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The Manchester A's 1999

25th April 1999

by John Fisher

For the Manchester A's, the game against the Sheffield Bladerunners was to be the beginning of their season, even though it had officially started the previous week, with a home match against Barnsley Strikers. This first game had been abandoned at the end of the fifth inning, due to the atrocious weather conditions, as torrential and persistent hail and rain brought the curtain down on the A's less than auspicious start to the '99 campaign. With a new squad of mainly inexperienced players and their starting pitcher carrying an injury, they faced the daunting challenge of beating a team who had recently stepped down from the Premier division. The Manchester men gallantly dug in and did their best to overcome the numbing effects of the cold and wet. They desperately tried to keep in touch with the Strikers run rate, as the players slithered and slid round the bases, but errors inevitably occurred and the A's suffered the consequences. As the game had progressed to the end of the fifth inning, the score of 6 - 20 in favour of the Barnsley Strikers was to stand as the final result. The Manchester A's had learnt some very valuable lessons in this defeat and, although initially somewhat dejected by the miserable conditions and their first loss, they were determined to come back stronger in the next match.

Seven days later, sunshine heralded the new start the A's had eagerly awaited. Although heavy rain during the week had seen the Home Plate under several inches of water and the threat of a postponement had seemed very real, the application of copious amounts of sand and a fortuitous change in the weather, had allowed the pitch to dry to a sticky, but playable consistency. However, just as the hard work on the diamond was beginning to pay off, fate had another twist up its sleeve. The night before the match, the club was informed that the game umpire had decided to retire immediately and had withdrawn from the fixture. A number of frantic phone calls ensued, which resulted in a volunteer, in the guise of Mark Harris, offering his services for the day. Our grateful thanks go to Mark for this unselfish sacrifice and an acknowledgment of his fine and extremely fair umpiring is in order at this point.

With the organization of both pitch and officials sorted out, the days play lay before us. Sheffield's first batter stepped confidently up to the plate to face the A's starting pitcher, Adrian 'Suicide' Gee. The count went to full before the Bladerunner's lead off hitter, T. Booth, was unceremoniously struck out. Things were looking promising for the A's, but it wasn't to last. The next batter walked and a fielding error allowed the third man to get on base. Sheffield manager, Jay Stearns, then took the plate and hit a sacrifice fly ball to left field and, although it was ably caught and returned by outfielder Chris Jackson, Bladerunner's Garrett reached home for Sheffield's first run to score. Four walks and a fielding error then allowed Sheffield to take a five run lead from the first inning, as the side was retired by Booth's infield fly to the A's pitcher.

Manchester's reply was, unfortunately, to be a stuttering one for the second week in succession. The A's first batter, Chris Jackson, in a re-run of Sheffield's start, also took the count to full before being struck out. Sham 'Snagger' Abu Bakar got on base with a walk and maneuvered around to 3^rd base on two passed balls, where he waited patiently to be brought home. His patience was soon rewarded as Robert 'Rocket' Denham drove a hard ground ball to the Short Stop, bringing in Sham to score Manchester's first run, but sacrificing himself in the process for the 2^nd out. Yobert 'Ever Ready' Pino took to the batter's box next. A dropped 3^rd strike error allowed him to sprint safely to 1^st base, but the rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins somehow got the better of him as he careered onward in an attempt to steal an extra base. The catcher's arm had the edge on him in this showdown though and he was tagged out at 2^nd base, to end the inning for the A's with a score of 1 - 5 in Sheffield's favour.

Manchester's indecisive pitching resumed in the top of the second, with the first three batters walked and the fourth, Kennedy, hitting a double. Watterson then ground out for Sheffield's first loss of the inning. Three more batters were walked and another allowed to reach base on a fielding error before a quick tag and ground out retired the side, but not before another five runs had been collected by the Yorkshiremen.

If the A's thought that the first inning had been an underachievement, the second was a disaster as each of the next three batters were struck out in order, leaving Sheffield with a 1 - 10 lead.

Andy 'Anchor' Cuniffe took over the pitching at the top of the third inning, striking out the first batter he faced. A fielding error then allowed manager Stearns on base and Kennedy hit another double to bring his boss home. The next batter ground out to bring Kennedy home and take the sacrifice and Longford was struck out to retire the side with a meager two runs added to their score.

