The fourth season of the National Softball League, a competition designed to increase the number of co-ed slowpitch teams competing at the highest level in British softball, was virtually non-existent in 2012.
In the end, only 10 teams signed up for the competition (down from 14 in 2011). Then the NSL season was drastically reduced by weather and by the anticipation that fewer pitches would be available at Farnham Park this year because of pitch construction, part of the reason that the Diamond Series declined to host the NSL in 2012.
Seeding order
So there was only one weekend
of NSL competition this year, at the British Airways Tournament near Heathrow Airport on June 16-17 (a planned second weekend at Loughborough on July 7-8 was rained out). And that one weekend produced a seeding order under which nine of the 10 NSL teams will play the 2012 Premier Nationals on the weekend of September 1-2 on the sports grounds at Parr's Wood High School in Didsbury, Manchester.
The 10th team, the Misfits, made up largely of players from Slovenia, are unable to compete because the date clashes with National Baseball Championships in Slovenia.
The Premier Nationals winner, in addition to gaining the title of national champion, will qualify as the British representative at the next European Slowpitch Cup. The last two Premier Nationals, in 2010 and 2011 were won by the Pioneers. But the Chromies now need to win the Premier Nationals in order to get back to the European Slowpitch Cup. And could this finally be the year for H2O? Or a less fancied team? Some good, tight games are in store!
In addition to the Premier Nationals, a recreational League All-Star Nationals will be held at Parrs Wood on the same weekend. Teams from Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, East Midlands and Cardiff have signed up and more leagues may come in.
Competing teams
Below is the list of teams that will contest the Premier Nationals and the number of points they gained on the one NSL competition weekend in June.
H2O (25)
Pioneers (20)
Slammers (15)
Maniacs (10)
Blue Steel (8)
Chromies (6)
Legends (4)
BT (2)
Windsor Knights (1)
The Premier Nationals format will be a complete nine-team round-robin followed by a playoff structure still to be decided.
BASU is arranging to have a two-umpire system for all Premier Nationals games, and catering over the weekend will be provided by El Topo, who do a wide range of burritos, included vegetarian and vegan options.
This tournament will be the last BSF National Championship run by long-time BSF Tournaments Officers Liz Graham and Lesley Morisetti, who are resigning after this season – though Liz may remain on the BSF Executive as a Tournaments Consultant.