On Saturday, 26 September 2009, Herts Baseball Club will stage the second annual Herts Futures Tournament. The event will be held at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire and will once again include the best youth baseball teams in Southern England.
This year the Tournament will be split into two divisions. The Majors Division will include Bronco teams (10 to 13 years of age) and the Minors Division for Rookie teams (7-10 year olds).
In the Majors, 6 teams will be placed in two Groups of 3 teams. They will play against each of the other two teams in their Group. The two group winners will play against each other to determine the overall tournament winner. The group runners-up will play for 3rdand 4th place, while the teams finishing third in the groups will play against each other to determine who will finish in 5th and 6th place overall. In the Minors Division, four teams will play in a double-elimination format used at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and at the British National Baseball Championships (NBL and AAA).
Group 1 of the Majors Division includes the hosts Herts along with Brentwood and Bracknell, while in Group 2, the 2008 Tournament winners, Horsham, will look to overcome Tonbridge and the London Mets who enter as Tournament favourites after winning the Bronco National Baseball Championship just two weeks ago.
The Minors Division will see the youngest talents of Herts, Horsham and London slug it out to determine the best team in the Rookie age bracket.
Herts Baseball Club Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov, had a message for baseball enthusiasts and those who may be curious to find out more about the game: “Last year’s event was a big success and we hope that this event will get bigger and better every year. It is a fantastic opportunity for the whole family to get down to the ballpark and get a taste of baseball . Apart from top youth baseball action, fans will be able to enjoy traditional American snacks, from hot dogs to fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts”.
Directions to Grovehill Ballpark
For more information about playing baseball with the Herts youth and adult teams go to www.hertsbaseball.com and contact Herts Baseball Club.
MINORS
TIME | VENUE | DIVISION | VISITING TEAM |
| HOME TEAM |
| FORMAT |
11:00 | Field3 | Minors(Game1) | Herts Jr Raptors |
| London Rookies |
| 1hr timed |
11:00 | Field4 | Minors(Game2) | Horsham Rookies |
| Herts Jr Hawks |
| 1hr timed |
12:15 | Field3 | Minors(Game3) | Winner (Game 2) |
| Winner (Game 1) |
| 1hr timed |
12:15 | Field4 | Minors(Game4) | Loser (Game 1) |
| Loser (Game 2) |
| 1hr timed |
13:30 | Field3 | Minors(Game5) | Winner (Game 4) |
| Loser (Game 3) |
| 1hr timed |
15:00 | Field3 | Minors(Final) | Winner (Game 5) |
| Winner (Game 3) |
| 1hr timed |
MAJORS (GROUP 1)
TIME | VENUE | DIVISION | VISITING TEAM |
| HOME TEAM |
| FORMAT |
11:00 | Field1 | Majors (G1) | Herts All Stars |
| Bracknell Blazers |
| 1hr timed |
12:15 | Field1 | Majors (G1) | Bracknell Blazers |
| Brentwood Bucks |
| 1hr timed |
13:30 | Field1 | Majors (G1) | Brentwood Bucks |
| Herts All Stars |
| 1hr timed |
MAJORS (GROUP 2)
TIME | VENUE | DIVISION | VISITING TEAM |
| HOME TEAM |
| FORMAT |
11:00 | Field2 | Majors (G2) | London Mets |
| Tonbridge Bobcats |
| 1hr timed |
12:15 | Field2 | Majors (G2) | Tonbridge Bobcats |
| Horsham All Stars |
| 1hr timed |
13:30 | Field2 | Majors (G2) | Horsham All Stars |
| London Mets |
| 1hr timed |
MAJORS – FINALS
TIME | VENUE | DIVISION | VISITING TEAM |
| HOME TEAM |
| FORMAT |
15:00 | Field4 | Majors-5th/6th | Group2 (3rd Place) |
| Group1 (3rd Place) |
| 1hr timed |
15:00 | Field2 | Majors-3rd/4th | Group1 (2ndPlace) |
| Group2 (2nd Place) |
| 1hr timed |
15:00 | Field1 | Majors-Final | Group2 (Winner) |
| Group1 (Winner) |
| 1hr30min |