The bottom of the third brought quick singles from Paul 'Blaster' Beswick and rookie Daniel 'Fireball' Hermitt. As Steve 'Slippy' Hannon availed himself of a walk, young Daniel was busy stealing bases. His enthusiasm however, led to him being tagged out at 3^rd base as his optimistic dive failed to impress the field umpire, who adjudged him to have failed in his lunge for safety. A strikeout quickly followed to put the A's two down, but the resolve of the team could not be questioned. With their backs against the wall, they produced an inspired, if rather too short-lived, rally. Three walked batters and singles from Yobert Pino and Derek 'Dynamo' Stubbs dredged up another five runs from the inning before Paul Beswick was struck out on his second time round, to end the fun. Manchester were back in the hunt, but still trailing Sheffield by 6 - 12.

In the next inning, the A's pitcher gave up walks to the first two batters and fielding errors let two more hitters reach base safely. Fortune changed quickly though, as it is always prone to do in baseball, as the next two ground and flew out respectively. Although Kennedy, Sheffield's most destructive batter, slipped to 1^st base on an error, another ground out by Watterson, perhaps the Bladerunners most unfortunate batter, brought their fourth inning to a close with only three more runs on their collective total.

In the bottom of the fourth, Steve Hannon took advantage of a walk and then two wild pitches, following his stolen base, to reach home for another hard earned run. His was the only score though in this inning, as two strikes and a ground out brought Sheffield up to bat again, with the score 7 - 15.

With the fifth inning stretching out before them, the Bladerunners stepped up the pressure. Two errors and a walk assisted their three singles and the third sacrifice fly of the day by Stearns, as they churned out more runs. Kennedy proved his batting prowess once more with a colossal, cloud-scraping home run to clear the bases and notch up what turned out to be an unassailable lead for his club. Despite this damaging period, the next two batters were closed down with a popped up fly ball in the infield being securely despatched at first base and a ground out stopping Sheffield in its tracks.

Manchester desperately needed to close the gap at this point to avoid losing touch with the rampant Yorkshiremen. Things don't always go to plan however, as the A's realized when their middle order collapsed to a strikeout and two groundouts in quick succession, under the withering pitching of the Bladerunners. The fifth inning closed with the score now at 7 - 22, with the home side contemplating the possibility of an ignominious end, as the (now compulsory) 'slaughter rule' would take effect to finish the game in the seventh, if the gap remained at 15 runs.

It was at this point that the tide began to turn in Manchester's favour. The A's had some pride to recover and they were up for it. With gritted teeth, a renewed belief in themselves and a determination to take this game to the wire, they set about closing the run gap. Pitcher Andy Cuniffe took first blood with a secure throw to 1^st base, as the batter attempted to cover the ground following his short hit toward the mound. The next man up was soon despatched as he struck out and, despite Booth reaching base on a single, a fly ball to left field ended their inning with no further runs scored.

Andy then traded his glove for a bat and stepped up to the plate himself. The Sheffield pitcher gave a walk up to him and he moved round to 3^rd base on two wild pitches. A fly ball and a strike took out the next two batters, but a single by Steve Hannon brought the run in. A dropped third strike saw Sham Abu Bakar back on base, but the following ground out stopped any further score this inning. At the bottom of the sixth, the score was now 8 - 22 and it was still 'game on'.

Robert Denham now took up the pitcher's mantle. He may be the youngest member of the team, but the Sheffield players soon learned why he earned the title of 'Rocket Rob'. Apart from the elusive Kennedy reaching base on a fielding error, three of Sheffield's finest bit the dust, as he retired the side without conceding further runs.

The A's now had an opportunity to claw something back, but two singles and a walk were wiped out all too soon, by a ground out and two strikes, stopping any thoughts of further gains dead in their tracks. The seventh had ended with the score still reading 8 - 22 for the visitors and the 'slaughter' had been avoided by the narrowest of margins, giving the A's another two innings to prove their worth.

'The Rocket' took the mound again with renewed determination and the devastating result of his endeavours was soon evident, as the first three batters to take the plate were struck out with only eleven pitches.

