The 2016 season is getting under way for most slowpitch softball leagues around the country. Below is a preview of the upcoming season in London’s largest open softball league, the Greater London Softball Mixed League.
GREATER LONDON SOFTBALL MIXED LEAGUE (GLSML)
The GLSML has 48 teams spread across three Majors Divisions and three Minors Divisions, and it certainly looks like there’ll be plenty to play for in each division in 2016.
Majors 1
Having won their first league championship last season since 2009, LNZ will want to make it back-to-back trophies, and with no signs of roster deterioration, this tight unit is in great stead to do just that. They won’t have to look too far behind them for competition, though. Mi6 have been contenders for the last several years, but haven't won the division in a few years. Bolstered by some new blood and some returns from injuries, could this be their year to claim the championship?
2014 champions Mescalitos face a season missing some key players, but still boast the best defense in the league and certainly know how to win. Their core remains strong, so it’s impossible to rule them out of contention.
One of the biggest stories in Majors 1 is the rise of divisional debutants Meteors 2 and Private I’s. The Meteors 2 team leap-frogged their clubmates Meteors 1 last season to ascend to the top flight for the first time, and the Private I's were promoted for the third consecutive year to join their clubmates Mi6, opening a new chapter in the history of the Secret Agents’ derby. Both teams retain their strong rosters and will look to ask some questions of Majors 1’s old guard.
Majors 2
Majors 2 includes one of the most intriguing stories and greatest rises in GLSML history, the Fuzzy Ducks. Having started in 2012 as the development team that enters the league each year, they have won successive promotions from Minors 3 to Majors 2 in each of the last four seasons with a record of 52 and 4, and also finished joint third in the Platinum National Championships last year.
The battle for second place is likely to be between Raiders Gold, who have bounced between the top two divisions recently, and Comets Black, who have benefitted from the demise of Comer’s Homers, picking up a number of their remaining players.
Majors 3
Expect Majors 3 to give us a cauldron of competitive play this season, making it very difficult to predict who will finish at the top of the pile. Newly-promoted sides Base Invaders and Base Jumpers have a great chance to impose themselves at this level, while Beyond Bermuda Guns will be looking to smash their way back into Majors 2 following their relegation last season.
Also in the mix are the Richmond Swingers and Raiders Blue, who both should have the roster and experience to cause the top two some problems. Oblivion are consistent mainstays in this division, and The Mob will be hoping for fewer trips to the team doctor this season after a cursed 2015.
Minors 1
On paper, Minors 1 looks like the best division in the GLSML, composed of eight evenly-matched teams who can beat each other on any given day. Raiders Red have dropped down from the Majors after a three-year stay while the Kamikazes will be looking to build on a perfect 14-0 record last year. If the Kamis can keep the core that propelled them to the Minors 2 title, they could be promoted once more and enter the Majors head first.
The remaining sides won’t be spectating, though, and all eight teams in the division are bound to have a say in who takes the crown.
Minors 2
In Minors 2, Soft Boiled, under Russ Davies, who is well known on the indoor scene, will be a test for any side. A strong start from both the eggs and from Mouse Rat is expected. Mouse Rat were exceptional last year, winning every game bar one. Stacked with big hitters through the line-up, they will be the team to beat and have it in them to go through the season undefeated.
Comets Yellow had a stinker last year, losing their first eight games of the season. However, if they can start with a couple of victories, don’t rule them out from bouncing straight back.
Minors 3
Minors 3 is always an unknown, depending on the strength of new teams entering the basement division. The development teams are getting stronger and stronger despite some seasonal variance, so it will be exciting to see how this year’s new entry, Game of Throws, get on. They put in a solid performance at the Lastball at the end of last season and should at least sit comfortably in mid-table.
Despite the Mescalitos Banditos’ and Knight Sliders’ immediate relegation from Minors 2, both will have gained valuable experience and nous from their brief stay in the higher division. They will be the teams to beat in 2016, but will no doubt have problems from Bat to the Future and Disco Inferno all the way through the season.