St Margaret's Baseball - Sefton RUFC 1973

Written and researched by David Bohl

Secretary John Roberts asked if they could once again use Sefton to host their home games during the summer of 1973.
This turned out to be fruitful arrangement as the Lewis Cup and the England v Wales International were also held.
An informative letter set out the dimensions of the diamond and explained the less wear and tear on the ground in the English form of baseball compared to the American.

[Liverpool Daily Post 9th July 1973]

Top Price

Breckside swept to the first of three possible honours in the English baseball circle when they decisively beat Anfield Old Boys in the Lewis Cup Final at Sefton.
Breckside had to bat a second time to get the two runs required, achieving this without loss. Excellent batting by Harry Turner and brilliant bowling in the two spells by Freddie Price put Breckside on top.
Anfield collapsed in their first innings which yielded only 23, leaving them 60 behind.
Score: Breckside 83, 3-0 (86). Anfield OB 23, 61 (84).
Trojans beat Stretford (Manchester Saints) 11-4 in the Merseyside National League. A feature was the pitching of Arthur Bolton who got three strike outs for the Trojans.

[Liverpool Daily Post 14th July 1973]

Freddie Devastates Wales

What appeared to be a lost cause after the first innings, turned out to be a real thriller in the annual international baseball game between England ad Wales at Sefton rugby ground on Saturday.
England won by 43 runs, and lead the reconstituted series 4-1.
During the weekend the feelers were put out over a possible healing of the the breach with the “other" section in Cardiff, which was a a Welsh baseball stronhold a few years ago.
It was the devastating work of Freddie Price (Breckside), both bowling and fielding that shook Wales rigid, and got them out for 21 after England had knocked 58. But there was plenty of fight in the Welshmen in the second knock, when they were chasing 129 for a fourth innings target.
They failed, but only after a great fight- one of the best in international games.
Kenny Robins (Kingston) was the Welsh strongman with 22 runs- 21 in the second knock- and Neil Rice (Anfield OB) got a special award as player of the match, hitting 32, as well as an excellent display at backstop. Johny Halliday (Anfield OB) also did well for 19.
Scores: England 58, 91 (149); Wales 21, 83 (104).
In the American section, Trojans were beaten 5-4 by Stretford, the Manchester side, in the Artco semi-final at Fazakerley.

American League round-up

[Thanks to www.projectcobb.org.uk]

St Margaret's Baseball 1930 and History

1930s English Baseball photograph of Edward Jones who played for England and St Margaret’s Baseball teams from 1929-1949.

Edward (Teddy) Jones (b. Liverpool 1908 – d. 1979) was a left-handed batter who played 10 times for the England between 1929 and 1949. He won four English Baseball Association Challenge Cup winners medals in 1928, 1930, 1931 and 1933. His match total of 30 runs in the 1935 final beat the previous record held by Charlie Moore since 1914 and he held this record for 47 years until broken by Steve Henney in 1982. Also only the third English man to hit over 100 runs for England, Edward Jones was, in the opinion of John Murray the greatest left-hander to play for England.

English Baseball History link here