With four weeks of play completed in the 2014 Great Britain Fastpitch League (GBFL), and just one playing date remaining on 28 June, a GB Combined team, made up of male and female senior GB players, leads Division 1 and the GB Under-19 Men lead Division 2.
The league should have ended after play on Saturday 31 May, but because all games were rained out on 24 May, an extra and final playing date has been added, on Saturday 28 June at Farnham Park. While the GB Combined team has too big a lead to be caught in Division 1, there is just an outside chance that the GB Under-19 Women could catch the GB Under-19 Men in Division 2.
Best year ever?
GBFL organiser Stan Doney thinks this might be the best year the GBFL has had since it began in more-or-less its current form in 2011.
With the exception of the day that was rained out, the weather has been kind, the players have enjoyed playing on the excellent diamonds at Farnham Park and a majority of games have been competitive as pitching talent has been shared. There has also been homemade food for the players to buy and the atmosphere has been great. Clearly, the players have enjoyed it!
Rachel Kho, a student from Singapore who joined the Oxford/Heyford team this year, was taken aback by the unique nature of the league -- mainly the fact that male, female and mixed teams, and adult and youth teams, all compete against each other. And they make it work!
After the games on 31 May, Rachel posted her thoughts about the GBFL experience on Facebook:
"I really admire their passion and dedication for the game. It takes hours and a lot of £pounds to just get there, due to the sheer size of the country. And players commit their whole Saturday for it [with some of them] playing six games straight each game day! Two is tiring enough, seriously. But really, really nice people ... so warm and inviting.
"The atmosphere at the ground is super nice too -- so encouraging and supportive, giving lots of opportunities to young ones to grow, having so much fun and laughter for all others. Competitive but not overdone, admirable sportsmanship. Utmost respect. Acknowledging the officials, appreciating one another and thanking everyone. Everybody knows what to do despite not training much together; brilliant plays and great teamwork are observed. Smart plays as well, which I got to learn from; there's so much to benefit from. It's really like one big big family. Thank you for the opportunity. I have learnt a lot, a lot, and made great great friends as well.
"It's the best league ever. Truly enjoying the game at its pure essence. To my teammates, thank you for the best season ever."
Division 1
Stan Doney sums up the action in Division 1:
The GB Combined team has kept rolling in Weeks 3 and 4 and they still sit with only one loss on the season. The three other teams have not even come close to them, and it looks like staying that way as the GB players get in their at-bats before they head off to their European and World Championships.
Oxford Fastpitch has been the real surprise, however, as they keep repeating their shock result from Week 1 by beating the London Angels. Oxford has now won all of their outings against the Angels, but in another twist, the Angels have beaten the London Meteors Men's Team twice.
The Meteors were lucky to get away with a win against Oxford in Week 3. The game was tied heading into the final inning, but Meteors sneaked an 8-7 win with one run in the bottom of that last inning. They say in sport that some teams just have other "bogey" teams and it seems this is the case here.
GB Combined had one close game against London Angels in Week 4, getting through by only 5-3, and then Angels had another close game against Oxford, losing 7-4.
London Meteors tried to get revenge on GB Combined in Week 4 but ended up being shut out 6-0. London Angels then beat Meteors 6-4 in their final game to keep the teams below GB Combined all very close to each other in the standings.
Division 1 Standings after Week Four
| TEAMS | W | L | D | F | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB Combined | 11 | 1 | 0 | 91 | 19 |
| London Meteors | 6 | 5 | 1 | 77 | 61 |
| Oxford/Heyford Fastpitch | 4 | 8 | 0 | 56 | 105 |
| London Angels | 2 | 9 | 1 | 47 | 86 |
Division 1 Scores: Week Three
GB Combined 8, Oxford/Heyford 3
London Meteors 12, London Angels 2
GB Combined 8, London Meteors 0
Oxford/Heyford 3, London Angels 2
GB Combined 10, London Angels 0
London Meteors 8, Oxford/Heyford 7
Division 1 Scores: Week Four
GB Combined 5, London Angels 3
London Meteors 10, Oxford/Heyford 5
GB Combined 6, London Meteors 0
Oxford/Heyford 7, London Angels 4
London Angels 6, London Meteors 4
GB Combined 14, Oxford/Heyford 1
Division 2
Stan Doney sums up the action in Division 2:
As predicted a few weeks ago, East Midlands finally grabbed their first win of the season, beating the GB Under-16 Combined team by 9-8 in Week 4.
The GB U-19 Women and Men split their games against each other in Weeks 3 and 4, with the Women giving the Men their first loss of the year by a score of 4-3 on 17 May. The Under-19 Men turned it around on 31 May behind Josh Peat's pitching by a 10-1 scoreline. Josh's pitching is about the same standard as some of the stronger European Under-19 teams, so it gave the Under-19 Women a good chance to get some decent at-bats in before they head off to European Championships in Holland in July.
The GB Under-16s earned a great 2-2 draw against the GB Under-19 Men in Week 3, the second draw they have earned in the league. The Under-16s, a combined team of girls and boys, have been going well all season with the help of guest pitching, and have been getting in the experience they need to perform well when the Under-16 Girls go back to the European Championships next season.
Division 1 Standings after Week Four
| TEAMS | W | L | D | F | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB Under-19 Men | 10 | 1 | 1 | 101 | 37 |
| GB Under-19 Women | 7 | 3 | 1 | 89 | 48 |
| GB Under-16 Combined | 3 | 7 | 2 | 55 | 77 |
| East Midlands Fastpitch | 1 | 10 | 0 | 37 | 124 |
Division 2 Scores: Week Three
GB U-19 Men 12, East Midlands 10
GB U-19 Women 12, GB U-16 1
GB U-19 Women 10, East Midlands 3
GB U-19 Men 2, GB U-16 2
GB U-16 12, East Midlands 2
GB U-19 Women 4, GB U-19 Men 3
Division 2 Scores: Week Four
East Midlands 9, GB U-16 8
GB U-19 Men 10, GB U-19 Women 1
GB U-19 Men 6, Gb U-16 2
GB U-19 Women 10, GB U-16 3
GB U-19 Men 9, East Midlands 2