Baseball in the United Kingdom
Part of the History of baseball series.
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Introduction in the 19th Century
Baseball was officially first played in Canada though forms of Baseball or rounders have been played in the United Kingdom since at least the 18th century, and the traditional game of British Baseball continues in Wales and Merseyside. In 1890 the international version of the game was introduced to the United Kingdom in Derby by Francis Ley, a Derby man who had discovered the game on a trip to the United States, and Albert Goodwill Spalding an American sporting goods businessman who saw opportunities to expand his business across the Atlantic. One of the first baseball clubs was the Derby County Baseball Club which ran away with the first championship after the was established in 1890. However, pressure from other teams in the league over the number of American players on the Derby team forced Derby to resign at the end of the league's first season, though the baseball club itself lasted until 1898.
Resurgence prior to WWII
Baseball's peak popularity in Britain was in the years immediately preceding World War II. Baseball teams shared grounds with football clubs (hence Derby County’s home ground was named the Baseball Ground), and the game was run at a professional standard with up to 10,000 spectators per game.
One milestone of baseball in the United Kingdom was the 1938 victory of Great Britain over the United States to win the inaugural World Cup of Baseball.
At present
Today, there are more than 40 baseball teams and 875 adult players, ranging geographically from Cambridge to Liverpool, Southampton to Edinburgh.
There have been numerous league formats and governing bodies since 1890. Beginning in 1987, the British Baseball Federation (BBF) has governed the baseball leagues. Baseball clubs pay annual affiliation fees to be a member of the BBF and play in the BBF Leagues and Junior Leagues. There is also a full Great Britain Baseball Programme which comprises the Great Britain Baseball Academy, junior national teams and Great Britain 'Seniors' Baseball Team.
There are currently three tiers in the national game.
The season runs from April until August.
Champions
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+ Game three of the 1993 final between Hull & Chicksands was cancelled because of the weather and never played, so both teams shared the Championship. +
External links
- BBF (British Baseball Federation)
- History of Baseball in the United Kingdom
- BBF Baseball
- Great Britain National Baseball Team
- Glasgow Baseball Association
- Croydon Pirates Baseball Club
- Edinburgh Diamond Devils Baseball Club
- London Mets Baseball Club
- Richmond Baseball & Softball Club