Baseball
With thanks to Baseball Softball UK for the use of this video.
‘’Baseball is a sport which promotes good health, social skills, teamwork,
develops physical coordination, is inclusive for beginners and skilled
participants of all ages or gender and is fun.’’
Did you know that this month there’s a major youth baseball competition taking place?
With thanks to British Baseball Federation for the use of this video.
The Youth National Baseball Championships are going to be held at Farnham Park between 14-15 September. There’s no visitors fee so why not head down to watch the teams compete? The address is Farnham Park, Beaconsfield Road, Slough, SL2 3BP and more information on the championships can be found below but for those who have entered to play, they will be split into Skilled and Developmental levels : Skilled will have played baseball before (for 2 or 3 years) and Developmental will be 2 or less years experience. There’s a Skilled and Developmental division for U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18’s.
https://britishbaseballfederation.leaguerepublic.com/l/page/british_baseball_federation_youth_national_baseball_championships_1415_sept_2019.html.
With thanks to British Baseball Federation for the use of this video.
How could you get involved and learn to play? If you visit the new baseball website at www.britishbaseball.org and go to the drop down tab BBF Clubs and all of the organisations across the country are listed. Click on the town or city closest to you and all the contact details you need will be on there.
Or let your schools know that they can get involved through the new Fun at Bat programme in partnership with Major League Baseball:
With thanks to Baseball Softball UK for the use of this video.
http://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/funatbat
Your school can contact them directly at either funatbat@bsuk.com or, more generally, playball@bsuk.com.
With thanks to British Baseball Federation for the use of this video.
Did you know that there are British National Teams at your age group too? There are U12, U15 AND U18 National Teams.
With thanks to British Baseball Federation for the use of this video.
So give baseball a try either with your friends or through school and have fun!
Interview
Read our article below from 12 year old baseball player Dylan Lawler. Dylan will be playing in the forthcoming Youth Baseball Championships.
So how did you first find out about and start playing baseball?
My mum is from America and she got me interested in baseball. I had my first lesson in California when I was six. When we got home my mum found a club near us (Guildford) that was just starting a junior team so I played with them.
Do you still play lots of other sports or do you focus on baseball?
I play football for a club and at school. I also play rugby, hockey and cricket for my school.
Which team (s) do you play for?
Right now I play for London Youth Baseball League, but before that I played with London Sports. I also play for a travel team, the London Archers, and the GB U12 team.
Do you support a UK and/or USA/Canadian baseball team?
I have always supported the San Francisco Giants (they are my mum’s favourite team). I have been to several games to see them live. I have also been lucky enough to meet some of the players when I went to a baseball camp out there.
Who is your baseball playing idol?
I love to watch loads of the professional players. Each position on the field has a different job to do so you can like different players for having different skills. My main idol is Buster Posey who plays catcher for San Francisco, even though on the teams I play for I mainly play infield.
Have you travelled much so far playing?
Yes, we get to travel a lot which is really fun. This year I have been to tournaments in Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. My Little League team spent over a week in Kutno, Poland this summer for the Little League Europe-Africa Regional tournament. The winner got to go to the USA for the Little League World Series. We can 3rd out of 13 teams.
You’re due to play in the upcoming Youth National Baseball Championship, have you played in that competition before?
Yes, I played in this tournament last year. I was playing with London Sports then and we won it.
Would you recommend watching it to anyone who hasn’t played baseball before?
I would recommend it to everyone. My advice would be to watch with someone who knows the game because there are lots of rules that can be a bit confusing at first.
Do you have ambitions to become a professional baseball player?
I would love to play shortstop for the San Francisco Giants.
Do you think baseball or softball should be played in schools?
I think it would be great for more kids to try baseball and softball. In baseball there are positions that suit pretty much anybody. I was the smallest on my Little League team and the tallest was almost a foot taller than me.