The Manchester men still needed to recover the form they had shown in the third, if they were to bat themselves back into contention. A good start was made when the Sheffield pitcher walked the first batter. The next man to step up ground out though and the task started to look more difficult again. Another two batters walked, a run generated by Steve Hannon stealing home on a wild pitch and a single from Adrian Gee got things moving in the right direction once more. Another wild pitch brought Robert Denham home and a sacrifice hit by Derek Stubbs drove in another run before a final ground out stopped the show for the moment. Three more runs toward the A's total left the score standing at 11 - 22, with the final inning beckoning.

The top of Sheffield's order got a lucky break immediately the ninth inning started, as the batter's swing caught the Manchester catcher's glove. First base was awarded for interference and the pitcher temporarily wavered as he walked the following batter. A passed ball and two wild pitches then allowed the two baserunners to score, before the next batter was successfully struck out. Two singles were given up, which resulted in a further two runs scoring, until the Bladerunners were finally silenced by two more strikeouts to conclude their activities with the bat.

The bottom of the ninth, which had once looked out of reach, had arrived for the A's. Now it was all or nothing and the bats had to do the talking for them. They did manage to score another three runs in this final inning, but bats strangely played no part in it. The first man up was struck out and the next five were all walked. The runs were all manufactured by players stealing home and the end finally arrived as a runner was tagged out in the attempt, closely followed by the last strikeout of the match.

The final score was a creditable 14 - 26 loss for the fledgling A's, but with a vast amount of experience gained in the process. This experience will pay dividends in the games to come and, although a 0 - 2 start is not what most teams would desire, this team is improving and it will hopefully not be too long before the first win comes. Stay tuned folks, this is only the beginning!

2nd May 1999

SOMETIMES THE ROAD CAN BE HARD!!!

On 2^nd May, the Manchester A's hosted their 3^rd home game of the '99 season, against the visiting Durham Saints. With a 0 - 2 record going into this match, the Manchester team were hoping for a good result this time, but the dice were loaded against them from the beginning. With key players unavailable for the match and with the responsibility of covering the absence of plate and field umpires to add to the burden, their novice squad was always going to find the going tough. Mark Harris once again provided the plate umpiring for the first four innings, handing over to Ian Marchment for the next three. Meanwhile, Chris Jackson and Andy Carey rotated the responsibility of covering the field umpire position. This way, although the team was always two members light, all the players managed to play at least some part of the game. Our thanks go to these guys for donating their playing time to ensure the match went ahead as scheduled. Needless to say, all players want to play and it shows a great deal of unselfish dedication for them to take on these unfamiliar roles for the benefit of both the clubs present.

As the clock counted down the final minutes to the start of the game, it became obvious that two more of the rostered A's players were not going to make the first inning's play and a rapid reshuffling of the lineup was carried out to cover their absence. This gave newcomer Shaun 'Slammer' Griffiths his chance to sample the delights of infield play for the first time, as he took up position at 3B. With the field now set, the first Durham batter, Anderson, took the plate as Robert 'Rocket' Denham, the A's star young pitcher, prepared himself to pick up where he had left off in the previous game. It took him a couple of pitches to get back into the rhythm, before he homed in on the 'K-zone', striking out the top of the order hitter. The next batter up was the Saint's manager Dave Ward, who fouled off three pitches before Denham gave up a walk to him. Wade was next to step up, but flew out to 2B for the second dismissal of the match. Denham then let the Durham first baseman, Johnson, escape, by allowing him a walk and a short flurry of wild pitches and passed balls saw Ward bring home the first run of the day. The 'Rocket' dug in though and struck out the next batter to bring to a close the top of the first inning, with only one run given up.

Andy Carey took the plate for the A's, but after fouling off a number of pitches, he struck out swinging. Yobert Pino was next up, but soon rejoined his companions on the bench as he flew out to 3B, to make it 2 up, 2 down. 'Trooper' Ian Marchment then took four straight balls from pitcher Sedgeman and quickly hustled out to 1B. As Shaun Griffiths faced the Saint's pitcher (who has, allegedly, a pitching motion with such an imperceptible starting point that it could easily be interpreted as an illegal pitch), Marchment stole 2B to put himself in scoring position. Unfortunately, Griffiths hit the ball skywards and was caught by the centre fielder to retire the side for the grand total of 'nowt', as we are prone to say in this fair region of England's green and pleasant land.

