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England vs. Scotland All-Star Game 1999

Game Report by Tim Olsen

Taking It North Of The Border by Timothy D. Olsen
British Baseball Federation - Scotland-England All-Star Game 21/8/99

It all started with an unexpected phone call, early in August, asking me if I would be interested in managing the English All-Star team in an exhibition game against the Scottish All-Stars. Each team in Division One would nominate their star players and the game would take place on August 21st in Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium. (Nick Clark of the Edinburgh Diamond Devils was selected as the manager of the Scottish All-Stars.) Considering it for all of two milliseconds, I accepted and began to make plans for the day. In a much-appreciated gesture, Dave Allen of the Manchester Express agreed to take on the role of official scorer for the England side and John Fisher, manager of the Manchester A’s, also decided to accompany us on the long, long drive north of the border.

The roster arrived in the post the week before the event, listing the players chosen for the game. From the roster, I was to put together a strong starting lineup and, as with all All-Star games, ensure that all players participate in the game; there would be no bench warmers this day. From the Manchester Express, the all-stars chosen were Hervé Boutin, David Fisher and John Tucker (Roger Young and James Hatherley were also selected but previous commitments prevented them from attending the game.); From the Liverpool Trojans, Alan Williams, Rob Nesbitt, Robbie Orme and Martin Godsall; From the Barnsley Strikers, John Rigby, Alan Bowers, Kris Allott and Tony Allott; From the Newark Yankees, Chris Mortimore and Lea Hamnett; From the Durham Saints, Ian Elstob, Dave Ward, Stephen Wade and Peter Johnson; And from the Sheffield Bladerunners, Frazer Longford, David Garrett and Andy Beacon. It was to be one hell of a team.

With a game time of 2pm, the players gathered at Meadowbank Stadium at noon to warm up and prepare for the real thing. For five months, the assembled players had battled against each other on playing fields throughout England; I now had two hours to bring them all together to form one team. My strategy for the game was simple; put some runs on the board early in the game and then keep everyone focused and under control to guarantee us the win. We discussed the signs we would use and then I sent the players out on the field for batting practice. Norman Sutherland from Forth Sports Marketing, who had organized the game, introduced me first to the game announcer and then the scorer for the Scottish side and we swapped lineup sheets. For my starting lineup, I had chosen:

1. David Fisher - Catcher
2. Stephen Wade - Center Field
3. John Tucker - Second Base
4. Martin Godsall - Pitcher
5. Frazer Longford - Right Field
6. Dave Ward - Third Base
7. Rob Nesbitt - First Base
8. Lea Hamnett - Shortstop
9. David Garrett - Left Field.

At 2pm sharp, Home Plate umpire Bernard DeLorenzo brought both managers to home plate to discuss the ground rules and then the game was on. David Fisher was the first batter for England, facing Scottish pitcher David Farr who justified his position in the starting lineup with a swift K to start the game. Stephen Wade and John Tucker followed with walks but Farr regained his control and sent Martin Godsall down swinging. Frazer Longford walked to load the bases and things looked bright but three quick strikes to Dave Ward retired the side. Star pitcher Martin Godsall took to the mound for the England side but the Scots were pumped and Neil Wardrope lined a single into left field. Billy Jenkins and Keith Graham both walked to load the bases, setting up Dave Quiggley’s 2-RBI double. Joe Gagliardo went down swinging to yield the first out and the next batter, Jim Wilde, took first after being hit by an errant pitch. The bases were loaded with only one out, a tense situation indeed, but Godsall regained his composure and sent down the next two batters in order. The inning was over but the Scottish All-Stars had taken an early lead 2-0.

Rob Nesbitt started the second inning with a fly ball snagged by shortstop Keith Graham, followed by walks from both Lea Hamnett and David Garrett. Fisher was next at bat, eager to bring home a run or two, but an excellent catch by Scottish second baseman Dave Quiggley foiled his plan. With two outs, Wade delivered second time around with an RBI single and Garrett tore home on an error to tie the score. Tucker, Godsall and Longford drew walks as Wade scored with some aggressive baserunning. Dave Ward then took one for the team, his hit-by-pitch call bringing home John Tucker before a fly out to third from Nesbitt ended the rally. The Scottish side went down in order to end the inning, with K’s to Cumming and Wardrope and a fly out to short from Jenkins. After two, the English All-Stars had taken the lead 4-2.

Despite a single from Hamnett and a double from Garrett, the third inning was fallow for the England side as Scotland’s Billy Jenkins switched from catcher to pitcher to rack up three strikeouts of his own. Godsall struck out the first batter he faced in the third but Scottish MVP, Dave Quiggley, slammed a double to left field to keep the side alive. Gagliardo followed with a single but was thrown out at second as he tried to stretch the hit into a double. With two outs, Scotland threatened as Jim Wilde hit a double of his own but Godsall’s catch of David Farr’s pop fly brought the inning to a close with just one run scored. After three, the English All-Stars had kept the lead 4-3.

