been decided for Division 1, and it’s the Killa Whales who will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2016 season. It has been a tough ride for the Whales this year, and with so many players new to the sport, they struggled against Division 1 opposition.
The OAPs, Sluggers and Knicks will occupy the middle three positions in the division, more than likely in that order.
Division 2
Division 2 is an enigma. Two weeks ago, every team could win the league, and every team could be relegated -- and that’s with most of the games having been played.
The Sharks are currently swimming in front of the pack. Having been relegated to Division 2 last season for the first time in their history, the Sharks are hoping to bounce straight back up, and with a win in their final game will do just that. The Hursley Hurricanes are currently bottom of the pack with a single game to play, but with a win of their own and a Sharks loss, they would take the division. So it’s still all to play for.
The UPSU Shafters finished all their games ages ago and will finish either second or third in the division. The Chichester Falcons had been in with a chance of taking the division if they had won their last two games. But in a strange twist of fate, they lost both games and will now be relegated to Division 3 for the 2016 season.
Division 3
With each team having two games left to play, it was winner-take-all in a head-to-head meeting between the Portsmouth Dodgers East and the Southampton Spitfires. The Dodgers were two points in front of the Spitfires, and knew a win would clinch the title in their first-ever season. The Spitfires were looking to upset the new kids on the block and take a one-point lead themselves, hoping they could snatch the silverware from under the noses of their South Coast compatriots.
In a highly competitive game with a great atmosphere, the Spitfires looked to have things in hand, holding an 11-3 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. But the Dodgers then pulled a rabbit out of the hat and came up with a 10-run inning. With the Spitfires unable to answer, the Dodgers East took the title and promotion to Division 2 at their first attempt.
The Spitfires will finish second, followed closely by the Brewers and then the Zombies.
Tournaments
The second day of the Solent Summerball, which was rained off during the glorious summer months, will take place in September, and will be followed the next weekend by the SSL’s Lastball.
This will give us the winner of the tournament series for the league’s 20th anniversary season.
A massive end-of-season party to celebrate the anniversary will take place at the Spinnaker Tower, where suits and party dresses will be the order of the evening, as will cocktails and dancing till the early hours.
GREATER LONDON SOFTBALL MIXED LEAGUE
Neil Weyman reports on the end of season results for the three GLSML Minors divisions:
Minors 1
Base Invaders stormed Minors 1 this season with 13 wins and only one blemish. That loss came against the Base Jumpers, who also had a great season and were promoted with one game to spare.
At the other end of the table, Comets Yellow had a season to forget, losing their first eight games and never recovering. The Knights were the other team to be relegated, with the Cheetahs, Pirates, Badgers and Meteors taking up the mid-table spaces.
The best game played in the division was the Knights versus the Invaders at Primrose Hill. The Knights took a 9-0 lead after four innings and managed to keep their lead going into the seventh inning with the score at 12-4. However, Base Invaders showed why they are champions. Needing nine runs to win in the bottom of the seventh, they made it with only one out recorded and snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.
Minors 2
The Kamikazes were the first team to be promoted this season after their 17-16 victory over the Voodoos. They also became only the third team since 2007 to achieve a perfect season (the others were the Fuzzy Ducks, who did it twice, and the Canary Cubs).
The other playoff spot was settled when the Tecumsehs and Tornadoes squared off in the September gloom and the Tornadoes edged a thriller to make it back-to-back promotions.
In the basement, last year’s promoted teams, the Sliders and Banditos, found the jump up a bit tricky, took a while to find their feet, and went back down. Raiders Green managed to find enough wins to stay up, so the two promoted teams will be looking to bounce back next season. The Voodoos and Tigers, who finished only one win off second place, will be looking to push on next season.
Minors 3
Mouse Rat stormed the Minors 3, with all 13 of their win coming on the mercy rule. Kudos to Disco Inferno, who finished mid-table along with Bat to the Future, for inflicting Mouse Rat's only loss of the season.
The other promotion spot is still yet to be decided. The Pimlico Parrots and Raiders Silver will be squaring off at Finsbury park on 26 Sept to decide who will join the rodents in Minors 2 next season.