Trailing 0 - 1 at the top of the 2^nd, the A's prematurely had to make significant changes to their infield, as pitcher Denham reported an arm strain. To save him from excessive throwing, he relinquished the mound to take up position on 1B. The original first baseman Steve 'Slippy' Hannon took over the role of Short Stop and the previous incumbent of this position, Adrian 'Suicide' Gee, took centre stage. This unforeseen turn of events was undoubtedly to have an influential effect on later events, but this particular inning was preparing some drama and excitement all of its own. Gee's initial contribution was to walk the Durham pitcher, Sedgeman, as he settled himself down. At this point no one realized the good fortune the A's team were about to gain from this apparent setback. The Saint's catcher Mick Bent stepped up to the plate and immediately went behind to two well aimed strikes. Desperate to fight off the next pitch, Bent hit a hard line drive straight into the glove of the repositioned A's Short Stop Hannon, to provide the first out. Sedgeman meanwhile, had already committed himself to storming 2B and could not react quickly enough to tag up after the catch. With a deft flick of the ball to second baseman Beswick, Hannon set up the double play, which Beswick executed with a fine tag on the hapless baserunner. With two outs now against them, the next Saints batter hacked at Gee's pitch, only to see it gratefully received by a jubilant Hannon, whose second catch of the inning, retired the side for no further runs. Our young 'Slippy', who is, amazingly, a fifteen-year-old rookie playing his first season, appears to have a great baseball future ahead of him and will undoubtedly be a player to watch out for as he gains experience to add to his natural ability.

Only one run behind and with a great chance to surge into the lead at the bottom of the second, the A's batting collapsed once again. A strikeout followed by two fly balls saw the side retired 3 up, 3 down, to keep the score at 0 - 1 as we entered the 3^rd inning.

For Durham, this inning was to be their most dominant period of the game. Bailey started the run machine in motion with a ground rule double after the left fielder failed to stop his outfield fly. Although the top of the Saint's order was struck out ball watching, the offence kicked into top gear, aided by a number of defensive errors. Five walks, another two doubles and five singles later, saw the North Easterners take a commanding lead, as they added another 13 runs to their tally before two fly balls stopped them in their tracks.

The Manchester men, now trailing by 14 runs, had a mammoth and daunting task ahead of them and needed to do some serious hitting. With the double play demons Hannon and Beswick leading off their offensive pack, first observations suggested that a rally was not a total improbability. Hannon graciously accepted a walk to get on base and 'Blaster' Beswick drove him home with a very impressive three base hit, which also put himself in excellent scoring position. Andy Carey made a sacrifice hit to bring home Beswick, but with a following strikeout, the A's were living on the brink once more. A walk allowed Marchment a base presence, which he immediately enhanced with a steal to 2B. Griffiths then steamed a ball into centre field, but the defence was switched on and Marchment was picked off as he charged toward 3B on a fielder's choice. This ended the A's extremely brief rally and they now trailed 2 - 14 at the end of the 3rd.

With a 12 run advantage under their belts, the Saints batters opened up again. With home runs for Anderson and Elstob and with Ward being driven home between them, their score was extended by another three runs in the 4th. The A's failed to score in their half inning and they remained trailing 2 - 17.

Steve Hannon changed his role once more in the 5^th, as he stepped into the breach to take over pitching duties, his first experience on the mound in a real game. His pitching was accurate, if not yet devastating and he was unlucky to see Durham notch up another three runs, as fielding errors once again took their toll. The testimony to Hannon's accuracy is evident in the fact that he only gave up one walk during the twenty three batters he faced during his three inning pitching spell, an accomplishment he can build on and be proud of.

The final innings of the game were fairly featureless with the 'slaughter rule' looming large on the horizon and players being unable to lift their game to overcome such a large deficit. The A's snatched a run in the bottom of the 5^th, another in the 6^th and two more in the 7^th to make their final tally 6. Meanwhile the Saints grabbed another three in the 6^th and two more in the 7^th to boost their own score to 25.