Tight fielding and strong pitching denied both sides any runs in the fourth inning but each side came back strong in the fifth. After a groundout from Fisher, Wade walked and Tucker struck out to make it two outs with one man on base. Wade showed his versatility once again as he scored on a passed ball and an error. Martin Godsall walked and scored on a passed ball before the side was retired with two runs scored. In the middle of the inning, I made the first of my lineup changes, sending Hervé Boutin to third, John Rigby to right field, Kris Allott to catcher, Peter Johnson to first, Alan Williams to left field and Robbie Orme to second. As Scotland came up to bat in the fifth, Keith Graham reached base on an error and was then brought home by Dave Quiggley ... who then scored himself on Jim Wilde’s sacrifice RBI. After five innings, the gap between the two teams had lessened but the English All-Stars were still in the lead 6-5.

Eager to maintain the lead they had inherited, the fresh English players delivered in the top of the sixth as Alan Williams singled and Kris Allott doubled to put two men on base with no outs. Chris Mortimore scored Williams with a finely-tuned sacrifice RBI and Allott scored on a wild pitch before the side was eventually closed down. Chris Mortimore took to the mound for the England side (as Martin Godsall moved to center field) and walked Jamie Galbraith before getting the next batter, Dave Cunningham, to hit into a 6-3 groundout. He got into trouble, though, as the next two batters reached base allowing Galbraith to score. Keith Graham followed with a fly ball to left field which was snagged by Alan Williams but Dave Quiggley was next up to bat and he delivered yet again with a 2-RBI double. With the Scottish side scoring three runs and the game now tied, it was time for a difficult decision and I brought Martin Godsall back to the mound, sending Mortimore out to center field. Godsall got the next batter to hit a groundball to third and the subsequent bullseye throw from Boutin to Johnson at first ended the inning. The game was now tied 8-8 going into the seventh inning. It was going exactly as I had imagined it, with the best players from both sides of the border giving their all and keeping things very close. It was time, though, to take back the lead and I knew that I had the players to do it.

Facing new pitcher Joe Gagliardo (rumoured to have played in the Oakland A’s farm system...), Peter Johnson led off the seventh with a single and made it to second on a passed ball to the next batter, Ian Elstob. Gagliardo sent Elstob down swinging and Alan Williams followed with a fly out to third. With two outs, Kris Allott blooped a single over the shortstop setting Chris Mortimore up for his second RBI of the day as his single scored Johnson. That was it for the scoring  as Robbie Orme grounded out but it was enough. Godsall allowed no hits in the bottom of the seventh and clocked up two more K’s to close down the side. After seven, the English All-Stars had retaken the lead 9-8.

Both sides turned up the heat in the eighth and delivered the highest scoring inning of the game. Godsall led off with a double but the next batter went down swinging. Three walks followed and a succession of errors and wild pitches brought home both Godsall and Boutin. With two men on base, Alan Williams slammed a 2-RBI double into the outfield bringing home both Johnson and Elstob. A strikeout and two walks followed to load the bases but a fielder’s choice ended the scoring for England. (The three final English All-Stars joined the game in the middle of the inning as I sent Andy Beacon to right field, Tony Allott to left field and Alan Bowers to third.) Scotland showed that they were very much still in the game in the bottom of the eighth as Billy Jenkins reached base on an error and was then brought home by Dave Quiggley’s RBI single. With Gagliardo also reaching base on a single, it set up Rob Lynch’s 2-RBI single before Godsall delivered his third K of the inning to close down the side. It was close, very close in fact, but the English All-Stars had taken firm control of the game 13-11.

It was crunch time, the final inning of what had been a spectacular game for both sides, and each team had their own agenda. For the English All-Stars, they had to keep hold of the slim 2-run lead, adding to it if possible while keeping the Scots scoreless. For the Scottish side, they had to score at least two runs to send the game into extra innings or rack up three runs to take the win. It was tense and exciting and the final inning went something like this...

Scotland sent Keith Graham in to pitch and Andy Beacon slammed a single through the gap to start the inning. Making his way to second on an error, Beacon took his lead and prepared to run. While what happened next was not expected, it was definitely the play of the game. Alan Bowers slammed the ball straight into Kevin O’Connor’s glove at third who relayed the ball to second to deliver the only double play of the day. (Credit where credit’s due, it was a great play.) With a swift three-ball K to Ian Elstob, the side was retired and Scotland came up to bat for the final time. Daryll Plattings strode confidently to the plate and slammed a double into right field. The next two batters each hit into 6-3 groundouts and Scotland were down to their final out with one man on base. The decision was made to intentionally walk the next batter, Dave Quiggley, and the crowd didn’t like it, not one bit. With Quiggley’s five hits and six RBIs thus far in the game, it was most definitely the right decision to make as the final batter hit into a 4-3 groundout and just like that the game was over. The English All-Stars had won, 13-11.

Martin Godsall was chosen as MVP for our side and went to the announcer’s desk to receive his trophy while kids from the grandstands poured onto the field to ask for autographs. While the win was incredible, nothing compares to the feeling you get when you’re asked for your autograph. Both teams spent a good half hour signing programmes and gloves before heading to the luxury boxes for a celebration drink and meal. It was a close game, a fantastic day, and it left us all thinking of next year’s rematch! See ya next Summer.

See some photos of the game in the gallery.

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