Steady improvement by the GB Under-16 Girls’ Fastpitch Team, playing as the GB Junior Angels, was the main feature of Week 4 in the Great Britain Fastpitch League (GBFL), played on Saturday 23 May at Farnham Park.
The GB Junior Angels, playing in Division 2 against teams which are either male or mixed, won their first game of the season, a 5-4 victory over Oxford, behind the guest pitching of GB Under-19 player Amie Hutchison. And improvement both at bat and in the field was still evident later in the day despite two more losses, by 13-6 to the GB Under-19 Boys and by 10-6 to The North.
The progression by the GB Under-16s comes at a good time, as they will be flying out in just four weeks’ time – on 27 June – to compete against five tough teams in the European Cadette Championships, to be played from 29 June-4 July in Nuoro on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Meanwhile, Week 4 featured a number of close games. In Division 1, there was a 10-10 draw between the London Angels and the GB Under-19 Women, while in Division 2 the London Angels had that 5-4 win over Oxford, who later lost by only 9-8 to the GB Under-19 Boys and by only 11-9 to The North.
Clinics
The day also featured a series of pitching clinics delivered by American coach Denise Davis, the founder and owner of the Planet Fastpitch softball academy in Massachusetts and the pitching coach for GB Under-16/Under-19 pitcher Niamh Walker and GB Under-16 pitcher Katherine Ryan. Denise was in the UK visiting friends in Leeds, but came to Farnham Park for the day to run the clinics and to talk with GB Management Committee members about the potential for Planet Fastpitch to provide further support for fastpitch development in the UK.
The final day of regular-season play in the GBFL will be on Saturday 30 May, after which the league will take a break until a Finals Weekend, scheduled for 5-6 September. However, two of the GBFL teams – the London Angels and the GB Under-19 Women – will play against three overseas teams from Denmark, France and Germany in the London Cup Tournament at Farnham Park on the weekend 0f 6-7 June, hosted by the BSF and BSUK.
Division leaders
The GB Under-19 Boys have wrapped up the Division 2 league title with one GBFL day left to play. Their three victories on 23 May – although their final game was that very tight 9-8 win over Oxford – ran their record 8-0. The nearest team to them – the North – currently sit at 7-4 and have too many losses to catch the Under-19 Boys in the standings. Oxford look set to finish third in this division.
Division 1 is a different story, however, as the two all-male teams made up of players from the GB Under-19 Men and the London Meteors are separated by only a single game going into the final weekend of play. A long way behind them, the London Angels, Bristol Barbarians and GB Under-19 Women all still have a shot at finishing third.
Scores
Scores of GBFL games on 23 May were:
DIVISION 1
Meteors/U-19 Men2 14, GB U-19 Women 2
Meteors/U-19 Men1 16, Bristol 3
London Angels 10, GB U-19 Women 10
Meteors/U-19 Men2 10, Bristol 0
Meteors/U-19 Men1 8, GB U-19 Women 3
Meteors/U-19 Men2 12, London Angels 3
DIVISION 2
GB Junior Angels 5, Oxford 4
GB U-19 Boys 15, The North 3
The North 11, Oxford 9
GB U-19 Boys 13, GB Junior Angels 6
GB U-19 Boys 9, Oxford 8
The North 10, GB Junior Angels 6
Standings
The GBFL standings after Week 4 are:
DIVISION 1
GB U-19/Meteors 1 (9-1)
GB U-19/Meteors 2 (8-2)
London Angels (2-5-2)
Bristol (2-8)
GB U-19 Women (1-6-2)
DIVISION 2
GB U-19 Boys (8-0)
The North (7-4)
Oxford (3-5)
GB Junior Meteors (1-2)
GB Junior Angels (1-9)
Photos by Jan Grafton.