With a final score of 6 - 25 in favour of the Durham Saints at the bottom of the 7^th inning, the curtain was brought down on the day's official play. With the result rubber stamped and added to the files for posterity, the players moved on to a further two innings of friendly rivalry on the diamond. These extra innings became an impromptu training session in which more new A's pitchers got the opportunity to try out their skills against real opposition. From the way these guys handled themselves, I don't think it will be very long before they appear in the A's pitching rotation and the Durham Saints, at least, know what is in store for future teams in this league. But that's our secret for now.

The hard road continues next week with a crunch match between the two Manchester teams, when the A's travel 'away' to play the Express. Both squads know what the opposition has to offer and it should produce an interesting confrontation. The pressure is all on the Express for this one and you can bet on the A's to exploit every angle they can find. Watch out guys we're coming your way!!!

Report by John Fisher.

13th June 1999

You don't always get what you want

Who could doubt the wisdom of the Sage who spoke these words? The A's desperately wanted to win the double header against the West Midlands Razorbacks held on 13^th June and they came tantalisingly close to achieving their wish. In the first of the two games, 'Rocket' Robert Denham, the A's pitching maestro, held the Razorbacks to a one run lead in the 1^st inning. In the top of the 2^nd though, fate conspired against the hapless Manchester side, as four of the five errors made by them in the game, arrived together, to allow West Midlands to rack up a further six runs. The A's reduced the deficit slightly by grabbing one back for themselves and the inning ended 1 - 7. The Razorbacks were held to two runs in the 3^rd and, with the help of a double from Denham, the A's drove in two themselves to keep the gap at six. The top of the 4^th saw West Midlands, despite making a run, fall to two quick outs. They then managed to get a baserunner on the diamond before their solid hitting 3^rd baseman, Hobbins, took the plate. Signals were quickly passed between the bench and the pitcher and Hobbins was intentionally walked, to allow the 'Rocket' to work his magic on the next, less competent, hitter. Hobbins took the 'compliment' cheerfully and Denham quickly brought the opposition's inning to a close with a clinical strikeout. Unfortunately, the A's bats offered little resistance in their half-inning and the score remained at 3 -10. The Razorbacks were held to a single run again in the 5^th, with the assistance of a quick reaction double play between the Griffiths brothers, Shaun and Ivor, on first and second base respectively. These guys know what it means to 'keep it in the family' and are doing exceptionally well in their rookie year. The Manchester men struck twice when their chance came to reply, with 'Blaster' Beswick and 'Stonewall' (Trigger) Harris both powering round the bases in turn, to bring the score up to 5 - 11. On the day, the number '6' appeared to be a lucky number for the West Midlands team, as the 6^th inning proved to be very significant in both of the games. In this first game, despite losing two quick outs to fly balls, the 'fish' took full advantage of a short lapse in pitching accuracy to net six more runs in the 6^th. The A's took another two runs in return, as the Razorback's relief pitcher also struggled with control while he settled into his new role. The Razors were then held scoreless in the 7^th and final inning and, led by 'doubling' Denham, who hit another two-baser, the A's closed the first match of the double header with three more runs, to make the final result 10 - 17 in favour of the West Midlands Razorbacks.

