The London Fastpitch Softball League (LFSL) enjoyed a tremendous second season in 2011, with twelve teams (six co-ed, three men's and three women's teams) competing in two divisions.
League play has been suspended since the last session on July 9 because so many players were away at international tournaments in July and August. But the 2011 season will conclude in style with two final days of league play at Fakenham in Norfolk on the weekend of September 17-18.
The teams will be hosted by the Norfolk Softball Association at their purpose-built field at Fakenham High School, built last year with the help of a Small Facilities Grant from BSUK and Sport England.
Although the LFSL was based for most of this season at Richings Park near Langley, and will be again next year, the trip to Fakenham will bring a higher level of play to Norfolk and reward the Fakenham players for all the journeys they have had to make to Berkshire over the past few months.
Finding the winners
There are still issues to be settled over the final weekend as far as the LFSL standings are concerned.
Division 1
In Division 1, where women's teams London Angels, Richings Park Penguins and Wolverines compete with men's teams Richings Park Red, Richings Park Black and Berkshire, Richings Park Red and the London Angels are tied at the top of the standings heading into the final weekend, with eight wins, two losses, two draws and 26 points each.
Will the men or the women prevail?
But two more teams -- Richings Park Black and Wolverines -- both with records of five wins, four losses and three draws, have an outside chance of catching the leaders by the time the final weekend is over.
The Berkshire team, made up largely of players from the new GB Under-19 Men's Team, has failed to register a win this year though they have had a lot of close games and three draws. Even though they are likely to finish in last place, they will be hoping to put a first victory on the board before the season finishes and maybe even catch the Richings Park Penguins, currently in fifth place.
Division 2
In Division 2, consisting of six co-ed teams with various mixtures of male and female players, Hove Tuesday, with 10 wins and two losses, is the favourite to take the division title.
But the Richings Park Puffins (7-4-1) and even Chalfont Fastpitch (6-5-1) have slim hopes of making a late charge.
Norfolk Fastpitch (5-7) are currently in fourth place and will hope to do well on their home turf, but London Angels 2 (4-8) and even Nottingham Fastpitch (currently bottom at 3-9), could overtake them.
More players
The major success of the London Fastpitch Softball League this year has been to attract a record number of people to try fastpitch for the first time or come back to the sport if they have played it previously.
The LFSL dates in May, June and July were great fun and featured some excellent games, and that's the main reason why there were always enough players to fill out the 12 teams, even when various GB fastpitch players were away on international duty.
There may need to be some chopping and changing of player personnel on the final weekend, too, since Fakenham will be too far for some players to go or too difficult to get to, and some experienced players are out of the country. But the league has coped with this all year under the resourceful leadership of BSUK's Stan Doney, and no doubt will cope with it again.
Although ostensibly an adult league, the LFSL has had players this year ranging in age from 12 to over 50, at all levels of skill and experience, and the more experienced players have always supported those who were younger or trying fastpitch for the first time. There has been a genuine community spirit about the league.
The league has also been invaluable in developing young players on the GB Fastpitch Teams at Under-19, Under-16 and even Under-13 levels, with many of these players gaining extra experience by playing in both Divisions 1 and 2.
Want to play?
Anyone interested in playing in Fakenham on the final weekend (no previous fastpitch experience required) or playing in the league next year should email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).