In the second game of the day, the A's, led by 'Trooper' Marchment and ably assisted by Denham, Beswick and Pino, marched into a four run lead in the 1^st inning. The 2^nd inning saw the Manchester men stretch that lead further, as Marchment impressed the crowd with an immaculate display of determined base stealing and Denham continued his crucial contribution with a splendid ground rule double. The Razors made one run, to improve on their uninspired, three up, three down start in the 1^st (which had been prematurely extinguished by the rundown of Johnson, who found himself floundering between third and home, whilst attempting to follow the chaotic instructions of bench and base coach), to end the inning trailing the A's 6 -1. The 3^rd and 4^th innings saw the 'Marchment and Denham Show' once again generate a run each. On the pitching front, Denham had now completed his allotted time at the mound, during which time he had thrown an impressive 198 pitches to excellent effect. A fine performance on his last game with the A's. He now moves on to join the, 'Baseball Express' sponsored, Manchester Express team and, although he will be sorely missed, we wish him well with his new squad. From one who is moving on, to one who is just starting to learn his trade, it was time for rookie pitcher 'Fireball' Hermitt to 'strut his stuff' on the mound. He started really well too, striking out two of the first three batters with his blistering fastball, until that vital element of a pitcher's armoury, control, began to elude him. He still managed to show, in the brief opening spell, what great potential he possesses though and with a bit of practice and a little determination, this guy's going to have a lot of batters very worried indeed! On this day though, 'Suicide' Gee was needed to step in and stem the growing tide of runs threatening to spoil their day, which he did admirably, to hold the score to 8 - 5 at the end of the 4^th. The A's added another run in each of the 5^th and 6^th innings and Gee took the West Midland's middle order out, three up, three down, to give the A's a 10 - 5 lead in the middle of the 6^th. These two innings had also seen a number of arguments break out between the Razorback players and the umpires. Judgement calls began to be questioned by a team who undoubtedly felt that they were facing imminent defeat. These incidents marred what had been, until then, an exemplary sporting atmosphere and all credit must be given to the West Midland's captain, Sid James (whose name seems vaguely familiar), for taking his players aside and instructing them, in no uncertain terms, regarding the correct procedure for querying a call and the behaviour expected of them during play. Unfortunately, for the A's, this 'chat' had the desired effect and refocused the Razorback players. Coinciding with their lucky 6^th inning, this more determined squad rapidly turned the game around. Two doubles, five singles and four fielding errors, saw them notch up eight runs before they could be stopped. The A's failed to reply in the top of the 7^th and the game ended abruptly with a shock 10 - 13 win for the rejuvenated Razorbacks.

A stunned A's squad were left to contemplate on what might have been and on the paradoxically cruel and unforgiving nature of the game we love. Added to the myriad of imponderable questions that already exist in the Universe, we must also wonder why fate conspires to bring all fielding errors together to compound their impact, what mysterious power lies behind the number '6' and why, oh why, can't the A's win a match!

But, onward and upward, as we say in the trade. Let us consider our next match (which will undoubtedly be the scene of a magnificent victory for our beleaguered team), another home double header and an even more daunting proposition, the Liverpool Trojans. A splendid prospect indeed... and one I shall inform you about when the dust has settled!

So, there remains nothing left but to sing as we wend our way back to the changing rooms and a welcome shower!!..

Hit 'em high, hit 'em high, hit 'em high,

Hit 'em low, hit 'em low, hit 'em low,

Watch those baseballs fly,

Go A's, Go A's, Go!

It's sad, but then I'm a very old man.

Catch you later fans.

John Fisher. [Manager: Manchester A's]

4th July 1999

Slaughter of the innocents

It was Sunday 4 July '99, American Independence Day and a day that will be remembered in the annals of Manchester Baseball club for other reasons. The sun beat down from an almost cloudless sky, as the Manchester A's scrambled up to the elevated diamond that is the home of Barnsley Strikers Baseball Club. Offering a grand vista over the neighbouring rooftops of the famous Yorkshire town, this stepped mountain, masquerading as a baseball diamond and reminiscent of the ancient Mayan pyramids, seemed incongruous in the traditional mining environment that is Barnsley. The welcoming green aspect of these terraces and grassy banks were soon found to be deceptive though, as they barely covered the unforgiving rock beneath. The pitcher's mound should have given the game away with its potholes and stone boulders, making the act of delivering the ball to the batter a decidedly precarious and imprecise affair. Even though we had overlooked these tell-tale signs, the team soon realised that stopping a bouncing baseball on this surface was going to be no easy task and sliding into bases would only be undertaken by the very brave, or the very foolish. The resemblance to Mayan architecture was to be reinforced even more on this particular Summer's day, as the spectacle of a group of innocent Manchester ballplayers being sacrificed to the Barnsley Sun God, was to be enacted right in front of our incredulous eyes. Only the irritating and incessant drone of the local youths, constantly circling the pitch on their trail bikes, reminded us of the reality of the situation and our current location. Enough of the preliminaries though, let's move on to the game.

Everything began well enough. Manchester's lead-off man, the irrepressible Ian 'Trooper' Marchment, reached base on error and quickly stole to 2^nd. Marchment is the 'King of Steal' and is well ahead of the pack in this team, driven on by his admirable determination and sheer cheek, he flies round bases quicker than a greased ferret with six legs. On this occasion though, he was to progress no further, as the next three batters were struck out unceremoniously. The Strikers then took their turn at the plate and Ben 'Whizzer' Quinton took the pitcher's rubber for the first time, walking the lead Yorkshire batter, Whitehead, who then stole to 3^rd. The next batter up was struck out cleanly before the Barnsley catcher, Bennett, entered the game. Bennett hit a 'worm burner' toward the pitcher, who, allowing the hitter to reach 1^st base on a fielder's choice, threw the ball quickly to the catcher Mark 'Stonewall' Harris. Harris tagged out Whitehead as he rushed toward homeplate from 3^rd and returned the ball to Quinton once again. Bennett, in the meantime, attempted to seize the opportunity to steal 2^nd, but Quinton was aware of the situation and deftly whipped the ball to Ivor 'Digger' Griffiths at 2^nd base, who tagged out the unfortunate Barnsley player and ended the inning with no score for either team.

In the 2^nd inning, Yobert Pino and Griffiths were walked by Striker's pitcher Allott and Harris drove Manchester's first run in with a sacrifice hit through the middle of the diamond. Steve Hannon then walked and Adrian Gee's hit brought a second run home as he reached base on a fielding error. Allott then walked Marchment to put two runners on the bases once more. These potential runs did not come to fruition however, as the next two batters were struck out in turn to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 2^nd, rookie pitcher Quinton struggled badly with his control, as the umpire called 12 of his 13 pitches 'balls', loading the bases. A pitching change was made at this point and the A's most experienced pitching stalwart, Adie Gee, was brought in to plug the breach. It took another eight plate appearances to stem the flow, but eventually the Yorkshire side was retired, now leading the A's by 6 - 2.

With only four runs between the combatants, the 3^rd inning looked to be an interesting proposition, but nothing could have been further from the truth from the A's perspective! Allott stepped up a gear and, despite walking one batter, took three quick strikeouts as the Manchester offence were caught ball-watching in turn and the side was retired with no further runs on the board. The bottom of the 3^rd saw the game sealed for the Strikers, right there and then. No obsidian blade could have ripped the heart out of the A's team more effectively than the events of this half inning. McQueen was the first batter up, little realising that he would be making three more appearances at the plate before the Barnsley onslaught would be halted. The first out came as only the second batter took the plate, but we had to wait for the thirteenth batter to appear to see the next one. As the inning stretched on and on, Gee began to tire and his normally trustworthy curveball failed to make an impact on the marauding Yorkshiremen. The threadbare Manchester bullpen needed to be used again. Marchment took the mound for the first time this year and managed to get the final out as Bowen hit a high ball into the waiting glove of Gee, who was now ensconced in centre field. As the teams returned to their benches, a quick tally revealed that 33 batters had driven in 29 runs against the dejected Manchester men and what had once been a manageable 4 run deficit, was now an insurmountable 33 run yawning chasm, with the score standing at 35 - 2.

The A's could not lift their game after this devastating inning and, with the match now a foregone conclusion, the rest of the day's play became merely a case of going through the motions. The A's scored another two runs in the 4^th and another in the 7^th. The Strikers, for their part, notched up a single run in the 4^th and nine in the 5^th against the closer Steve Hannon, who had stepped in to pitch the final stages of the game. Hannon had not played for some weeks following knee surgery, but managed to shut out the Yorkshire side in the 6^th. The Striker's enormous lead however, meant that there was never any realistic danger of them having to bat in the final inning and the game ended 45 - 5 in their favour.

From the A's point of view, this match might be regarded as best forgotten, but every event, no matter how traumatic, can teach us valuable lessons. The whole season has been a steep learning curve for the A's squad and we could not have realistically expected to turn an almost complete squad of rookie players into a league-winning team overnight, but the players can be justly proud of their steady, if sometimes erratic, progress. If each individual has improved even one aspect of their game during this campaign and enjoyed themselves while they were doing it, then it will have all been worthwhile. If my guys can keep their heads up when things are not going their way, maintain full concentration and work for each other until the proverbial 'fat lady' starts singing, they will get where they want to be, eventually.

The next game we play will be the local 'Derby' once again, as we take on the Manchester Express on 18.7.99. See you there folks!

John Fisher. [Manager: Manchester A's]

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